Beloved Runt

DALTON WEST

I was ready to throttle Teddy. He had to learn to keep his trap shut. Especially around the big shot, and even more so when it came to Artemis.

“What the hell were you thinking!” I blasted him through the pack link.

“I don’t see what the fuss is about! He had questions about the book and since Artie is the one who handles them…”

“He doesn’t need to know who handles the books, Teddy. He just needs to understand what they mean. He’s already poking around our women. I don’t want him paying any attention to Artemis.”

“Sorry, boss.”

The other warriors knew I had a soft spot for Artemis. She already had a tough time dealing with her limp and was always self-conscious about her scars. I didn’t want anyone making her uncomfortable by prying into her life.

Dad had given me a talk the previous night, saying we needed to protect Artie from our royal guest. I didn’t argue. I was already planning on doing just that.

His Highness was still scrutinizing the books. We’d been at this for hours. How long does it take to review a few records?

It wasn’t like there was anything wrong with them. Artie was a whiz. My mom practically raised her in the records room.

It was only natural for Artie to take over the responsibilities after my mother’s passing. She always made sure to double and triple check her work. There was no way she messed up.

I wanted to speed this up. The sooner we get through this, the sooner this lord would leave, and the sooner things can return to normal.

“Is there anything else you’d like to see, my lord?” I asked, my impatience seeping into my voice. The lord turned to meet my gaze. At this point, I wasn’t even trying to hide my annoyance.

“Actually, there is one thing. That young woman, Artemis. Quite an intriguing name.”

“Something wrong with her name, sir?” I struggled to keep the growl out of my voice as my protective instincts kicked in. My wolf didn’t like the man talking about Artemis.

“No, I quite like it. Seems fitting for her.” Okay, whatever that meant. “My question is, with such a unique name, I didn’t find it in your pack registries. Did I miss it?”

Damn. I forgot about that. Artemis wasn’t in the registries because she wasn’t born here and there wasn’t enough information to request a formal transfer. I needed to come up with an answer fast.

“Artemis is actually her middle name, sir. Only first and last names are listed in the records.”

“Really?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me. Damn, he wasn’t buying it. Too late to change the story now.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, out of curiosity, what name is she listed under?”

Not wanting to seem suspicious, I gave the first name that came to mind.

“Jessica, sir. Her name is Jessica.” I walked over to the records book and found Jessica’s name, pointing it out to him. “See. Jessica Reynolds.” Lord Edmon looked at it.

“Ah, I see. Curious that she would go by her middle name, though.”

“Like you said, sir, it’s an interesting name.”

“Dude, why did you say her name was Jessica?” Teddy shouted at me through the pack link.

“Drop it, Teddy.”

It was another forty-five minutes of sifting through endless records before Lord Fancy-Pants was satisfied. At least it was over. One more thing checked off before he could leave.

The women weren’t due for a while yet, so I went to check on Artemis. I’d been worried about her ever since I saw the bottle of Tylenol. Knowing Artemis, she was downplaying how bad she felt.

Before visiting her, I stopped by the kitchen and made her a sandwich. She was the only person I knew who actually liked bologna. I grabbed an orange for good measure, along with a bottle of water.

As I walked down the stairs, I felt the chilly air creep up from her lair. I didn’t know how she could stand it down here but for some reason, having her room cold helped her. If it meant I got goosebumps every time I visited, so be it.

Artie didn’t have much in her room. Unless she was feeling unwell, she wasn’t in it much. She had a nightstand with a lamp, and a dresser in one corner, but most of it was taken up by a big pile of pillows and blankets in the middle of the room.

It was a quirky habit of hers. Dad always thought it had something to do with how she never really knew her biological mother. Artemis would always find soft things in the house and add them to her pile.

Over the years, the pile grew until it became a mass of fabric, pelts, and feathers. The other pack members often referred to it as her “den.” It was really her safe space. No one disturbed her there unless it was for a good reason.

As I looked around the room, I could smell her everywhere but couldn’t see her, which meant she was buried in the blanket pile.

I carefully climbed over the many blankets, balancing the plate of food until I reached the center. Then, gently, I started peeling back the pile layer by layer.

I was about four layers in when I finally uncovered her; she had been sleeping under everything. How she could breathe under it all was beyond me.

Her face was peacefully serene, and her long curly black hair was tangled all around her. I could watch her sleep all day. Sometimes I did.

Artemis always said I was like a brother to her, but to me, she was so much more. I stared at the gentle rise and fall of her body as she took each breath. I’d hate to wake her, but I wanted to make sure she ate.

“Artie? Hey, sorry to wake you, but I brought you lunch.”

She didn’t move, which wasn’t unusual. Artie was a deep sleeper. She pretty much had to be, with so many people in the pack house above her room. “Come on, Artie. If you don’t get up, I’ll give it to one of the warriors instead.”

I gently swept a few strands of hair off her face. She was warm, too warm. Shit. I pressed my hand against her forehead, confirming my suspicion. She had a fever.

Without a second thought, I slipped into protective-brother mode. I slid my arms under her, lifting her upper body to prop her against me.

She let out a groggy moan. Good, she wasn’t completely out of it. I reached for the water bottle next to me, unscrewing the cap.

“Artie, you need to drink this.” I held the bottle to her lips, but she just groaned and tried to turn away.

“Artie, I swear, you need to drink this water!” This time, when I held the bottle up, she started sipping from it. I let her drink for a few seconds before pulling it away.

“What time is it?” Artie’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Around two o’clock,” I answered.

“Already? Shit, I need to get up.” Artie tried to wriggle out of her blanket cocoon, but her attempt was half-hearted at best.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said, pulling her back. “You’re burning up. You’re staying right here.”

“But there’s a pack meeting in an hour. All the women have to be there.”

“Everyone but you. Your only job is to rest. You can miss one meeting. When did you last take Tylenol?”

“Mmm…maybe…six hours ago?”

That was long enough ago. She could take another dose. I scanned her room and spotted the medicine bottle on her nightstand.

I crawled over the blankets, grabbed the bottle, and placed it next to her. I popped the lid open, shook out a few pills, and held them out to her.

“Here, take these.”

Artie just glared at me, snatched the pills, and swallowed them without a word.

“Now, drink some more water,” I said, offering her the bottle.

She took the bottle with the same enthusiasm she’d shown for the pills and took a few sips. Her eyes were glassy and she continued to glare at me, but I knew she didn’t have the energy to put up a real fight.

“Okay, I have to go. I’ll check on you later. You better not have moved from this spot when I get back.”

Artie responded with a small, annoyed moan and sank back into her blanket pile, pulling a bear pelt over her. Satisfied she wouldn’t move, I stood up to leave.

“I’m leaving a sandwich on your nightstand. Make sure you eat it.”

The grumble I heard was as close to a yes as I was going to get. I didn’t want to leave her alone, but duty called.