A/N: This part is in Annabeth's POV. There's one more part after this. I hope you guys like it! Come find me on tumblr somethingmorecreative1
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Annabeth packs her clothes into an extra duffel bag that Rachel found stuffed in one of the closets of the Alpha house. Other than her clothes, she doesn't have many belongings. A candle Rachel bought her. Four books that her mother left her. A few other, random things that she's managed to collect over the years. She will pack those into the duffel as well.
Her body is operating on autopilot as she packs her things. Back in the meeting room, with her dad and the other Alpha, he had claimed that he was going to take Annabeth back to his pack with him. Immediately after, everyone was sent out of the room, Annabeth with a heart rate a mile a minute and Rachel clutching onto her arm in a death grip.
Later, her dad came back to the Alpha house and told her to pack her things.
Rachel had cried and argued with her dad, but Annabeth only nodded.
It's not that Annabeth was excited or actually wanted to leave, it's that she hadn't really grasped it yet. She didn't think she would for a while. After all, she had been doing what an Alpha told her to for so long already that this didn't seem like such a big deal.
Annabeth would miss Rachel. She would miss Rachel more than anything.
Pack her things. Leave with strangers. Become part of a new pack. Just more things her Alpha tells her to do.
Annabeth doesn't remember much before Dare become the Alpha of her pack. It's a blank memory—one day Rachel wasn't there and the next she was.
It's the same way with her mother. One day, Annabeth's mom was in the kitchen cooking dinner and baking cookies with her, and the next, she was gone. Every trace of her disappeared, except for the four books that Annabeth has. The Alpha never told them what happened, but Annabeth can guess. When females get too loud or opinionated, they disappear.
Annabeth's father hadn't been the same since.
After that, life in the pack was worse. With Dare as an Alpha, he forced Rachel and Annabeth to do the housework, including cooking and cleaning. He kept them, and all of the others wolves of the pack, in line with violence and cruelty. Annabeth hardly ever spoke to anyone besides Rachel. After the first few times of speaking her mind ending with a slap to her face or a hit to her stomach, she stopped trying.
She supposes that this was the only way to keep the pack in line. How else would an Alpha control his pack?
Annabeth guesses it won't be much different in her new pack. Her new Alpha will probably treat her the same as Dare did. At least she's used to it.
A knock on her open door startles her out of her thoughts, and she freezes.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Annabeth recognizes the voice of the other Alpha, and she slowly turns to face him.
The black haired man is leaning against the door frame, hands tucked into the pockets of the worn jeans that hang on his hips. The corner of his mouth is curled up into a half smile, and his green eyes are bright. He's tall, probably a few inches taller than her, and his shoulders are broad. He looks to be about her age, which is considerably young for an Alpha.
His voice breaks the silence between then when he says, "Can I come in?"
"You already are," she murmurs, wincing when she realizes what she's said.
He laughs softly and steps further inside the room. "Yeah, that was a dumb question."
She stares at him in shock for what feels like hours. Her voice is still low when she asks, "Why are you doing this?"
"Do you know that you haven't taken a breath since I came in?"
Annabeth breathes because it feels like an order.
"I'm Percy Jackson," he says, watching her carefully.
"I'm Annabeth," she says, voice louder than before. She counts it as a victory.
He nods and walks across the room to the window, looking out at the land surrounding them. His green eyes find hers when he says, "I feel like I've met you before. Your scent is familiar. Do you notice that about me?"
Annabeth is surprised to hear him say that. The thing is, she did notice his scent when she went into the meeting today, and she did feel like she had met him before. His scent was so familiar, but Annabeth hadn't recognized him in person, so there was no way that she had ever met him before, right?
She narrows her eyes and shrugs one shoulder, "Yes, but that's not possible. I've never seen you before."
He nods again, and Annabeth watches him carefully. He radiates power, just like her old Alpha did, but somehow, it feels different.
"You didn't answer my question earlier," she says, feeling braver now that he hasn't hit her or been aggressive yet. She turns her back to him to finish packing her things.
"Dare threatened you. I'm not letting you stay here and get hurt when he returns," he explains.
"He always hurts me." It slips out of her mouth before she can stop it, and she senses him freeze in place without even watching him.
He growls, "Not anymore. You're part of my pack. He won't hurt you again."
