The trees cleared abruptly, and they stood in front of a small, tidy village. 

A central house stood proud before them with dozens of cottages along either side. A dual path connected them, and disappeared deep into the forest. Half of the road was gravel, while the other sported hard-packed soil with white pebbles creating perfect squares all the way along.

Visena rocked gently in Gideon's strong arms as he made his way to an old concrete building behind the main house. She realised she hadn't seen another soul since they breached the tree line. "Where is everyone?"

"I told them to stay away until I knew I could trust you."

Visena humphed. At least he's honest. 

The door of the concrete building opened, and an older woman stood at the threshold. She had kind eyes and an inviting smile. 

"Clean her up, please," Gideon requested as he lowered the Fae to the ground. The blood on her feet had dried, and the fresh scabs complained as she followed the woman, leaving Gideon standing in the doorway. Visena resisted the urge to peer back at him until she reached the end of the hall, and when she did, he was gone.

"I'm Kora. The pack healer. Come sit here." 

When Visena finally tore her gaze from the empty doorway, she saw Kora was still gesturing to a hospital cot, a smile pulling at her weathered lips. Following the instruction, Visena crossed the room and sat opposite the Healer. The crisp sheets crinkled as she shuffled herself back.

"Are you injured besides your feet?" Kora rolled forward in her chair, slipping her hands into latex gloves. 

"No, Ma'am." Visena's legs kicked back and forth lightly, hovering above the linoleum floors. Her eyes locked on a syringe sitting on a nearby bench, and she swallowed deeply, sweat prickling across her brow.

"Can I take a look?" Kora gently regained her attention, reaching toward her but waiting for the younger woman to bridge the gap. Visena appreciated the pause as she lifted her foot into Kora's waiting hands.

The Healer's brows furrowed, and she hummed. "Hmm. They look like they're healing already. What species are you?"

"Fae?" Visena's brows furrowed, matching the woman opposite her.

"Fae typically have an affinity for elements, not healing."

Visena shrugged as Kora took some swabs and applied a topical ointment. Wafting disinfectant scent assaulted her nostrils, and she pulled her jumper over her nose to avoid gagging.

"I would like to take some blood work if that's alright. It will take a few days to get back to us, but I want to check your levels and screen you for any diseases."

Visena pulled a face. "I'm not diseased..."

"Alpha informed me you have lost your memory. Is that correct?" Kora jotted some notes on a pad she retrieved from her pocket.

How the hell did he inform you of that? He said literally three words!

"Yes. That's right. Are you all telepaths or something?"

A slight quirk pulled at the older woman's lips as she took the samples. "Something like that. I'm sure you will learn more about our kind soon enough."

Visena hummed and offered a tight-lipped smile at the woman before sliding off the cot. "Is there somewhere I can shower? And do you have spare clothes?"

"Come with me." Kora bowed her head slightly as she walked out of the room. A shower and a bag of clothes waited down a short corridor. "These should fit. Let me know if you have any problems. Then, when you're done, you can go wait in the room where I did your examination."

After a quick nod, Visena bounded into the shower and turned the nozzle as far as it would go. The water scalded her skin, and she sighed happily, scrubbing a week of grime. The water ran brown and red for aeons. 

Snatching up a big shampoo bottle from the floor, Visena dumped half of it straight on her head, almost moaning in pleasure as she lathered it on her scalp. Next was the conditioner. Another generous dollop combed through her hair, and it only took twenty minutes to pull apart the nest that had formed. She was shocked to see her hair reach her breasts and mainly was a pure white colour. But, on closer inspection, she saw blue and indigo tones, giving her hair a holographic appearance. Neat.

The towel she used to dry herself was huge, soft, and smelled like cinnamon. "Mmm," she moaned, burying her face in the plush fabric.

The clothes were a pair of black bike shorts, a plain t-shirt, and an oversized jumper drenched in Gideon's scent. If it was his, she thought she would swoon. But instead, she shook her head. It's probably just the detergent.

She slipped on some fuzzy blue socks and plimsolls before looking for Kora. "Hello? I'm finished now..."

The building was empty. Visena was sure of it. Even though Kora told her to wait, she couldn't resist the temptation any longer. She delayed it long enough. "Time to meet some people..."

The moment she opened the doors, she heard voices. They were laughing, shouting, and some were squealing.

"What the hell?"

She rounded the main house and saw two wolves fighting in one of the white pebble squares surrounded by dozens of people. 

One was deep chocolate and umber, while the other was the colour of obsidian. His coat had flecks of midnight blue, and she knew it had to be Gideon.

Before Visena thought about what she was doing, she pushed through the crowd gently and watched in fascination. The obsidian wolf noticed her immediately and huffed before rounding on his opponent, gripping his foreleg in his jaw and pulling him to the ground. He stood over his body, and a growl tore from his chest. Neither animal looked injured; instead, it appeared they were playing, albeit roughly. Some of the crowd applauded, and they chattered quietly among themselves.

Well, this isn't what I expected. 

Kora caught her eye from across the square and winked at her, the informal gesture making Visena blush. The older woman knew something she didn't, and it was unnerving. 

The brown wolf submitted, tapping his paw on the dirt and gracefully turned back into a human. Visena hadn't seen that yet and was surprised to see they did not retain their clothes. He crouched on all fours and caught a pair of shorts Eve threw from the sidelines.

"Hmm." Visena turned away with a slight frown, trying to rid herself of the afterimage of Jed's nakedness and faced the other creature. 

To her amusement, his eyes were already staring straight at her, and she held the gaze. Well, go on, she thought mischievously. Her brows raised in anticipation of his shift, and she heard a low rumble from the beast. He turned and sauntered off into the forest, disappearing within the shadows in seconds. 

Visena felt overcome with strange giddiness as she pushed her way around the crowd, running in the wolf's direction. Then, pausing at the tree line, a brief clarity overcame her. What are you doing? Get out of there. Strangely though, the voice didn't feel like her own, and she quickly ignored it, stepping past the threshold of the forest.

The draw to him was undeniable, and the situation left her breathless. Oh Gideon, where are you? She followed his scent further into the woods when a giant shirtless figure rounded a tree and collided with her. 

~~~

Another new chapter! Sorry it's a short one!!!

Thank you so much for reading and commenting <3 

I love writing Visena- her confidence gives me life!

Byeeeee xxxx