Chapter 9: Never Should Have Been

Lilac’s P.O.V

I woke up with a sharp pain in my forehead.

It took me a while to open my eyes because no matter how hard I tried…I just couldn’t seem to do it. At first they seemed as heavy as lead, but the more I tried, the easier it got, until I was able to finally part them open little by little.

I woke up to a dark, unfamiliar room, not understanding where I was or how I got here. However, there was no sense of danger to this place…yet. From what I could understand, I was at the school infirmary. And from the pain in my head…it appeared to be more of light concussion than anything serious.

I was lying on one of the beds next to the wall, so there wasn’t much light in this side of the room anyways and the curtains were drawn to keep visitors away…or to keep other students from seeing me and getting upset over getting treatment in the same room as the outcast.

I tried to remember what had happened earlier, before I fainted. It was all a bit unclear and foggy, but I think I clearly remember falling down the stairs…and Serena.

She did that on purpose, didn’t she? Pushing me down the stairs? She even though to shout and warn me so it would look like an accident? But who was she even kidding? Everyone could tell she did it on purpose!

How on earth was she going to explain that to everyone this time? Even if she tried to play dirty and try to fake warn me by screaming out before she fell. I don’t think anyone was buying her bull-oh. Right. Why was I even bothering? No matter how stupid or immature her plan was…everyone was going to believe her, because she was pack, born and raised.

However…right before I blacked out…I think I remember seeing someone else in front of me…someone who had tried to help me…called out my name repeatedly…

Feeling a little out of breathe and dizzy as I tried to recall who it was, I brought my hands up to my forehead to check on my wound only to find that it was tightly bandaged up. There was no throbbing in my temples yet and that said that the pain meds were working.

Suddenly, the curtains to my right were pulled aside…and I got a flashback to the night four years ago when Krimson had visited me in the middle of the night…his hands covering my mouth…my nose…unable to breathe…

I took deep gasps of breath now, feeling like my throat was closing up as I saw red eyes staring down at me.

My hands went to my throat, trying to find a way to ease my airway, but nothing seemed to help…my eyes were wide as I watched Krimson’s eyes harden as he stood over me…looking down at me like he was waiting for me to die…

Breathing became heavier…more difficult, and then I found him reaching out for me with his hands…

Was he here to end it? Was he finally done with me?

I had tried my best to stay out of his way, hadn't I? I had done everything I could… everything he had asked me to…then why was he killing me? Why couldn’t he just let me go? Why did this stupid mating bond not allow me to hate him back as much as he hated me?

 But then…something happened. Something that I hadn't expected in a million years.

Krimson’s hand went under my head as he tilted my head up, lifting me up from the pillows. Breathing instantly became easier, and I no longer felt as constricted as I was feeling a second ago.

And then he leaned down…and pressed his lips to mine.

*                   

*

I blinked my eyes open, startling awake as I sat up on the bed, only to groan at the sudden pulsating feeling in my head.

I wasn’t in pain…yet, but the throbbing indicated that the pain meds were wearing off and fast.

“Lily?” Beta Luca’s voice had me startled even more.

I opened my eyes to slits so I could look up at his worried face, to reassure him that I was alright.

“Don’t stress yourself too much,” he patted my hair. “You’re going to be okay. The doctor took good care of you.”

I merely nodded my head, groaning as the throbbing continued.

“Are the pain meds wearing off?” I nodded instead of answering. “Then hold on, I’ll get the nurse to prescribe you more.”

As Beta Luca moved away from my bed to confront the nurse about the pain medication, suddenly, the events from before came to my mind and a gasp escaped my lips.

Fully awake, I sat up in bed, looking around to see where I was or what had happened. But I was still in that same hospital bed…and there was no sign of Krimson.

Had I imagined the whole thing? Was it all just a…dream?

That kiss?

I brought my hands up slowly, to touch my lips. They felt tingly…sore…

But then again…my entire face felt sore thanks to the hit I took today.

“A…dream?” I whispered to myself in awe.

Since when did my dreams about Krimson become so…vivid? Since when did I even begin to dream about him like this? Why?

“Everything okay, child?” The nurse came up to me followed by Beta Luca. “I’ve got your pain meds. Does anything else feel wrong? Double vision or dizziness?”

“My whole face feels sore.” I told her, my voice hoarse as I accepted the pain meds and the glass of water and downed it. “A bit dizzy…but nothing else.”

“Come, I’ll send you home.” Beta Luca offered. “Alpha Krimson is here too to find out what happened…I think he wouldn’t mind sending you-”

“NO! No…” I gave a nervous laugh, since I couldn’t shake my head without passing out again. “I’m good. I can go home on my own.”

“Absolutely not. You need to rest some more.” The nurse told me strictly.

“Then I’ll have Liam escort you home. No more excuses.” Beta Luca gave me his ‘warning’ voice as soon as he saw me trying to open my mouth to complain. “School is almost over, another hour to go. I’ve informed Liam already. Rest till then and head back with Liam, okay?”

I took a deep breath and nodded, accepting the deal because I had no other choice. I mean…I was hallucinating/dreaming about kissing Alpha Krimson now! I must have hit my head pretty hard for that to happen.

“Good.” Patting my head, he gave me a gentle smile. “Don’t make me worried, okay? Be a good girl and rest up.”

Beta Luca left soon after and since I didn’t want to disappoint him, I followed his orders and waited for school to be over so Liam could escort me home…a task neither of us were going to find pleasant.

*

Krimson’s P.O.V:

“All wrapped up.” Luca said as he got into the driver’s seat and fastened his seatbelt. “Where to, Alpha?”

“Our office at Emporia. I have a few issues to deal with about the manufacture of the new narcotics.” I told him, looking up from the tab to watch his expression through the rear-view mirror. “What’s wrong?”

“Noting…” For an instant, his green eyes met mine through the mirror, and it felt as if he wanted to tell me something. But then he shook his head and began driving at once.

Closing the tab, I put it aside and stared outside the window, getting a last glimpse of the school before the car left the campus. Unconsciously, my fingers massaged the bandage over my palm…as images from before came to my mind…

The way I had lifted up her head so she could breathe easy…the way her lips had looked so inviting that I hadn't been able to control myself and in that split-second…I had made the worst decision in my life.

But then…why had my wolf remained silent? Why had my heart hammered against my chest like it…

It had been the barest of touches of our lips and yet it had ignited my entire body on fire…a fire than no one was able to quench now.

Lilac had fallen unconscious soon after, not realizing that it had been my wolf overpowering her senses. And I had left her on the bed immediately, moving back to clutch onto whatever had come to my hand next to the table. Unfortunately, it had been a knife, albeit a dull one. Still, I had managed to slice my palm open at how tightly I had grasped it to control the hunger of the wolf…of my body.

“Alpha?”

Luca’s voice cut through the ripples of memory and I looked up at him to find that we had already reached the Emporia Laboratory.

I had just spent the past hour fantasizing about the woman that I hate…and a kiss that never should have been.