"So you just have a hero complex that makes you want to save everything that's less than capable of taking care of itself?" she asks. She knows that this is to far; this is the line that he will snap on and put her in her place and—
She wants to know just how far she can push him. She needs to know to stay alive.
"You're plenty capable of taking care of yourself. I saw that much earlier, Annabeth."
His voice saying her name sends a shiver through her body. She's not sure why. Maybe it's because she was expecting him to correct her behavior and instead, the compliment made her head spin a little.
"Then why are you so intent on kidnapping me?"
"Kidnapping would imply that I'm doing it against your will."
"Mr. Jackson—"
"Just Percy."
Annabeth frowns. "Percy, tell me what's going on."
"You deserve to be treated better than this," he grumbles, pacing the room. "He's hit you for reading. What else has he punished you for that you didn't deserve? It's… he was your Alpha, and he should have taken better care of you. An Alpha's pack is his number one priority, and he should only care about the safety and health of his wolves."
She stares at him in shock. It's like he's a hero that has jumped out of one of her books that she's kept hidden underneath the floor in her room. Does he really believe this? Or is he just playing her and making her think that this will be what it's like in his pack?
Does it matter either way? She still has to go with him.
"You make it sound nice," she says, turning back around to pack the last of her clothes into her bag. "What a pack is supposed to be like. That can't be real."
"Yes it is. It's real everywhere."
Annabeth rolls her eyes even though he can't see her. "How do wolves behave then? How does the Alpha keep control if he doesn't kill and punish? It shouldn't work. It can't."
"Come home with me and find out," Percy says.
She hesitates again, spinning around to find him staring at her again. His green eyes are wide, and she can see a challenge swimming in his gaze. "I don't even know you."
"You could get to know me. You might like what you find."
"And if I don't?"
Percy shrugs, "Then we can find something you do like. I need you to be happy."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you need me to be happy?" she asks.
"I'm not sure yet. It's just… when I figure it out, I'll let you know."
Percy walks back over to the door. He looks back at her when he says, "Come downstairs when you get the rest of your stuff. We're leaving as soon as you're ready."
Annabeth watches him leave and wonders what the hell she's gotten into.
Ω
She finishes packing too quickly. Not that there was much to pack anyway.
She feels numb. Annabeth walks down the stairs in a fog, wondering if this is really happening.
And it's not that it's sad… Percy was right about it not being against her will. She hates this place, hates Dare with every fiber in her body. She hates that she has to be silent and submissive. She hates that there's nowhere else for her to go.
But her dad and Rachel. She doesn't hate them. Even though Rachel is Dare's daughter and she doesn't get treated like Annabeth does, she's her best, and only, friend. She's definitely going to miss her. When she finally understands this whole thing. When it finally feels like reality.
Her dad. Annabeth doesn't think she's going to miss him. He hasn't been the same since her mother died, and he hasn't stopped Dare from hurting her. Even when she's in the same room with him, she feels all alone.
Rachel is waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She hugs Annabeth instantly, clinging to her. While Rachel cried earlier, there aren't any tears in her eyes now. Her face is blank of all emotions. Annabeth is grateful for it. She doesn't think she would cry about this, but she doesn't want to chance it. Not in front of Percy. Her new Alpha. She doesn't know him yet, but she doesn't want him to think she's weak. She's not.
Annabeth and Rachel walk out of the Alpha house. Percy and her father are waiting in the yard, close to where a black truck is parked. Percy's gaze finds her as soon as she's outside, but she looks away from him too quickly. Even though he seems nice enough, he is probably pretending. Annabeth doesn't trust him.
Her father steps away from Percy and over to her, holding out one of his arms, waiting for her to hug him.
She steps past him and toward Percy without glancing his way.
Percy looks back and forth between her dad curiously, eyes narrowed, but when Annabeth doesn't look back at her dad, Percy carefully reaches forward to take her bag from her hand. He doesn't let their hands touch, and Annabeth is grateful for it.
"Ready to go?" Percy asks. His voice is low. He's frowning, eyebrows scrunched together to form lines on his forehead.
Annabeth nods and steps up to the truck. For a brief second, she catches her reflection in the window. A bruise is blossoming across her cheek from Dare hitting her earlier, and Annabeth decides to leave that behind too.
Percy pulls the door open for her, and she climbs inside.
The blonde man from earlier is sitting in the driver's seat, one hand resting casually on the wheel and the other on the gearshift. His head is turned in her direction, but instead of looking at her, he's carefully watching Percy out of the window while he speaks to Annabeth's dad. A few seconds later, Percy nods, shakes her dad's hand, and climbs into the backseat of the truck.
