“Aren’t there?” asked Winifred, stepping out.  “You sensed Charlene was a possibility when you first arrived here.  Her desire to change things upset you, and you’ve refused to see her as what she is.  A potential Mate.  I’ve listened to your concerns.  She’s too human.  She’s too weak.  Did she look too human or too weak just now?  She stopped this fight, not me. Not Grey.”

The men stared at me, and I struggled not to look away.  Fear and shame dug into my belly.  Hands settled on my shoulders, and a wave of reassurance washed over me.

“We Elders have spoken with her and have watched the changes she’s made.  We believe she is the future of our race.  We can’t force you to accept her, but we will not let you harm her or drive her away for as long as her existence continues to benefit us.”

I sensed her will split at the same time I sensed Grey’s.  They worked together to touch every wolf.  Numerous strands whipped out of the clearing, fading from what I could feel, only to return moments later with the rest.  They’d spoken a command to all of their kind, not just those here.

I reached up and placed my hand on top of Thomas’.  He leaned forward and kissed the back of my head.

“Your race can be something great,” I said, “but it will take cooperation and hard work.  The things we do today will impact tomorrow and the future of your people.  What future do you want?  More fighting amongst yourselves?”

“I want a future where my son has hope of a Mate,” Rilla said from behind me.  “I want a safe place to live until I give birth to this next one.”  She patted her still flat stomach.

The tension in the crowd seemed to break after that.  Many of the men shifted position to study Rilla, and I wondered how many were hoping she carried a girl.  Her husband stood behind her, a protective hand on her waist.

Thomas’ hand dropped to my back, and he nudged me toward the door.

“Wait, what about the new members?”

At the sound of the familiar voice, I stopped moving.  I wanted to reach out and grab the man by his throat.  Instead, I took a calming breath.

“Recall our deal.  He will accept new members the day after you return.  That’s tomorrow.  Today, give yourselves time to get to know one another.”

I kept walking forward, glad that Thomas stayed with me.

“I have warm water in there for you,” Mary said to Thomas as she walked out of the tub room.

I moved to step aside since he was still behind me, but he wouldn’t let me.  His hand stayed firmly on my back as he steered me toward the tub room.

I twisted to give him a look.

“I can’t reach my back,” he said softly.  With a sigh, I willingly went with him.

A chair waited near the washbowl.  He sat sideways so I had full access to his front and back.  I wet the cloth and started with the marks between his shoulders.  Several of the gashes worried me.  These weren’t small, clean cuts but jagged tears.  All of them had stopped bleeding already, though.  So I gently washed away the blood.  When the water was dirty, I left the tub room to empty the bowl and fill it with more.

Grey and Gregory sat at the table near the door.  Rilla and Mary sat at the smaller table near the stove.  They were in the process of butchering a deer.  I saw Rilla snitch a piece.  Mary caught me gagging and grinned.

I retreated to the tub room again and closed the door behind me.  Thomas was in the same spot, but his eyes were closed.  I wanted to hug him.

“Save your pity,” he said softly.  “These scratches aren’t worth it.”

“It’s not pity, its compassion,” I said as I set the bowl down.  I rewet the cloth and moved to stand between his legs.  His eyes opened then.

“Can’t you tell the difference between the two?” I asked as I pressed the cloth to a small gash caked with blood.  I had to wipe at it several times in order to clean it.  He grunted.

“Nope.  Not with you.”

“Baby,” I said.  I made to move away from him, and his arms snaked around my waist.

“Show me some compassion.” His head was tilted up just slightly so he could meet my gaze.  I stepped closer, set the cloth on his shoulder, and cupped his face in my hands.  His eyes closed, and he exhaled slowly.

I kissed the scratch on his chin first, then the one on his cheek.  The one just above his eyebrow got two.  I gently kissed the other side just because.  Then the tiny split on his upper lip caught my eye.  I lowered my mouth to his and kissed it gently.

My compassion ended there.  The second kiss I pressed to his lips was hunger.  And he understood.  His arms wrapped around me, and he stole my breath as he took over.

When we finally broke apart, my chest heaved from lack of air.  His lips were red and looked more abused than they had when we’d walked in here.

“I think I should finish cleaning you up,” I whispered.  I took the cold cloth from his shoulder and went to rinse it.

“I like when you’re compassionate.”

I grinned stupidly at the pink water, then cleared my throat and forced a more serious expression on my face before I turned around again.

“I’m sure you do.”  I handed him the cloth.  “I think you can do the rest.  I’m going to go help cook.”

He grinned at me.

“One of these days you’ll stop running.”

I was afraid he might be right.

*    *    *    *

The men remained outside until lunch was ready.  Before Winifred let anyone in, she asked Rilla, Mary, and I to eat first then leave the room.  She said the men were too tense and with two of us unMated and Rilla pregnant, it would be best if we weren’t there.

After we ate, we escaped upstairs to my room with Grey standing outside our door as a guard.  Rilla and Mary wove mats while I watched and handed them their next reeds.  When Grey opened our door to tell us the men had cleared out, we went downstairs to clean up.  Only, everything was already done.  Gregory and Thomas were setting the last stack of dry dishes to the side.

The outside door opened and two men entered, carrying two wild boar.

“Thought we’d need a head start on the next meal,” Thomas said when I glanced at him.

“I think I’ll try to weave,” I said, stepping aside.

*    *    *    *

After Mary, Rilla, and I ate dinner, Rilla’s husband came to take her and their son to their room.  Gregory came in next, holding out his hand for Mary.  With a grin and a wave at me, Mary left with him.

Grey, who’d eaten with us, winked at me.

“You get me tonight,” he said with a smile.

I smiled back and followed him upstairs, and he left me at the door with a goodnight.  I rarely saw him without a smile.  He didn’t seem the least bit upset about what he’d given up to be an Elder.  I still felt for him, though.  He’d entertained Rilla’s little one most of the time we were together.  I could see he liked children.  I hoped that by staying here, he’d have a chance to raise little ones, even if they weren’t his own.

*    *    *    *

Long after I’d gone to bed, my door opened.  I still had the lamp lit, so I looked up and watched Thomas silently walk in.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he said softly.

“I couldn’t.  I was waiting for you.  What took so long?”

He smiled at me, blew out the lamp, and sat on the edge of the mattress.  His fingers combed through my hair.

“A lot of the men wanted to talk to me.  Some, I think, wanted to know what kind of leader I might be if they decided to join tomorrow.  Some were just curious about you.  Where did you come from?  Are there any others like you?  Things like that.”  He lay down next to me.  “I think they were disappointed to hear you’re one of a kind, so far.”

I rolled on my side and laid my head on his shoulder.

“Tomorrow...”  I didn’t say anything else.  I didn’t know if it was all right to speak my questions aloud.

“Don’t worry so much,” he said softly.  His arm wrapped around me, and he pulled me close.