Ownership - Part One
Jensen let his jade eyes sharpen as they travelled over the thick, green undergrowth, ever ready to catch sight of his prey in the pitch darkness. Crouching forward slightly, Jensen sniffed the air with his sensitive nose, and as he picked up the mouth-watering scent, his teeth descended into fangs, as his mouth extended forming deadly, powerful jaws; his fingers curled into claws; and his nails lengthened to dangerously sharp razors. He let out a quick call, tipping his head back to howl for the rest of the hunting party, hearing them gather nearer, anticipation for the kill driving them on.
It was a simple matter to move through the dark. Jensen’s night-conditioned eyes could see perfectly, and he had no trouble manoeuvring around thick tree trunks and clawing roots that were eager to trip any careless traveller. He latched on to his prey’s trail and moved silently, but swiftly, through the forest until he was almost upon it, his fellow hunters also moving in for the kill not far away.
It was just as he was about to pounce, to strike that killing blow before his prey bolted and they’d be forced to give chase or start from scratch, that Jensen caught a new scent. The harsh smell of iron filled the air, drifting sluggishly over the dirt ground to surround Jensen’s senses.
His steps faltered, as he sniffed hard. He could tell the blood was flowing hard into the ground, and that it was human. Tilting his head, he could just about pick out a slow heartbeat and shallow breaths. Without another thought, Jensen broke from the hunt and followed his nose, transforming completely and falling onto all fours as he raced towards the injured human. Behind him he heard the sounds of the others making the kill and securing their feast of deer.
By the time he reached the bleeding, broken man lying in a pool of his own blood, all Jensen could do was to tip his head back, stick his snout in the air, and howl for aid. Long and loud he called. Someone needed his help, but it wasn’t his choice to take this kind of initiative, and he could just pray that the newly made kill would put Jeff in a benevolent mood, and he would hear Jensen’s plea.
It took less than a minute for Jensen to be surrounded by his pack, his friends, his family. They nuzzled their wolf faces against Jensen’s worriedly before turning wary eyes and cautious sniffs to the stranger amongst them. Jensen whined and nudged the man with his snout, sniffing at his face a little and scenting old tears that had long since dried. The man was tall, even curled protectively in on himself as he was, anyone could see it. His muscles were pronounced and his skin tanned, visible clearly through the tears in his clothing that was practically falling from his still form.
Jensen worried over deep scratches that had been gouged into the man’s skin, over his back, arms, legs-everywhere Jensen could see there were bruises or cuts, bloody wounds that needed to be cleaned and stitched.
It barely took a moment of concentration to change, and then Jensen could extend his fully human hand, brushing his fingers through the man’s tangled hair and away from his face. Jensen gasped as it revealed a laceration that extended from the hairline right over his left eye. The damage was severe, distorting the skin and most likely destroying the eye beneath the thin flesh.
“Jensen?”
Jensen turned immediately at the soft-spoken call, watching Jeff walk, bold and strong, through the pack, followed closely by his beautiful mate, Samantha. Both were unabashedly naked after shifting to human form so they could speak to Jensen. They were the alpha pair and highly respected by every member of the pack. Jensen gnawed at his lip nervously and shot a glance to the injured man at his feet; then he let out a breath and looked up at the alpha male, their leader and the closest person Jensen had ever had to a father.
“I found him,” Jensen said swiftly, wanting to get out as much of an explanation as possible before any judgement was passed. “He’s badly hurt. Please, Jeff, let me try and help him?”
Stepping up beside him, Jeff looked down at Jensen’s find and frowned before crouching down beside him and taking everything in. Jensen knew what Jeff saw, and it was as he feared. Jeff closed his eyes for a moment before standing and placing a heavy hand on Jensen’s shoulder.
“He’s been attacked by a wolf,” Jeff said sternly, but his voice hinted at the sadness he felt by this news.
“I know,” Jensen admitted, turning pained eyes on the man bleeding out on the ground.
“It was probably one of Sterling’s pack,” Jeff growled, and Jensen flinched at the sound. “Bastards can’t keep their teeth to themselves. It looks like he was caught in this morning’s rain; I can’t decipher the scent of his attacker.”
“I know,” Jensen said again but looked eagerly at his leader. “I might still be able to save him. Please, Jeff. Let me try?”
Jeff sighed deeply, his features troubled as he regarded Jensen, who stared up at him with his wide, innocent eyes, silently begging Jeff to give him a chance.
