Chapter 7

Dylan

Even though I've been sitting in this room for the past few hours, it still felt extremely strange to me how comfortable I was. The dream I had was still fresh in my mind and when I had woken up earlier, I had immediately registered who was in the room with me, but my thoughts were still a bit all over the place.

Tristan had been the first one that I had sensed before my eyes had even fully opened. It was his voice that I had heard even in the dream like state. At first the others just stared at me in confusion and with obvious fear and worry on their faces, but no one spoke at first.

Tristan had leaned over and helped me up into a sitting position and while I was almost positive it had been him who had been the one touching me, his hands hovered around me just above my skin, making no physical contact at all.

Even when he helped me to sit up on the bed, he touched me on the sleeve of my shirt and the moment I was sitting, he pulled away. My whole body was aching, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. I swear that I could even feel soreness on every single strand of my hair.

Once I was settled, Tristan had piled pillows around me like a small little barricade and I had expected Lecia to come over and sit next to me, but I saw the fear in her eyes, and I was scared that she hadn't felt what I had been trying to tell her before I had fallen unconscious.

An uncomfortable pressure was building, and I felt a flush on my face and though I didn't want to cry, I was too frustrated with my inability to seem to do anything right. Having Lecia sit there looking at me as if I might hurt her or worse really showed me how lacking I truly am.

Why couldn't I be a good wolf and know how to do the things everyone else was either born knowing or had a family or friends teach them. But it wasn't just Lecia's reaction to me that had me bothered, it was everyone's.

When I had turned my attention to the others in the room, I noticed that I was able to pick up on different scents in the air and identify which ones came from who. Tristan was closest to me, and he was giving off a nervous vibe, but also a citrus and lemon scent that was quite comforting. 

Next, my attention slowly slid around the room as I picked up other scents and emotions. Right beside Lecia sat none other than my old boss, Mr. Winters. I was a bit surprised to see him here, but what surprised me more than his presence was the scents coming from him.

While everyone has their own individual primary scent, he didn't have anything. Not one particular scent that either stood out or was stronger than any other, but I was almost seventy percent sure that I sensed that he had a wolf, I didn't have it in me to ask. Something in the way that he was looking at me made me feel a little nervous though.

Skipping past the very serious look that he was giving me, I found myself looking into the amethyst eyes of Micah. I remembered him clearly as we had two recent encounters. For the first time I was able to really just sit here and take in all his features.

Micah was striking with his black hair, fair skin, and chiseled bone structure. His eyes were the color of magic and mischief and I instantly felt both bewildered and bewitched by him. That was until he hit me with the full brunt of a smile as he caught me staring at him.

Gods how could a man be this nice to look at. I mean, he gave off the vibe of a full fledge adult man like Vit or even Dr. Pavel, but they could not compare. Micah smelled like smoke and licorice, and I would have smiled at him if I hadn't heard the voice from the person right next to him.

Looking at him was even harder than looking at Lecia. Nico, who smelled like an apple pie and burning wood made my breath catch as I turned to look at him. "Welcome back Dylan, are you alright?"

As I looked at those green eyes that were just like Lecia's I couldn't find the words to answer him. Nico's face that looked so similar and yet so different to Cruz had stolen all thoughts from my mind. How could he sit here in this room with me when I had been the reason that his brother was no longer here?

Rae spoke up just then and while I was still angry at her, I didn't have it in me to talk back or try to refute her words because I needed to know the full story before I truly knew how much blame I would have to put on myself.

"It's not your fault dear one. Alpha Rogan is to blame for all of it and so much more."

Nico and Lecia were both giving off a scent that reminded me of stale flowers or a room that hasn't been used in a while and I wondered if that was grief and if I would soon end up smelling like that as well. 

Nico winked at me before speaking again, and I took a deep breath to steady myself as I felt a flush fill my cheeks and a smile creak across my face.

"I know your probably not really impressed with the spread we've got here, but I made sure to get them to order things that you like, so whenever you're hungry we've got the goods to get you going."

Unsure of how he was able to stand being here with me and to still be looking after me like that was mind boggling, but it was the way he chuckled and motioned towards the table that I finally realized how truly full the table was with all kinds of food that made me smile back at him.

