Henry was keenly aware of the way Louis was watching him. He didn’t think Louis was aware of it himself, until Louis’ jaw tightened, and he looked away. Henry stole a glance at Louis’ waist and realized his assumptions had been correct. Louis was aroused. Henry almost dropped his sandwich at the realization, but he was too hungry, so instead he opted to avert his gaze entirely and look only at his food. If he came across as appearing uninterested, maybe Louis would forget about his lust and the feeling would pass. Did Louis get aroused at watching all men eat? Henry knew it was a fetish for some, perhaps even more so for a werewolf, but he hadn’t expected it from Louis. Perhaps it was because he was wearing only a rob, laying in a bed. Henry didn’t think he looked very attractive at the moment, as he was mostly skin and bones. The food had helped to replenish some of his strength, but it would take a week or two before his muscle mass would begin to fill out again.

Henry really needed to get to a computer so he could order his prescriptions again and have them delivered, and he wondered if Louis would allow it. Henry needed them to build up his testosterone levels again, and they would also help with rebuilding his muscle.

Henry finished eating. Louis had become so transfixed that he forgot he should have gotten Henry clothes by now. Henry set the tray down on the bedside table, and he felt the need to stand and stretch out all his aches, but he hesitated. He didn’t want the fact that he was still wearing only a bathrobe to become apparent to Louis, even though he obviously was aware. Henry didn’t think his physical appearance was appealing enough at the moment to warrant such a reaction, but it did seem to add a level of vulnerability to his situation. Henry didn’t think Louis would take advantage of him, but he more secure when he was fully dressed.

Part of him found his captor just as enticing as Louis apparently found him, though there was so much else going on in his mind at the moment it was difficult for him to make sense of it all. If Louis had been anyone else, Henry might have considered flirting with him or taking him to bed--at a later date when he was more up to the physical task, of course. But Louis was his enemy, and he was aware of Henry’s secrets, and Henry knew where he stood in terms of being mistreated because of that knowledge.

“Umm, may I please borrow those clothes now?” Henry let himself look up finally and found Louis watching him intently.

“Pardon? Oh yeah, I’m sorry. Wait here, I’ll go and fetch them now. Then we’ll take you to meet the rest of the pack before dinner and then the hunt tonight, yes?”

Henry swallowed. He was nervous to meet the pack, and especially nervous to run with them. Henry had assumed Louis would leave him locked in the room for the night while Louis and his pack went out. Being a stranger, he was expected to hunt alongside them, and that presented a myriad of possible dangers. They could turn on Henry simply for being weak. They might recognize him as a wolf in their keener shifted states, attacking him as their enemy.

Henry found himself not wanting to leave Louis’ side at all that night. But he couldn’t do that. He would have to stand on his own, assert dominance and prove that he was an alpha. Henry needed to keep up that illusion. At least until he could formulate an escape. Henry wasn’t stupid enough to think he could pull it off that night, as he was still so weak, and it wouldn’t take much for the Bangor wolves to track him. But he wasn’t going to wait around forever until Louis decided what he wanted to do with Henry.

“Yes,” Henry nodded, agreeing with the plan to meet the pack and join in the full-moon hunt. He pulled his robe tighter around his chest, not wanting the other man to see how vulnerable he truly was. “Listen, um... I need to access my bank accounts and have some personal items delivered here. Prescriptions…. I’ve been without them for far too long as it is, and…” Henry was surprised when Louis nodded.

“Come with me. You can use my computer in my office. It’s untraceable.”

It took Henry a moment to realize Louis had truly agreed, just like that. Henry had been so convinced Louis would say no that he had to jog a few paces to catch up when Louis turned to the door and walked out. A small level of his anxiety lifted off him to know that he could continue to safely be himself. If Henry dared to chance it, he might secure himself some funds so that he could formulate a plan to get out of Bangor--if his pack’s lawyers hadn’t already seized everything he owned. Henry hadn’t been a complete fool though. There were some accounts the lawyers were unaware of. He had thought the precautions too paranoid at the time, but now he was glad he had set them up.

Henry barely noticed the modest décor of the townhouse as he walked down the hall. It was apparent children lived here, as there were toys in various corners of the doorways. The walls followed the theme of the bathroom and were painted in cool, soothing tones, though occasionally he espied a room with warm, earthy tones. It was natural for the décor to emulate nature, he supposed. Henry had been so accustomed to opulence he had almost forgotten what it was like to keep a modest home.

