Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
She twisted, looking up at him. ‘why are you doing this?’ She thought she might cry again, annoyingly, with how much he seemed to want her to feel better.
“Helping you?” he asked when he read the words. “Because you need help. Because it’s the right thing to do.”
She twisted the pen in her hands, staring down at the words on the page. Was it just being a wolf that made him different? No one else had seemed to think helping her was a thing to do at all, much less the right thing. She twisted to look at him, eyes searching his face, trying to understand what made him different.
‘why do you care?’