"Okay, Jason," Percy says. "Let's go home."
She doesn't look back when they drive away.
Ω
They spend about fifteen minutes in silence until Percy says, "We live about a hundred miles from here. The drive isn't bad; it's just over an hour and a half I think. Jason drives a little too slow for my taste."
Annabeth is so surprised by the sudden sound that she jumps, but after an awkward pause, Jason, the blonde haired man that is driving, laughs and says, "If I let you drive then we probably wouldn't make it home alive."
Percy scoffs in the backseat, and Annabeth's eyes flicker up to the rear view mirror to watch him smile. He looks happier, but his eyes are still dark. Annabeth wonders if he looks like this all the time.
"Annabeth," Percy starts, leaning forward a bit. "This is my Beta, Jason. If you ever need anything and you can't find me, then you can talk to him."
Jason smiles over at her, but he turns his head back to the road almost immediately, not letting his gaze linger on her face for too long.
"Thank you," she says, voice a little above a whisper.
They fall back into silence. A few minutes later, Percy yawns loudly.
Jason laughs again. "Take a nap, Percy. Annabeth and I won't tell anybody that even Alphas need to sleep."
Annabeth chances a glance up into the mirror to look at Percy. He rolls his eyes, grumbling about Jason being a know-it-all before he leans back, resting his head against the seat and closing his eyes.
The hum of the truck's engine and the quiet radio are the only sounds in the car until Percy starts snoring.
Annabeth watches as Jason glances back at him. Then, he glances over at Annabeth and says, "Percy was up all night stressing about this meeting today. He doesn't sleep much because he works so hard to keep our pack safe. That includes you now."
She doesn't really know what to say to that. She gazes at Jason until he shrugs.
"Just wanted you to know that," he says softly. "I don't know if you're upset about leaving your old pack, but Percy wouldn't have done that if he didn't think it was what was best for you. He always puts us before himself."
Annabeth can feel her throat closing a little, like she might start crying. Instead, she nods slightly and turns to stare out of the window. Jason doesn't speak again, just hums quietly along with the radio.
Ω
Jason makes a left turn off of the highway to a smaller, one lane road just as Percy jerks awake with a slight gasp.
Annabeth jumps, glancing up at the mirror to look at Percy in the backseat. He slumps back against the headrest, dragging a hand down his face.
"You okay?" Jason asks, concern coloring his voice.
Percy groans, "If it's not stress it's those goddamn dreams keeping me awake."
She wonders what they're talking about, especially when Jason winces in sympathy. Instead, she asks, "How much longer?"
Jason seems surprised to hear her speak, but he shrugs. "About twenty minutes."
"Thank god," Percy sighs.
Annabeth watches the clock on the dashboard for the rest of the trip, and when it's been roughly twenty minutes, Jason turns off of the road and onto a gravel road that's hidden in the trees. There's a heavy, black gate in front of them, and Percy opens his door and gets out to unlock it so they can pull through.
Her heart is racing in her chest by the time Percy gets back in the truck and they start driving up the gravel road. The trees are dense here, thicker than Annabeth is used to. Up ahead, she thinks that she can see a clearing, and sure enough, she can see a few buildings.
The house—Annabeth guesses that it's the Alpha house—is one of the first buildings. It's bigger and nicer than the house at her old pack. It's a brick house, styled to look like a farm house in a way, but too modern to actually belong in that category. The windows in front of the house are big and open, which makes the house itself look bigger. It's a nice look for it, and the architecture is really nice.
Another building, a low, one story building sits across from the house, separated by the gravel driveway and green lawn. Farther down, there are several more houses spread out, sitting in a style similar to a subdivision. Annabeth wonders if everyone in their pack lives here on this property or if they are separated to live in other places close by to fit in with the humans.
Jason parks the truck in front of the Alpha house and cuts the engine. Percy is the first one to open his door, feet hitting the ground with a small thud. Jason is next.
She hesitates, unbuckling her seatbelt slowly. When she gets out, it will be to her new home and pack. When she gets out, she won't have her old one anymore—this will be it.
Thankfully, Percy doesn't open her door for her. For a few seconds, she was afraid that he would pull it open and demand her to get out. Instead, he waits just a few feet away, her duffle bag in his hand. His expression is neutral, and Annabeth takes a few seconds to admire him.
