Page 37 of Haven

There were three pounding knocks above them. Larry put it in drive and started across the clearing toward the woods. “Hold on.” He warned her. “This is a bumpy ride until we hit the road.”

“Is Lily okay?” Sadie asked as they started on their way.

“She is good and well-guarded by Alex,” Larry said, then snorted. “I think that boy is smitten with your sister.”

“I think you’re right.” Sadie frowned and then realized she needed to let go and allow her sister to live her life. Not all men were Colton, and she needed to realize that.

Larry was right. The ride was bumpy and tight between some trees, but they finally reached the road. She couldn’t tell how many times she looked into the back, her eyes on Kile’s wolf. He was huge and beautiful. His black fur shined in the moonlight. She wondered if it was as soft as it looked. She sighed, then turned back around, watching the road.

“You okay, Sadie?” Larry asked, giving her a sideways glance. “You scared us all disappearing like that.”

“I’m okay.” She replied, then frowned. “And in my defense, I didn’t disappear; I was kidnapped.”

“I knew Kile would find you and bring you back,” Larry said, clicking on the turn signal and pulling into the long drive to the Sanctuary. “Don’t you break that boy’s heart disappearing again? There is a place here for everyone, even cranky old men.”

Sadie glanced at Larry, who was staring at her knowingly. “Thank you, Larry,” She reached over, patting his hand.

Getting out of the truck, she went toward the back but stopped when Cole stepped in her way. “Give him a little time, Sadie,” Cole said as Leeza ran up, grabbing him in a hug. “He needs to heal.”

Nodding, Sadie gave Leeza a weak smile as she and Cole walked away. Her gaze went to Kile’s wolf, who was walking in theopposite direction with his head hung low. At one point, he tripped but kept himself upright. The growl that escaped him reached her ears. She approached him, but the man who treated Char ran toward him and disappeared into a tent. Eric and Gemma were helping Char out of the truck, leading her toward the trailer.

Suddenly, she felt more alone than she had ever felt in her life. Shouldn’t she be with him? She wanted to be with Kile, but did he want her with him? Confused, she turned and was almost knocked off her feet when Lily threw herself at her. Alex was close behind her.

“I was so worried!” Lily cried, holding onto her sister. “I knew Kile would find you.”

Sadie hugged her back, but her words made her frown. Once again, someone showed trust in Kile, but she hadn’t. “Yeah, he found me.” She said, then let go of her sister and walked toward their tent. “Go do your chores, but stay next to Alex. I’m going to lie down for a little while.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lily let her go, watching her closely.

“I’m fine,” Sadie said, trying to toss out a fake smile. She knew she had failed but didn’t really care. Once inside the tent, she fell to her makeshift bed, grabbed her pillow, and placed it over her head just as the tears began to flow.

CHAPTER 22

Sadie finally pulled the pillow from her head and stared at the ceiling. Lily had come about an hour ago and was sound asleep. For so long, Sadie had fought belonging to this world, but Kile’s confession of loving her kept playing repeatedly in her mind. She wanted to belong so bad it hurt. Did he say that because he was out of his head in pain, or did he really mean it?

Feeling claustrophobic in her thoughts, she stood up and hurried out of the tent. She knew there was only one way to find out the answer to her doubts. Her eyes went directly toward the tent she knew Kile was in. Movement to her right made her jump, but she saw Alex’s wolf standing guard near their tent. With Colton disappearing, keeping Lily safe was the number one priority.

Glancing toward the enclosure, she saw Nadia staring at her. Walking over, she watched the wolf come her way and then sat.

“What should I do?” Sadie whispered, leaning her forehead against the enclosure. “Should I go to him? I should, shouldn’t I? He told me he loved me.”

She searched the wolf’s eyes, looking for answers.

“I didn’t say it back.” She continued the one-sided conversation. “And as crazy as it sounds, I love him too. Have you ever been in love? I bet you have. You are very beautiful. What wolf wouldn’t love you.”

Sadie smiled sadly, then chuckled as a tear slipped down her cheek at the conversation she was having. Her eyes shifted toward the direction of the tent. Everything inside her told her to go to him. She looked back at Nadia. “What would you do?”

Nadia stood, threw her head back, letting out a soulful howl, and then stopped and looked in the direction of Kile’s tent. Slowly, she stood staring wide-eyed at the wolf. “Holy shit, you understood me?” She gasped and then smiled nervously. “You’re right. That is where I belong.”

Before she could lose the courage, Nadia helped her find. She hurried toward the tent and then stopped at the flap. There was nowhere to knock, so she slowly opened it and walked inside.

Kile lay still in wolf form, his eyes opened, watching her intently. Sadie noticed that the blood had been cleaned from his fur. Walking closer, she knelt in front of him. He didn’t move, just watched her. Reaching out her hand, she touched him and smiled.

“Your fur is as soft as I thought it would be.” She continued to run her hand through its thickness. His wolf made a deep growl sound, but Sadie felt no fear. She did, however, pull her hand back. “I’m sorry if you don’t like that. I just wanted to see how soft it was. And I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

His massive head moved, nudging her hand, making her smile. “Okay, maybe you do like that.” She said once again, rubbing histhick black coat. She yawned, then shook her head. “I hope I’m not bothering you. Cole said to give you time, but I didn’t want to be alone, I didn’t want you to be alone, and Lily snores.” She chuckled with a shrug.

The wolf snorted, then raised its head and nipped at the sweater she put on, pulling her closer. “Oh!” Sadie said, surprised. She scooted closer, enjoying his heat, then lay down on her side when he used his nose to push her gently. She lay with her head on her arm as her other hand lay against his warm fur. “Nadia told me to come. I really think she understood me. I wasn’t sure I should, but I didn’t want to be alone. I said that already, didn’t I? I’m not used to having one-sided conversations with a wolf. But you’re not just a wolf, are you? You’re Kile.”