“Jensen,” Jeff started seriously. “Even if you can save his life, the chances are that he’ll turn-”
“And he’ll need someone to guide him through it,” Jensen interrupted bravely. Around him the rest of the pack hissed because Jensen had dared cut off Jeff, and Jensen’s eyes widened even further as he realised what he’d done. He took a step back and lowered his head, glancing sporadically up at Jeff from under his long lashes.
A low growl came from deep in Jeff’s throat, and Jensen cowered a little lower, averting his eyes. The sound abruptly stopped, and Jensen risked a glance up to see Samantha with a gentle hand on Jeff’s arm as she smiled kindly at Jensen.
“What do you propose we do? This man is in our territory, so we know that no one from Sterling’s pack is going to come and get him,” she said to Jeff in a soft voice. Samantha was always the peace maker, and Jeff always listened to her advice and wisdom.
“I don’t know,” Jeff agreed, troubled, but he immediately calmed under his mate’s touch.
“Jeff?” Jensen asked tentatively, risking a step closer to the alpha. “If we leave him here, there’s no doubt he’ll die, and…”
“I do understand how you feel, Jensen,” Jeff said sincerely. “But to take him back with us, to our den…”
“You took me in,” Jensen reminded him. “How is this any different?”
“It is different,” Jeff stated with certainty, and Jensen knew he was right.
Memories of when Jensen was turned came flooding back, invading Jensen’s mind, and he whined quietly as they assaulted him. There was a law in Jeff’s pack that no human was turned without their full consent, something that everyone adhered to. But there was one, many years ago, who had caught Jensen in their sights and broken that law, attacking and biting him, bringing him into their world without Jensen knowing what was happening to him.
That member had tried to claim Jensen for his own, forcibly, but Jensen had fought back, refusing to be dominated, and that member had been run out of the pack by Jeff and the others. Jensen had been allowed to stay and guided through his change. Everything was explained to him along the way, and Jensen found himself with a loving and loyal family unlike he had ever known before.
“This man was not touched by one of our own,” Jeff insisted and his words brought a pain to Jensen’s heart. What would have happened if Jensen hadn’t been turned by an existing member of the pack? Would Jeff have abandoned him to death or left him wandering, not knowing what was happening? The thought sent a shiver through to Jensen’s core.
“I know,” Jensen conceded reluctantly. “But should that dictate his fate? Would you have left me to die?” He knew he was pushing it with his question, but it had to be asked.
Jeff sighed deeply and hung his head for a moment as he thought. He turned his head to Samantha, seeking her wisdom but she simply smiled at him.
“It’s up to you, my love,” she murmured. “You have the wellbeing of the pack to think of, and we will all follow your lead.” She sent a meaningful look in Jensen’s direction, and Jensen hung his head, not liking the idea, but knowing there was no other choice. Jeff was the alpha, and his decision was final.
“I’ll take him to the cabin,” Jensen offered in a last ditch attempt. “He’ll be away from the den but close enough for the pack to protect us.”
Somewhere in the depths of the forest, the pack’s kill was going cold, awaiting the alpha to take his fill before the rest of the pack could feed. It lay open to scavengers to ruin the hard-earned feast.
Still Jeff hesitated. He crouched down beside the injured man, sniffing hard. There was an uneasy shift in the pack as Jeff leaned in closer.
“I can’t say if he’ll turn for sure, but… okay, Jensen, if you want to do this then I will support you, but I won’t put any other member of the pack at risk. You will either do this by yourself, or you will need someone else to volunteer to help you. I will not order anyone to become involved in what was not our doing.”
Jensen’s face lit up at this news; he beamed at Jeff and couldn’t help himself from launching into his would-be father’s arms.
“Thank you, thank you,” he whispered into Jeff’s neck, nuzzling him affectionately.
“I know how you feel, Jen,” Jeff whispered, taking the younger wolf into his arms and cradling him like he’d done when he was first turned, scared and vulnerable. “I know why you want to help him, like we did for you, but please, heed my warning and be careful?”
Stepping back, Jensen nodded vehemently, still grinning madly.
“I’ll will; I promise. I’ll do this on my own if I have to; I just can’t leave him to face this alone; it’s just… I couldn’t imagine if I hadn’t had you there to guide me; I wouldn’t have survived.”
