6

Grace’s POV

I try to open my eyes but they are too heavy. So instead, I just lay there, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.

Slowly, the peacefulness beings to turn to pain as I continue to wake up from my slumber. Everything feels heavy. My ribs ache, my head hurts, and my insides feel numb.

However, my doubts disappear as I suddenly feel a presence in the room. The alpha. I can smell him. That same sickly sweet musk. There's someone else in the room too but he is all I can focus on.

He smells so heavenly, it's intoxicating.

What is wrong with me?

I quickly put down the thought as I know nothing good can come of it and instead turn my attention to the other presence in the room.

They don't smell as great as he does, but that same sweet smell is in the air.

Whoever they are, they seem busy. I can sense them moving around the room.

Where am I?

I jump slightly as a faint beeping starts to ring in my ears. Clearly, this is a frequency I haven't completely lost yet. My mother used to tell me to think about my deafness as a range. Some things I might still be able to hear whilst others would be completely silent.

I continue to lay there for a while until my eyes start to feel lighter but I choose to keep them closed because I know if I open them, I'll have to face the alpha and whoever else is in the room.

Suddenly, something touches me and my eyes shoot open and I shuffle backwards. The beeping in my ears becomes extraordinarily fast as a sharp stabbing pain shoots through my arm.

I look down and see I'm sitting in a hospital bed with a needle sticking out of my arm, connected to a bunch of wires and tubes. I follow the tubes and wires up to find them

connected to clear bags of fluid and the machine making the angry beeping noise.

I panic and quickly rip the needle out of my arm in an effort to get the beeping to stop but all it does is make it worse. I scream out in pain as blood begins to leak from my

arm.

Instantly, a woman is at my arm, applying pressure to the wound whilst tying something around my arm. I stay deathly still. I think she's trying to help. Best not to make it

worse.

In an effort to try and calm myself down, I look around the room to avoid making eye contact with the woman touching me.

There's a lot of medical equipment similar to what they  had in the prison so I can only assume this is a hospital. A very clean one at that. Unlike the one the rogues had.

I look to my right and see the Alpha sitting in a chair, watching me carefully while, who I can now assume is the pack doctor by the way she was dealing with my arm, stands next to me with a concerned look on her face. I feel tears start to roll down my cheeks

without warning and I whimper.

The Alpha instantly moves to my side but I move away, shuffling as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the impact, but nothing comes.

Why hasn't he hit me yet? The rogues would normally beat the shit out of me if I ended up in the hospital wing.

First I was kidnapped by rogues and now I've been taken by a wolf pack, just my luck.

I feel the Alpha move away from me and I slowly open my eyes, not daring to move in case it angers him again. I see the doctor move out of the corner of my eye and I turn my head to look at her, fear in my eyes, my heart racing.

She begins to talk but of course, I can't hear her. Panicked, I watch her lips to try and to read them and I can tell that she is asking me a question, something about feeling but that's all I can make out.

I think she is trying to help again. I mean, why else would I be here in this hospital bed?

She gives me an expectant look but I don't know what to do.

I used to be able to talk when I was younger and had my hearing aids. I was getting quite good at it too. I had a stutter but you could make out what I was saying well enough to hold a decent conversation.

But ever since I was kidnapped, I have never talked. I tried once when I was forced to but I think it only came out as weird sounds.

Maybe I should try again?

I open and close my mouth, trying to loosen my jaw. God, it's been years. I hardly remember how to talk or get my mouth to move in the way I need it to to make the

sounds.

"I-I-I."

Oh no, my stutter. I think I'm just making weird noises again like the last time I had to try and talk.

I give it another go, trying to concentrate but I really can't tell what I'm saying. I know there is noise coming out of my mouth at this point as the doctor gives me a confused look.

I try again, but soon give up when I realise I'm getting nowhere.

Anger and defeat fill me as tears start to fall from my eyes again but I quickly wipe them away. Jesus, I'm such a screwup. The Alpha should have just killed me then and there.

I'm useless.

I peek at the Alpha and he gives me a strange look. Nerves consume me and I quickly turn my head away, the flutter from when I was in the forest returning to my stomach. I look back at the doctor who is back to watching me carefully.

Maybe I can somehow show her that I'm deaf.

I point to my ears and frown.

The doctor gives me a look of confusion and I make a writing motion with my hands.

Instantly, her face lights up and she rushes out of the room. I sneak another glance at the Alpha who is still watching me.