She may not trust these humans, but they certainly knew how to make some fantastic food. After eating whatever Marissa had made, Marissa ushered the pup to a new room. This one wasn't white and bright like the one she woke up in earlier. This one had shades of brown, and the pup liked it better like that.
Marissa leaned against the doorway as the pup climbed up the small steps to the bed. The pup then played with the blankets, spun around, and plopped down under the bedding. Raising the pup was going to be easier than Marissa thought.
*
"Rough night?"
Marissa groaned as Teresa stomped into the kitchen. Did she have to be so loud? Marissa looked up at the assistant and glared. Teresa only laughed, seeing dead eyes and dark circles.
"Every. Single. Night. The pup wakes up and howls. I knew she would have nightmares after she bit me that one time. I didn't think she would wake up everyone in the house every hour of the night. "
"And I've never been happier that Tyler and I live in our own house on pack land. The walk is long, but it's worth it because I sleep each night wonderfully."
Marissa let out a snarl and laid her head on the counter.
Families got their own houses, leaving the packhouse for single adults and the leaders of the pack. Her howling also meant that the rest of the pack felt great while everyone in the packhouse was sleep deprived.
Teresa didn't say anything else, letting Marissa wallow in sadness. Tyler and Blake followed shortly after, one stumbling after the other. Tyler happily greeted his Fated while Blake fell into the seat next to Marissa.
"Can I ask why you and Teresa are in the packhouse kitchen? Don't you guys have your own."
"As if I was going to miss my best friend, all tired and grumpy. I didn't even get a hello from Ambra when I entered. I've never seen the Luna like that."
Teresa just laughed more, causing Marissa to grab her plate of pancakes and leave the room. She would rather eat with the pup then deal with Teresa and her jokes. Her head was pounding, and she wanted to sleep. Maybe she could take a nap later.
Opening the door, Marissa happily greeted the pup. "Hey, I'm back, pup. I even brought pancakes."
Marissa let out a laugh seeing the pup pop out from under the blankets. The pup let out a happy yip and started bouncing around the bed. The pup was probably hungry and could smell the food coming her way.
Marissa closed the door and went over to the bed. She placed the two plates of pancakes down and sat opposite of the pup.
"Now, you are still healing, so don't overeat. If you do, you could end up getting sick. So, you get one, and that's it."
Marissa took one off the top and placed it in front of the pup, leaving the rest of the stack for herself. Finally, a perfect peaceful place to eat her pancakes.
At first, the pup didn't seem sure what to do with the food. But after smelling and licking the food, she was happily scarfing it down. Quick as a flash, the pancake disappeared.
That's when Marissa heard the whining. She glanced down; puppy eyes stared back at her. Cute, wide, and bright green eyes. They looked so sad and hungry, one more pancake couldn't hurt, right? So, Marissa gave the pup one more and continued eating.
Then there was more whining.
Marissa laughed as she saw the licked- clean plate. The pup loved the pancakes as well. But the wolf was still recovering, and overeating could make the wolf sick.
"No. These are mine, you silly pup." She dismissed the pup and went back to eating.
But the pup continued whining. Marissa managed to ignore the cute puppy eyes, the sad whining, the adorable little pup begging for food. She was a strong warrior wolf from a pack that trained warriors. She was a wolf from the Lotta Lunare pack, and she could resist any temptation. She was a warrior and saw blood, guts, and bone all the time. She was stronger than this little pup.
Teresa left the kitchen to check on the pup. Marissa was tired, and working more would make things worse. Thankfully, they didn't have to do much since werewolves are generally healthy. She could manage the hospital wing while Marissa caught up on sleep.
She entered the room only to let out a laugh. Marissa was sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. The pup was next to her, licking a plate clean. Teresa could only guess what had happened to her mentor.
"What," She had to stop to continue laughing. "What happened to you, Marissa?"
"I, a trained warrior that has fought and killed wolves, a wolf that has seen intestines and other disturbing things, gave into puppy eyes." She answered solemnly.