Smiling, Jeff placed a loving kiss on Jensen’s forehead, lingering there for a moment and Jensen understood that he feared for him.
“I’ll stay with him,” a voice sounded from the pack. Both Jeff and Jensen looked up as Chris stepped forward, shrugging one shoulder carelessly. “Someone’s gotta keep him out of trouble.”
Jensen grinned at his best friend, bouncing on the balls of his feet, but Chris’ raised hand stopped Jensen from pouncing on him for a hug.
“I guess I’ll keep an eye on him, too,” Tom’s voice joined them as he stepped up beside Chris and rolled his eyes at Jensen’s giddiness. “But you have to explain to Jamie,” he said pointedly at Jensen, but the young wolf wasn’t fazed, he got along well with Tom’s mate.
“You guys are awesome,” Jensen expressed, his excitement dimming as he once again cast his eyes to the injured man when the stranger’s breath stuttered. “We should hurry.”
Chris and Tom both nodded and looked to Jeff for his blessing. The alpha sent them grateful looks before taking Samantha’s hand and leading her and the rest of the pack away; it was time to eat. Seconds later, the only evidence of the pack was the quiet padding of paws as they raced through the trees.
“Jesus, this guy’s pretty fucked up,” Chris commented, sniffing tentatively at the wounded man. “You really think you’ll be able to help him? He looks like a goner to me.”
“I have to try,” Jensen said fiercely, determined to do what he could, even if he failed.
“Hey, whoa, I was just saying, man, I think you’ve got you work cut out for you, don’t get your tail in a twist.” Chris held up his hands in a calming gesture and looked pointedly at Jensen.
Sighing deeply, Jensen nodded. “I know, sorry, and it’s not like you’re wrong.”
“Then we’d better get a move on,” Tom pointed out, already crouching down to get his hands under the guy’s shoulders.
“Thanks, guys,” Jensen said with feeling as he moved to support the injured human’s back while Chris took his legs. “I really appreciate this.”
Chris smirked, getting a firm grip. “You’d better; I’m missing dinner for this, and I’m starving.”
Pain. Nothing but pain. It was so intense Jared’s mind was a void of blackness; he couldn’t think. He tried to remember what had happened, but the harder he thought the darker things became. There was nothing but the pain.
Then flashes, quick memories of his panting breath, his heavy footsteps as he rushed through the forest. He’d been running, but not to exercise as he often did; no, this was different. He’d been running, but running from whom? From what?
It shouldn’t have surprised him; he felt like he’d been running his entire life from something or another, but this was different, only how? The pain intensified, spanning his entire body. He legs refused to answer his call for movement, and when he tried to open his eyes, they burned with a sudden fire, ripping his head in two and threatening worse if he didn’t stop his attempts.
Jared’s breaths became harder, unevenly stuttered, and it took a conscious effort for him to calm himself enough for muffled voices to enter his ears. He couldn’t make out what they were saying or who they were, but he could tell they were male, more than one. He held himself very still and tried to focus past the ringing in his ears that threatened to drag him back to the darkness.
The sudden feel of hands on his agonised body tore a scream from his raw throat. In his hand, he felt metal, warmed by his palm, and again flashes invaded his mind. Violence, terror, ripping pain. He’d fought back; he knew that. He’d used the knife his father had given him-a gift when he was just a boy-just a small blade, but it had been enough to save him. Hadn’t it?
Curling his hand around the weapon now, Jared felt a small reserve of strength surge through him, spurred on by a jolt of adrenaline; he grasped hold of that rush and lashed out, swinging at invisible foes. Jared was rewarded with a cry of pain as he hit something solid, someone.
Unceremoniously, Jared felt himself fall back to the hard ground and groaned as renewed pain assaulted his battered body. But he didn’t stop, swinging wide and hard, he continued his attack, but now he found nothing, hitting only thin air.
The voices became shouted, angry, and alarmed, and within a second, he felt himself restrained by strong arms, holding him down and tearing new agonies from him. His knife was ripped from his hand. He could make out a few words through the haze of burning pain. Sonofa… hunter… risk… fuck.
The words made no sense. All too soon they faded away to nothing, and Jared couldn’t be sure if he welcomed the painless bliss of the void or if he wanted to stay and fight till the end. He wasn’t given a choice.
“Son of a bitch,” Chris yelled, Jensen throwing himself away from the injured man as his body suddenly became animated, and his arms flung themselves around violently. As soon as they saw blood on Jensen’s arm both Tom and Chris dropped the man they’d been trying to help and rushed to their friend’s side.
