I could hear it. The screaming. The pain. I wanted to open my eyes to see where it was coming from, but I couldn't move. I was locked in my body, trapped like a caged animal. Hot liquid pooled around me as if I were getting pulled under a thick current. There was no point in fighting the rising levels as my body worked against me, weighing me down to the bottom. It was thick, almost black. And then, I was pulled back. Back to the surface of the crimson river. It swirled around me like a drain, splashing onto my face and temporarily suffocating me until it was suddenly gone. My lungs convulsed in my chest as I heaved, trying to clear them of the residual liquid. The need to hit my chest to assist in the upheaval of the foreign invader to my airways was pushed aside when I couldn't move my limbs. Strong leather bands wrapped around my wrists, holding them to the arms of the chair. The skin beneath them rubbed raw as I squirmed and yanked
The light coming in through the miniature window grew brighter as the morning passed by. Kaylee had gone to the cafeteria with the rest of our block for breakfast, but I stayed behind, still unable to move on my own. I had spent the entire night scraping the plastic end of the toothbrush back and forth along the edge of the bed frame. The lack of sleep mixed with my battered body left me unable to lift myself, let alone walk all the way to get food. At least the restrooms were closer. My eyes had closed, desperate to get some sleep, but my mind was unable to turn off. Even though my body had shut down, I was still able to hear every noise in the otherwise empty block. I was aware of my surroundings, just not a part of them. I was like a comatose patient listening to their loved ones speak but not being able to move or talk back to them. The state of unconsciousness continued until I heard footsteps in the previously empty hallway, and I was awakened by the sound of knuckles connectin
There are very few things in life that make you question everything. I'm not just talking about questioning the college you chose to go to, dating that guy your parents hated, or the job you spontaneously quit. The 'everything' in question... is literally everything. Should I have turned and run inside when a wolf pup came out of the woods and started talking to me? Probably. That should have been my first warning that I wasn't normal. I should have put a stop to it right then and there. No obsessively researching werewolves or tracking them for the next ten years. Definitely no falling in love with a man who shifts into a giant, furry creature… no matter how sweet and caring he is. If I had done that, I sure as hell wouldn't be where I am today. I might have actually had friends, gone off to college in some big city, away from my parents. There would be a dead-end 9-5 job waiting for me that didn't pay me nearly as m
I felt like I was floating as he pulled me into his arms. The blissful feeling of having no pain and no emotions was glorious. For a second, I understood why people chased a high. It was not something I would do or recommend for anyone else to do, but after being in such agony, it felt like a well-deserved win. My head was pressed against Gabriel's warm chest as he held me in a ball tight against him. His heartbeat was music to my ears, like a rhythmic chant for me to give in to the darkness that was creeping in on my mind. I fought against it, not wanting to succumb to the haze. If I did, who was to say I wouldn't wake up right back on my cot, waiting for those sadistic bastards to let us out of our room for breakfast. Maybe they drugged my dinner, finally figuring out I had been purging myself of my pills as soon as I walked away from the nurse's station. This could be a dream, but I'm pretty sure you can't smell people in a dream. So, it either had to be a hallucination from the
Waking up back in Gabriel's room was surreal. I had been drifting in and out of consciousness throughout the night. My mind was still battling with the drugs that had been pumped into the building, and my body struggled to find a comfortable position. In addition to the body aches, I seemed to have been lucky enough to have a hangover. A dim light was cast on the room from the window, steadily getting brighter. My head had its own heartbeat as it throbbed. "Turn it off," I mumbled as I rolled to place my back toward the window and my face into a warm chest. I felt Gabriel move but kept his hands to himself. I snuggled closer, rubbing my cheek against his soft skin, seeking comfort. His arm gently draped over me in a way that made me feel like he was touching me out of obligation and not want. I pulled my head back, my chest and legs still pressed against him, to meet his gaze. The hazel eyes had red surrounding them due to exhaustion, and his shoulders were stiff. He looked uncomfo
The muffled sound of guests stirred me from my sleep later that day. I let out a groan before rolling over to my side and pulling the blanket up and over my head. After breakfast in bed, Gabriel gave me a couple of pain pills and turned on a movie. I barely made it through the opening credits before I passed back out. Not too much time had passed, or else it would hurt a lot more to be on my side since the medicine would have worn off. A bright light beamed in from the opening above my head. The talking grew louder, but I tried to block them out. I wasn't ready to wake up and join reality again. Elena was still out there, hopefully not locked in her room by my parents, but I knew Athena would have taken care of her. There was nothing to stop Elena from leaving unless they resorted to physical restraints. If that were the case, I imagined Athena would have obliterated my parents. "I have ordered you to leave! She needs to rest." Gabriel's voice carried down the hallway and into our
The next day I was feeling great. My sister had come to visit me the night before and ended up staying for dinner. She had been living with the pack since the incident with our parents and had cut them out of her life. Her phone was left behind with a note explaining that she was leaving, and she hoped they got the help they needed. The irony of that gave me a good laugh. Picturing them going to therapy was a thought I would hold onto for a bad day when I needed something to make me smile. I knew it was healthy for couples to see a counselor throughout their relationship, even if it was only a few times, but the thought of Gabriel and I sitting in that familiar position again made me tighten with unease. I could only pray that he and I would be able to work out our differences and keep an open channel of communication between us. Besides the day before, when Gabriel wrapped his arms around me and held me close, he hadn't touched me. I knew being injured may h
Gabriel's P.O.V.She was being so difficult.As she glanced over my chair, I watched her chest expand further than before, her breasts fighting against the restraints of her bra, her pulse increased in pace, and her smell… Oh sweet Goddess, her smell!As soon as she asked me if I would sit with her, the room filled with the sweet and addictive scent of her desire. If she didn't look so damn good, just leaning against my desk, I wouldn't be having such a hard time controlling myself. Flashes of her spread out on the surface and then bent over it with her perfectly round ass in the air flickered through my memory, and I stepped back to put some space between the two of us.She wasn't ready for that, no matter how much I wanted it. Since we found her in that hospital, my wolf had been pushing, trying to take control so I could mark her. I wanted to make sure that my claim to her, and hers to me, would never again keep us apart.