To Run With The Rising Sun

Chapter 3

Introduction

Light poured in from the window of the cage like cell as Celine lay on the floor, a blanket covering her form as she slept, her chest rising and falling in sweet utter bliss. A pillow lay beneath her head and her bandages had been changed. With her first change, the fever had gone, taking the pain with it. Now, her body was left to heal itself on its own without torment.

~xXx~

Upstairs, Jeremy sat in the living room, his body resting against his grand armchair. After Celine had turned back to her human form late the prior evening, he had taken it upon himself to place a blanket over her. He had made sure that she had ample coverage, not wanting to pull her from her sleep after her first completed change. Instead, he had left her to sleep and regenerate. After the bandages had been taken care of, he had taken it upon himself to assist Clayton in fixing up what was to be her room.

Jeremy had spend a short portion of the evening helping Clay arrange things like the bed and closet, taking a few old pieces of Elena's clothing, Clayton's mate, and placing them there for Celine when she awoke. He planned on having new ones purchased for her after the fact, hoping to make her more comfortable. After all, there was nothing better than having your own clothes. Until she could make her way to her room though, Jeremy had accumulated a few pieces of his own clothing, resting them down in the cellar.

The knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Pushing himself up, he made his way to the door to greet his new arrivals. A smile then made its way as he pulled open the door.

"Nicky. Antonio," he greeted, pulling each member into a friendly embraces.

The youngest smiled, giving him a pat on the back, making his way inside. He was then followed by his father, the older man rejoicing in the familiar feeling of his friend's arms.

"I trust you had a pleasant journey?" Jeremy inquired, closing the door behind them as he ushered them into the living area.

"Yes, quite," Antonio smiled. "Although, my back is a bit sore," he admitted.

"Stop whining Dad," Nicky chuckled, coming up behind his father and kneading lightly at his shoulders before moving on.

"You should me nicer to your father Nicky," Jeremy chided lightly, before replacing himself back into the armchair that he had inhabited just moments prior.

As they settled in, Antonio turned toward his pack mate, his Alpha. They all knew they weren't there just for a simple visited. Jeremy had called and informed them that a young woman had been bitten. As a result, Antonio had agreed to come back to Stone Haven to help for a few weeks. He was even more shocked when Jeremy explained that she had actually managed to survive the turn and was now resting downstairs in the cellar.

"Can we see her?" Nicky asked, biting at his lower lip for a moment.

Like his father, he too was anxious to see this girl, the one that had survived like Elena had. It was such a rarity and yet they now had two in their life time that had managed to make it through the change. He was desperate to meet his new pack sister as it were.

"Perhaps," Jeremy nodded, thinking for a moment, before standing from his seat. "I must ask that you remain here though," he insisted. "I'd rather not scare her with unsuspecting faces when she is most vulnerable."

"Of course my friend," Antonio nodded, placing a hand on his sons shoulder. "In fact, why don't we get some food started. After all, she'll most likely be hungry."

With that, father and son went to the kitchen, while Jeremy made his way downstairs in hopes of rousing their new companion.

~xXx~

Tap. Tap. Tap. That was the only thing that was heard as a faint murmur left Celine's lips. Laying there, she kept her eyes closed, listening as the sound of what would be dress shoes met the stairs. She wasn't sure how she knew they were dress shoes, but she did, the sound light and supple. Still, she lay there as the sound drew closer before it was level to the concrete floor, slowly making its way toward her. She assumed that it was one of the two men, but she still wasn't sure who they were. All she knew was that she'd been there in that cage for several day, the need to stretch her limbs and run driving her crazy.

Next came the shuffle of cloth. Clothing perhaps? She wasn't sure. For all she knew, they had curtains somewhere. Yet as she continued to think on it, the footsteps came to stop in front of her. The cage remained closed, but that didn't seem to bother her.

"I know that you're awake."

The sound of the man's voice was smooth to her sensitive ears, slowly opening up her eyes and looking upon him. She found herself pursing her lips for a moment, slowly sitting up, blushing lightly as she held the blanket against her front. The man in front of her just smiled, but it didn't seem to a result of her bare form. Instead, the gesture seemed friendly and welcoming. His smile put her at ease for the moment, allowing her to look him over for herself.

Trailing her eyes across his face, she found it to be of strong build. His nose was angular and of decent size, but not too big. His lips were full and pink, the nature color standing out among the facial hair that adorned his face. His beard itself was neatly trimmed and kept short, hinting at red almost. As she traveled back up, Celine caught his eyes. They reminded her of a cool winter frost, the blue captivating her as she stared. She'd never seen such eyes. As she sat there though, that thought stopped her. She had seen eyes like that before, but at the moment, she could seem to pin point where.

"I realize that you must have many questions, Ms. Hamilton," he said, catching her attention.

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as his eyes seemed to steal her for a moment.

"I promise that I will answer any that you may have, but in return, I ask that you try to keep an open mind and take things one step at a time."

Nodded her head slowly, she swallowed the lump in her throat, drawing the blanket just a bit closer to her chest as she watched him.

"My name is Jeremy Danvers and this is my home," he told her. "I came across you several night ago and-"

He was cut off by Celine speaking up, a look of confusion on her face as his name hit her.

