Under The Alpha's Protection

Chapter 17: The Return

It's been three days since Blue returned home.

Doctor Oswin Holloway had legitimately sighed in relief when Blue walked into the clinic the day she came back from the Northern Territory—but then he had looked at her strangely, because the scents of the Northern Pack had enveloped Blue like a blanket.

On the way back, Blue had asked Laia's advice about what to say to Oswin, and her friend thought it was just best to tell Oswin the truth.

Blue hadn't wanted to be treated differently while at work though. She hadn't wanted to be hovered around as if she, too, was a patient. So, while reiterating where the heck she'd been the past week, Blue omitted the beginning of it all: when she was attacked by the Southern Pack in an alleyway not far from the clinic.

She had told Oswin that she only meant to visit the Northern Pack to see her friend after recovering from her (fake) flu, but that visit had turned into her helping an omega give birth.

Blue didn't think the physician would have any reason to believe that Blue was hiding something else. Needless to say, Oswin had been so proud of Blue for being calm under pressure, and for applying all the things she'd learnt from the clinic.

It was then that she told Oswin how the Northern Pack had offered her an Official Welcome. Oswin and Blue had almost opened the clinic a few minutes late because the beta physician had been so curious about the Welcome Ceremony that Blue underwent in order to be considered as part of the warrior pack (Oswin had used that term specifically, revealing he knew more about the Pack than he led on).

The last thing he had told Blue before they saw the first patient that day was, "It's only right that they feel utterly grateful for what you did, but I have to admit, the last thing I ever expected the Northern Pack to offer you was an Official Welcome. They don't exactly have a track record of playing nice with humans who have no relations within the Pack."

Those words had been at the back of Blue's head ever since.

She had resumed her role as apprentice, helping out with what she could in the clinic and watching Oswin treat all kinds of werewolves. It seemed that Blue's story had eased some sort of door open, because Oswin had been more confident in letting her do some of the easier medical procedures which the physician himself had done hundreds of times already.

That first night, on her way back to the apartment, Blue had walked home with the pointed edge of her keys sticking out from between her fist. She had tried to keep her pace at a brisk walk, but she gave up on any sort of composure and ran home as soon as she had to pass that alleyway.

Blue had not slept well that first night back in her apartment.

The next day, after work, she walked home with a Swiss army knife held in her hand, the longest and thickest blade already out.

Even though she had promised Laia that she would, Blue had not gone to the police yet.

Honestly? She was afraid that it'd aggravate the Southern Pack's Head Alpha even more, to know that the police in Neutral Territory were keeping an eye out for him (if the police even decided to take Blue's report seriously). She only hoped that, because she was officially part of the Northern Pack, the Southern Pack would back down from trying to hurt her.

It was currently six in the evening. Blue had bought cup noodles and bottled coffee from a convenience store near her apartment, one that she could reach without having to walk through that alleyway.

She might be experiencing trauma. Maybe it was paranoia. Or both. Blue wasn't entirely too sure.

Tonight, she had promised to herself that if she could still not fall asleep soundly, she would do some studying. It might help to redirect the restless energy in her bones, making her legs shake underneath her desk.

She had only started to reread the last chapters that she had written before her unexpected stay at the Northern Territory when her phone's ringtone blared in the quiet space of her apartment.

It was Laia calling. "Hey, miss me already?" Blue teased after answering the call.

She had expected a light scoff from Laia, or maybe laughing and an exaggerated agreement, but to Blue's utter surprise, a male voice responded instead, "Where do you live?"

Blue's previously slouched posture went ramrod straight. "Lucian?" She checked the number on her screen again. "You're using Laia's phone to call me?"

"She knows I'm using her phone," Lucian said, not really revealing anything as to why he'd even called in the first place. "I need to speak with you."

"We are speaking already," Blue pointed out. "Why do you need to know where I live?"

"There's something I need to ask. It's important, and I want to do it in person."

Despite Blue's wishes, her stomach filled with anxious energy. "You're coming all the way to Bracket Town just to ask me something? Are you gonna ask me to leave the Pack now?" She tried to make it sound like a joke, but it came out more gravely than she hoped.

Lucian's voice was the same as it usually was in person—detached, deadpan. "I'm driving there as soon as I get your address."

"What?" Blue pushed away from her desk. "Lucian, this is kind of freaking me out. Can't you just–"

"It's nothing urgent," Lucian quickly cut her off. "Nothing about your Official Welcome to my Pack either. I simply need to discuss this matter privately." There's the sound of rustling on the other line. Again, Lucian asked, "Where do you live?"

Blue huffed through her mouth, fighting back the urge to yell at the Head Alpha of the Pack that swore to protect her. Lucian would not be coming all the way to Neutral Territory without a dire reason, and the Head Alpha heading to where Blue lived instead of waiting for her to visit the Northern Territory again made this seem incredibly urgent, despite what Lucian tried telling her.

Blue told Lucian her address. "My apartment's on the fifth floor."

Lucian hadn't bothered to say anything before he hung up.

-----

Blue had failed to focus on studying after that, feeling more and more nauseous as she attempted to guess what Lucian wanted to speak to her about.

Maybe he had discovered something else about Blue that Blue herself didn't know?

Maybe the Council wished to tell Blue something and they got Lucian to send the message?

Blue had been staring out into space when there was knocking on her door.

She stood on shaky legs, wiping her palms on the fabric of her black sweatpants.