“Christ, Jen, are you okay?” Tom demanded as they all moved a safe distance away from the thrashing man.
“Stop him; he’s going to hurt himself more,” Jensen ordered, watching worriedly as his charge swung wildly at the open air. “He’s just trying to defend himself; he doesn’t know we’re here to help him.”
“Hold him down,” Chris shouted, and Tom complied, restraining the man’s arm so Chris could disarm him by gripping his wrist and removing that blade from his hand. “Son of a bitch,” Chris yelled again, dropping the weapon as soon as his hand touched it. “That’s fucking silver.”
They kept their hold on the man, keeping him motionless even as he still tried to fight them. His strength was impressive considering the state he was in. Their wide eyes turned to Jensen, seeing him cradle his arm as the wounded flesh smoked a little.
“What the fuck is he doing with a silver knife?” Tom gasped, kicking the offending object further away, hissing as it burned his bare foot. “Do you think he’s a hunter?”
Jensen shook his arm roughly, gritting his teeth against the sizzling pain of being struck by silver, but gathered himself enough to cautiously pick up the weapon by its intricate ivory handle.
“We don’t know that; this doesn’t look like your typical hunter’s weapon,” he said as calmly as he could, examining the blade that had cut him.
“It’s not worth the risk, Jen,” Chris said harshly, levelling his eyes at Jensen in a stern stare. “And you know Jeff will say the same.”
“Jeff’s not here, and we don’t have time to consult him on it,” Jensen pointed out, carefully wrapping the knife in some leaves so he could carry it, seeing as all three wolves were fully naked, as usual after a change. “Hunter or not, he still needs our help, and I’m not just going to leave him here to die.”
“Fuck,” Tom cursed, struggling to restrain the thriving man. “Chris give me a hand; this guy’s as strong as a horse.” Chris and Jensen both moved to comply and between them they soon had the guy subdued.
It only took a moment of all three of them holding him down and the man collapsed, going limp on the ground again.
“Jesus, where did he find that strength with all those wounds?” Tom breathed, a hint of admiration in his voice, but it was overshadowed by the overpowering worry.
“We’ll have to worry about that later, for now, let’s just get him back to the cabin where we can keep an eye on him, and I can treat his wounds.” Jensen frowned as he gazed down that the unconscious man, wondering what his story was and how he came to be here. He hoped to God the man wasn’t a hunter; Jeff would never allow him to stick around if he was… if he survived, that was.
***
When they got to the cabin, Jensen set about getting a basin full of water and other medical supplies, while Tom quickly got the small fireplace blazing. Chris stood with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed, never leaving the injured man that lay unconscious on the bed in the middle of the room.
While most of the pack chose to live in tents, small shacks or even burrows under the ground, the cabin had been built for use as a small hospital of sorts. Normally Doc. Beaver resided there and nursed the sick or wounded and the occasional pregnant female, but he had gone to visit some human friends while gathering supplies, and wasn’t expected back until after the full moon, so Jensen knew he was on his own.
He placed the basin over the fire to warm the water and went over to start inspecting the man’s wounds, while Tom proceeded to light the oil lamps. They had no electricity this far into the forest, but they got by happily with what they did have, and their strong bodies healed fast so there was little need for actual hospitalisation. The idea of it was terrifying, as their blood work alone would bring up questions they wouldn’t be able to answer and injuries tended to bring out their wolf side, something that obviously couldn’t happen around humans who didn’t know about them, and the humans that did were few and far between.
Jensen started removing the man’s clothes, carefully pulling them away from torn flesh. He winced where they were stuck by drying blood, and he had to peel them away. There wasn’t much left of the man’s shirt, and it came away easily, revealing bloodied skin and long gouges, obviously made by sharp claws. Jensen surreptitiously searched for bite marks. He found none, and wasn’t sure if that relieved him or not.
He made quick work of searching the man’s jeans pockets, finding only an old, battered wallet. He opened it to find an ID with the man’s solemn face staring back at him.
“His name is Jared Padalecki,” he told the others, glad to have a name to put to the face that now barely resembled the handsome man in the picture. He put the wallet aside and turned back to the task at hand. “Tom, give me a hand getting him on his side?” he asked, keeping his voice calm and steady as he started rolling Jared over a little so he could remove Jared’s tattered jeans.
