Layla woke up the next morning to find Henry had already made breakfast again, and she found herself wishing that it stayed like this. This was something that she could get used to.
"Hey, morning," Henry greeted her as she came into the kitchen and sat at the table.
"Please, help yourself."
It was a kind gesture, but pack hierarchy was rooted firmly in her. She waited for him to join her before dishing some of the food for herself.
Henry took a bite as soon as he sat down, seeming to realize that she wouldn't eat until he did. He then started dishing for himself.
They ate in mostly relative silence. The conversation from last night still hung over them.
"I just want you to know ..." Henry said, clearing his throat. "You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want. There's no way I'd even consider putting you in a place where you have to even think of going back to your family."
Layla stared at him in shock. She had no idea how she would answer that. She knew that she wanted to stay. That was completely without a doubt. She wasn't too sure about just staying with Henry indefinitely. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay with him. It was the thought of living off of someone else that bothered her.
She had nowhere else to go, and she knew that.
"And actually ... " Henry said, clearing his throat again. "There's more to it than that. I owe you my life. I would have died if you hadn't been here to care for the wounds I sustained. You saw the state they were in yourself. I can't just let you go without trying to repay that, properly repaying that."
Layla thought of telling him that he had already more than repaid her, but she knew that it wouldn't be true. Henry would have died if she hadn't helped him. A life debt was something wolves always honored.
It was as important for her to allow Henry to repay her as it was for him to do it.
"Since I know you plan to stay here, your family isn't any help to it, and you came here with basically nothing, I would like to help you set up for your life here, just a little at least," Henry said.
Layla had no idea what that entailed, so she was quiet.
"If you don't mind," Henry said, "I'd like you to come with me into the city proper today. I'd like to get you some clothes of your own."
Layla winced, looking down at the clothes she was wearing. She'd had the two outfits that Henry had given her on repeat now. She washed them when she could. She didn't want to have him spend any money on her, but she knew that she couldn't refuse. She wasn't exactly in a position to say no to clothing.
"I..." Layla hesitated despite her need for it.
"Thank you, I'd really appreciate it."
Henry smiled at her and turned his attention back to his plate.
Henry ended up buying her so much more than just clothes. He bought shoes and bags, personal hygiene products, and everything in between. He even got her a few pieces of jewelry. They weren't too expensive, but Layla had no idea how she was supposed to accept all of this.
Henry took her to another store that looked decidedly more upscale than the ones they had been in before.
She felt very self-conscious about everything that he had given her so far already. Layla had no idea how she would allow him to buy her more clothing here.
"You know," she said, trying to stop him, "I don't really think I need anything else. You already bought so many things."
"No, you need a dress," Henry assured her.
"The place we're going for lunch won't allow us in if we don't both fit the dress code. Don't worry. I'll get something nice for myself too."
A woman came and helped Layla look through the dresses, suggesting a few colors and cuts that would be more flattering on her. They finally settled on a wavy blue dress that Layla felt wasn't too fancy, but the sales assistant assured her would be good enough for the restaurant they were going to.
Layla stuffed the clothing she'd been wearing into a bag and closed it as Henry paid for their clothes. True to his word, he had also bought himself a more casual-looking suit jacket with matching pants.
The restaurant they went to wasn't too far away, so they walked the last few blocks. After all, they were wolves. It wasn't like anything like a few blocks would exhaust them.
When they got to the restaurant, they were seated, among whispers from the other guests. Layla glanced at Henry. He didn't seem too phased by them, but she supposed that he was the reason most of the people were looking.
Layla hadn't been around so many strange wolves all at once in a very long time, and she struggled to get her heart to stop racing. This would never have happened in the forest, surrounded by so many strange wolves. She shifted in her seat over and over, knowing she wouldn't settle.
Henry ordered for the both of them after Layla confessed that she had no idea what any of these words and ingredients meant and would just like a steak. Henry had laughed and told her they had.
"What kind of restaurant serves wolves and doesn't have steak?" Henry asked her jokingly.
Glancing around, Layla saw that no table was set for more than two people. The restaurant looked like it was filled with only couples. She quickly glanced down at her empty plate.
She wondered if this was a date. Surely Henry.would have said something if it was.
The food came. It was more amazing than anything Layla had ever had in her entire life, but she could barely concentrate on the food. She felt like she should raise her hackles every time a wolf even walked past their table.
As soon as they were done, Henry had the waiter charge their meal to his account, and he quickly took her out of the restaurant.
"Thank you," Layla told him gratefully once they were outside.
It wasn't like there were any fewer wolves outsidee than there were inside, but at least now she didn't feel so stifled.
"I'm sorry you were so uncomfortable in there," Henry told her. "I should have thought it through better."
"Lunch was great though," Layla tried to assure him, though she couldn't do much since her heart was beating very fast.
Henry walked with her until they came to the river. They found a man selling ice cream with a cart. Layla remembered her mother's ice cream.
Back in the forest, this was something that had to be homemade too. Like most things, it wouldn't make the journey from the city to their pack territory.
Her mother had perfected the recipe.
Henry went over and bought two cones. He handed one to her, and they walked along the water's edge.
The sun set quickly behind them. Soon, the moon.shone high in the night sky as they walked and spoke.
"Why don't you see your family all that often?" Layla asked.
Wolves lived together in packs. They often only moved out of their parent's home when they had a mate and were ready to start a family of their own.
Wolves were not solitary creatures. They hunted and lived in packs, but Henry didn't. He seemed to live mostly alone.
"It's a safety thing," Henry told her. "He's the Alpha now, but I'm supposed to replace him. To keep our pack strong, we can't have a power vacuum created if he dies. I have to be away from him so that if anything happens to him, it happens to only him, and I'm able to step up at the next
"Alpha. It's not easy," Henry said, exhaling. "And I'm worried about him. He's sick right now, but I can't be by his side often or the risk to the pack becomes too great."
Layla was quiet for a moment. She couldn't imagine him going through all that just for the safety of the pack.
"It's amazing that you're doing all of this to keep the pack safe," Layla said. "I'm sure your father is very proud of you for the sacrifices you're making."
Henry turned to her with a small smile and took her hand, linking it with his.
"We're wolves. We all make sacrifices for the pack," he told her gently. "But thank you. Your words are very kind."