AMELIA’S P.O.V

Darla and Jackson led me back to their village settlement. Darla was much nicer and chatty, she told me about herself all the while asking questions about me and I tried my best to answer them without giving her too much.


Jackson on the other hand was wary of me- as he should be. He kept a close eye on me and I could see that his hand was permanently curled around his dagger, ready to attack me if need be. It was actually cute how protective he was and I couldn’t help but think about Kaden, he would probably do the same and be just as protective if I brought a random stranger into the pack.

“Here we are!” Darla squealed and when I looked up, my mouth dropped open.

I had been expecting a few houses or tents not an entire small city. It was bustling with people moving in and out. They didn’t have large stone mansions but their houses were beautiful nonetheless. I didn’t see a single car but I saw children riding bikes. Everyone seemed happy and at ease.


They led me to their house which was one of the bigger ones. It was beautiful and it clearly looked lived in but I couldn’t help but note that there were no signs of children. They either didn’t have any or they had all moved out and I knew it was not my place to ask.

“There is a room down the hall. You can take a bath and put on some clean clothes. I will leave some out for you,” Dinah explained. “When you are done, maybe we can talk more.”


“Thank you,” I whispered, overwhelmed by her general kindness. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know that,” she reached out to squeeze my hand. “But I like to believe I am a good judge of character and I know how to identify someone that needs help. Take a bath, dear, we can talk after.”

It felt good to scrub off all the mud and grime from my skin. It took ages to do so but I didn’t regret putting it on, it helped me avoid Blake and it would prevent Blake from tracking me here. The last thing I wanted to do was cause any trouble for the people who had been nothing but kind to me.

By the time I stepped out, Darla had laid out clothes for me that smelled like her. They were obviously hold and hanging by the seams but I didn’t care, I just longed for clothes that didn’t remind me of Blake.

I took out the dirty clothes with me and when Darla saw it, she reached out to grab them. “I could have these cleaned for you if you-”

“Burn them,” I said without hesitation and her eyes widened.

“Are you sure? I can-”

“Please,” I cut her off. “They can be traced back to me and I don’t want to remember them at all.”

She nodded slowly. “I will burn them, you have my word. Please, sit at the table, there is food on the table. Jackson should be there too.”

She walked away before I could say anything else and although I didn’t want to go without her, I dragged myself over to the table where Jackson sat. I was surprised to see another woman seated beside him but I ignored her. Maybe she was just a neighbor or a friend, I couldn’t jump to conclusions yet.

The table was set with a steaming bowl of pasta and my stomach churned. I had eaten nothing but snacks all day and I was hungry.

“Hi, I’m-” she began but I stopped her.

“I would prefer not to know your name. I won’t be here long anyway.”

She didn’t seem deterred by my hostility, she just nodded. “I understand if you feel that way. Can I know yours?”

I could feel Jackson’s eyes boring a hole into the side of my skull so I answered. “Amy is fine.”

“Is it short for anything?”

“It is just Amy.”

She knew I was lying but she sighed. “Well, Amy, I am the doctor and I was called to-”

“I don’t need a doctor.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you think you need one or you don’t,” Jackson snapped. “Darla brought you here because she thought you needed help. You’ve been limping all day in case you hadn’t noticed and you were in the fucking woods covered in mud and goddess knows what. You are seeing a doctor whether you like it or not.”

I bit down on my bottom lip to prevent saying anything. I couldn’t exactly protest, I was in his house.

“Fine,” I stood up from the chair. “You can check me now.”

“I would-”

“Now, please.”

She sighed but didn’t protest and led me to the couch. Once I was there, she took my feet. I knew there were blisters there and it was wildly embarrassing to have her bandaging me up like a child. Darla walked in while she was doing a full body checkup on me and she gave me a small smile of encouragement. Out of everyone here, she was the only one I trusted to a degree.

The doctor checked my blood pressure and I let her do everything she wanted except take a blood sample. Just when I thought she was done, she spoke.

“When last did you have your period?” she asked and my brows furrowed.

“I don’t see how that is any of your business. Are you doing with the checkup?”

“I’m not trying to antagonize you, Amy. I just need to know,” I thought about it but the truth was, I couldn’t remember so I shrugged. “Well, I can see you are marked and I truly hope you aren’t running from your mate because I think you might be pregnant.”

There was silence.

“You’re joking, right?” I asked but she shook her head and I threw up all over her shoes.