He's relaxed here—not as tense as earlier. He stands straight, free hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans. His broad shoulders are loose, and when he glances back over at the truck, there's a small smile on his face.
Annabeth takes a deep breath. Then, she opens the door and climbs out.
The cool air helps steady her heart, which is beating wildly in her chest. She hopes that she's far enough away from Percy so he can't hear it, but she isn't sure.
She takes small steps up to Percy. When she gets close to him, he turns to look at her.
"Ready?" he asks, voice softer than she's heard from him all day.
She nods because she doesn't think that she can speak right now.
They start toward the house. Annabeth notices that Jason has already made it up to the stairs of the porch, where a woman stands, arms outstretched with a smile on her face. She's shorter than any of them, but she's ten times curvier than Annabeth. Her dark skin is glowing in the sunshine that casts onto the porch, and then Jason is in her arms, hugging her tightly.
"That's Jason's mate, Piper," Percy says. Annabeth looks back over to him, and there's a big smile on his face.
Annabeth watches as Jason pulls back from Piper's arms and kisses her. He pulls back after a few seconds and presses his forehead to hers.
Percy and Annabeth have reached the stairs by now, and they climb up to join Piper and Jason on the porch
Piper reaches for Percy first, pulling him into a quick hug before she shifts her gaze to Annabeth. Her eyes are beautiful, more like a kaleidoscope than any actual color. There's a small feather braided into her brown hair, which manages to look like a professional style hair cut even though the ends are jagged and uneven. It's short—just barely reaching her shoulders.
"Who's this?" Piper asks. Her voice is nice too.
"This is Annabeth," Percy says.
Piper smiles lightly. "Your mate?"
Percy shrugs, "Change of plans. I didn't get mated to anyone. Jason can explain it later."
"Oh," she says, obviously confused. She brightens again a second later. "It's nice to meet you, Annabeth. What happened to your cheek?"
She flinches, her body jerking awkwardly.
"I'm sorry," Piper says quickly. Annabeth wonders what she must look like for her to sound that upset. "I shouldn't have asked."
She nods, looking down to study her feet. She can feel Percy's on her, but she doesn't look over at him.
"We're going to get Annabeth settled in a room," Percy says, voice deliberately casual. He steps away from Piper and Jason, toward the door. He motions for Annabeth to follow, and she trails after him.
"Annabeth," Piper's voice is soft and apologetic. "If you ever need anything, just let me know."
She forces herself to nod and smile a little. It's not Piper's fault that Annabeth is so fucked up that she can't even function in a conversation. Her voice is a little over a whisper when she says, "Okay. Thanks."
Percy holds the door open for her, and she steps inside the house, which opens up to a hallway and a large living room. The furniture is nice, and the house looks like it's been recently renovated. The gray walls and dark hardwood floors give the room a very homey feel. There are pictures hanging on the wall and sitting on the furniture, and it looks so much like a home that it makes her chest hurt a little. How is she supposed to live here with these people?
Different scents fill her nose as they wander through the house. It puts her on edge, the strange and foreign scents of these other wolves.
Her pack now. Her pack mates' scents.
Percy must notice her heart racing, but he doesn't say anything about it. Instead, he leads her through the living room and down another hallway to the left. They pass a staircase, and Percy gestures up at them.
"That's where my room is," he says, voice light. "If you need me, you can come up there anytime."
She nods, flicking her eyes away from him to study the floor.
They pass several doors down the hallway. Percy gestures to the first one and mentions that it's his office. The next one is where another wolf, Will, sleeps, and then there's a bathroom in the hallway.
Percy finally stops outside of the last door at the end of the hallway. He gestures to it.
Annabeth doesn't breathe when she steps forward and swings the door open.
It's a little smaller than her old room, but there's a large window on the other side that is bigger than her old one. It looks out over the yard and off into the thick trees. The walls of the room are the same, warm gray color, but it matches the dark hardwood and the dark cherry furniture in the room. The bed takes up most of the room, sitting in one of the corner, perfectly made with a purple comforter. There's a nightstand with a matching lamp, and there's a bookcase on the other wall. It's shelves are filled with a few books, but there's plenty of space for other things.
She steps inside the room.
Percy follows her. He sets her bag down onto the bed before sitting down beside it.
