A Wolf's Pride

by Jennifer T. Alli

  “But you didn’t say anything about it being this fast. Are you still in pain?”

  “Yeah. Don’t let my healed flesh deceive you; regenerating organs isn’t a pleasant task. It hurts like hell.”

  “Are you in much pain?”

  “I’ve felt worse. It isn’t unbearable.”

  “Well as long as you’re feeling better, that’s all that matters.” A loud growl filled the room and Chloe frowned in confusion. “Was that your stomach?” The sound was reminiscent of a growling stomach but it was so much louder that she had to ask for confirmation.

  “Yes, but that’s a good sign.”

  “You could have fooled me. It sounded as though you were starving.”

  “Well I’ve had to regenerate my stomach so it’s completely empty and I’m technically starving. Don’t look so worried love. The fact that I grew it back is a good thing. It means if I eat something it has somewhere to go and if I eat something I’ll have more energy to heal and I’ll recover faster.”

  “So if you eat you’ll get better?”

  “In a word, yes.”

  “I’ll go and get you something to eat then.” Her hands moved quickly and deftly, cleaning and rewrapping his wound. Satisfied that he wouldn’t bleed to death in her absence, she smiled at him. “So where do I get food from, so far it’s just appeared in front of me when I need it.”

  “The kitchens love. You just go in and tell the cooks that you need food for your mate, they’ll sort you out.”

  “Mate?” She rolled the word across her tongue, trying to get used to it. Despite Ryan’s repeated assertions that they were mates, she had never acknowledged his claim, never referred to him as her mate. “It sounds so different to the normal terms of husband and wife or girlfriend and boyfriend or partner even.”

  “I wouldn’t know. What’s so different about mate?”

  “I don’t know, it sounds a little more permanent.”

  “It is more permanent angel. Mates are born for each other and are destined to be together. The only way to truly separate mates is through death. I don’t think anything can get more permanent than that.”

  “So we’re mates? You’re mine and I’m yours.”

  The smile he gave her could have rivalled the sun in brightness. “Yes Chloe. You’re my mate and I’m yours.” His hand reached for hers, gripping it tightly.

  Her face flushed with heat. “I should go and get you something to eat before you starve to death or something. Where are the kitchens?”

  “They’re on the ground floor so take the stairs all the way to the bottom.” His brow creased and he let out a loud groan. “I’m not very good at giving directions.”

  “Will there be people on the ground floor that know where the kitchens are?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well then I’ll just ask one of them. Who knows, they might even take me there directly.” She squeezed his hand before releasing it and standing on her feet. “I’ll have a quick shower, make myself look presentable and then I’ll head out.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No. You’re injured, getting out of this bed will only make you worse. Just stay here and wait for me to come back.”

  “Be careful Chloe. If you think you’re in the slightest bit of danger then call out for me and I’ll come to you.”

  “Don’t be silly, I’m just going to get some food. Besides, I can’t stay in here forever. You want me to live here, people are going to have to get used to my presence and trust that I’m not secretly plotting your downfall. That isn’t going to happen if I don’t interact with people. I’ll be fine Ryan.” Or at least I hope I will. I don’t want him to worry; the idiot will only end up making his injuries worse by trying to come with me. Walking away from the bed, she made her way into the bathroom, showering and dressing quickly.

  “I won’t be long.” She smiled, kissing him softly before leaving the room.

  True to his instructions, she walked out of the room, found the nearest flight of stairs and walked all the way to the bottom. There weren’t many people on the ground floor but she ran up to the nearest person, a tall, thin teenage boy.

  “Excuse me?” she called.

  He turned to face her, his grey eyes fixing her with a penetrating stare. “Yes?”

  “Could you tell me where the kitchens are?”

  He smiled, although the normally friendly gesture seemed cold. “Sure. If you just follow this corridor until you come to the first right turning. Take that and then walk down that corridor, take another right and then go left when the hall splits. The kitchens are at the end of that corridor.”