Teresa laughed louder and left for a minute. She then came back, still chuckling but with her Fated and Blake following. The other two stared at Marissa before joining Teresa in laughter. Some cute puppy eyes bested the dignified doctor.
"Seems like the little pup is smarter than she looks." The pup finally looked up and gave Teresa a wolfish grin.
"I like this pup; she's cute and managed to make Marissa a mess. I don't think I've seen Marissa so sad." Tyler added, and Marissa looked up long enough to glare at him.
Blake elbowed Tyler and moved to sit next to his Fated. He wrapped his arm around her and comforted her.
"Anyways, what are we going to do about her."
They all looked at the pup that was the farthest away she could be on the bed.
"I mean, she could have a pack somewhere, she doesn't seem to know anything, and we know even less. Can we keep her here when we know that she has family somewhere?"
Marissa hadn't thought of that. They mentioned a pack, but Marissa didn't put much thought into it. She was getting attached to the pup, but the pup would probably be leaving sooner rather than later.
"I talked to Rosalia like you mentioned, but she doesn't know any roaming packs in the area. She said she would keep looking, so until then, we can keep the pup here."
Marissa decided to ignore that face. The pup was with her now, and she could take care of the pup. A small part of her almost wanted not to find the pup's family, but Marissa shook that thought away.
"So, if she is staying, we gotta name her." Tyler suddenly added, and Teresa groaned, knowing what was coming. "I suggest Lupo."
Teresa smacked her Fated, and he only laughed. It was worth it.
"You want to name a werewolf, the Italian word for wolf?" Tyler's suggestion did not amuse Marissa.
"We could call her Poco?" This time both women smacked him. Tyler just kept smiling and shared a look at Blake. Said man was just too tired and smiled at the pup.
"Tyler, we are not going to name her anything about a wolf, being small, howling or little in Italian or any other language. We should give her a name that means something other than a werewolf cliché" Tyler let out a groan and slumped over.
The adults continued saying names; all names from Tyler and Teresa were banned almost immediately. All three of their children's names started with T's, and the pack didn't need anymore.
Marissa had some names, but none seemed to really fit the pup. They were cute, but she didn't like them. The pup never responded to any; she was simply sitting on the bed, keeping her eye on Blake.
"What about Regina Luce?" Blake suddenly added.
Everyone turned to the man, unsure of where the name came from. Blake didn't talk a lot; he was quieter, and that's why he worked well with Tyler.
"Where did you get that name from?"
"Well, I had a list when Marissa and I first were married. Regina Luce was at the top of the list; it means Queen of Light. What do you think?"
It was a pretty name, and it had a significant meaning behind it. Marissa looked over at the pup only to see that she was busy playing in the blankets. It didn't seem like the pup cared.
"Well, since the pup's a little distracted, I think the decision is up to us. All in favor of naming the pup Regina Luce, raise a hand."
Four hands reached up, and Marissa smiled at the pup. "Well, Regina, welcome to the pack!"
The four of them let out a cheer that was cut short by the pup, Regina, running away from the noise.
"Well, Marissa and Blake are going to go back to bed. I can see you yawning. I'll take over the office today, and Tyler can watch Regina. Sound good, everyone?"
Marissa and Blake shared a look and happily left to get some sleep, finally. Teresa waved goodbye to Regina, leaving her alone with Tyler.
*
"Well, kid. I have no idea what to do, so what do you want to do?"
The other humans had left, leaving her with Tyler. She didn't really know what to do either; she just wanted to go outside. It felt so stuffy inside.
"Wanna play a game or something like that?"
Did he know that she couldn't talk back?
That didn't matter. Ignoring the man, she went down the steps and walked over to the door. Tyler caught on and opened it for her, letting her lead the way. Regina had memorized the way outside, wanting to know how to get out if she needed a quick escape.
Tyler opened that glass door, and she was once again outside. It smelt so much better, and it felt more freeing than that house. Regina let out a bark and ran around, going around in circles, leaping around, and having fun.