Henry followed Louis into a room that he supposed must be his own. It was the largest he had seen so far, complete with an en suite bathroom like his own room, as well as two other doors. Behind one was a large walk-in closet, and behind the other was an office that sported a handsome oak desk and computer. Louis first entered the closet and began rummaging around. Henry could hear the clicking of hangers as Louis shuffled through the clothes. Henry felt strange standing in another man’s bedroom, vulnerable and needing so much. Henry hated this feeling. It made him feel more helpless than anything else life had thrown at him. He would feel better once he could have access his funds and order an overnight shipment of his prescriptions. Those two things above anything else were the most important to Henry. It was funny how one learns to adjust when one doesn’t have any money, but then give a man a sense of security, even one small taste of it, and he’s entirely crippled when that security is taken away.

Henry wasn’t sure if he should go help with the search in the closet or remain where he was. “Um… can I help?”

“No, I have a few things hidden away in here that are too small for me but should be just right for you. Then you can choose what suits you best.”

“That’s kind, but please don’t make too big a fuss. I’ll have things sorted by tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry. It’s my pleasure.”

Henry wondered if Louis was trying to provide a false sense of security, or if he really meant it. He was Louis’ prisoner, after all. Prisoners didn’t usually have their choice of clothing and weren’t usually allowed to use the computer. Henry could not be sure of the situation, as his mind and body were warring within him. He might have supernatural abilities, but even they could be tested. He was already starting to feel hungry again, even though he’d just eaten. Henry wondered if he should have food delivered to the house as well. It pained him to have to rely on his enemy.

Henry walked across the room to the window, where Louis had hung some basic white linen curtains embroidered with tiny flowers. They billowed in the breeze. He realized that a balcony door was open beyond them, and he stepped through the threshold to behold the same view from his own room-- the Penobscot River. Henry relished the smell of the fresh air, the breeze blowing across his skin. He thought that this was what freedom smelt like. Henry realized as he watched a plane fly low overhead that all he had to do was take a two hour plane ride down to Boston, and he could start over. Start fresh where no one knew him, where no one had any preconceived notions about him. Henry began to sketch a half-formed plan in his mind, or maybe it was just a daydream, but he was startled from his reverie when Louis approached him from behind.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Henry nodded and turned to Louis who was looking at him and ignoring the view.

“Your pack is very lucky to have an Alpha like you taking care of them.”

“I can take care of you too, Henry.”

Henry’s breath hitched. He had never had anyone offer to take care of him. Life had been an uphill battle for as long as he could remember. Henry had come to depend on himself entirely, and he never let anyone else in. The men Henry had been with had been one-night stands, just brief flings that meant nothing. He’d met them in bars and clubs where trans people were welcome and safe, and those men he had been with knew exactly what they were entering into when they made their moves on him. But they hadn’t known who he was or the details of his life. They were never anyone Henry would have entered into a real relationship with.

Henry found he was angered and embarrassed by Louis’ offer, and he felt a stab of guilt equal to the heat suddenly fanning through his body.

“Why are you really helping me? Aren’t we enemies? This…” Henry waved an arm behind him toward the room. “This is not how enemies treat one another.”

Louis’ face tightened, and his lips curled back. There wasn’t any yellow in Louis’ eyes. Henry realized he had angered the man, not the wolf.

“If you prefer, I can treat your poorly, Henry. Like your own pack treated you. Is that what you want? Do you really want me to lock you up? Starve you? Tell my pack who you really are so they can tear you to pieces while I stand back and do nothing? Is that what you would have done if the roles were reversed?”

“What? No! I just…I don’t understand you. I don’t understand why…”

“I will tell you why. You are an alpha, presumably.” Louis held up his hand to silence Henry’s protest. “You are an alpha, and you have never had anyone take care of you. You don’t know how to accept help. My guess is, there is a lot more you had to figure out on your own other than how to fight your way to the top of the pack. Probably even more than having to build your reputation by yourself. When you needed your pack to stand up for you, take care of you and accept you, they failed you. That is why you do not understand how I could possibly be inclined to offer you aid. You know no other way but cruelty, and I feel sorry for you. I will keep my promise, but I can easily detach myself from your circumstances if you wish. You decide what you want, Henry, my animosity, or my attention and affection.” With that, Louis turned and strode back into the room, leaving Henry standing on the balcony staring after him.