When Blue opened his eyes, he once again found himself attempting to adjust to his unfamiliar surroundings. The bedroom was dark with only the faintest bit of silvery light managing to find its way into the window at the edge of the room's doomed ceiling. He didn't remember going to sleep with a blanket covering his mostly naked form, but there was one on him now, handmade by the looks of it.<i>Eivind</i>, Blue thought sadly, sighing as he turned over onto his back and twisted his head, expecting to see the wolf lying next to him, but he was gone.<i>That's odd. Eivind's never left me before. </i>The human sat up gradually and listened as his bones cracked and his spine popped. He was aching again, but only mildly. He could probably last a little while longer before he needed another pill. The allure of the oxycodone was strong, and Blue had to tell himself that he should be careful when taking it. Although his parents never wanted to admit it, addiction ran in Blue's family, and it'd be all too easy to start popping oxy like candy, especially if Eivind became a little too generous with the dosage. Blue had a feeling that the wolf would be too careful, however, and do his best to follow the bottle's instructions to the T. Perhaps it was for the best.<br/><br/>He was about to lie back down when the muffled sound of voices began to float up the stairs and catch Blue's attention. Eivind was down there talking to someone. Maybe Alaric had returned? It didn't matter, not really, but Blue's natural curiosity got the better of him. When Blue had been younger, he had often listened with his ear pressed to the crack in his bedroom door whenever his parents had serious discussions about him or his sisters. The allure of knowing had been irresistible to him, and tonight was no different. If the wolves were speaking to one another away from him, there was a distinct possibility that they were saying something that wasn't meant for his ears.<br/><br/>Blue pulled the blanket around his shoulders and lifted himself off of the bed, sneaking his way across the bedroom to the opening in the floor that connected to the spiral staircase. He sat down carefully, tucking his legs underneath him and leaning his body slightly over the opening so that he could catch bits and pieces of the wolves' conversation. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but it definitely wasn't Alaric. This voice was deeper, more stern, and he seemed to be scolding Eivind.<br/><br/><i>" . . . He's never going to understand you. It would be better to cut ties now, and do what is proper for the pack.”</i><br/><br/>The deep voice didn't sound like it was comforting or attempting to give advice from a place of concern. It almost sounded like a threat. Were they talking about him? They must have been. What couldn't Blue understand? He had never found werewolves to be particularly complicated, although Eivind himself wasn't the easiest nut to crack. He did find it somewhat amusing that the other voice seemed to be speaking as if Blue were some kind of threat. He was a weak, injured human surrounded by a pack of werewolves. What the fuck was he going to do? What threat could he possibly pose to a group of shapeshifters?<br/><br/><i>"Synnove doesn't agree with me. Neither does Alaric . . . you can keep him here, so long as he stays contained, and we'll discuss this more. Next time I call on you, don't make me come find you or we're going to have more issues than just one."</i><br/><br/>Synnove? Wasn't that the female that had been with them in Lofgren's cabin? So this one must have been the other male, the one that Eivind had attacked when he attempted to reach for Blue. He certainly didn't seem to be the human's biggest fan, although Synnove and Alaric disagreed. Disagreed about what, precisely? What was it that was so interesting about Blue, so innately debatable? He frowned as he heard a light scuffle, the sound of feet moving across Eivind's floor, and the front door opening and shutting with a loud thud. The male had warned Eivind, or perhaps threatened, it was sometimes difficult to tell with wolves as all of their words sounded harsh and intimidating.<br/><br/>A few minutes later, Blue heard footsteps coming up the staircase. Blue scooted back toward the bed and lifted himself up onto the edge. When Eivind ascended from the opening in the floor, Blue looked up at him, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.<br/><br/>"He sounded mad," he commented dully, tilting his head as he took in Eivind's handsome features. "That was your alpha, I'm guessing? I don't think he likes me very much. He was telling you you should get rid of me, wasn't he?"