Tom hesitated for a moment, but when Jensen glanced at him he sighed and moved over to help. Jensen paled as soon as he saw the state of the denim. They were ripped in such a way that the Jared’s buttocks were exposed, claw marks going down the backs of his legs and bruises around his hips made it very clear as to what his attacker had been after.
Jensen stumbled away, gulping in deep breaths of air and closing his eyes to the sight. He had to put a hand on the wall to keep his legs from buckling under him.
“Jensen? What’s wrong?” Chris asked in alarm, going quickly to his friend’s side.
“Holy crap,” Tom breathed, still holding the man but turning his head away from the sight.
“What?” Chris demanded, looking from Jensen to Tom before his eyes fell on the Jared’s exposed and wounded ass and he gasped in horrified understanding.
“Whoever…” Jensen started but had to swallow quickly as bile rose in his throat. “They were trying to claim him.”
Silence fell over the room for a moment. The seriousness wasn’t lost on them, neither was the toll something like this would take on Jensen.
“Jen, you don’t have to do this,” Tom insisted gently, settling Jared onto his back and taking a step towards Jensen, holding out a hand in comfort.
“Yes, I do,” Jensen snapped, but quickly sent an apologetic look at his friend, knowing Tom was only trying to be considerate. “This is all the more reason to help him.
“No, I know,” Tom agreed, looking to Chris for help.
“I think that he meant you, you don’t have to do this,” Chris pointed out, getting a grunt of consent from Tom. “After what you-”
“I’ll be fine,” Jensen interrupted, shaking his head to clear long-ago blocked-out memories. “I may be the only one who understands what he went through.”
It had been fifty years since the pack had seen this kind of violent action, back when it had been Jensen lying on that bed, shaking with fear even as his physical wounds healed. It had taken him a long time to brave being around anyone other than Jeff, Samantha and Jim, even longer to venture back into the woods to join the hunt.
“Are you sure?” Chris asked softly, his eyes wide with worry for his friend.
Jensen pushed off the wall and went back to Jared, turning him again onto his side. He didn’t want to look but knew that he had to know. He sniffed his scent again, seeing if there was anything they had missed before, anything left behind from his attacker that would tell them if the claiming had been successful. He could smell nothing.
Taking a moment, he reached down and parted Jared’s cheeks, looking between them while holding his breath. His hands fell away as he released the air from his lungs.
“He wasn’t breached,” he told the others, relief evident in his voice. His shoulders dropped and he hung his head. “He fought him off in time.”
The three wolves looked at Jared with a renewed sense of admiration. Jensen’s chest swelled with pride for this man he didn’t even know. Fighting off a werewolf was no easy task, especially when one was intent on taking what they wanted in such a brutal way.
Claiming in Jeff’s pack was only ever done with consent, just like turning. No wolf would ever dare take without asking, especially something so permanent. Once a wolf was claimed, it was rare that it would ever stray from its mate. Claiming brought a sense of belonging, of kinship between wolves. It took away the painful loneliness that their immortal lives cursed them with, and so it was never something that was undertaken lightly and often took long years of courtship to actually be achieved.
“Can you guys… would you wait outside?” Jensen asked quietly. When his friends looked like they were about to protest Jensen added, “I think he’s been through enough, don’t you? We can at least let him keep his pride and not have more than necessary ogling at him while I clean him up.”
Tom and Chris exchanged uncertain glances, but eventually they nodded and headed for the door. Chris paused and turned back, his lips set in a grim line.
“We’ll be right outside the door, Jen. You yell if you need anything, and I do mean anything.” Chris’ voice brooked no argument, and Jensen was grateful for his concern.
He gave Chris a stiff nod and turned his attention back to Jared.
When he heard the door softly click closed, Jensen reached for the scissors and carefully started cutting away what was left of Jared’s clothes, then he retrieved the warmed water and soaked a cloth, which he used to clean up the blood and empty the wounds of dirt.
In his sleep, Jared whimpered, his brow creasing as his body flinched away from Jensen’s gentle touch.
“I’m sorry,” Jensen whispered, using a clean cloth to wipe Jared’s face, being extra careful of his mangled eye. “It’s okay now; you’re safe,” he told him, his voice nothing more than a murmur. “You’re going to be okay.”
