He has a wall up, and he keeps everyone outside his pack on the other side of it. I guess that’s why he tries so hard to make his father proud, because he loves him, even if he’s not worthy of being loved, and that’s not Colton’s fault, that’s Juan’s. Colton’s flaw is trying to be this perfect Santo wolf, with a weight of responsibility on his shoulders that one day he will lead. He follows the rules, the laws, and the word of the Alpha without conflict, as he’s meant to, and even puts all of that over his own desires. I guess a leader does have to be that way, ingrained greatness, where his heart can’t always lead and it only further cements the fact that he’ll be the best for his people one day, but for us, not so much.
I get back to my previous activity when smug smiley guard walks off, getting bored with my disinterest in him and go back to pacing the room and looking for any kind of tool, or helpful item to get ouThe doctor unhooks her from the machine, keeping her heartbeat monitored loudly, and I hold my breath, inhaling sharply as the beep, beep, is stalled so suddenly the air becomes unbearably silent. I don’t get why he would take that off, but when he yanks another box from under the bed and plugs her onto that instead I exhale, slightly confused. That familiar beep, beep, starts up again, in a subtler tone from a different machine and he moves to the next, and next, replacing everything he can with smaller mobile devices as my brain pulls together amid my own frantic fear and gives me a shake. He’s not trying to save her, or trying to take her off the machines, he’s making her mobile so he can move her. He stops, rushes off out of sight as he heads into the elevator once more, abandoning everything he’s left in chaos and a moment later, comes crashing back ungracefully, pushing another bed. This time it’s on wheels, back to her room. I press m
“Yes, sounds right. She’s been in a coma for eight years… we need time. I need to wean her awake and even then, I’ve no idea what state she will be in, physically, or mentally. All I know is we can’t stay here and do that without getting caught, and I owe her. I won’t fail my friend again!” the doctor has regained some of his equilibrium and leaves the bed with me to go run to a metal cabinet on the wall which houses keys and scoops up a set, coming back to open the truck and motions to bring the bed around. “So, what you’re saying is … there’s no plan beyond getting out?” It’s a dry, non-amused response and I stare at him as everything inside of me grips tight. I have to swallow down the rising panic and he half-heartedly shrugs at me.“I’m a doctor, not a masked villain who kidnaps people for a living. I figured your fates would somehow… I don’t know… help!! I
This is when my panic sets in and nerves get the better of me as I realize our escape is probably going to go down in the history of worst ever attempts. Its louder than hell; crunching, and groaning, and echoing around us like crazy, and probably scaring off all the wildlife above ground in a three-mile radius. I hope to god he was right about knocking those guards out, because otherwise they are definitely going to know we are running away. I cover my ears, cringing, and recoiling into my seat, and have to resist the urge to shut my eyes in the hopes this is a bad dream.“Once we get up there and out into the open, the building no longer has any bind over you. The walls work on some sort of ingrained frequency that’s impossible for us to hear, but out there it doesn’t work. It has to surround you, you see.” The doctor yells over the noise, telling me facts about something I currently couldn’t care less about, but it hits a nerve and I sit up, bli
“You think he enabled the vampires and prompted them to hit the orphanage in the hopes Colton would die when I did? As a catalyst to get the people under control and mounting an arsenal.”I’m instantly nauseous, my skin prickling with goosebumps and my breathing gets shallow as I try and swallow this all down. Even for Juan, it seems insane, but then he did cull an entire blood line for his chance at taking a crown. The doctor nods his head, looking up as our freedom comes into view with an increase in grinding and crunching in the mechanics and he starts the engine with the turn of a key. The truck roaring into life and vibrating through the seat under me as I reach around and pull on my seat belt, so eager to get out of here I’m almost bouncing in my seat with nerves.“He sedated his mate and left her to rot … you tell me if killing his son to maneuver an outcome is something he would do?”“He went to war against them
“Are you okay, my dear?” The doctors voice waves at me from what seems like a very distant distance away and I realize how in my own head I’ve drifted in my state of numb. We’re still rumbling along this dark makeshift path, carved through the dense forest, and I was so zoned out in my own mind I completely faded to dark. My cheeks are damp with the tears that sprung out of me and I’m staring blankly ahead, in a state of disconnect, ahead, like everyone I know suddenly died a horrible death, again, and I had to watch.“I can’t be one of those…. those…. creatures. They killed everyone in the orphanage.” It’s a soft, pitiful whispering tone, and I can’t bring myself to look at him. My head so full of confusion, pain, and questions, and I keep picturing Colton’s face, his dimpled smile, and those deep dark sexy eyes, and what he’s going to think when he finds out… Meadow, the sub pack. How
“Then maybe you should, you know….?” Again, with the rotating finger at his temple and I huff loudly in exasperation, willing him to stop pushing and give me an ever-loving, god damn, breathing space, of a minute. This is hard for me. I erupt, breaking under the pressure. Spectacularly.“YES! I KNOW!! I’m going to do it! … Excuse me for having a little bit of a mental breakdown with everything I’ve learned in the last six hours and a reminder my fated mate is a cheating asshole. It’s a lot…. A LOT!!! And I’m an eighteen-year-old girl who hasn’t linked her cheating, asshole ex, so called mate, in weeks, since she ran from him. Give me a fucking break already.” I push my fingers and nails through my scalp, pushing my wild hair off my face and gripping it with force at my temples, trying so hard not to self-combust under the extra weight of everything hitting me at once.“I do say.” The doc
Please be there. God, I sound so pathetic and weak. I don’t get time to regret the break of silence, or to feel any kind of anything about doing it. A paused breath and then….Lorey? Is that really you? Baby… oh shit, baby, god. I can’t believe it’s you. It’s really you… you’re really, ughhh shit. There’s a second of pause and before I butt in with a response, he’s off again, quietening me with his torrent of verbal diarrhea Where are you? You have no idea how hard I’ve been trying to link you for weeks and couldn’t get through… not that I blame you, and I know I hurt you, and you’re mad. I’m mad too… at me, not you. I’m not in any way mad at you for leaving, so don’t think I am okay, because I’m not… Please, tell me where you are… I’m an asshole, I know this… Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you coming back? Please say tha
I add in afterthought, a sudden fear he might come alone, eating me.What the hell did you do? Who are they? Not that it matters right now, because I’ll rip them a new one and yes, the sub pack and then some…. You’ve missed so much, Lorey. I have so much to fill you in on.Likewise.I sigh internally and mouth it to myself. I dread it even more knowing that I also have to add my lineage to the list of things Colton should know about. That nausea chokes me again and I try to push it down and concentrate on the act of breathing in and out.I can’t get into it right now, honestly, it’s better I show you when we meet, so you can see for yourself and you can tell me then. For now, I need to unlink Colton…this is …hard…. and we have a tough road to navigate out of this damn forest. I’ll link you when we hit route ten, please, understand…. It’s just easier to not try and explain anything until I see