Emery and Owen Ch. 01

Updated version of this chapter! Feedback is always welcome! The added stuff starts at the *** marks. All characters engaging in sexual acts are above 20 years old.

Ch. 1

'...much do you think she will sell for, Godric? Surely enough coin to marry off Winifred come winter? Godric grumbled, looking at the young woman resting on a patch of grass near a tree. His adoptive daughter. One he took in, on much insistence from his wife Gisela, years back when she first found the babe crying in the woods near the lake used for their daily water. 'I do not know woman! Concern yourself with the girl. Let me worry about the sales. Is she sick? She doesn't look well. She needs to look healthy if we want to get enough of coins out of her. Besides that, didn't you have a better dress for Emery. She looks like a cheap servant girl.'

The couple -fortunately for the young woman - wasn't aware that their conversation was being overheard. Gisela let out a huff of air, used to her husband's derogatory attitude towards her and anyone that he didn't consider as smart as himself. But Gisela never failed to show her displeasure of it. She always made sure to answered back in a sarcastic or demeaning tone. 'of course, my dear. The clothing she, my children and myself can wear, is decided by you who controls all the coins in this household. But I fail to see the importance of clothing. I'm sure many people would pay a high price for a hybrid, weak as may be, no?' Godric didn't react to his wife and instead decided to focus on the dried rabbit meat and bread his wife prepared for the trip to the cattle market.

The young woman, was never permitted to go far from the farm as she was growing up. They lived very secluded from the main village, so there was only a meagre amount of people to talk to outside of her family. So when her mother told her to prepare for the trip, Emery had felt so ecstatic she didn't mention the beginnings of a fever the day before departure, for fear of being made to stay home. Emery, since a young age, had always worked very hard to please her parents and siblings, never questioning the tasks she was given, even if they weren't hers to do. That's how she once got mortally ill at the age of five, making poisonous lures with wolfsbane for predators.

But Emery had a good enough mind in her head to know that she wasn't the favourite daughter, or child. But she never expected the callous way they talked about her now. Like she was one of their cattle to be sold. Wrapping her cloak tighter around her face, made it seem that she was protecting herself from the chill to the couple, but in actuality she was hiding the tears streaming silently across cheeks. There may not have been any loss of love from the couple towards Emery, but the young woman's heart had taken an abrupt tear down the middle.

Shattered, Emery escaped into her mind. She still loved her parents, even after the hurt they gave her. But she could not make herself go to the cattle market and willingly stand on the side and watch them sell her in exchange for cattle or coin. The moon was high in the sky, stars peeking through the leaves of the trees when Emery tightened her cloak around her. She watched her sleeping parents, she would miss them, but her resolve was made. She had packed some extra food for herself and a extra blanket, she didn't saddle the horse in the off chance she made to much noise and woke her parents.

With one final glance towards them she lead the horse away from the little camp, once far enough she jumped on and rode in a direction that was not home and not the cattle market. Tears streamed freely down her face, quickly they turned into sobs and wails of hurt and sadness. Hours later, when the sun was to make its presence know, she was of half a mind to turn the horse around and go beg her parents not to sell her.

The unfamiliar woods and sounds made her realise how ignorant she was of the world. What lived and lurked in the shadows. But the thought of being sold, and having no chance of finding her way back made her push through for two more days of mindless traveling. The fever did not make it any easier. She felt herself growing weaker, and the food she packed was becoming sparse. On the third day, early evening she found a small lake. She slid of the horse and did not hesitate drinking from the cool water. She decided to take a dip into the lake, still keeping on her underdress. Tired, she rested under the big weeping willow after her short swim, letting her fingers dip into the water as she drifted off into a deep sleep before properly drying off.

***

Owen went back to his cottage after his seasonal Alpha meetings. A gruesome week of meetings. Confirming complaints and issues, and fixing the things that needed to be fixed, and discussing topics that needed to be discussed. Tiring as it was, he liked the hard management as Alpha lord of the woodland clan. It gave him the reassurance that his kind was taken care of and kept safe. It gave Owen fulfilment in his life. But he needed his moments of peace and quiet, and for that purpose, Owen made himself a cottage away from the pack. Secluded in the forest, next to a moving stream of water that lead to a big lake on just a short walking distance.

Owen smelled the female the moment he reached the territory that spanned around his cottage. Following the scent he found a female in heat, sleeping on his favourite spot under the willow. Her wet clothing sticking to her curves, long brown locks of hair in a disarray around her. Owen let his eyes and nose savour the female laying at his feet, before his mind concluded getting the lass dry and warm would be a smart course of action.

