Episode 5

Uchoa yelled from inside the bedroom:

"SHUT THE DOOR! Ava, please, I need help here."

Startled, she woke up, quickly closed the door, and passing a frozen Zoren, she entered the room to see that the pups had already been born, and Uchoa was cleaning the female. So, she went over to Blanca to finish the job.

"I need you to push just a little bit more, Blanca; the last placenta hasn't come out yet," Ava braced Blanca's folded knees to assist her, and soon the placenta came out, and the bear's labor was over.

Zoren stepped in with a basin full of warm water and set it next to Ava; he also grabbed the white towels that had been put aside. Quickly, Ava cleaned her friend and, with the help of the alpha male, changed the bedding, asking them to leave so she could tend to the mother.

When Ava opened the door to let the happy father in, Blanca looked beautiful, reclining on the pillows with her pups scattered over her. She watched the couple interact with the tiny, hairless pups. Although Blanca's belly had grown immensely, the pups, like all bear cubs, were quite small. They fit in the palm of Uchoa's hand, the hand of a lumberjack.

Ava felt the male staring at her and decided to leave the room and close the door, not wanting their conversation to disturb the couple. She walked to the wood stove, stoked the fire that was already lit, and looked in the cabinets for something to make a warm drink. The male stood up, asked her to wait, and left.

Ava crossed her arms, looking curiously at the door, and soon he returned with a large box in his arms. He set it down near the table and took out: powdered milk, instant coffee, sugar cubes, and chocolate bars. She looked at all of it and remembered having seen it at the hunter's tent.

"So it was you?" she asked without elaborating, because if it were not him, he wouldn't know what she was talking about.

"No, it wasn't me, it was my tracking and security team. If you know about it, then you were there, weren't you? You're her: the Shadow Hunter?" He returned the question.

She didn't answer, took the items he had taken out of the box, and prepared a cappuccino. When it was ready, she served two mugs and took them to the couple inside the room.

"Cappuccino! How delightful, Ava, thank you," Blanca exclaimed when she saw the creamy, hot liquid.

"It was the big guy who brought them, his wolves," she turned to Uchoa, "that got to the camp after me and took these things."

"May I come in?" The male in question put his head in the crack of the door.

"Of course, buddy, come on over, you have every right," Uchoa said, smiling.

"I brought some cookies too," he handed a packet of cream crackers to him, who opened it and gave it to his female.

"Thanks for everything, to the both of you. Zoren arrived at the exact moment to keep this big bear from fainting, and Ava, as always, quick and efficient. Did you know you two are a great match?" Blanca didn't even realize...

"Mine!" the Alpha blurted, looking at Ava.

"Did you get hit on the head? Are you hallucinating? I'll never be your mate!" She didn't raise her voice but spoke seriously and firmly.

"You can't run from it, I smell it and the wolf confirmed, you are Mine!" He confirmed.

"I think we better talk outside; it's not good for the pups, all this tension," she said, already leaving the room.

Back in the kitchen, Ava served a mug of cappuccino and offered it to him, which he accepted. She also served herself and sat on one of the stools at the table.

"My name is Zoren, I'm the Alpha of the Zagaias Pack, which is a few kilometers from here. And you, who are you?" Zoren preferred to take it slow, but he went straight to the point.

"My name is Ava," she said seriously, her head down, reflecting on the name of the pack, which brought back memories.

"That's it: Ava? Don't you have a family or a Pack?" He wanted to ask many questions, but these were good for a start.

"Just. No." She was monosyllabic in her responses.

"What is it? Are you afraid of me, is that it?" Zoren was starting to get anxious.

"I'm not afraid of you, Zoren of Zagaias. To me, you are nothing. I'm not interested in any bond, especially not a mating one, they're of no use to me," her words were harsh, carrying a deep-seated pain that intrigued the Alpha.

"No wolf survives alone," he insisted, sipping his coffee.

"I live. I've been alone for as long as I remember and have always managed without a Pack," something shifted in her tone, and Zoren noticed.

"You may have survived without a Pack, but not alone," he was intrigued by the situation and decided to test a suspicion he had, "how old are you?" he asked.

"Twenty, why?" She furrowed her brow in response.

"Because a child disappeared from our Pack 14 years ago when she was six years old. We searched like mad for months and never found her. Could that be you?" He watched her closely and noted when her body tensed, and her eyes widened in shock.

Her breathing quickened, her heart raced. She didn't know where to look; in an instant, she rose and left through the door, straight into the chilly night air. He immediately followed after her. Making sure the door was closed, he quickly caught up to her and, grabbing her arm, made her stop.

"Don't run from me, Ava. We are mates. If you're that little girl, your parents are still alive and waiting for news about you. Your brother Demetrio became an excellent tracker by spending months searching for you. Give us a chance, my little one." Zoren spoke with as much tenderness as he could muster.

She pulled away, lowered her head, and continued walking in the snow. The moonlit night made the snow whiter and the night brighter. Ava walked hastily, lost in her own thoughts. That name, Demetrio, had unearthed something buried deep within her soul. Her memories of the past were too harsh for her to want to resurface...

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