Page 20 of Runt of the Pack
Disappointment pierces through the haze of waking at his absence. Until I hear the shower start up in the adjoining bathroom, realization dawning—Vlad readying himself for the evening ahead.
I stretch lazily, skin tingling with recollected sensations from our intense lovemaking. Nestled here surrounded by Vlad’s earthy scent, it seems impossible that after so many cold, lonely seasons barely surviving as a lone wolf, I could discover such perfect belonging in another’s arms.
Yet somehow, fate saw fit to deliver this man unto me, two kindred souls finding solace together. A gift I silently vow never to take for granted, no matter the trials still ahead. For once in my weary existence, the future feels bright with hope.
The bathroom door creaks open, trailing wisps of fragrant steam into the bedroom. Vlad’s imposing silhouette fills the doorway, black hair dripping rivulets down his flushed bare chest. He halts when he notices I’m awake, stormy grey eyes softening as they meet my own.
“There’s my sleepy beauty,” he rumbles fondly. Beads of water still cling to his heated skin, a damp towel wrapped loosely around his lean hips. I drag my gaze hungrily over all that exposed muscle and tanned flesh, mouth going dry. Vlad notices my staring and smirks, clearly enjoying the effect his stunning physique has on me.
“See something you like?” he asks with faux innocence, flexing subtly so light plays over the grooves flanking his abdomen.
I roll my eyes, flinging a pillow at him. Vlad dodges it easily, chuckling. “Get dressed, you insufferable man,” I scold without heat.
Vlad’s grin only widens at my flustered reaction before he turns to oblige. I allow myself a moment to admire his sculpted back appreciatively before it disappears beneath a shirt.
Once presentably attired in borrowed clothes, Vlad perches on the edge of the rumpled bed and draws me close. His expression shifts to something more serious and searching.
“How are you feeling?” He cups my cheek, rough thumb stroking over my skin tenderly. “After everything that’s happened between us?”
I understand his meaning. He refers not just to the wonderful intimacy we shared, but the profound emotional impact of finding one’s fated mate. I cover Vlad’s broad hand with my own, warmth blooming in my chest under his concern. “I’m… wonderful,” I assure him sincerely. And it’s true—despite my lingering anxieties about the future, in this moment I’ve never felt more safe, cherished, or complete.
Visible relief and suppressed emotion shine in Vlad’s stormy eyes. He swallows thickly before trust seems to win out over his masculine reservations.
“Good. I admit, I still can hardly believe your wolf called to mine so strongly,” he says roughly. Clearing his throat, Vlad stands and draws me up too, keeping our hands entwined. “I made us dinner. But first, we should talk.”
My pulse kicks faster at those ominous words. I’m unaccustomed to letting anyone in or speaking of the painful history that forced me to live in seclusion. But Vlad and I are bound now—it’s only fair I bare my damaged soul to him too in return for the gift of his body and trust.
Sensing my building anxiety, Vlad squeezes my hand soothingly and leads us downstairs to the cozy kitchen. I brace myself for the interrogation about my past, but instead, Vlad begins hesitantly relating his own tale first.
“You deserve to know who I really am and how I came to be here,” he starts haltingly.
Vlad shares openly, for the first time ever, about his beginnings as the runt of his pack, abandoned at birth and taken in by the powerful Alpha of a bear shifter clan.
He then speaks of the vicious fight with his treacherous kin Grisha, defending his brother’s mate only to catastrophically fail in his familial duty. The painful loss of his former life and pack bonds when he was left behind, bloody and dying, haunts Vlad still.
He speaks candidly of feeling adrift and ashamed, a guardian who could not safeguard those who mattered most—his only remaining family. I listen in compassionate silence, cradling Vlad’s shaking scarred hands in mine in wordless support. This honed fighter prides strength and control, but exposing these still-raw wounds makes him vulnerable, almost childlike.
“I don’t even know if my brother still lives,” Vlad finishes bleakly. “But I fear Grisha yet draws breath, and if so, he remains a threat. You must be wary, my Anya.” His stare blazes with conviction as he grips my shoulders. “I vow to you here and now, I will not fail in protecting you or our future together. Never again.”
My heart clenches, moved by this proud wolf’s determination to defend me, even after all he has suffered. When Vlad finally falls quiet, drained by the emotional confession, I pull him into a fierce embrace. He stiffens briefly, before relaxing into my arms with a shuddering exhale.
“What happened to your family was not your fault,” I whisper fiercely against his raven hair. “But now, the bond between us is ours to build, unburdened by the past.”
It becomes clear to me now. Vlad carries the heavy mantle of being the beta son, in the shadow of his Alpha brother Gavriil's legacy. But in my eyes, none of those roles and burdens matter. He doesn’t need to prove anything. He just needs to be himself.
Vlad shudders against me, some of the rigid tension leaving his powerful frame at my absolution. I ache to permanently erase the survivor’s guilt and grief still haunting this fighter, to soothe unseen scars as our bodies learned to do last night. For now, freely offering my acceptance is all I can give. But I sense it’s enough.
Eventually, Vlad draws back, eyes glimmering with emotion though his overall expression seems lighter than before. He gifted me his darkest demons—it seems only fair I now offer mine in return, to complete this baring of souls. But as I open my mouth hesitantly, Vlad presses a finger to my lips, stilling the painful words.
“You don’t have to reveal your past until you’re ready,” he says gently. “I can and will wait patiently for as long as it takes, until fate chooses the right time for you to unburden yourself.”
Profound relief and gratitude sweep through me, loosening the anxious knot in my gut. After so long bottling up the trauma of my escape, the fact that Vlad does not demand or expect me to pour it all out immediately just to satisfy some notion of parity is the most precious gift.
Unable to articulate my swirling emotions, I simply pull his handsome face down to mine for a kiss imbued with all the things caught in my throat. Vlad smiles against my lips, hands coming up to cradle my jaw tenderly as we lose ourselves for a blissful moment.
When we finally drift apart, his forehead rests against mine as we breathe each other’s air, everything outside this bubble fading away to insignificance. All that matters now is us—this man who has come to mean everything to me in such a short time, and who miraculously seems to feel the same. However uncertain and perilous the future, we will face it united. And that knowledge alone settles my shaken soul.
Vlad caresses my cheek reverently, thumb tracing over the markings he left there last night when passion overruled gentleness. “Come now. You must be starving,” he says gruffly, pulling us both to our feet. We make our way to the pantry, wounds old and new soothed simply by our continued shared closeness.
