Hope

I followed Kade over to the man he was now embracing. He was at least 6 inches taller than me, he had broad shoulders and large biceps straining against his t-shirt. The right arm had a hint of a tattoo showing beneath his sleeve. I could see his dark brown hair and chiseled jaw line from behind.

“This is my sister Hope. Hope, this is Connor O’Leary. We went to a couple of warrior training camps together.”

The large man, Connor I guess, turned around to face me finally. He held out his large hand and I took it with my much smaller one. It was warm and I could feel the roughness, likely from using weapons and practicing combat.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I said shyly.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Hope.” His voice was low and smooth, causing me to shiver a little. I let my eyes graze his face, he had perfectly straight and white teeth with plump pink lips pulled into a breathtaking smile. His nose was sharp and well defined. When I made it up to his eyes I stopped, and my brow furrowed in confusion. At first, I thought his eyes were grey, but really, they were milky, with no defined pupil or iris. I turned to look at Kade with confusion.

‘He was injured in battle. He’s blind now.’ He answered my look in our mind link.

I nodded and took a seat next to Kade. I ordered a drink while Kade caught up with his friend. I sat wondering how an injury had made Connor lose his sight. It was very uncommon for werewolves to be blind, and I’d never heard of it not being something they were born with. I was pulled from my thoughts when Kade nudged me.

“What are you thinking so hard about, Dope?” I smiled at the nickname he had given me when we were kids.

“Just tomorrow.” I shrugged, not wanting to say I was thinking about Connor, since he’s sitting right next us. Kade gave me a small nod and stood up.

“I’m gonna go play some darts. Take care of my sister for me ok Connor?” Connor nodded and raised his beer to him in solidarity. We sat quietly for a couple of minutes before Connor turned his body towards me. I looked over at him, his shoulders seemed tense and his hand was curled into a fist on his knee.

“You can ask me, you know. It’s ok.” He said quietly causing me to look at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You can ask me what happened to my eyes. I’m sure you’re curious.”

“I am, but it’s none of my business. If you’re not comfortable talking about it, I understand.” He reached across my brother’s stool to pick me up and moved me next to him. I stiffened in shock then relaxed at the warmth his hands spread through my waist.

“For some reason, I feel comfortable enough to talk to you.” He murmured to me quietly and that made me smile so I leaned a little closer to him and murmured back.

“Ok then, Connor. What happened to your eyes?” He took a deep breath and I moved my knees, so they were in between his. Since he couldn’t see me, I wanted him to know I was facing him, and he had my undivided attention.

“There was a group of rogues attacking at our border. I went to join in the fight. I had taken about four of them down and we were just about to finish them off when a group of hunters came out of the woods. They must have been tracking the rogues to kill them. I bet they thought they hit the fucking jackpot when they found an entire pack. We had taken out a couple of them, but one hid back behind a tree and, before we could sniff him out, he shot me. He hit my right shoulder with a silver bullet dipped in wolfsbane.” I gasped and reached out to take his hand.

“Oh my Goddess, Connor. How did you survive that?” He squeezed my hand and I felt butterflies swarm in my belly.

“I have no idea. Even the doctors said it should have killed me. I passed out from the pain and woke up a few days later except, when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t see anything. They said the toxins likely killed some nerves and that I should just be grateful that I’m alive.” He scoffed in anger and turned away from me.

“Even though I am glad to be alive, I had plans, a future. One that I no longer get to have. Sometimes it makes me so bitter. I was supposed to be Alpha. Now, my younger brother Draven has to take over the pack. He hates responsibility, he never wanted that. So, now my weakness hasn’t only ruined my life, it effects my little brother’s too.”

“Your parents are Alpha Gideon and Luna Farrah?” I question.

“Yes, did you meet them?” I nodded, then realized my stupidity since he can’t see me.

“Yes, this morning. They seem like very good leaders.” Connor smiled a little and nodded.

“When did this attack happen?” I reached over to put my hand on his forearm. It was so hard knowing he couldn’t see my body language, that I was hanging on his every word.

“About six months ago.” I nodded and when the pieces clicked together, I gasped.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

“Nothing, Connor. I just remembered I forgot to do something. I need to head back to the pack house.” He nodded and turned toward me again as I stood. He looked almost disappointed that I was leaving, so I rose on my toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek before whispering in his ear.

“Thank you for talking to me. It was nice to meet you.” I felt goosebumps develop on his skin under the hand I had placed on his arm and saw a light blush creep up his cheeks. The effect I had on him made me smile.

“Thanks for listening to me. It was nice to meet you too.” He placed his hand over mine and squeezed gently. I pulled away from him to grab my brother and head to my room even though I knew sleep would evade me. I had a lot to think about, and some pieces to a puzzle that I needed to fit together.