Chapter 10: The Unknown Human

Ezra’s house was close to the edge of town. When we exited, there was no one outside, and the closest house I could see was a ways away. Instead of leading us toward what I suspected was the center of town, Valen led us off the road to a footpath.

We walked for about ten minutes, all of which, Valen ignored my probing questions about where we going. We climbed a gentle incline and when we got to the top, and finally saw the impression of a building on the opposite side. It seemed old, and decrepit, with the cracked walls covered in mossy greenery. I followed Valen down the slope and as we approached the building, and saw a figure emerge from the doorless entrance.

Lucas had to bend to avoid the hanging vines over the head of the entrance. His gaze passed over me curiously but he said nothing of my presence.

I didn’t know what to make of the Linus Pack’s Beta. He was the exact opposite of his twin brother and possessed the same quiet strength as Valen, but where I had a connection with Valen and felt I could read what he was feeling, I had no such connection with Lucas. I couldn’t tell what he thought about me. And his expression was hard to read.

It made me hesitant to approach him, so I remained silent.

“Meredtih is inside,” he told Valen.

“You should head back. You’ve been here all night,” Valen responded.

A wrinkle formed between the other man’s brows. “I’m fine. I’ll wait for her to finish up here,” Lucas answered.

Valen didn’t press him any further, just nodded and proceeded into the building, also ducking under the canopy of foliage.

Needless to say, I didn't need to duck.

I followed Valen down a darkened hallway, taking note of the several different closed doors lining the walls on either side of us.

“It’s an old clinic,” Valen finally said as we approached a wide open space that looked like it had been a waiting room. Dust covered every available surface.

He led us toward the rear of the building, and down a shorter hallway that had only four doors. Two on either side. We went to the last door on our left and Valen opened the door and stepped inside.

Unlike the rest of the building, this room was spotless. There was a machine in the center of the room, and a single bed with a prone figure lying still. The man drew my attention instantly. Though there was a sheet pulled up to his waist, I could see bandages wrapped around the large expanse of his bare chest, and long scratches down the length of his arms.

Another bandage was wrapped around the circumference of his head, allowing small tufts of dark brown hair to peek through and a deep scratch that looked to have been stitched closed marring the right side of his face.

His numerous injuries weren’t what captivated me though.

I stepped closer to confirm what I was seeing, but my vision didn’t change. This person didn’t have an aura.

Everyone had one. Different in pattern, color, and strength. Unique to every soul.

Every soul.

Except this one.

Its absence stunned me at first, and I silently examined the still figure trying to stem the bubble of unease that stirred in my gut. The only excuse for someone not having an aura was if they had no soul.

“Is he alive?” I asked, even though when I listened closely, I could hear the quiet thumping of his heart. Even though there was a beeping machine connected to his wrist confirming the obvious fact.

“He might not look it, but he’s definitely breathing.” The answer did not come but from the second occupant in the room.

I had noticed her when I’d entered but had become distracted by the unconscious man.

Meredith.

Even if Lucas hadn’t announced her presence earlier, I would have known who she was.

The Pack Healer had frequently appeared in my dreams of Valen, almost as frequently as Lucas and Ezra.

I knew little of Healers, except that the packs that had them tended to be more powerful than others. They were not shifters and didn’t possess any other special powers than healing. They were a rarity. Even more so than mates were. They were linked to one pack for the entirety of their life, regardless of who ruled. I knew Meredith had served Valen’s father before and now she served him.

The woman didn’t look old enough to have served two generations of Alphas. She didn’t look older than Valen, even though I knew she had to be.

For the first time since coming here, I’d met someone with a similar physique as myself.

Her small frame was covered in a white coat, and most of her long red hair was pulled back into a low bun. The kinky coils seemed only seconds away from bursting free from their confines. Round-framed glasses rested on the bridge of her freckled nose, and the smile she sent me was full of warmth. Except for the wisdom shining in her dark brown eyes, she didn't even seem that much older than me.

“You must be Zira. I’ve heard many …interesting things,” she greeted warmly.

“You must be Meredith. Nice to meet you.”

“How’s everything?” Valen interrupted, stepping closer to the man on the bed.

“Settled. Finally. Getting the electricity back on was actually the easiest part of all this. Sneaking all this equipment back here? Not so much.”

“And him?”

“His vitals are stable, but no change. I sent over the pictures and fingerprints as you requested. Hopefully, that will move things along,” she explained.

I didn't understand half of what they were saying, but that hardly seemed to matter in the face of my current dilemma.

“What is he?” I exclaimed suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Meredith asked in confusion.

‘I mean—”

“He’s human,” Valen interrupted.

I swung my gaze to him in shock. “Human. Human?”

He’d managed to leave out that important information. The fact that he was human had many implications—none of them good—but the fact that he was human didn’t explain why I couldn’t see his aura.

“Something’s wrong,” I whispered to myself, frustrated that I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

It felt frustratingly similar to trying to remember a familiar tune I’d heard before. The melody would remain out of grasp, teasing the edge of my memory but never within reach.

“A human ends up in our Realm, on pack territory. Not the first one at that. There’re many somethings wrong,” Valen said.

“You should get rid of him,” I told Valen. I wasn’t sure why I was certain that was the best course of action, but it suddenly felt imperative to get rid of this …human.

“Get rid of him?” Valen asked, watching me curiously. “You want me to kill him?”

“Of course not! Take him back to the Human Realm. He shouldn’t be here. It’s against the rules to bring humans here, Valen.”

“I’m well aware of the rules. I didn’t him here,” Valen said through gritted teeth.

The way he said that made it sound as if I had been the one to do it.

Was that what he’d thought last night? Surely he didn’t still think that.

“But you’re keeping him here,” I pointed out.

“For now.”

“Valen—”

“Should I leave?” Meredith interrupted nervously. I looked over to see her gaze going nervously between Valen and me.

I sighed to release some of my anxiety. Being in this room was making me uneasy for some reason.

“Something is wrong with him,” I told Valen, attempting to switch tactics. “I don’t know what it is exactly, but…he’s dangerous.”

Valen seemed to consider my words for a minute. “Then that’s all the more reason we need to find out who he is. He wasn’t the first, but his being alive is the first opportunity we have to gain ground on this mystery. I’ll take the chance.”

I knew there were many other packs that would take joy in seeing the Linus Pack fall.

Information like this in the wrong hands could achieve that objective.

It was clear nothing I said would budge him from this. He seemed determined to keep this man here, under his watchful eye. As determined as he seemed with sharing sensitive information with me.

“What if other packs find out he’s here?” I voiced my concern.

“Do you plan on sharing that fact with anyone?” Valen asked softly. In that same voice, he’d used to threaten me with earlier.

“You wouldn’t give me the chance, remember?” I answered wryly.

“I remember. But the important thing is that you remember.”

“So what now?” I quizzed.

Valen stared at the unconscious human, the only sound in the room for a minute was the steady beeping of the machine.

“I’ll take your advice and visit the Human Realm.”