***
When Jeff entered the room, Jensen was sitting beside Jared’s bed, dressed in the blue jeans and green t-shirt Chris had brought him. His head was in his hands as he blinked tears from his eyes. Jared’s wounds were stitched and dressed, there was a patch over his left eye, and his naked body was covered with a thin sheet. The room was warm thanks to the roaring fire that cast flickering light over the three of them. It was the only light other than the moon, now that Jensen had extinguished the lamps.
Jeff stood beside Jensen and placed a strong, comforting hand on his shoulder. Glancing up at him, Jensen tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.
“You doing okay, kid?” Jeff asked, his eyes roaming briefly over Jared, whose chest was rising and falling steadily, something Jensen was grateful for, but it did little to relieve his worry.
“He tried to claim him, Jeff,” Jensen whispered, his voice breaking. “Some bastard tried to force him, to take…”
“I know; Chris told me,” Jeff explained, tightening his grip on Jensen. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
Jeff stared at Jensen, his soft eyes understanding, but with a hint of that hard, unrelenting strength that he put to everything he did. It was what made him a good alpha.
Jensen wiped a hand over his face, huffing out a long breath. “Honestly? I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s all kind of surreal in a way, like a bad dream come to life, one of my dreams, only with me not the main character for a change.”
“You’re exhausted, Jen. Why don’t you go back to your den and rest, huh? We brought back some food for you; Chris and Tom are chowing down now.” Jensen immediately shook his head, and Jeff sighed, like he anticipated it would be Jensen’s answer. “You’re not responsible for him,” Jeff told him sternly, causing Jensen’s eyes to snap up and a frown to form on his face.
“I took responsibility when I brought him here, when I asked you to let me help him,” Jensen said through gritted teeth. “I’m not going to abandon him now. Not when I don’t even know if…”
“Will he turn?” Jeff asked, and Jensen shook his head.
“I don’t know. He wasn’t bitten, but… He fought back and he must have made that bastard bleed, who knows if their blood mixed or not. But if he doesn’t turn…” He looked at Jeff with pain in his eyes. “Then I don’t think he’s going to make it. His wounds are just too severe, and he’s lost an awful lot of blood.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see.” Jeff sighed. Then the alpha was moving away.
Jensen watched him for a moment, and then closed his eyes when he saw Jeff gingerly pick up Jared’s knife. “What ever happens, we’re going to have to question him. If he’s a hunter, there might be others out there looking for him.”
“What? No, you can’t,” Jensen protested immediately, jumping to his feet and facing off with his alpha. Jeff glared at him, and Jensen took a breath to calm himself as he tried to explain. “He’s not fit to be interrogated, and we don’t even know if he’s going to wake up.”
“I don’t have a choice, Jensen.” Jeff stared down his adopted son, his tone brooking no argument. “I have the rest of the pack to think of, and if there are hunters in the forest, we need to be prepared. Especially if members of Sterling’s pack are making attacks. Hunter’s aren’t going to wait to see if we’re the offending wolves; they’ll just go about trying to eliminate us all.”
Flopping back into his chair, Jensen nodded reluctantly. He knew Jeff was right, but he hated the thought of the alpha demanding information from Jared like he was a threat when they didn’t know anything about him.
“I know,” he sighed. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. How about if he wakes up, I’ll talk to him, see what I can find out?” he suggested hopefully, but Jeff was shaking his head before Jensen had even finished speaking.
“Not a chance.”
“I’m not a cub anymore, Jeff,” Jensen snarled. “I’m sick of everyone treating me as if I’m going to break any second.”
“Just because everyone cares about you doesn’t mean they think you’re a cub,” Jeff said patiently. “You mean a lot to this pack, and no one wants to see you get hurt.”
Reining in his temper, Jensen leaned forward and watched Jared sleep. “Can I… Can I at least get to talk to him first, make sure he knows that he’s okay, tell him what happened and that he’s not in any danger-that we’re trying to help him?”
“I don’t see a problem with that,” Jeff conceded, smiling at Jensen’s soft-hearted behaviour. “Let me know as soon as he’s awake.”
Jensen nodded as Jeff left and continued his dutiful watch over the injured man. After about an hour, Tom came by with some food, saying Jeff ordered him to make sure Jensen ate, and Jensen had to chuckle. He obediently ate the stew, knowing that Samantha had made it for him, and he never turned down food made by his adoptive mother, even if his appetite remained elusive.