  Logging the instructions into her mind, she grinned at the young man. “Thank you.” Smiling, she took off, intending to follow his detailed instructions. After the second right however, his directions no longer mapped out onto her surroundings. There was no left turning. Maybe he meant right, her mind decided, her feet moving appropriately. Chloe continued walking, desperate to find if not the kitchens then another person to guide her. She wandered for minutes, becoming more and more lost with each step she took. There were no people around her and she wasn’t even sure of how to go back the way she had come. She was truly lost. She groaned, hitting her fist against the stone wall. The pain that radiated through her hand told her that it wasn’t a good idea to do so but nevertheless, she hit it again, trying to vent her frustration. Ryan wouldn’t get the food he needed at this rate.

  “Chloe?” The familiar voice immediately had her attention and she turned to find Alex, a three seat wide stroller in hand with three sleeping babies in each seat, looking at her curiously. “What are you doing down here?”

  “At the moment? I’m proceeding to get lost.”

  “Are you looking for something?”

  “Yes. The kitchens. I got directions from someone but they were wrong and there was no one around to get new ones from.”

  “Well whoever gave you directions got them completely wrong. The kitchens are in the opposite direction from here.” Chloe groaned angrily in frustration. “I can take you if you want,” Alex responded, slightly surprised at Chloe’s dejected tone.

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please take me. Ryan’s stomach has grown back and he says he’s starving and that to get better he needs food for energy.”

  “He’s right, wolves need a lot of food to keep themselves going and even more to heal from an injury especially one as extreme as Ryan’s. Follow me.” Alex began walking, leading Chloe in the opposite direction she had wandered in.

  “You seem to know a lot about wolves, just how long have you been here?”

  “Not even a year at present. You pick up this information quickly because the ‘you don’t understand because you’re human’ spiel gets very old, very quickly.”

  Chloe nodded in understanding, glancing around the empty halls. Throughout the duration of her stay she had yet to see a corridor that was devoid of a single person, what was so special about this one? “Alex, do you know why there’s no one here? Why are you the only person in it?”

  Alex chuckled. “Don’t you remember? My garden is at the end of this particular corridor. No one but me or those I’ve expressly given permission to can enter. Because I spend so much time down here people got worried that they would accidentally hurt me or bruise me so the things that were along this corridor moved to less dangerous areas.”

  “Dangerous?”

  “When you have a mate that’s perfectly fine with executing those who dare to harm you, people begin to think of walking near you as a dangerous activity.” Alex laughed and Chloe couldn’t help but join in. The hall that they were walking in now looked vaguely familiar and the number of people in it had drastically increased. “We’re almost there now.”

  Now that there were people around them words from a conversation Chloe had had with Ryan a while back came unbidden to her mind. ‘The next time you see Alex, invite her for a wa
lk and you’ll see. Men cling to walls when they see her pass to avoid accidentally touching her.’ Remembering Alex’s earlier words Chloe decided to see just how true Ryan’s words were. Her sharp violet eyes watched in amusement as a path magically appeared before them. Just as Ryan had said there were people clinging to walls, their bodies pressed tightly against the stone. Others simply fled upon the sight of her walking unassisted through the halls, running into nearby rooms and shutting doors tightly behind them. Needless to say the sight was unbelievably funny and laughter spilled from Chloe’s lips.

  “What’s so funny?” Alex asked confused.

  “Nothing,” Chloe responded, trying her best to stifle her laughter.

  “Right,” Alex drawled in response. “We’re here.” They had stopped outside of a pair of large double doors, the irresistible smell of cooking food confirming that it was the kitchen. “Do you want me to go with you with you?”

  Chloe’s mind pondered the question. If I go with Alex, things will definitely get done. But I don’t want help. Ryan is my…mate, I want to be able to take care of him myself. Besides, I was telling the truth earlier, if I keep avoiding interacting with the people that live here they’ll continue to see me as a threat and Ryan will keep getting into situations where he’s in danger. “No,” she gulped. “I can do this by myself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m just going to get something to eat. How hard can it be?”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I am.” Not. “Go on. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, if it’s what you want. I’ll see you later okay?”