The moment the young woman was in his arms he began an impulsive slow rumble in his chest. One parents made to sooth a sick or distraught child. The smallness of her body in the arms of his Lycan form was both thrilling and scary. Owen snuggled her closer, giving her his body heat.

Back at his humble cottage he placed her next to the fireplace on the furs, then quickly made a fire. He proceeded to dry her off and rub her arms and legs for heat, pulled her in one of his shirt that seemed to work perfectly as a dress for the little female. He wasn't ashamed to appreciate her naked form. He was amazed she stayed asleep throughout everything. Owen changed back to his human form so as not the scare the unknow female in his house. He finished off with snuggling her in a blanket and going for his own bed.

Owen as an early riser was awake at the crack of dawn. He forgot he had a stranger in house until he entered his sitting room and saw the woman snuggled in the furs and blankets he wrapped her into last night. Relieved she hadn't woken up from his abrupt entrance and loud movements he proceeded to the kitchen with more care. He prepared himself a breakfast of dried salted meat and a loaf of bread that he could eat while moving about. He started a small fire with the left over firewood before going outside to chop logs. Owen felt the tension of the past two weeks melt away at the simple task of swinging the axe down. He wondered when his last vacation was, and opt on considering taking one in the near future.

Owen brought in a fresh batch of firewood when the sun was fully up and heating up the frisk air. He observed the woman still asleep, changed to a different position, angled towards the heat of the fire. Her face flushed, her hair sticking on her cheeks and neck from sweat. Concerned, he Crouched next to the woman, touching her forehead to feel her temperature. As he suspected. 'The sleeping wet willow nymph has a fever.' He needed to call for the doctor, but didn't wish to leave her alone for long. Going to the communal hall would keep him tied in another millions things that would not include finding the doctor. Owen did not want to risk the sleeping nymph waking up alone in an unknow place. He subconsciously tucked the blankets and furs closer to her body, checked if she was in no danger of rolling into the fire before he left to the home of his beta, Matthew.

Fifteen minutes later Owen gave a few loud and hard knocks on his friends door and waited patiently for his reply. He let out a snort when his friend came out, his air sticking out in every direction and a big scowl on his face. He wasn't going to keep him long, and gave a quick recounting of his findings and his need of the clan doctor for Lycans and werewolves at his cottage. He gave Matthew a good morning and a pat on his shoulder before running back towards his cottage. On his way back, he found a brown mare grazing with saddle bags but no saddle. As he slowly walked closer to not spook the horse, he could smell the scent of the woman currently sleeping in his cottage. He didn't hesitate in taking the horse with him, he could bring it at a later date to one of the stables to be cared for. He was more interested in the content of the saddle bags, could his willow nymph have some extra clothing with her?

Arriving back, his willow nymph was still soundly asleep. And her sex pheromones hanging very thickly in the air. He left the door open, and continued to open every other window in the cottage. Owen was fully aware it would be no problem to bring her to one of the communal halls of the clan or pack. She would be cared for by the females and save from horny males, like himself, preying on fertile females in their prime. He just didn't want to, be it pride or stubbornness. He found himself wanting learn about the woman that found her way on his land, and was anxious for her to wake up.

He decided, that if he was going to keep her here for the duration of her recovery he might as well clean up the guestroom and let her stay there. Owen quickly realised that he neglected the guestroom for too long. His nose itched from the accumulated dust for the whole duration of the clean-up. but by the time midday arrived, Owen had the dust webs cleaned, the bed furs and linen aired, the wooden bed pallet checked for sturdiness and the room free of dust and small creepers that made a home in the room.

His willow nymph had yet again slept through everything. And he began to wonder how much of a deep sleeper one could be. The saddle bags found on the horse he placed in the guestroom after checking its contents of the meagre amount of clothing and necessities. He did not find food, but he could smell there had been. Not how one would pack for a long journey. The doctor arrived halfway through eating his noon meal. He gave a quick recounting of what happened and his small suspicions and let the doctor do his job while he ate the rest of his lunch. 'your suspicions are correct Alpha Reid, she is a werewolf hybrid. She is in heat, but I am sure you've noticed that already. It's a bit bad luck she has a fever at the same time. Let her sleep till this evening, I am guessing it is exhaustion.' The doctor looked at his Alpha, his head tilted slightly to the side, confused. 'why don't you opt to be bring her to one of the communal houses, she will be closer to immediate help and support from other females of the pack and clan. She's still young, this might very well be her first heat. More reasons for female support, and not a horny possessive male I might ad.' Owen scowled, and the doctor quickly took note that he wasn't going to get an answer. He gave some quick instruction on the medications the woman should take for a week on awakening and left, very intrigued on his Alphas peculiar behaviour.