Tristan who was still sitting closest to me immediately jumped up, "Yes, I'm sorry, I should have offered you something sooner. Would you like something to drink? What about something to eat? We have coffee if you'd like for me to make you some. Anything you want I can get it for you."

Everyone was watching him. He was standing right beside the bed looking so befuddled and lost that he seemed to be tripping over his words. It was cute and funny, but I had no idea how someone who looked as cool as him could act so well, uncool. 

Everyone seemed to be looking between the two of us as if waiting for me to make the next move. "Uh," I croaked out "ugh um. I think some water might be good."

My voice sounded hoarse, and it hurt a little just to get those few words out, but as soon as they were, he was in motion. Tristan moved to a small cart against the wall that I hadn't seen. There was a large glass pitcher that looked full of icy water. 

I watched as he quickly, but shakily, poured me a large glass cup of water and brought it back to me. His movements were smooth and fluid, but as he got closer to me, he seemed awkward. "Um, here you go," he said as he thrust his hand out when he was right next to the bed.

Reaching out I grabbed it from him and when my fingers brushed against his I felt a warm sensation. Looking at him to see his reaction to our touch, I saw a flash of pink spread across his face. 

Surprised and intrigued, I watched as the color stayed and Tristan ran his long fingers through his very stylishly messy hair. I noticed that he was wearing a suit similar to the ones that I have seen Alpha, no Rogan in before, but he didn't have a jacket and his shirt sleeves were rolled up almost to his elbows.

He sat back on the chair next to my bed, or at least the bed I had been using for who knew how long, and I watched as he ran his hand over his face and then through his hair again before looking back around the room and then landing on me.

It was Micah who took the initiative to break the silence. "I'm sure that you have a lot of questions. We all do," he said looking from me to everyone. "I think that it would be best to start with how we all ended up here, how does that sound."

No one responded verbally, but I watched everyone nodding. He must have seen them all because he continued, "good, since we have all made our introductions while you were, uh, sleeping, I think we should have Tristan start." 

All eyes on him now, Tristan seemed really nervous which made me a bit uneasy. Things didn't fully seem real and while I wanted to know everything, I had to admit I wasn't sure what I could actually handle hearing.

Wrapping both of my hands around the glass, I brought it to my lips and sipped. The water was cold and tasted almost crisp and sweet and even though it stung a bit as it slid down my throat, I savored the feeling. 

Taking a deep breath, I slowly pulled the glass away from my lips, and saw that yet again, everyone was watching me. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I adjusted my posture on the bed and cleared my throat. "Uh um, sorry."

"No, please do not apologize, you have nothing to be sorry about," Tristan quickly responded. "Is there anything else that you need," he asked quickly, but I just shook my head at him. He waited for a few seconds and then ran his hands through his hair, over his face, and then down his thighs. 

Obviously nervous, we all gave him time to compose himself. I began to feel like he had something really bad to say, instead it was so unexpected it was practically unbelievable.

"My name is Tristan Ferrar, and I am the Director of Security and Operations at Aspen Communications. I have lived and worked with Micah and Roane since I was a young boy. I was the only survivor of the Black Sol pack, or at least I had thought that for most of my life."

I was riveted to my seat, his words spilled out as if he was telling me a story and I was ready to hear it all. A few times he looked at the others, but he mostly either looked at his hands, or at me.

"It was nineteen years ago that Alpha Rogan and his soldiers destroyed not only my pack, but my family. Everyone in my pack was killed including my father and my mother who were the alpha and luna of our pack and the little sister I had yet to meet."

Tears filled my eyes at the thought that Alpha Rogan had done such horrible things to him and how I and everyone in Blood Mist had been either unable or unwilling to see that side of him.

But as Tristan went on, I lost the ability to feel anything besides shock. "It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even knew that my sister was not only still alive but that she was living in another pack. The moment I found out about her, my friends and I began to try to find out how it happened but how to get her back."

Jeeze, this was like one of those fantasy novels that I love to read, so I was beyond invested. "While trying to get as much information as I could, I came across someone else that I thought had been lost and when he found out who she was, he began to help in planning to get her back home as well."