One of the only things Blue had a problem with in her shoebox apartment was that the door lacked a peephole. Every other inconvenient thing or missing necessity was explainable when the price of her monthly rent was considered, but a peephole should have been a no-brainer. And it wasn't like Blue was a werewolf who could smell scents even through a thin sheet of wood.

So when she had undone the locks of her front door, and it was not Lucian standing outside her apartment, Blue had to swallow down a loud gasp.

The man had a large body that seemed even bigger than Blue's doorframe. He was wearing a sleeveless grey shirt, hair cut short on the sides.

His hands had claws, and his left one held what appeared to be a dagger.

Understanding, Blue tried to shut the door instantly, but the man had not only managed to wedge his foot between the door and its frame, he also pushed his way forcefully into Blue's apartment, Blue stumbling backwards with the sheer strength of the man.

"Blue Emmetson," The man drawled out, smirking as he watched Blue clamber back onto her feet. "It's not everyday a human manages to escape the Southern Pack and becomes officially part of the Northern Pack, all in less than a month. You're somewhat of a legend in my Territory, you know."He twirled the dagger in his hand, standing there in a relaxed pose—as if he was certain the mere sight of him had rendered Blue frozen in fear.

It had.

"Y-You don't want to do this," Blue's heart felt like it was going to come out of her throat. "Like you said, I-I-I'm part of the Northern Pack." She remembered Lucian's words. "If you hurt me, you're hurting one of their Pack members."

"You were taken in by Laia Steele, Head Alpha Lucian Steele's sister." The man smiled wryly, menacingly. He had a few rotting teeth. "But those werewolves who call themselves warriors would not miss a mere human amongst their ranks. They would not trouble themselves with the effort to seek revenge from us, since you are not much more than dirt at the ends of their shoes." The dagger stopped twirling, landing perfectly in the man's grip—the blade caught the light, and the sharp end was pointed at Blue. "Head Alpha Niall sends his regards."

Blue barely dodged in time, nearly banging her side against the dining table in her attempt to get as far away as possible.

Before she could even think of screaming, of trying to duck under the man's arms to get to the front door, or even jumping out of her window despite the fall possibly leading to a broken bone (or worse, a cracked skull), the man was suddenly yanked backward with a growl.

The stranger from the Southern Pack was dragged backwards by the fabric of his top until he was half-sitting, half-lying on the floor. Then, Blue's savior brought down a boot-covered-shoe onto the stranger's wrist, the pain making the stranger cry out as his hand released the dagger.

"Lucian," Blue gasped out, never having imagined that she'd feel so much relief seeing the Head Alpha.

Blue could feel her pulse rocketing when Lucian didn't bother looking at her. With his hand still holding the back of the stranger's shirt, Lucian landed a punch that sounded like it had already cracked through bone. It made the stranger groan out in pain, blood immediately pouring from his nose.

Lucian did not stop after that.

He landed hit, after hit, after hit, after hit—and when the stranger scratched his claws down Lucian's forearm, drawing pinpricks of red, Lucian only doubled the strength at which he landed his punches—he only aimed for the stranger's face.

Blue wasn't sure if her neighbors were the type to call the police because of such loud ruckus, or if they'd pretended not to hear anything so they wouldn't be involved, but the pained groans and the visuals of the stranger getting his face quite literally beaten to a pulp became too much for Blue to bear.

"Lucian, stop!" She was tugging on the arm Lucian was using to inflict pain, her touch causing Lucian to pause. His knuckles were covered with red, teeth gritted and his chest panting heavily.

The stranger from the Southern Pack had already passed out, his face nearly unrecognizable from all the blood and swelling eyes.

Lucian blinked, huffed through his mouth, then turned his head to look at Blue.

Blue hadn't realized she was shaking until she looked down at her hands—still holding onto Lucian's toned arm—and saw the way they trembled.

"Blue?" Lucian looked as if he was breaking out of a trance, his voice completely different from how he was speaking to Blue on the phone earlier.

Blue couldn't stop looking at her hands, and her vision seemed to be getting blurrier and blurrier.

She had not realized she was crying until she felt a soft press against her cheek, wiping away a tear that had fallen from her eyes. "Blue, did he hurt you?"

A whimper came out of Blue's mouth when she tried to say the word no. More tears fell when she blinked, forcing herself to meet the gaze of the Head Alpha who had come to her apartment literally right on time.

"N-No," Blue was more successful this time, but now she was practically heaving as days of trying to hide her fears and anxieties about being attacked again finally broke through the dam, coming out through a flood of tears down her face.

She was full-on sobbing with the intensity of her emotions that she had not processed what Lucian was doing until her face was being pressed against fabric—Lucian's shirt. Warmth surrounded her, the Head Alpha wrapping his arms around her shoulder and waist and drawing her right against his chest, until Blue had nowhere to go but to bury her head in the junction of Lucian's neck and shoulder.

He smelled like the sea. His chest was solid and his hug was firm but gentle.

Blue melted into the embrace, shutting her eyes as her body wracked with even more sobs.

Lucian Steele—the Head Alpha who had been cold and unwelcoming to Blue—continued to hold Blue, keeping Blue upright when her legs and arms began to tingle from the exertion of her cries. She gripped onto the fabric of Lucian's shirt, hoping it'd ground her.

The Head Alpha had not needed to ask if the werewolf he'd just saved Blue from was from the Southern Pack. He'd probably smelled the werewolf's scent and confirmed it.

Above Blue's right ear, Lucian softly murmured, "Come back to the Northern Territory. Stay there for a while longer." His hand smoothed her hair down, settling over the nape of her neck. "I'll keep you safe, Blue. I swear it."