Annabeth studies the room. It's nicer than her old one, smaller, but… it feels warmer. It's harder to smell the other scents in the house from here because it's farther and no one stays in here. She thinks that will make it easier for her. She wonders if Percy has already thought of it or if this is just coincidence.
"This okay?" Percy asks.
Annabeth turns to look at him. He's relaxed enough, but his green eyes are wide. There's nothing but honesty there, and in addition to that he… he looks happy.
Their conversation from earlier hits Annabeth full force. He does seem familiar to her, but she can't figure out how she would know him. If she's never met him in person before, then can she really say that she knows him? How would that be possible?
But… how would he even seem familiar to her at all?
"Annabeth," he says, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"
She nods, "Yes. Thank you."
He furrows his eyebrows. "Are you sure? You haven't… you haven't really said anything all day."
She sighs and presses a hand against her head. Her voice is a whisper when she says, "I'm sorry."
"Hey, no," Percy objects, climbing to his feet. He walks over to her and ducks his head so she has to look at him. "It's fine. I get it. I just don't want you to be hurting and not tell me, okay?"
His eyes are wide and honest. Annabeth blinks, and then, she nods.
"Okay," he says, straightening. "Let's walk over to the infirmary because I want Will to check you over. After that, I can show you around for a little while. Do you want to go on a run?"
She shakes her head immediately. She can't even hear her wolf right now. There's no way that she would even manage to shift when she's this anxious.
"Maybe tomorrow then," he says, starting out of the room. "Come on."
Annabeth follows him out of the room, glancing back at her room before ducking out in the hallway to catch up to him.
Ω
She hesitates when they to the steps of the infirmary.
Percy must hear her breath catch because he looks back to where she's frozen at the bottom of the steps that lead up to the porch. He frowns and stretches out a hand toward her.
She flinches away from him, which makes Percy flinch too.
He sighs and steps down to stand beside her.
Annabeth looks over at him, and she wishes that she hadn't.
His expression is tormented. His jaw is clenched, eyebrows furrowed, eyes squeezed shut. His hands are fisted at his sides, and his shoulders are shaking just a bit. She can hear his heart racing too, but he takes a few steadying breathes before he opens his eyes and relaxes his body.
After a second, he speaks. His voice is rough and low. "I'm sorry. I'm expecting too much from you."
She stares at him until he opens his eyes. It hasn't even been that long since she left her pack, but with Percy looking so defeated and upset that he's been pushing her, it makes her not want to be so afraid. She wants him to expect things from her. She wants to be okay and to talk to people and fit in with this pack. She wants this to be her home.
Will she ever be able to get that though? Will there be a day when she can look at Percy without thinking that he may hit or punish her for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time?
Annabeth straightens her shoulders. She murmurs, "I'll do better. I can do better."
Percy sighs again. "It's not that. It hasn't even been a day yet. You don't know any of us. Everything is new for you. I'm sorry that I keep forgetting that. I'll do better. None of this is your fault," his voice is fierce. "We'll figure this out, okay? We have plenty of time."
His words take Annabeth by surprise again. Annabeth keeps expecting him to say something or to act mean or aggressive toward her, but he surprises her every single time he even glances her way. It's… Annabeth doesn't know what it means yet.
"But," Percy says, a frown etched onto his face. "I do want you to get checked by Will. Even tomorrow would be okay if you want to wait until then."
And did tomorrow sound better. She could go back over to her room, get in her bed, and lay there on her own without having to pretend.
But her Alpha is asking her to do something.
"Now," she murmurs. "Now is fine."
She starts up the steps on her own, and she hears him follow.
Percy grabs the door for her and pulls it open, gesturing inside. She's shaking a bit, but she walks inside the room.
Immediately, the smell of antiseptics fills Annabeth's nose. The large room is set up like a hospital emergency room. Several small, hospital beds are lined up down the wall, each with equipment in between them. The cabinets that line the walls are full of medical supplies too.
"Will?" Percy calls, voice echoing through the room.
A blonde man pokes his head out around a corner before he walks into the room. He's tall and skinny, with clear blue eyes and smooth blonde hair. He's wearing a white doctor's coat with jeans and a plain yellow t-shirt underneath it.
"Percy," the man, Will, says. He smiles lightly. "What's up? Who's with you?"
"This is Annabeth," he explains. "She's part of our pack now. Do you think you can look her over really quick? Just like, a check-up."