Everyone was watching him, and he was wringing his hands together and kept looking back and forth between them and me. Still, I was so invested, I needed to hear how this all tied in with us being here.

"When everything was finally in place, things didn't work out the way that we had anticipated. Unfortunately, there were a few casualties on both sides because Alpha Rogan didn't show up for the meeting. But we were able to get her and two of her friends out of Blood Mist."

It was then that Tristan and everyone else in the room looked directly at me. I had been so lost in his story that it took me a moment for my mind to catch up to my heart which was beating way too fast. The look on Tristan's face was a mixture of fear and anticipation.

His words played over in my head, and I felt Rae there waiting for me to piece it all together. He had a sister that lived in another pack, Rogan was involved, and they had taken her and her two friends out of Blood Mist just like me.

Wait, was he talking about me? Was he trying to say that she was me? That I am the girl, the sister from his story? My hands held the cup a bit tighter as I repeated it all over to myself again and again. Rae was there, a presence that was neither pushing, but not backing away.

I looked anywhere but at him or any of the others. If what he said was true than that meant that everything that I had been told was a lie. My whole life. Everything that he had ever told me was a f*cking lie. I had a brother. Tristan was my brother, but Rogan had killed my parents, my whole family, my entire pack.

The glass felt like it was going to slip out of my grip, but Tristan moved and grabbed it before it did. He was kneeling by the bed, and I saw the unshed tears in his eyes and the fear of my reaction weighing on his expression.

He was so close, and I looked at his face, truly looked at him. Unruly red hair that was not short, but long enough to touch his ears. Thick eyebrows that sat above large, expressive amber eyes lined with thick and full lashes. A proud nose, and lips that were fuller on the bottom and slightly asymmetrical on top.

Strange how I hated to see myself in the mirror, but I saw myself there, in him. Not the same way that Nico and Cruz resembled each other, but in the way that Lecia and the twins did. 

But it was there, and the longer I looked the more I realized that this is what my heart had always ached for. To look at another and see me, or a part of me looking back. And while it seemed impossible, the truth in his words and in what I was seeing seemed to settle in me.

Words failed me and I hadn't even realized that I had lifted my hand, that still felt slick from the moisture on the side of the glass I had held only moments ago, but I placed it on his cheek. 

Tears spilled from his eyes. Eyes that looked so similar to my own that I couldn't help but mirror his at the exact same moment. "It's me? She is me, right?" I felt him nodding under my palm and the tears fell even faster.

Still unsure how I felt about this all, I just nodded back at him. "Okay." I didn't know what else to say because I could feel everyone's eyes on me, us, and I wanted to be alone with him. I knew that there was more to this story, and I wanted to hear it all, every detail, but I was also afraid.

I was afraid to want this. There was little left inside me after what happened with Eren and I couldn't even open that door right now, less we have a repeat of what happened earlier. 

My heart felt so fragile that I kept it hidden from the awful little blossom of hope that had bloomed inside of me in case it might catch hold of the little shards that were left and devour them.

Tristan leaned his face into my palm and warmth flowed through my palm and seemed to seep deep inside of me. Unsure of how to console or what to say, I just let him be for a moment until he was able to stop the flow of tears. 

He had placed his hand atop of mine, and when I started to pull back from touching his face, he kept my hand held inside of his own. Micah again was the one to break the silence, and I knew that he had been one of the friends from Tristan's tale.

"As you can tell, this was just a portion of the story I'm sure that you are anxious to hear. Why don't we get some food in you and hear a little bit from the others?" Micah made a show to look at the others, but I knew he was waiting for my agreement.

Just then I felt Rae whisper her approval at the same time that my stomach growled so loudly that I knew everyone in the room and maybe even outside of it heard it. Again, I felt a blush creep across my face, but it was Nico's laugh that eased the embarrassment I had started to feel.

"Yeah, I think we really need to feed her before we continue with story time," he said standing and grabbing a plate. He began to fill it with all kinds of food before bringing it over to me and we spent the next few hours eating, talking, and sharing parts of the story that all seemed to lead to one thing.

Me.