Tom kept him company for a while before saying he had to get back to Jamie before she got pissed and took a bite out of him, and Jensen smiled at the slight fear in Tom’s eyes brought on by the fear of incurring his wife’s wrath. Jensen remembered how she had controlled everything about the wedding they’d had after their claiming, from what they all wore, the food they ate, where everyone stood, even the words Jeff used in the ceremony. Jamie might be the beta in their relationship but sometimes Jensen wondered if she didn’t wish things were reversed.
It wasn’t long after Tom left that Chris was walking through the cabin doorway, and Jensen started to feel like he was being babysat, but he had to admit that he was a little glad for the company; it kept his mind off places he would rather it didn’t go.
It was disorientating to wake up on a bed, and Jared tried to remember where he was, but as soon as he tried to move he was thwarted by pain shooting through his limbs, his face, practically everywhere hurt. He groaned and tried to open his eyes.
“He’s waking up.” Jared frowned at the unfamiliar voice, but had to stop when his eye throbbed in agony, and he tried to smooth out his features again, waiting until the pain subsided. He could make out the sound of movement and a door opening and closing, as if someone had left the room.
“Hey, don’t try and move, you’ve been badly hurt,” the voice spoke again. It was soft and calming, and despite himself, Jared began relaxing slightly.
“Wha… what happ… happened?” he croaked, his throat raw, as though he’d spent the night screaming. Just the thought brought the memory of shouts and cries to his mind, and he flinched, his breath picking up as he fought to open his eyes again.
He was grateful when he felt soothing water touching his lips and dutifully took a sip, letting the cool water wash away some of the roughness in his throat.
“That’s it; take it slow,” the voice said kindly. Jared blinked, confused when he found he could only see through his right eye. He lifted his hand to feel some kind of patch in the left side if his face, but before he could examine it any further, a gentle hand took hold of his and slowly lowered it down again.
“Don’t take that off yet, it’s got a lot of healing to do.”
Turning his head, Jared found the source of the voice. Kind emerald-green eyes gazed down at him, hovering above light freckles on slightly tanned skin. Jared watched sluggishly as full lips pulled up into a small smile, and he unconsciously licked his own lips.
“Hi,” the green-eyed man said. “I’m glad to see you’re awake. It’s been a couple of days. I was getting worried. My name’s Jensen. I found you in the forest and brought you here. Your wounds are all clean and stitched, and you have nothing to worry about. I’m going to take care of you, okay?”
“Jen… sen?” Jared asked, his mind foggy and his body exhausted. He really wanted to go back to sleep, but he fought against it; he wanted to know what was going on, what had happened to him, and where he was. Was he in a hospital? He looked around with his good eye, taking in the crackling fire and plain-logged walls that were lined with a few cupboards. Everything was perfectly clean, sanitised even, but it was certainly no hospital. “Where am I?”
“This is our medical cabin,” Jensen explained patiently, lifting the cup of water again for Jared to take another sip. “We’re too far into the woods to take you to a hospital; your injuries are too severe to risk moving you.”
“What happened?” Jared asked. He wanted to sit up but his body protested even at the thought of it so he settled for turning his head to watch as Jensen placed the cup of water aside and settle into the chair that was set up beside the bed.
“What do you remember?” Jensen asked. He kept his eyes on Jared but still appeared to be nervous about the question. Nevertheless, Jared concentrated, closing his eyes as his thoughts drifted back.
“I was in the woods,” Jared started, keeping his eyes closed. “It was dark, and I was alone, but then... I wasn’t. There was something following me, but I couldn’t see what.” His good eye flew open as he remembered something pouncing on him in the dark, ripping into his flesh. “Something attacked me; it just came out of nowhere.”
Jensen placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder soothingly. “Yeah. It looks like it was a wolf,” he explained.
Jared thought about the claws and teeth, nodding absently in agreement.
“It appears you managed to fight it off, but it did a lot of damage first. Do you want some painkillers?” Jensen smiled at Jared, his face as soft as his words, calming Jared.
But Jared was so tired; his eyes felt heavy and his body thrummed with pain, even when he was perfectly still. He eyed the pills Jensen held out to him, but was hesitant to take them. He didn’t know this man, didn’t know if he could trust him, for all Jared knew this could all be a trick. What kind of trick, he didn’t know, but it was in his nature to be suspicious.
The mixture of pain and exhaustion made Jared’s mind foggy, causing his emotions to feel muted. He hated that he couldn’t think straight; it made him weak, vulnerable, a position Jared never allowed himself to be in if he could help it.