'Would you have this freedom if you were out in the wild?'
'Are you sure you aren't just a voice in my head?'
Regina stopped in the shade, ready to figure this whole wolf thing out.
'I'm not just a voice; you are currently in my body. My name is Speranza, and I'm the other side of you.'
As if Regina knew she had been a wolf her whole life. For at least as long as she could remember.
'And you don't worry about why you can't remember anything other than running? You don't remember your real name, where you came from, or anything else.'
Regina huffed and growled at the strange voice in her head.
'I wish you would stop bothering me. I'll be here for a day or so, and then I'll go back out.'
'Then what? You run and run but to where? What is waiting for you out there?'
Speranza did have a point. There wasn't a family or pack out there in the world. There wasn't anything out there except danger.
But at this pack, these humans were here for her. Marissa and Teresa were caring for her, Tyler was kind of funny, and Blake was kind of cool. There was warm food, comfy beds, and no worries. She could be safe.
'Why don't you give it a try? Would it be that bad?'
Could she really trust the humans, though? What if they turned on her and kept her as a pet? She couldn't reach her human form; would they mistreat her because of that?
'You'll never know until you ask. Take a leap of faith; I've got a good feeling from this pack.'
Regina would stay but would be ready to leave at any moment. Enjoy it while it lasts, at least. No one had hurt her yet, and if she were lucky, she never would be. That is if the voice in her head was right.
"Regina!"
Her head jerked up to see that human running around. He kept saying the name, calling for her. If he was a wolf, why didn't he just smell her out? Again, these strange humans didn't make any sense.
Seeing that the human wasn't going to find her anytime soon, Regina relaxed under the tree. A nap would be nice or just relaxing in the breeze, at least.
'Speranza, do you know anything about these humans?'
'No. For some reason, your memories are locked away. I don't remember anything you don't. I know some things; I know I'm your wolf, and these men and women are kind. I do know that we have been near people, but something must have happened for you to block those memories off.'
'So, once I get my memory, you will remember stuff too? Is everything I see and feel connected to you?'
'Pretty much. I can see through your eyes and touch through your hands. But I stay in the back, especially when you are in human form. It's harder to stay in the back right now since you are in my body. Usually, when a human shifts, it's to let the wolf step forward more.'
Was her wolf in pain? They were connected enough to share the pain and far away enough that Speranza was holding the pain within herself. This bond was something Regina had never heard of; it was strange.
'Does that mean you want to step forward right now? I'd be willing to do that; I don't want you in pain.'
Energy started to roll through her body, and her tail started to wag. Speranza sure was excited!
'Are you sure, I don't want you to feel like I'm overstepping.'
Instead of replying, Regina relaxed and let Speranza step forward. When she opened her eyes, she was looking through a window. Everything was the same, she could feel the wind and the grass, but it was like she was feeling it through a cloth.
'Thank you, Regina Luce.'
Then they were running. Speranza was faster than Regina had ever run and moved smoother. Jumping over rocks or ducking under branches happened like it was part of the wolf's nature. Instead of stumbling along, Speranza ran like she had been here before and knew every single trick. It was a fantastic experience.
Time flew past like the trees, and soon the sun was starting to sink. It was then that the two of them realized how hungry they were. Speranza was still in control as they raced back to the packhouse.
Marissa was on the back porch, knowing the pup would be coming home. Tyler had been frantic inside the house, saying he had lost Regina. Marissa didn't have any worries; Regina would come back for at least food. She had a feeling the pup wouldn't leave until she knew more about herself. Maybe Regina would even stay forever.
A smile grew on the woman's face when she saw the gray fur coming towards them. The wolf was running freely, happiness radiating from Regina. Or, from Regina's wolf. As the wolf came closer, Marissa noticed the eyes were amber, not green.
She knelt in the grass, letting the wolf come to her. The wolf scented her and happily laid down panting. Taking this as acceptance, Marissa lowered her hand and ran it through the pup's fur. Instead of being attacked, the wolf relaxed further. It was small, but they had made progress.
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