Chapter 4

When I came to, I was being dragged down the hall again by two men.

They looked at each other before having some silent communication and looking back at the hall ahead.

They sauntered back down the hall and I could slowly start to feel my limbs working again. My fingers twitched with the desire to stretch but I ignored it, knowing the guards were a lot more aware now that they knew I fought back.

I gasped as I remembered everything that happened and flicked my eyes down.

There was nothing there.

I was still in my dirty pajamas, but there was no hole in the middle of my stomach like I felt before I passed out. I could still feel the light ache of something that was there, so I know I didn’t imagine it.

Was it something they fed me while I was out?

I forgot my worries about the strange things happening when we reached the coded door again. The man didn’t let go of my arm this time as he punched letters into the pad.

A green light illuminated from above the pad and a loud ‘click’ confirmed my impending doom.

The men dragged me in and the first thing I noticed was the bed. It looked just like it did in my dream. Thick leather straps were attached to the outside edges of the bed, the buckles waiting to be tightened.

“No, please,” I whispered as we came closer to the torture machine.

They lifted me effortlessly, despite my obvious disapproval. I started kicking and bucking, trying to make it as difficult as possible to strap me down, but one of the men held me down effortlessly while the other secured a restraint around my left wrist.

I pushed at him, trying to get him away, but it didn’t seem to faze him. I curled my fingers and swiped angrily at his face, scratching his cheek.

He cursed. “Do that again and lose a hand,” he threatened as he harshly yanked my hand down and the other guard came around and secured it in a band.

I bit down on my lip to stop a yelp that wanted to surge from his roughness.

I didn’t struggle as much as they secured my legs and waist. I was already exhausted from the little bit of fighting and wanted nothing more than to sleep, despite the current circumstances.

My desires were short-lived as the man in the doctor coat from the hallway approached me with a raised needle.

He didn’t hesitate before plunging it in my arm and squeezing the liquid rapidly into my arm.

Black dots played in front of my sight as burning coursed through my body. It circled slowly to my heart before dispersing and spreading rapidly to every crevice of my body.

The heat was unbearable and I tried to move my limbs to see if it would help, but the leather bands held me tight to the table.

I distantly noticed Nathan on a small screen in front of me before I didn’t fight the unconsciousness begging to take me.

-

I thought my heart would fall right out of my chest.

Correction—I hoped it would.

It had felt like months since I had first been introduced to this beloved doctor and his ‘treatment’. The time had actually only amounted to a week, due to the number of days checked off on the calendar.

The ache in it was so strong it could only be classified in the searing pain category. It was the same torture I felt when I was in the woods with Dimitri.

Pain flowed through my veins with every beat of my dying heart. The pain was catching my body on fire, making it impossible to get anything even close to rest.

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, creating a large puddle that I refused to get up from.

It hurt too much to move. Even breathing was painful.

I didn't try to resist the men as they grabbed my arms and dragged me back down the hall.

I already knew I couldn't refuse them.

Since their first trial, they had been stricter and put more guards around me so I couldn't try to escape again.

They threw me on the while hospital bed and strapped me down again, not caring about my previous bruises contrasting with my light skin.

Every time, they would give me some type of serum to numb and heal the past wounds I got from their decided 'treatments'.

However, they never worked on the bruises I got from pulling against my restraints and trying to get free. Or the pain in my chest I couldn't ignore.

I needed to touch Nathan. That's all I knew.

Dr. Jackson stepped into view again and my heart beat faster out of fear.

My veins burned even more and pain flew through my limbs. No matter how many times I saw him, I would still get terrified thinking about what would be next.

Last time, it was beating. The time before that was an injection of some sort. And I don't even want to remember the times before that.

And whatever they were trying to do, it wasn't happening. I wish I knew what they were looking for so I can send Nathan some sort of message to make them stop, but it was the same disappointment every day.

They now moved us to the same room, Nathan separated by some sort of glass. I was guessing it wasn't glass, though, or they wouldn't have put him in.

I saw him punch through a brick wall without as much as a flinch. I'm pretty sure that glass was like wax paper to him.

He was still in his wolf form that he had shifted into a few sessions ago. I haven't seen him in human form since, but I honestly don't know which one was worse.

His hair was bristled and he snarled at Dr. Jackson, seeing him above me. Saliva dripped from his bared teeth and made him look completely terrifying.

The doctor smiled at his behavior and looked to his assistant, handing him a large needle.

“I want to try just him and see if there's a reaction like before. It obviously isn't her, and now I feel safer about drugging him with our new technology. Take this one and load one of the darts so you have a clear shot.”

He nodded and grabbed the small bottle and syringe from the doctor. He fled from the room, clutching the pieces in his hands.

I looked at Nathan, who was still staring down the Doctor.

I think he's going to inject you this time.

I knew he heard me because his head snapped back in my direction. His eyes softened as he took in my pitiful appearance.

I can only imagine how awful I looked by now. I've been crying nonstop for what feels like forever and I can only imagine how dirty my face was before the tears.

If it wasn’t from the calendar hanging on the wall, I wouldn’t have believed it was only about a week since I’ve been here.

I decided to relish in the moment while we had a second. The pain was literally killing me, but I wasn't going to die without talking to Nathan one last time.

I knew he couldn't talk back to me, but at least I could see his reactions.

How are you holding up, big guy?

He cocked his head as if he didn't understand what I was doing.

I mentally sighed. I'm sorry, I'm just trying not to think about... this. We're going to get out of here, right? Because I don't know how much longer I can see you suffer. I admitted.

Even though I hated admitting my fears and weaknesses, I knew it was true. Every time, Nathan had to watch them hurt me, and I knew it had a huge tole on him.

I healed from it, for the most part, but I know he never did. He destroyed the wall that separated us in the past, thinking I was still in there.

I knew I didn't love Nathan. I don't even really know my feelings for him anymore.

Maybe it was all just the bond thing, but I did know I cared for him. And I cared about everything he was going through right now. And everything he had to watch.

His eyes softened even more and the hair along his spine retreated as he stared at me and he let out a faint whimper.

That got the Doctor's attention and he looked at him, confused. It was short lived, though, because then he caught onto why Nathan was looking at me and laughed.

“Oh, you're communicating, are you? Tell me, dearie, are you mind-linking him or is he speaking to you?”

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