CH5

AMELIA 

I can’t move. I can’t run. I can’t fight back as the rogue rips me open.

The pain is so unbearable and it explodes everywhere inside me. My arms. My legs. My veins.

Everywhere.

And right in front of me, Logan is standing right in front of me and just watching me bleed to death.

Also, he's not alone. 

He is standing there with Katherine who is pressed on his chest, her face buried below his shoulder with his arms wrapped protectively around her.

They're not running or fighting to save me. They are just standing there and watching me bleed and ripped into shreds as if they exchanged my life for their safety.

“PLEASE!” I raise my voice as loudly as I can, begging for their help.

Katherine lifts her head with a sweet smile.

“This is where you belong, Amelia. In the dirt and completely useless and forgotten.”

Her words stab me deeper than the claws of the wolves tearing me apart.

And Logan, his cold eyes are mocking me with all the answers I need.

He is never going to help me.

Just then, the largest rogue lunges for my stomach.

And I scream—

My eyes fly open and I jump awake, instantly gasping for air. My heart is beating faster and painfully. 

And my ribs hurt so much.

For a moment, I don't know where I am.

Was that a bad dream? Hell, it felt so real.

Looking around, I see white walls. An antiseptic smell trickles into my nose and my ears instantly pick up the beeping of monitors.

Hospital.

I'm in a hospital.

And I'm alive. 

The rogue attack. 

My baby!

Panicking, I quickly check my abdomen.

Thank the Moon Goddess, there's no blood.

‘Calm down,’ my wolf rumbles softly in my head. ‘Our pup is safe. I protected it.’

‘Thank you.’ I close my eyes, sighing in relief as tears spill from my eyes before I can stop them. 

‘Crying is not good for the baby Amelia, so stop crying. Also, you need to protect yourself better. You sustained deep bite wounds from the attack, but Dr. Morris took care of them. We are a team and I can't do everything alone.’

‘You’re right. I'm sorry.’

‘Now wipe your tears. I think someone is coming.’

Just as I finish wiping my cheeks, the door opens as if on cue and Dr. Morris walks in, carrying a tablet.

When she sees I'm awake, her smile slightly shifts into a stern professional look.

“Amelia Bennett,” she says with a smile that looks forced.

“Hi Doctor,” I managed to finally find my voice and flash her a small smile.

“You're awake and that’s a relief,” she says flatly, making notes on her tablet without looking at me. “You were out for six hours from blood loss, but Beta Marcel got you here in time. We’ve given you the antidote. Stay for observation and you should recover in two days.”

Beta Marcel brought me here. Not Logan.

Of course Logan will never do such a kind thing to me since he was too busy protecting Katherine to notice I was bleeding to my death.

“What about the others?” I force myself to ask even though I don't want to know. “Luna Katherine and—”

“Everyone else is fine,” she cuts me off as if I'm wasting her time. “No one else was hurt except you.”

The difference in how she's treating me now versus when she thought I was Katherine is so clear and it hurts bitterly. When I was Luna Kathrine, I got warm smiles and personal attention from her.

But now, I'm just another patient to her and barely worth the effort of sharing even an eye contact.

“Alpha Logan has requested a full-body examination for you,” she continues, tapping something on her tablet. “He is doing it for your sake and wants to ensure there are no internal injuries.”

My stomach drops. “A full-body examination?”

“Yes. It's going to be a complete scan with your bloodwork, internal imaging, everything. And it must be done today.”

No.

My baby.

The examination will reveal my pregnancy with the reports as concrete evidence, and if the reports get to Logan, he will find out about my pregnancy.

And worse, Katherine will know too.

What will they do? Force me to terminate? Claim the baby for themselves? Or use it as leverage to keep me trapped in this nightmare forever?

“No,” I shake my head firmly, my hand finding my stomach and shielding it protectively. “I don't want the examination.”

“I'm afraid it's not optional. Alpha's orders—”

“It's my body and I said no. You can't force me to undergo procedures I don't consent to.”

Her fake smile disappears. “You have no choice, Amelia Bennett. I also need to report the results of the examination to the Alpha and he won't be pleased when he finds out that you're disobeying him.”

Wow. Disobeying him. Pleasing him. When has Logan ever been pleased with me? What difference does one more disappointment make?

For my baby, I'm willing to do more than disappointment.

But I need to be smart about this.

Dr. Morris seems really determined to follow orders, and if I refuse again, she might force me to undergo the examination or simply report me to Logan immediately. 

And if she reports me, Logan will come here himself and things will certainly get out of hand.

Either way, I need to get out of here.

And to do that, I need to buy time.

“Okay,” I say quietly, forcing my voice to sound obedient. “I agree to the full-body examination. I just felt nervous, sorry.”

“I like that you're finally being reasonable,” she sighs in satisfaction. “Now I'll go and prepare the examination room and call the technicians. It should only take about fifteen minutes to set up. And you-”

“Can I use the bathroom first? I really need to pee.” I said and interrupted her.

“Fine. See you in fifteen minutes,” she glances at her watch before turning and heading for the door, her fingers working on her tablet again.

The instant she's gone, I swing off the bed and quickly rush towards the door. 

Reaching it, I twist the handle and pull the door open.

Outside, I walk down the hall as fast as my feet can carry me. I just have fifteen minutes, maybe less.

Getting to the bathroom, I open the door, slip inside, and lock the door behind me.

The open bathroom window feels like salvation when I reach it and push it back, creating more space for my body to slide through and escape. 

And I begin climbing.

The climb is hard because my body hasn't fully recovered. My ribs hurt and I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from crying out when the window gauze slices my right arm.

Blood seeps out, but I keep climbing.

And about a minute later, I finally slid through and landed on the grass outside. 

Quickly, I force myself to my feet and start walking. The packhouse is about a mile from the hospital and I have to get there all by myself because with Katherine now back in the pack, I know I'm already an abandoned charity case.

I reach the gates and push them open, dragging myself up the front steps of the home I’ve lived in for a year but never truly belonged to.

I knock three times. Footsteps approach. The handle turns.

And when the door swings open, Katherine appears, the sight of her in Logan's oversized shirt instantly shattering my heart to pieces.