Will nods and smiles at her. "Hi, Annabeth. I'm Will, and I'm a doctor. How long has it been since you had a check-up?"
Annabeth frowns. It's probably been years since she went to the doctor. The last time she really remembers going was when her mother took her to see a doctor at another pack when she had the flu. Since then… she's just had to take care of herself.
"Um," she hesitates, voice small and barely audible. She curses herself for it, but she can't help it right now.
"That's okay," Will says immediately. He walks over to a weight scale sitting against the far wall and motions her forward. He grabs a clipboard and flips to a paper before pulling a pen from his pocket. "Let's start with weight and height. Percy, take a seat on the first bed."
Percy grumbles about being told to sit, but he moves without hesitation. He gives Annabeth a quick nod, and then, she slowly walks over to Will.
He seems nice, and he's gracious enough to take his time with her, slowly moving the numbers on the scale. He doesn't comment on her weight, which is too small of a number for her height.
"Percy," Will calls as he writes on his paper. "How are the dreams?"
Annabeth feels Percy tense from across the room. When she glances over at him, there's a weird look on his face, and his shoulders are taunt.
This would be the second time that she's heard someone mention these "dreams" to Percy. What kind of dreams are they, and why are they so important? If Percy has told his Beta and his doctor about them, then they must be concerning, or at least weird. Annabeth wonders what it means.
"Not any better," he mutters, scrubbing a hand over his face. It's obvious that he doesn't want to talk about it.
Will hums and then leads Annabeth over to sit on the bed across from Percy. Annabeth sits stiffly while he listens to her lungs and heartbeat, then checks her reflexes and joints. He only pauses when Annabeth hisses in pause as he tugs on her right elbow.
Percy straightens at the sound, "What's wrong?"
"Is that sore, Annabeth?" Will asks. "What happened there?"
She swallows and stares at the floor because it's easier to talk that way. "I broke it in an accident. It never healed right."
"An accident?" Percy asks. His face give him away. She can tell that he's thinking that Dare did it. He's not wrong.
"Okay," Will says. "In a few weeks, we're going to x-ray it and see if it needs to be set so it can heal right."
"A few weeks?" Percy exclaims. His voice is louder than before. "If she's in pain because of it, then you need to fix it now!"
Will sighs and turns away to the cabinets on the other wall. He pulls a bag out of one of the cabinets before he opens the door to a small refrigerator underneath the counter. When he comes back over to them, he carefully presses the quickly assembled ice pack in his hand to Annabeth's cheek, right on top of her bruise.
"I'm not sure if you noticed, Percy," Will says calmly. "But Annabeth's genes aren't healing her as quickly as they should be right now. This bruise looks fresh, but even it should have been gone if she were healing like normal. If I set her arm, it will be months before it's fully healed."
"Well, why isn't she healing quickly then?" he asks.
Will shrugs and motions for Annabeth to hold the ice pack to her cheek. She replaces his hand, and he picks his clipboard back up. He says, "It's a lot of things. She's distressed right now too."
"Distressed?" Percy frowns.
Will rolls his eyes, "Percy, let's pick you up and pick you in a brand new pack with strange wolves and see how you deal with it."
Annabeth breathes out a small laugh because finally. Someone seems to understand her here. It makes Percy grin through the blush that sweeps over his cheeks.
"Okay, okay," he says. "What can you do about it?"
"Nothing really," Will sits down a few inches from Annabeth. "Rest will be the best thing. I also think you should up the amount of calories you take in, Annabeth. You need to gain some weight in the next few weeks. Other than that, it's just going to take some time to get used to it here. You can't expect her to adjust in just a few hours, Percy."
Percy growls lightly, obviously frustrated as he runs his hand through his black hair. "I know that, Will."
"But everything looks good other than that!" Will says. "You don't have any problems when you shift, do you, Annabeth?"
She shakes her head, "No."
"Okay, great," he says, closing up his clipboard. He remains sitting by Annabeth while he studies Percy and says, "Are you alright?"
He frowns, flicking a glance to Annabeth before nodding slowly.
"Your nose is crooked."
"I got punched in the face earlier. Didn't take it long to stop bleeding."
Will rolls his eyes and rises to his feet. He steps over to Percy and tilts his head back. Then, he sets Percy's nose back into place.
A loud pop breaks the silence, followed by a snarl from Percy. Will tilts Percy's head forward and pulls some gauze from his pocket to press against the underside of his nose to stop the bleeding.
