Chapter 474: Goddess Sent
"Hey, is everything okay?" Greta asked when she saw Neoma walking through the common room toward the staircase of the pack house.
"Oh, hi Greta," Neoma smiled and then glanced away, unable to hold the female’s gaze.
She always tried avoiding Greta. She knew how Greta and Sam felt about her. When Graeme invited her to become an official member of the pack, he mentioned that it was with Sam and Greta’s approval. He must have known that she was worried about it. She knew Graeme wouldn’t lie about that, but it was still hard to believe that Sam and Greta truly were accepting of her having a permanent home here when she was responsible for their previous miscarriage.
To have someone like Greta disliking her or disapproving of her was particularly heartbreaking, because she could sense the depth of care and healing that Greta exuded to all those around her. She was a gifted healer. Everyone in the pack loved her, because she was always lifting everyone else up. And to think Zoe had a part in causing someone like that so much pain...
"Neoma," Greta placed a hand on her arm, and suddenly the frantic worried thoughts dimmed into the background of her mind.
"Yes?" She asked, lifting her eyes.
"Something is seriously bothering you. Would you like to talk?" Greta asked in concern.
"I... I don’t know," Neoma said honestly. "Would you like to talk?"
A large smile bloomed on Greta’s face. "Follow me," she said, pulling Neoma behind her by the hand.
Neoma could feel the calm reassurance that was transmitted by Greta’s hand, but she didn’t understand why. When they turned toward the medical wing, a whine of protest escaped her that surprised even herself, and Greta squeezed her hand.
"You don’t like medical?" She chuckled. "I guess I can understand why. You have had to be in here too much. Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything to you. I just want to check everything."
Greta led her into a room and patted the bed for Neoma to hop up.
"How does it feel?" Greta asked, tilting the girl’s face toward the light where she could see the area more clearly.
The swelling and bruising from where Andreas had bitten her had finally gone down, and the antibiotics she had been on kept her from having any lingering infection. But Greta was worried that her feeling may be affected in the areas where the scars were still prominent on her face.
"Any numbness?" She asked, her fingers gliding along the periphery of the scars.
"It stings sometimes," Neoma winced, and Greta dropped her hand, pushing herself back from the bed to give her patient some space.
"Okay," Greta nodded. "That is something we will monitor."
Neoma nodded silently in return.
"What else is going on?" Greta asked, tilting her head in question. She could see that something was bothering her.
It seemed that Neoma had been getting along well with the rest of the alyko and had made fast friends with them. She noticed Sage even tagging along after her a lot like he used to do with August. So Greta was especially curious about what it was that had upset her. If there was someone in the pack giving any of the alyko a hard time, she wanted to know about it immediately. That would not be tolerated.
"Nothing is going on," Neoma lied, shrugging in a non-committal way. "Graeme asked me to help take Violet downstairs."
"To the dungeon?" Greta asked, eyes widening in surprise. "What happened?"
Graeme had been so stubborn about Violet when Sam and her and even Charlotte tried convincing him that it would be better if she returned to the dungeon. He made it impossible to punish her appropriately. What Violet said to the whole pack, not to mention the actions she took prior to even that, could not slide like he was allowing them to.
"I don’t know what happened," Neoma said. "But she has... abilities now. I could see it and sense it in her. And her eyes are gold."
Greta groaned. That was the absolute last thing they needed... for Violet of all people to suddenly have abilities like the alyko. That would encourage her even more.
"Goddess," Greta sat down on the foot of the bed with her ever-growing belly becoming more prominent with the position. "Something truly has to be done about her."
"There was a Beta from another pack here, and she seemed to be trying to convince him of something," Neoma added.
"I better go find out what that’s all about," Greta muttered. "But that is not what is bothering you." She fixed her gaze back on Neoma in question.
"Oh... I am okay," Neoma smiled weakly.
"Why won’t you tell me? Is someone bothering you? Mistreatment of the alyko is insidious... we need to deal with it immediately if that is what’s happening. Please tell me."
"No, no... it’s nothing like that. I haven’t experienced that. I mean, I’m always here with the others so..." Neoma shook her head. "No, don’t worry."
"You are just as much a part of this pack as anyone else now, Neoma," Greta said, reaching a hand to rest on her knee. "You should be able to go visit the market or do whatever else you want. Okay? If you want someone to go with you, let me know. I would be happy to."
Neoma’s eyebrows pinched together. "Really?"
"Of course," Greta chuckled. "Why do you seem so surprised?"
"I just thought..." she looked at her palms that were splayed out in her lap. "I kind of thought that you... hated me."
Greta squeezed her knee. "No, dear. No, I don’t hate you. It took me longer to be convinced of how much you had changed, but... Wow. You saved us all that day. My brother, Lucas, my mate... and even our pups." Greta looked down at the round of her belly and placed a hand there. "If you hadn’t arrived when you did, I don’t know what would have happened. You were truly Goddess sent, Neoma. I believe that. And I hope you do, too."
