Forced To Love You

Two-Thousand Miles

"I know she's still adjusting but you need to ensure that this doesn't happen again. Once is bad enough."

"I know, I know. If it was up to me, this never would have happened."

"I understand. But try to go easy on her. She's been through a lot."

"I just want this to work."

"Give her some time. The more you push her, the more distant she's going to be."

"That's easier said than done. I know without a doubt that this is what I want but... she doesn't feel the same way."

"Like I said, give her some time. She'll get there if she doesn't feel pressured. Let her come to that conclusion on her own."

Christian sighed. He'd been close by since I got to the mansion. He refused to leave my side, even after being told several times that I would be okay.

"She's good to go whenever she wakes up. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

Christian turned his attention back to me as his father left the room. A quiet settled over the room. Unlike previous times I had been in the infirmary, I wasn't hooked up to any machines. I didn't have an IV or even a heart monitor like usual. Clearly, Felix knew what was wrong with me and deemed it safe enough to not worry about my vitals.

It was nice for once to not be bombarded when I was there. It was just like a normal sleep except I woke up there and not in Christian's room.

I forced my eyes to open and glanced around the room to catch my barrings. The last thing I knew, I was just getting lunch. So waking up in the mansion's infirmary was a shock.

I looked to my left to see Christian. It seemed that he'd put his name on a chair and that was where he'd be any time I was injured or hurt. I wasn't used to someone being so concerned for my well-being.

"At least this time I'm not here because I did something I shouldn't have." The words came out in a mumble as I forced my voice to work.

Christian didn't seem amused by my comment. "There's something we need to talk about."

I pushed myself into a seated position, ignoring the headache that pulsed as I did so. "Okay."

"The reason you passed out was because you haven't been around me. Your body would have started shutting down if no one had been there with you when you collapsed."

"I don't get what you mean." I passed out because I wasn't around him? I couldn't understand how that had anything to do with me passing out. It happened. I assumed it was because I hadn't eaten and my blood sugar was low.

"Because of our mate bond, we have to have... contact with one another regularly or... something like this happens. It would have happened sooner if we haven't talked on the phone this morning."

We'd only been apart for several days. How could it happen that fast? I was starting to learn that there was a lot I didn't know about werewolves or mates or anything about Twisp.

"Did something happen to you?"

"I'm sort of immune to the effects that most mates have to deal with."

"Why?"

"Because I've been looking for my mate for twelve years. Over time, my body just got used to the two-thousand miles that separated us."

I wanted to feel bad for him but I was the one suffering. I was the one who went through so much after meeting him. It sucked that I had to keep suffering unless I was around him. It was like punishing me for not giving in.

I looked down at my hands as I processed everything he was telling me. None of it made me feel better. None of it answered any of my questions. It only left me with more. It only left me feeling more defeated.

"You're free to go now. My father said you won't have any side effects so long as this doesn't happen again."

I nodded. I slid my legs over the side of the bed and glanced at the door. "I'm gonna go upstairs."

He nodded and followed me as I left the room and headed back to his room. I knew he'd follow me regardless of if I invited him to or not. He was concerned and while I appreciated it, I didn't need him to be so concerned. It made me uncomfortable how much he stressed out over the littlest things.

When we got back to the room, I walked into the bedroom. I glanced around the room and frowned when I didn't see any of my shopping bags.

Christian spoke from behind me. "One of the maids put your clothes away in the closet. I wasn't expecting you to get so many pairs of shoes."

I ignored his comment and opened the closet door. I'd only seen the closet once so I'd forgotten how big it was. On the right side were all of Christian's clothes and on the left were the new ones I had just gotten earlier in the day. I was surprised that someone was able to bring them inside and put them away so quickly.

Had I been out a long time?

I stepped up to a silk pajama set that consisted of a t-shirt and shorts and draped them over my arm. I grabbed a pair of underwear before I exited the closet.

"I'm going to have someone bring some food up."

I nodded and headed for the bathroom. I flipped the light on before I entered the room and shut the door behind me. I contemplated locking the door behind me but I knew Christian could get in if he wanted to, regardless of whether the door was locked or not. So I just left it unlocked.

I set my clothes down on the chair beside the tub and leaned down to plug the tub before I turned the hot water on. I took a deep breath before I started undressing. I was glad to get into clothes that would be considered mine. I appreciated having clothes thanks to Madison but they didn't fit me as well as I expected. Before I was bit, they fit fine but after... my body was different. It wasn't too much of a difference but it was noticeable to me.

I watched as the tub filled up with water from where I stood. I didn't have the energy to do anything more. My sadness was just too great for me to be motivated to do anything.

When the tub was full enough, I turned the water off. I poured some vanilla bubble bath in before I stepped in. I slid down until the bubbles reached my chin and let out a deep breath that quickly turned into a sob. More and more sobs continued to come and I had to quickly cover my face with my hands to muffle the sounds. I didn't want Christian to come check on me.

I just wanted to be alone.