"Hold that there," he instructs, and Percy lifts his own hand to hold the gauze in place. Will steps back and looks him over. "Are you sure you don't have any other injuries? I can't help you if you insist on being tough."
Percy growls lightly, narrowing his eyes as he looks up at Will. It's not a mean look, but there's frustration in his gaze. Annabeth is surprised that Will is pushing Percy like this, but since he doesn't seem concerned, this must happen a lot.
Annabeth thinks so. Percy seems like the type to hide pain and be tough on his own.
"I'm fine," Percy says, eyes on Will.
Will frowns. Annabeth can tell that he must be thinking the opposite. Whatever it is about, Percy frowns back at him. Will doesn't say anything else. He comes back over to Percy to take the gauze and wipe away the extra blood with a wet cloth.
"Annabeth," Will says, startling her from her observation. She shifts her gaze from Percy to him. "If you ever need anything or don't feel good, just come over anytime. I'm usually always here."
"His room is also the one next to yours," Percy adds.
Annabeth nods. She hadn't made the connection when she came inside the infirmary, but it's nice to know her neighbor a little now.
Will smiles, "Cool. Percy, come back by if something else is wrong, okay?"
"Yeah," he says, climbing to his feet. "Thank you, Will."
"Anytime. I'll see you around, Annabeth. Like I said, if you ever need anything, just come find me," he smiles, face bright and eager. Annabeth thinks that she might be able to be friends with him.
She tries for a smile and hopes that it doesn't look too much like a grimace. "Thank you."
Percy nods at Will and starts toward the door, pulling it open and holding it for Annabeth. He slips out behind her.
The sun is starting to set, casting a warm, orange glow over the trees and grass. It's getting colder than it was earlier, and Annabeth wonders if they are far enough north that there will be snow on the ground in the coming months. The forest would look beautiful covered in it.
"Are you hungry?"
Percy's voice interrupts her thoughts. She looks over to find him pointedly looking in the direction of the Alpha house.
She shakes her head. She doesn't think that she can eat right now. All she wants to do is get in her new bed, in her new room, in her new pack, and try to forget everything for a few hours. Try to figure out how to survive here.
Percy purses his lips, but he doesn't look surprised. He says, "Okay. That's fine. It's been a long day, and you probably want to sleep."
Annabeth nods. It's clear that he isn't finished yet.
"But," Percy says, finally looking over at her. His eyes are sharp, but not unfriendly. "You heard Will. You have to eat more. So, you don't have to eat tonight, but you have to start trying tomorrow, okay?"
She nods. Tomorrow is a realistic goal. Tomorrow she will feel better. Tomorrow she can make herself fit in here and get used to it.
He's silent while they walk across the yard, until, "I'm proud of you."
She frowns, turning to find him already staring at her. "What?"
"I'm proud of you," he repeats, not bothering to elaborate.
Annabeth feels a blush spread across her cheeks. It's a weird feeling—being praised by her Alpha. It's something that she's never felt before. It's… she wouldn't mind feeling it more.
They walk over to the Alpha house in silence, Percy opening the door for her and guiding her back to the hallway and down to her door. He hesitates there, stopping outside and looking up at her.
"If you need anything, all you have to do is ask, Annabeth," he says, voice low and warm at the same time.
She nods.
"I'll see you in the morning. I'm right upstairs if you need me," he explains, shuffling backwards. It's the first time that she's seen him resemble anything close to awkward.
"Thanks," she breathes, stepping forward into her room.
"Annabeth?"
She looks back out into the hallway to find him scratching the back of his neck. He says, "I'm really glad that you're here. Goodnight."
She blinks at his words. When it's obvious he's waiting for some kind of response from her, she whispers, "Goodnight."
Annabeth watches until he disappears through the living room, and then, she shuts the door to her room. She stares at the room for a few minutes until she walks over to her bed. It takes an embarrassingly short amount of time for her to unpack her things. She places Rachel's candle on the nightstand. She hangs her few clothes in the closet. She carefully shelves her mother's books on the bookshelf by the window.
After, she stands in the middle of the room and stares at everything. She can hear low voices outsider her door, but tonight, she isn't brave enough to join them. Maybe tomorrow.
Instead, Annabeth turns to her bed and climbs underneath the clean, soft sheets and lets herself succumb to her own dreams.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review!
-SomethingMoreCreative