The Mouse and The Wolf - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

-Oliver-
I couldn't stop feeling worried as we drove through the town, but at the same time, I was curious to see Jaden's territory. Once we were out of the town, travelling on a road that led to the next city, Rayleigh suddenly slowed down and turned left on a road that looked like it didn't lead anywhere. We stopped for a moment, in front of a sturdy iron gate, while two men appeared from the forest to open it for us.
Then we continued our way into the forest. Rayleigh was driving slowly on the narrow, snowy road. I kept looking around even though I saw nothing but trees at first. We passed by a small, wooden house, but after that, there was nothing much to see in a long while. The atmosphere in the car was silent and restless. No one said a word.
And then I saw a house on our right, hiding behind the trees. I nearly missed it, but there was someone walking in front of it, waving at us when we passed by. Soon later I saw another house, a wooden hut, just like the previous one. And another one, and another...
How was it possible that no one knew about this little town? It was a town, but not like human towns. The tiny road turned here and there, suddenly dividing into two or three, just to come back together a few houses later. Sometimes the trees were so close that the car barely managed to get through them, and sometimes it seemed like there was no road at all, and we were just driving in people's yards.
The houses were all the same: wooden cabins without paint, built under tallest trees in no particular order. Then we passed by something that looked a lot like the center of the town. It must have been the shopping street Jaden mentioned. At the end of the street, I saw a bigger building, and a lot of people gathering around it. Soon I couldn't see it anymore as the car didn't stop.
A moment later, we were mostly surrounded by trees again, and there were less and less buildings. Then they stopped completely, and the road became harder to travel.
"Hold on, I'll try to take us as close as we can," Rayleigh said. "We need to walk a bit."
"Where are we going?" I asked Jaden in a whisper.
"The safe house is a bit further away," he said. "It's somewhere no one will be bothered."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"When a werewolf is turned, they'll have a rough first year," Jaden said. "During the full moon, they can't control the shapeshift and they become violent. And loud. So, they'll stay locked up in that house until they can get a grip."
"This time it's the other way around. Now we need to keep them out," Rayleigh said. "We don't have anyone who needs it right now, so it's the perfect place for you. I'll inform my pack that you're staying with us, and this part of the territory is forbidden from the turned werewolves while you're here."
"I'm sorry you have to do all that just because of me," I said apologetically.
"We are the guardians of the Blue Moon," Rayleigh muttered. "Spirit Walkers gave us this land. It would be awfully rude of us not to take care of one of their own," he added, looking at me through the rearview mirror.
"Oh, I didn't know that," I said.
"Me neither," Jaden said, and suddenly all eyes in the car were on the Alpha.
"There was no reason for you to know about it. Not until now," Rayleigh said, and let out a heavy sigh, before he stopped the car. "This is as far as we can go by car."
I looked out of the window and saw that we were surrounded by snow and massive trees. There was indeed no way to continue by car. We all exited the car, while another one pulled up right behind us. Aurora and two other werewolves stepped out and joined our little group.
"It's this way," Rayleigh said, and started walking. We all followed him in silence, pushing through the fresh snow, and I thought we had a long way ahead of us, but it took us only a few minutes before I saw another tiny cabin in front of us, but this one wasn't like the rest of them.
It looked deserted and very, very unfriendly as we approached it. For one, the small yard it had was surrounded by a heavy-looking iron fence, and the house itself was mostly made of the same material. The windows had thick bars in front of them, and the roof was bombarded by spikes and barbed wire that were sticking out of the snow.
"It might not look pretty, but it's even stronger than it seems," Rayleigh said. "It's made of lunar stones, dwarven iron and witchtree."
"Lunar... what?" I stammered.
"Lunar stones to weaken the body and soothe the mind," Jaden said. "And there's no stronger iron than the dwarven iron."
"And witchtree can heal itself," Tilly added.
"Oh, I see..." I muttered. It was a lie, but my head was still hurting. We were almost by the gates, when my curiosity won over the headache. "What do you mean, heal itself?"
"If you break it, it'll just go back to how it was," Jaden said. "Like if you snap a twig and put the ends back together, it will become whole again."
"Handy material for interior," Aurora said. "Our kind can tear away at it as long as we want, and it will keep healing back to normal. Without it, we would have to redecorate the whole place after every full moon."
"We'll just have to..." Rayleigh started speaking, but yawned widely before he could continue, "...get the fire going. There's only two beds so you guys have to share."
"I'll just sleep on the floor in my wolf form," Jaden said.
"We can sleep in one bed in our wolf forms," Tilly said. "Oliver can have his own bed."
"You don't have to do that," I tried to object, but they just chuckled at me.