  “I’ll be spending the day with Ryan. He needs me.”

  I’m glad that you’ve finally realised that, Alex’s sighed, though outwardly she said nothing. “We’re family. We’ll be visiting to see how he’s doing later.”

  “Thanks for your help Alex.”

  “Thanks for agreeing to stay with Ryan. It means a lot.”

  “We’re mates,” she replied, the word feeling more and more natural on her tongue the more often she used it.

  Alex nodded as if those two words explained everything before turning to walk away. Another chuckle escaped from Chloe’s throat as she watched from a distance the crowded hall give way for Alex to proceed. When her laughter died down, she turned to regard the door.

  “I can do this,” she told herself. Repeating the confidence boosting mantra, she gripped the door handle and pulled hard. Ryan needs me to do this, so I’m going to do it.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chloe pulled hard against the door handle, the muscles in her arm visibly pulsing from strain and yet the door didn’t move an inch. She pulled harder and yet the effect was the same, the door stayed closed, though she was sure that her shoulder had been wrenched slightly from its socket. Taking a deep steadying breath, she grasped the handle with both hands. The door may have been heavy but it wasn’t as thick as the door that led into the estate and she had a purpose, the door needed to open. With both hands wrapped around the handle, she pulled harder, spreading her legs wide to act as a balance. Slowly but surely, the door began to ease open and as it did the delicious scent of cooking food wafted into the hall. If this door wasn’t so damn thick I would have just been able to follow the smell to the kitchen, she fumed internally, becoming aggravated as the memory of the young man leading her astray wandered to the front of her mind. When the door was open wide enough to slip through, she released the handle, surprised when the door began to shut of its own accord. Her legs moved quickly and she darted in just as the door closed behind her with a loud slam.

  The kitchen was abuzz with activity, voices yelling loudly over each other as instructions were thrown back and forth. The air was hot with steam and she gripped her collar, fanning herself lightly as her eyes continued to wander over her new surroundings. The large room was filled with multiple stoves, each manned by at least one person. Preparation tables ran the length of one wall though they were partially obscured by the sheer number of people working at them, chopping, cutting and slicing away at different foods. She stepped forward and was very nearly bowled over by someone as they ran past her to complete a task. The kitchen staff were so used to loud noises that they hadn’t registered the slamming of the door and Chloe’s arrival into their domain.

  Eyes flittering back and forth Chloe tried to find a suitable gap in activity to slip through but quickly found there was no such thing. It was either rush headlong into the throng or stay on the sidelines and achieve nothing. Ryan’s pallid face floated to the front of her mind and her hands clenched into tight fists, she needed to get this done. A single steadying breath was all she took before rushing into the wild flurry of kitchen activity. She was almost bowled over again but quickly righted her feet and moved on. Her eyes had spotted the man that she thought she recognised as the sous chef by the slight differences in his uniform, he was her goal and she was determined to reach him.

  Dipping and weaving her way through the crowd she eventually made it to his side, barely resisting the urge to whoop in triumph once she was beside him.

  “Excuse me?” she called hesitantly. The man turned to look at her, his brown eyes wandering over her assessingly, but said nothing in response to her question. “Can you help me?” Silence again met her question. “I need some food for my,” she paused for a moment, “my mate.” His eyes narrowed and an eyebrow rose in disbelief before he turned away from her and went back to work as though she hadn’t spoken at all.

  “Excuse me?” she repeated. The sous chef didn’t even turn to face her this time. Grabbing his sleeve in frustration, she tugged to get his attention. The man didn’t turn from his work as he pulled his sleeve sharply from her grasp, his hands never missing a beat in his work. “Fine. If you’re not willing to help me I’ll find someone else.”

