Chapter 7 : Unbroken

*Shawn*

Vanessa’s determination threw me for a loop.

I’d put her on the spot, essentially demanding she either admit to being unable to complete the trial or to lie … but she did neither. Instead, she accepted it with a conviction I would never have expected from someone who was dragged into this compound half-dead a week ago.

It wasn’t just that she agreed to do what would be an impossible task for most people. Even I am struggling to come up with a way to compensate for our lack of numbers in a way that can allow us to both hunt and protect the pack. I could tell that she doubted herself, for just a moment there. But it was the way she seemed to push through all of that and look me in the eye to tell me that she would do it.

That was what shocked me.

I wasn’t being dishonest when I said that I believed she could handle it. But still, seeing the change happen right in front of me where she just snapped into that focus, was unexpected.

“Hello? Again? Man, where do you zone out to when you stop paying attention?” Aaron’s annoyed voice suddenly bursts the bubble of reflection I’ve been in and I shake my head as he waves a hand in front of my face.

I vaguely recall Aaron going on yet another tirade about whether or not we could trust her. I understood his anxiety, especially because she was beginning to get better and I knew that regardless of what he said, his worries were mainly centered around Amara being the one to look after her.

“Shawn, do you think this is a good idea?” he asks. “She’s looking … significantly better than she did when she first got here. I’m just saying it might be a good thing to have a backup plan, just in case she’s untrustworthy.”

We’re heading for the room dedicated to an office of sorts, where most pack meetings among the higher ranks take place. It’s where my father used to hold his council meetings, though the place had fallen into some level of disrepair since he’d gotten sick.

A headache begins to throb at my temples, and I really need some time to think by myself. As much as I respect Aaron’s intuition, I can’t deal with his overprotectiveness right now. Not when there are a million other more important issues demanding my attention.

“Okay. You’re worried about what she has planned, right? What if you were the one to take over as her overseer?”

Aaron blinks in confusion. “What?”

“You heard me. You can stand in as an advisor, but also be the one to keep an eye on her. I’ll relieve Amara from guard duty and she’ll just take care of Vanessa as a medic. You can make sure she’s safe that way.”

Aaron doesn’t even attempt to deflect or deny my implication about his feelings for Amara. Instead, he nods eagerly.

“Alright, yeah, I can do that. When do I start?”

“I’m planning on going to hear Vanessa’s plan in four hours. You can join me then and I’ll inform her of the new arrangement.” I pull out the chair at the big oak desk and Aaron knows that when I choose to sit here, it means I want to be left alone.

Satisfied with Amara’s safety though, he simply agrees to meet with me later and then heads out, practically whistling.

I press circles into my temple with the tips of my fingers, trying to alleviate the pain.

There are so many things I need to consider before the next hunt. We need to get our resources sorted out, we need to find a way to build up the strength of our warriors so they can begin training again, and in the meantime, the territory infrastructure also needs to be fixed and reinforced.

As I begin sorting through the paperwork on the desk, my thoughts drift back to Vanessa who I know is probably doing the same thing.

She really did look much better.

In fact … without the bandages and even despite the bruises, she’s more beautiful than I first realized. The purposeful glint in her eyes only added to that beauty. It made her injuries seem even worse by comparison.

Is she really ready for this?

Was Amara right? Was I being too hard on her?

The medic informed me that it will be around two months before she makes a full recovery. She should be focusing on healing, on resting. I grit my teeth when I think about her injuries and the fact that another shifter’s violence put them there. And by the severity of her state and the fact that she wasn’t able to go back to her old pack, I was beginning to suspect it was a higher-ranking wolf that attacked her.

She hadn’t told me about what led to that altercation and I didn’t press. I didn’t feel it was my place to dig into what was an obviously painful memory for her. But I was dying to know. I wanted to know who did that to her. However, I was less interested in the why than in what was going to happen if I ever got my hands on them.

Wait, what?

My brows draw together in confusion.

Why am I acting so protective over someone who isn’t in my pack? I have no obligation to feel this way, no sense of duty owed to her at all. There’s no reason for it, but I can’t deny the way thinking about her being hurt heats my blood.

I put it down to empathy. That’s it.

My father was the one who instilled in me how the ability to empathize was equally as important as the ability to kill in a leader.

My father…

Without meaning to, my mind drifts back to the way things were before everything fell into chaos. I don’t allow myself to think about the past too much, largely because it distracts me from acting now, and from being as present as I need to be.

But I give myself this indulgence.

