His Reject

Chapter 3

Toby's POV:

I was running.

I didn't know why, I didn't know who I was running from, but I knew that I was running.

"You can run, but you can't hide. I'm coming for you, bitch!" I heard a voice chuckle wickedly behind me. Only then did my ears pick up on the sound of heavy footsteps chasing after me. His voice made me cringe and increase my speed.

I couldn't see where I was going; it was too dark. However, I knew that I was outside. I could smell the forest all around me and could feel the twigs snapping beneath my bare feet. For some reason, I couldn't shift into my wolf. That worried me.

"Aww don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, too much." I heard the voice again. I was starting to have a shortness of breath, but I knew that I couldn't stop. I knew that if this mystery man caught me, I'd never see another day, and I wanted to live. So I continued running, without the slightest clue of where I was going.

Finally, I saw a light and I had hope. Running towards the light, I came across a clearing. A sense of safety accompanied me, causing me to instantly stop running. I couldn't hear the mystery man chasing me anymore, so I laid down to catch my breath. Once I had my breathing under control, I stood back up to study my surroundings.

I've never seen this place before. It was beautiful. There was fresh grass that was sprouting flowers and a clean, clear lake running downstream. The trees seemed to surround the clearing like bodyguards protecting their queen. I walked over to the lake and winced at my reflection.

I was covered in dirt and seemed to have scars littering my face. Where did those come from? I was just about to reach out to my reflection when I heard the mystery man behind me again.

"BOO!"

I screamed.

***

"Wake up, Cupcake! It was only a dream."

The scream tore through my throat as my body was jostled rapidly. The sound of Emery's voice shouting at me instantly had my eyes snapping open. I quickly took in my surroundings and realized that I was still in my room at Nicholas' pack.

My breathing was short and brisk as I forced my body to relax. It still felt like the mystery man was chasing me. Feeling pressure on both of my hands, I realized that Emery was holding them in a deathly grip. I looked into her eyes confusedly.

"Um, Em, why are you holding my hands?" I questioned. It was Em's turn to look at me dubiously.

"Cupcake, can't you feel your face healing?"

Now that she mentioned it, I could feel the skin on my face slowly mending itself. I looked down at my hands and noticed the flesh and blood under my nails. I sighed. Why now?

This wasn't the first time I hurt myself in my sleep; it happened at least once a week. I pulled my hands out of Em's grasp and walked to the bathroom, locking the door. I guess she got the hint that I didn't want to talk about it because I heard her get up and leave the room with a sigh of her own.

I took off my clothes and filled the bathtub, intending to soak my nightmare away. While the tub was being filled, I brushed my teeth and inspected my skin.

"Looks brand new." I joked to myself before turning off the bath pipes. I stripped before getting into the tub. The near boiling water helped to immediately soothe my muscles. I slid down until only my head was above the water, and relaxed. My mind went blank as the numbness the hot water brought calmed me unbelievably.