  Turning from his side, she once again entered the throng of activity, this time moving towards one of the other stoves manned by someone of less importance. Taking their cue from the sous chef, the kitchen staff refused to talk to her or even acknowledge her presence. She flitted from station to station only to be met with the same silence. Groaning aloud in frustration, she watched as the kitchen continued to move around her, anger building quickly.

  “Are none of you going to help me?” she screamed, hoping that the rise in the volume of her voice would finally force someone to look. Her hopes were immediately dashed as work continued uninterrupted around her. “Fine,” she huffed. “If none of you will help me, I’ll do it myself.” She made a move towards the back of the room aiming for the preparation tables when a loud, booming voice stopped not only her, but the entire kitchen in its tracks.

  “What is wrong with this kitchen?” the voice demanded.

  Chloe turned to look for the source of the question, her eyes instantly coming into contact with a tall, thickly build man wearing the pristine white uniform of a chef. His dark hair was cut close to his scalp and his brown eyes were aflame with anger.

  “When a Lady asks for assistance you drop whatever you’re doing and help her. Colin?”

  The sous chef, turned to look at the chef. “Yes sir.”

  “Get out. In the absence of a chef you’re in charge, others follow your example and what you did wasn’t befitting of a chef of the royal clan. Do you know what Lord Ryan would say, no, do, if he found out about your actions towards his mate?” Colin gulped in apprehension. “I’m damn well tempted to tell him after what I’ve just witnessed. Lady Chloe has done nothing to merit such treatment. She’s trying to help her injured mate and this is the reception she receives? Get out!”

  “Yes sir,” Colin acquiesced, removing his hat and fleeing from the kitchen.

  “The rest of you get back to work, I’ll see to Lady Chloe’s needs myself but if I ever see or hear of her being treated in such a way again, heads will roll.”

  “Yes chef,” the kitchen hollered before throwing themselves back into work, studiously avoiding look
ing in Chloe’s direction.

  The chef walked towards her making Chloe realise just how much larger he was than she and she mumbled a word of thanks that he was on her side. “Thank you chef.”

  He smiled and the frightening visage he had worn while chastising the kitchen fell away. “There’s no need to be so formal.” He held out his hand in introduction. “I’m Stuart, head chef of the southern clan.”

  She frowned in confusion. “Isn’t that Ryan’s clan?”

  “You’re learning quickly,” he beamed with pride. “That’s a good sign. I’m sure after a few months you’ll fit right in. Yes, I’m from Lord Ryan’s clan. I’ve known that troublemaker since he was a kid.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to be the chef that he took from when he was a kid? The one that taught him how to cook?”

  “Yes, our first interactions were over food he had stolen from my kitchen. He ruined more meals than I thought possible, he sure was a difficult brat in the beginning. He refused to see what he had done as wrong you should have heard the excuses he made up to justify his behaviour,” Stuart laughed, the sound booming through the kitchen.

  Chloe didn’t even bat an eyelid at his statement. Despite the fact that Stuart looked no older than Ryan, she was quickly learning that looks were deceiving in this place. If Stuart said he was older than Ryan then she would believe that to be true.

  “If you’re the head chef of the southern clan the what are you doing here?”

  “The chef that’s meant to be in charge here had to stay home today, family issues, so I offered to come in her place. Now come,” Stuart instructed, placing a guiding hand on her shoulder and directing her through the kitchen. “I’m going to teach you how to make some of Lord Ryan’s favourite meals. His mother may think that a smack to the head is likely to make him cooperate but I know different. One of his favourite meals is much more likely to get him to do something.”

  “Ryan can cook,” Chloe protested, she had tasted his cooking before and could personally attest to its high quality. Ryan wouldn’t lie to her, she knew this with the same certainty she knew that the sun would rise in the morning. He was far too direct, if he were to do something good or bad he would tell her honestly, bluntly. “He doesn’t have to do anything in exchange for food that he can make himself.”