"You said Danvers."

"Yes," Jeremy nodded, his brows furrowing for just a moment.

"Then this place is Stone Haven," she surmised, blinking as she looked around.

"Well, yes," he nodded, unsure of where their conversation was now headed.

"When I was younger, kids would tell stories about old man Malcolm. How he'd snatch children that got too close to Stone Haven and eat them alive," she told him, earning a chuckle in return.

"Yes, my father was a rather monstrous man I'll admit, but tales such as that are exactly that, tales," he assured her. "In fact, my father died several months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said quietly, straightening her back for a moment.

"I'm sure. Though, that is not the reason I'm here," he told her. "As I said, I found you several nights ago among the heated head of a storm. You been attacked and bitten by a-"

"Mutt," she filled in, remembering him mentioning that at some point when she had been a bit lucid.

"Yes," he nodded, keeping his patience in place. "Once bitten, you became one of us."

~xXx~

After a while of talking and a good amount of pacing that Jeremy was sure had worn away at the top layer of the floor, he found that Celine had become fairly quiet. He knew how much of a shock all of the information that he had divulged must have been. After all, it wasn't everyday that one was turned into a werewolf, something that for most people belonged only in books and on the big screen. Truly, it was something other worldly and not a lot of people came to except it. That's why the chance of suicide was so high for most after the first change. Most couldn't live with the knowledge of something that was so inhuman running through them.

In the end, Jeremy found himself standing at the front of the cage, hands on the bars. He merely prayed that she would come to except things, for it was far too rare. She was a rare beauty among wolves, something so unattainable, that she was only one of two in existence. He didn't want to have to see that life ended, snuffed out of existence as though it had never come to be in the first place.

"I know that it's a lot to take in, but I'd like to help if you'll let me," he spoke softly, watching as she turned toward him, biting her lip.

Slowly, she padded toward him, a little unsure of what to do. She nodded her head, finding the door being pried open a moment later.

"Come," he said, gesturing her forward, his arms open for her.

It took her a moment, but after swallowing her pride she stepped forward, allowing his arms to envelop her in an embrace. As they stood there, Jeremy smiled, bringing his hands up around her neck and pressing his lips to the top of her head.

Once she was dressed, Jeremy led her upstairs, a hand rest at the small of her back as he followed. He wanted to make sure that she didn't fall after being confined for so long without being allowed to truly walk around.

"Now, I have a few people that I'd like you to meet," Jeremy informed her. "They are members of the pack, like you are now."

Stepping into the kitchen with her he caught Antonio's attention, calling him forward. Nick on the other hand was no where to be seen, possibly stepping out for a moment to do something.

"Celine, this is Antonio Sorrentino, a very good friend of my," Jeremy said as he introduced the two of them.

Gently, Antonio took Celine's hand in his own, brushing his thumb against it.

"Piacere di conoscerla mia cara," he said, before bringing the back of her hand to his lips and kissing it.

"Um, nice to meet you too?" she said, a little unsure of herself.

The two men laughed for a moment, finding her awkwardness at the matter rather funny, before turning their eyes toward the doorway.

"You know, you may actually want to use English," came the faint scoff of another.

Quietly, Celine turned her head. She took a step closer to Jeremy, almost standing against him at this point, but he didn't seem to mind. In front of her was a rather well build man. He had a rough exterior to him that made her wary, his features sharp and well defined. Like Jeremy, he also had a beard, though seeming a bit darker in color. It too was kept cleanly trim. His brown eyes held her as he stared at her, looking her up and before raising a brow in question.

"I see you found something for her to wear then," he concluded, glancing at Jeremy for a moment.

"Yes. My clothes may not be the most ideal, but given the circumstances."

Jeremy left off with that statement as Celine felt her cheeks heat up a bit. Initially she had only assumed they were his clothing, but now the matter had actually been confirmed.

"Gotta wear something, right?" she laughed nervously, rubbing her arm as she stood there.

"Celine," Jeremy began, gently resting his hand against the small of her back as he guided her forward slightly. "I'd like to introduce you to Clayton, my son."

At the mention of this man being his son, Celine's eyes went wide. Clay could possibly be Jeremy's son. The man looked far too young to have a son Clay's age. Trying to put two and two together, she seemed to come up with seven instead of four. It just wasn't clicking in her head. Jeremy seemed to sense the confusion brewing inside of her and corrected his statement.

"That's what we've told people for many years."

Celine let out a breath of air as he said this.

"I see him as the son I never had and I'm very proud of him," he told her. "In fact, Clay here has a PhD in Anthropology and teaches at university," he smiled.

"That's…amazing," she breathed out.

"I'm gonna go for a run," Clay suddenly announced, not feeling like sticking around while Jeremy went about explaining things to the woman.

Before anyone could really say much, he had left the room, the sound of the front door being heard as he left the house.

"Did I say something wrong?" Celine frowned, a little put off by Clay's introduction and announcement.

"I wouldn't worry about it dear," Antonio told her. "He's always like that unfortunately."

Alright everyone, that was chapter 3! I hope everyone liked it? Please REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts and opinions on this story. What was your favorite part? What could I work on? What would YOU like to see? Let me know and we go from there. PM me guys! :)