"Then where are you going to sleep?" Jaden asked, patting my back. "We're used to sharing the bed, don't worry."
"Oh," I muttered, and stopped to wait with the others while Rayleigh opened the big and sturdy gate. He had to use some force to get it open through the snow, but I guess it was nothing for a werewolf. I wouldn't have been able to move it an inch.
We followed him up the stairs, onto the porch, and then inside once the door was open. I stared at the house with wide eyes. It was nothing like I thought it would be! I thought it would be more like a cold dungeon, but instead it was a nice little cabin with wooden walls and floors, and it seemed to be fully furnished – for a house that had no electricity.
The house was small, the front door was basically in the kitchen, and the living room area with a couch and an armchair was on the right. When I stepped deeper into the building, I saw two bedrooms at the back, facing each other, and another sturdy door at the back.
"Surprised?" Jaden asked when he saw my face.
"Yeah, I thought everything would be made of iron," I said.
"Witchwood – all of it," Jaden said, stepping towards the closest wall. He reached towards it with his hand, and I saw his sharp claws growing out fast, before he scratched the wall. A second later, the scratch vanished. "Expensive as hell though."
"Language," Rayleigh scoffed at him. "It would've cost much more if we had to keep repairing the damages over and over again." Then he turned to look at me. "I know it might get scary during full moon, but these three aren't going to hurt you."
"And me and my hunters are watching over you," Aurora said with a friendly smile. "You are safe here."
"And..." Rayleigh muttered, and yawned. "...we'll bring you some earplugs for the full moon."
"Why?" I asked.
"We don't sleep during the full moon," Jaden said apologetically. "We just can't. The moon is calling to us, so..."
Rayleigh yawned loudly this time and shook his head. "Those goddamn stones... I'll have to go before I fall asleep."
"Sure – I'll take care of things," Aurora said, and the Alpha nodded.
"I'll drop by later. Stay indoors, and listen to Aurora – she's in charge now," Rayleigh said, trying to sound commanding, but his sleepy face took the edge out of it.
Everyone nodded, so I mimicked them, and watched Rayleigh leave the building in a hurry.
"Is he all right?" I asked timidly, once the door was closed behind him.
"The lunar stones affect him stronger because he's turned. They get drowsy in this house," Aurora explained quietly. "The rest of us can hardly feel it."
Arch suffocated a yawn, and we all turned to look at him. "I'm not tired. It's just... contagious..."
Suddenly I felt the need to yawn as well.
"Anyway – let's get you guys settled," Aurora spoke, and turned to look at the two guys who hadn't said a word yet. "These are Xander and Houston," she introduced them to me, before she continued speaking to them, "It's freezing in here. Could you go get some firewood and scout the area while you're at it?"
"Yes, Huntress," they nodded and left the cabin.
"I'll get someone to bring you clean clothes and beddings," she said, walking towards the kitchen area. "And food," she added after going through the few cabinets there was. "Just let me know if there's anything specific you'd like."
"I'm fine with everything," I mumbled.
"I'm a great cook," Tilly said to me. "I'll make whatever you want."
"I'm fine with everything really," I said, feeling a bit homesick and claustrophobic all of a sudden – I wasn't used to getting so much attention all at once.
"He needs to rest," Jaden said, and I felt so grateful towards him. "We can think of food later."
"I suppose you're right," Aurora said, giving me a worried look. "Come – I'll show you to your bedroom."
Well, I was standing three feet away from both of the bedrooms, but I followed her without saying a word. There was only one bed and a small night stand next to it, nothing more. Not even curtains or carpets, just like in the rest of the house.
"I don't know when the bedsheets have been changed," she said apologetically.
"They're fine," Jaden said. "At least they don't smell bad."
"Maybe to you they don't..." Tilly muttered, wrinkling her nose by the door.
"Honestly, I don't really care," I said. The bed sure looked tempting. It had been a very long day.
"We'll be fine," Jaden said and turned to look at the others. "He really needs to get some rest. Now," he said, stressing the last word.
"Sure – tell me if you need anything," Aurora said, before she closed to door, leaving me alone with Jaden.
"I'll be fine on my own," I said, but he didn't listen. Instead, he turned into a wolf – which was odd to watch. It happened really fast, and when he was in his wolf form, he jumped on the bed and laid down, wagging his tail. "I do know how to sleep alone, thank you very much," I told him in amusement, but he only barked at me.
I shook my head, and climbed up on the bed, trying to find a comfortable place to sleep. Jaden stood up, grabbed the cover with his teeth, and pulled it partly over me, before he lay down in front of me.
"Thanks," I said, scratching his neck, while trying to pull the rest of the covers from under me. I wasn't that sleepy, but I sure needed the peace and quiet at that moment.
And Jaden to keep me company.