I watched my father lead Ashborne since I was a little kid. I remember wanting more than anything to be the kind of man and leader he was. I remember the way people looked up to him, how he seemed to have everything under control, and how he never buckled under the pressure of building a community from scratch.

Things used to be good.

We never ran out of food. Our patrols were strong and capable and we managed to not only fend off much larger packs but to put up enough of a fight to earn ourselves a reputation among the surrounding groups.

But of course, because we were such a young pack, we weren’t really considered in the bigger politics of everything. We were getting there though, at least until my father fell sick.

That’s when neighboring packs took full advantage and began exploiting our weakness.

I think the pain of seeing his pack begin to fall apart at the seams is what sped up my father’s death. But I promised him before he went, that I was going to restore us to what we were before and to even greater honor.

And if there is one thing I pride myself on — more than my strength, my courage, my intent — is my word.

I would never break that promise.

And if Vanessa can help me reach that goal, then I’ll trust her completely. I’ll protect her, make sure no one ever hurts her like that again. She’ll be one of us.

The hours fly by in what feels like minutes between all the work I have to get to, but I just about finish up in time to go and check on her.

Aaron’s already waiting for me outside of the infirmary, and we walk in together to see an almost happy-looking Vanessa holding a piece of paper.

“You’ve finished?” I ask skeptically, and she smiles.

It’s a guarded one, not showing teeth, but the little creases in the corner of her eyes make it genuine and I suddenly feel the urge to see what she’d look like with a full smile.

“Yep. I have a plan. Obviously, there’s some preparation and training that would have to be done before you could do this, but I think it does a good job of optimizing your numbers,” she replies.

Intrigued, I encourage her to continue. Behind her, Amara wears a proud expression and Aaron has calmed down somewhat, apparently opting to give Vanessa the benefit of the doubt if Amara is doing the same.

“Right, so the biggest dilemma is coordinating a hunt and patrol round with our numbers while still keeping the pack under protection, right? I thought of a way to bypass that. The hunting grounds between Ashborne and Greystone are contested, if I remember correctly. Greystone has more members, but they’re less capable warriors.”

I nod, already surprised at her knowledge. “We’d best avoid a confrontation with them.”

“Exactly.” She holds up the page and I see that she’s divided the list of names I gave her into three groups. “So, what we do is send the patrol guard first. They scope out the place and see if there is game to hunt and if Greystone is out of the way.”

She continues on, describing a plan that manages to solve the conundrum in a way that requires the least amount of effort on the part of our warriors. I slide a look to Aaron, wanting to gauge his take on her plan and I almost laugh at his expression.

He’s trying very hard not to look as impressed as I feel.

As she speaks, Vanessa is enraptured in passion. It’s obvious that she takes great pride in strategizing, and that she’s thought things through thoroughly. She doesn’t mumble, doesn’t stumble over a single word. Instead, every sentence is clear, concise, and certain.

Suddenly, the weak and frail girl I brought into the infirmary has disappeared and all I can see is the person who has come up with an impressive strategy.

“Well?” She eyes me with expectation and I give a low whistle of approval.

“You came up with that in four hours?” I ask.

“Yes. But it’s not foolproof, not yet. I will need to get to speak to the warriors first, get to know them properly, and get a feel of their individual skills. And there are some things that need to be put into place before you do this if you want this to be a successful trip. This is just a very rudimentary plan that might just work,” she explains.

Amara grins. “Oh, I think it will definitely work.”

“Maybe,” Aaron grumbles.

The room turns to look at me expectantly. I can tell that Vanessa is practically holding her breath in anticipation.

“I think that this is brilliant,” I say honestly, and the look of pure relief that washes over her features bothers me.

What was she expecting? I’m disappointed that she seems to wade between knowing she’s capable, but fearing the worst from others when it comes to their estimation of her.

I know it must have to do with her old pack. Since she’s been here, she’s never even mentioned the name. But I don’t push it. Again, I resolve to give her time to share whatever she’s thinking only when she’s ready to do it.

I turn to Aaron and he nods at me, then I address Vanessa once more.

“It’s settled then,” I tell her. “You officially start tomorrow as our trial strategist. You’ll be taken around to do whatever it is you need to put this plan into action. There’s also been a change of arrangements. Amara will no longer be watching over you. Instead, Aaron here will serve as your advisor.”

She gives him a wary look, one that he returns with a frown of his own.

“He’ll be available to answer any questions you might have and to explain how the pack works, seeing as you haven’t had a formal introduction yet. He’ll also serve as your guard,” I finish. “Try not to kill each other.”