I looked back into the room, watching as Hazel helped her sit up. Lucia winced, saying something to Hazel. My heart ached, remembering being in her steps. I felt so afraid, thinking we would never be safe. We could be caught soon, and those monsters would finish us off.
“You can’t let Brandon force her out, or lock her up.” I looked at him. “It’s cruel. She’s clearly traumatized. Locking her up isn’t going to solve anything; it’s going to make it worse for her.”
Westley frowned. “I wish I could promise that, but I can’t, Gabriella. With how tense everyone is right now, I can’t promise anything.”
I frowned, pointing at her. “Look at her! Does she look like a threat to you?”
His eyes softened. “Do you think the puppy that was a vampire hunter looked like a threat to Nora?”
I felt my body go cold. I looked away, not wanting to think about that. I wanted things to be simple and black-and-white. But it wasn’t like that. I watched as Lucia shook as Hazel spoke. She offered her a blanket, and Lucia started to cry again.
“This isn’t the same as that,” I whispered to him. “She’s innocent. She’s just like Hazel and me. She’s going to have nightmares. She’s going to feel so empty and broken. She’s going to have survivor’s guilt. You can’t have her locked up. She will never trust anyone again.”
“I’ll try. Okay? I promise I’ll try to get her protected. But they will need to question her. Brandon needs to know the details of what happened. We need to know as a pack what happened out there. If they are coming back, if they are growing in numbers.”
I nodded and sighed heavily. I knew that. Brandon was trying to keep us all protected. Westley reached up, cupping my face. “Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. I will protect you. All of you.”
I felt my heart flutter as he held me, finding myself wanting a kiss. When did I suddenly start leaning on him again? When did I open myself up for hurt? And when did he start becoming someone I trusted so much?
Chapter 20 - Westley
The rest of the week was long. I spent extra shifts, taking extra time on the lookout. I wasn’t the only one who felt the need to do so. We were all being extra cautious about everything. Brandon wanted reports on anything, even if we thought it was stupid. All four of us were feeling the heat.
Aside from my scouting, I spent more time checking in on Gabriella, who was spending more time helping Hazel with Lucia. Lucia ended up having to stay in the healing center for a couple of days.
We did have people who were uncomfortable with the idea, afraid because of what happened to the shelter. We knew that it was going to take time for everyone to adjust, the wounds from before still fresh.
But Lucia seemed like a sweet person from the few encounters I had. You could tell she had faced something that changed a person for the rest of their life. She flinched when people moved too fast, and she spoke little, always looking around like someone was going to jump her. She reminded me so much of how Hazel and Gabriella acted when they first arrived.
I was finishing my coffee when I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. It was Hazel, looking tired. She yawned as she walked, giving me a wave as she entered the kitchen. “Morning, Westley.”
“Morning, Hazel. Is your sister up?”
“You mean your wife?” she asked, not skipping a beat.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, my wife. Is she awake?”
She nodded. “She was in the bathroom when I walked by. She’s driving with me to the healing center.”
I paused, my mug halfway to my mouth. “She is?”
She nodded as she grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup. “Yep. She said she wanted to come, so I didn’t see the harm. Especially since today you guys are going to interrogate Lucia like she’s a criminal.”
I frowned. “That is not what we are going to do. You got questioned when you were here.”
She stopped and gave me a confused look. “No, I didn’t.”
“Oh, well, maybe we just questioned Gabriella.”
Her eyebrows went up. “You questioned us? How did I not know about that?”
“Because I didn’t want them to make you more uncomfortable than you already were,” Gabriella said as she stepped into the kitchen. She had her hair in a high bun, with a pair of dark jeans and a red sweater. She gave Hazel a soft smile. “So, I didn’t have them ask you. You were already shaken up enough as it was.”
Hazel scoffed. “So, they questioned you like a criminal?”
“It isn’t like that,” I sighed. “It’s just questions. We have to know information to trust anyone coming in.”
“It’s honestly not that bad,” Gabriella said, grabbing her sister’s mug and taking a sip. “Are we ready to go?”
