the door. The first thing I notice when I peek outside is that it’s still snowing. Even though I’m pretty warm here in the cabin now, I automatically snuggle into my blanket. I step a little closer to the window and see that Reule is standing by the sled.
It looks like he’s let the elk loose, and he makes a shooing motion at the animal before bending down to lift one of the crates. When he turns toward the house, I quickly kneel down low so he doesn’t catch me creepily watching him. He carries it over to the front porch and sets it down, along with all the other crates and boxes that were on the sled. Earlier, I didn’t really care to know what was inside any of them. But now I’m super curious. I wonder if he’ll let me look inside once he brings them all in.
Reule walks back over to the sled, and I slowly sit up a little higher on my knees to see him better. He circles the sled for a moment, pausing once to shoo the elk away again. After he walks all the way around the sled to the back of it, he stops and puts his hands in his hair. He’s still for so long, and I find myself practically pressing my face to the window to see what he’s doing. He’s not that far from the front door, but it’s sort of difficult to see much with the falling snow.
Without warning, Reule lets out this loud, terrifying roar that causes the window to shake. I gasp quietly and lean back, and I watch in total shock as he lifts the metal cage he found me in and tears the thing apart with his bare hands. When it’s broken into several pieces, he throws it to the ground with another sorrowful roar.
I should probably be terrified that Reule has that kind of strength. I’d already guessed that he’s some kind of shifter, and I knew he was strong from the way he tore the cage door off earlier. But what he just did is a whole new level of crazy enhanced strength.
I’m not afraid though. Reule is clearly upset about the cage and the way that I ended up here, and I feel my heart softening toward him. Whatever happens to me after this, it’s obvious he’s not going to hurt me. Not on purpose, at least.
“Isla?” Reule calls out my name breathlessly as he suddenly bursts through the door.
I jump in alarm and blink up at him. I don’t realize I’m crying until Reule crouches down in front of me and brushes my tears away with his thumbs. I take a shaky breath, trying to keep more tears from falling, but I feel like I’m about two seconds away from a breakdown.
Reule stares at me pleadingly, and he starts mumbling words so I fast I can’t even attempt to make them out. I think he must have seen me crying through the window, and he probably assumes I’m crying because he scared me.
“I’m okay.” I shake my head, but I’m crying harder now. I know Reule won’t be able to understand me, especially not when I’m sobbing in front of him like this. So I throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly.
He seems surprised at first, but he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around my waist. He’s so warm and sweet, and he holds me while I cry and grieve over everything I’ve been through the past few days. It seems surreal to think about how I ended up here, and I’m not sure I’ll ever really understand why.
Chapter Seven
Isla
I cry for so long, I’m surprised I have any tears left. I know I’m just exhausted, but I thought I’d gotten my breakdown out of the way earlier when I was first put into the cage on the sled. Apparently not. Reule has been incredibly sweet and patient. I must be such a burden to him, but he hasn’t made me feel that way.
When I finally manage to calm down, I slowly pull away from Reule’s embrace with a slight grimace. I’m kind of embarrassed after making such a scene. I wish so badly I could just talk to him. I want to explain myself and tell him where I’m from, and I want to ask him where we are and who he is and about ten million other questions.