Owen kept himself mindlessly occupied for the rest of the day, doing everything to ignore the increasingly enticing woman sleeping in his cottage. When the sun started setting he was forced to close to windows to keep out the chill. Her scent quickly became overwhelming in his home. On his way to the kitchen he stopped to stare at her. His fight to ignore her over. His eyes took in every part of her body he could see, his mind not hesitating to fill in the blanks of what it remembered from seeing her naked the day before. His eyes lingered on the soft globes of her chest, the tops peeking out from his shirt she was wearing, the nipples staying hidden, but he could see the dark circles of her areola through his shirt. His body stirred. Eyes travelled lower, to the juncture of her thighs. He took a deep whiff unconsciously and groaned. He groaned at scent of her sex that he could smell all the way from across the room and his own stupidity in increasing his arousal of a woman he could not lay with in the immediate future.

During his evening meal he could not seem to come up with any possible ideas in how to court a woman. He tried recalling what his beta used to do. But quickly realised he was not able to give any attention to Matthew's courtship of his lady because it was in the same year that the clan of Sylva came to exist. Owen had a new appreciation for Matthew his beta, in being able to manage a courtship in a hectic time as that. Owen stopped breaking his head over the dilemma of how to woe a woman, finished his dinner and wondered how he was going to awake his sleeping nymph.

Shaking didn't work, neither did calling out. He started to wonder if she was deaf. He tried softly slapping her cheeks, but he only got a groan in return. Flicking water droplets on her face had the same effect as slapping her cheeks, and he could hardly douse the woman in a bucket of water with her fever. As a last resort he pinched her nose. It gave the desired effect, but a method he would rather not be using again. She gasped only a few seconds in and unconsciously tried to swap away the offending blockage on her nose. Owen let go in an instant.

The first thing Owen noticed was her eyes. Big brown eyes that seemed to flicker from shape slowly and quickly, he watched her eyes intensely, ignoring her flushed cheeks and her arm crossing over her body protectively. Her eyes did not seem to take a form for longer than three seconds, it would change into the eyes of a werewolf, to then revert back to her human eyes. Sometimes it only morphed half, before returning to its original state. He also noticed her left and right eye weren't synchronized with each other.

Owen offered her the fallen blanket, having sated his initial intrigue in her eyes. 'would you share your name with me? I have been taking the liberty of calling you willow nymph. Not knowing ones name is surprisingly frustrating if you're around them much.' She didn't give an immediate reaction or answer. Her eyes flicked around the room squinting. They abruptly focused back on him with accusation. 'wh-where am I-h?' The wariness in her voice had Owen frown. 'you find yourself in my home. I found you sleeping next to the weeping willow wet.' She looked troubled, squeezing the blanket tight in her hands. 'Why didn't you wake me?' it was a question Owen he himself had asked on many occasions. 'When ones asleep, it is a sign that it was needed. There is no reason to awake someone from a slumber unless strictly necessary.' Owen didn't fully believe whatever he just said but if it calmed the woman in front of him he was of no mind to care. She indeed didn't seemed to believe him, yet visibly relaxed. 'you slept for a day, like a log. An exhausting journey?' she didn't react to his question. He stood and decided to give her some space whilst preparing her dinner.

Owen returned with a bowl of stew, a few slices of bread and a mug of water to drink with her medicine prescribed by the doctor. 'here, take this first, it will help with the fever.' She looked at the powdered dried herbs and mug of water he held out with apprehension. He tried offering again, but she jerkily shook her head. With no intention of forcing her, he placed it back on the wooden tray with the stew and left it there. Confidant that she would eat and drink when she felt safe enough later.

'will you tell me your name? I'm Owen Reid.' He added his name in an afterthought, realising he hadn't offered it the first time.' Her hands squeezed the blanket again. 'Emery.' He noted the lack of a surname, meaning that she was from a farmers family. Owen smiled at her. 'well met Emery. If you would like, I cleaned up the guest room upstairs, you can use it while you recover from your fever. Or I can also offer you a place in the communal house of the pack. You will also be safer there for the duration of your heat.' Owen saw Emery lost all colour in her face. 'What has you so distraught? She didn't answer him, and he wasn't sure what to do. A good leader to a good dozen packs, but Owen did not have the capability to sooth someone in obvious distress. He stood up and offered to show the guest room again, gesturing his hands towards the stairs. 'what is a pack?' the question confused him. A farmers daughter should know what a pack is. So, should be the knowledge that werewolf's and lycans lived in mostly the same manner, even to the most secluded farmers. 'it is a gathering of werewolf's and lycans.' She gave a meek nod, took in a shaky breath and raised to her feet taking a hesitant step towards the stairs, stopping to look back at him for permission.