Gritting his teeth, he nodded to Jensen and allowed the man to feed him the pills. He swallowed them down with some more water before letting his head fall back on the thin pillow.
“Jared?” Jensen asked hesitantly, clearing his throat. “What were you doing in the forest in the first place? Especially so deep?”
Keeping his face emotionless, Jared said, “That’s none of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong; it is very much our business.”
Jared had to squint to see the man that had joined them. He was older than Jared’s twenty-three years by maybe fifteen, but he had an air of youth that shone through even the salt and pepper stubble on his severe-looking face. His hazel eyes glowed with intelligence, and he held his well-toned body with confidence and authority.
Jared also noticed that Jensen jumped to his feet, holding his head down in some kind of reverence. The sudden turn about in the atmosphere made Jared’s muddled head spin, and all he could manage to say what an infuriatingly weak, “What?”
“Jeff, he’s barely conscious, don’t you think-”
“No,” Jeff interrupted Jensen’s plea, and the younger man fell silent immediately.
Jeff’s expression didn’t change as he moved to stand beside Jared’s bed. Jared’s inability to move annoyed him, so he kept his one good eye on the man as he was forced to suffer being looked over himself.
“Jared, isn’t it?” Jeff asked in a softer voice than he’d used before, but still one that demanded a response.
“Yeah,” Jared said cautiously, wondering how the hell they knew his name. The questioned must have been clear on his face as Jensen held up Jared’s wallet.
“I found it while treating your wounds. Don’t worry, everything is still there.” Jensen sent him a reassuring smile, but Jeff was already talking, reaching past Jensen for something else.
“It’s this we’re worried about,” he said, holding Jared’s knife gingerly by the handle. “What were you doing with it?”
“Hey, leave that alone,” Jared blurted, angry at seeing his knife in someone else’s hand.
“Are you a hunter?” Jeff asked abruptly, animosity colouring his tone.
“What? A hunter?” Now Jared was very lost, and he was having trouble keeping up.
“Yes, a hunter,” Jeff growled holding the knife up while keeping it out of Jared’s reach, not that Jared had the energy to make a grab for it. “Is that what you were doing in these woods with a silver knife? Hunting?”
“Are you crazy?” Jared shouted, sounding far too hysterical.
“Just answer the question,” Jeff ordered.
“I’ve never hunted a day in my life, I wouldn’t know where to start,” Jared yelled, the effort making his head spin, and he felt vaguely sick as a wave of heat swept through his body. He squeezed his eyes closed and pushed his head back into the pillow, willing the world to right itself again.
“We’re you alone?” Jeff pressed, determination in his gruff voice. “Are there others out there? People looking for you?”
Huffing a weak laugh, Jared shook his head slightly, but ended up hissing as the move pulled on his injuries and made the world tilt behind his closed eyelids.
“Jeff, please?” Jensen’s voice sounded soft, pleadingly.
There was silence for a moment, and Jared welcomed it, letting the peace ease the pains in his body as much as the tension in the air would allow.
“Fine,” Jeff said finally, though he sounded reluctant to let the subject drop. “But you keep an eye on him. Don’t trust him for a second.”
Jared kept his eyes closed though he was cautious of the darkness pulling him, trying to drag him down. He was barely aware of Jensen and Jeff talking, the sounds of someone leaving the cabin.
“I’m sorry about that,” Jensen said apologetically. It sounded like he was pottering about, moving things, but Jared was too tired to open his eyes to look. “He’s just trying to protect us, trying to figure out if you’re dangerous or not. You having that knife made him suspicious.”
“My dad,” Jared murmured, slowly turning his head to where he knew Jensen was. “S’all I have of him.”
“I’m sorry,” Jensen said sincerely. “Did he… die?”
“Yeah, long time ago.” Jared felt the bed dip as Jensen sat on its edge and slowly blinked his eye open. “Was teaching me to cut wood, little figures.” Jared could tell his speech was getting slurred as his eye drooped again.
“Why were you in the woods, Jared?” Jensen asked gently.
“Running,” Jared relied without thinking. “Mmm, tired.”
“Go to sleep; you’re safe here, I promise.”
For some reason, Jared believed him, and let himself fall into slumber. However, his dreams would not be peaceful, and Jared fell into a terrifying world of memories and nightmares.
Part Two | Master Post