The Mating (The original Law of the Lycans story)

Chapter 28

The cacophony of thoughts swimming around in her brain was the first thing Elise became aware of as she gradually regained consciousness. It was as if someone had a remote control and they were channel surfing through her head. Ideas and feelings flit past before she could focus or make sense of them and she slowly moved her head from side to side in protest.

"Ah!" A soft gasp of pain escaped her lips. Her neck was stiff and sore. She must have fallen asleep in an awkward position. Tentatively, she moved her limbs. They felt tired and heavy. In fact, her whole body was lethargic as if she'd just had a marathon work out.

Furrowing her brow she considered opening her eyes, but at the moment it seemed too much of an effort. Instead, she tried to focus her thoughts again. So many feelings were tumbling about... Hmm... Regret and... Sadness? Was she sad? She hadn't thought so, but maybe she was, otherwise why would the thought be in her head? The more she concentrated on the sadness, the clearer it became and she felt an ache in her heart. No, it wasn't her, but someone out there was sad and needed comforting. She should try to find them, help them... Forcing herself to open her eyes, Elise tried to sit up, but moved too quickly. A quick stabbing sensation from her neck had her crying out.

Instantly an intense wave of disgust and loathing washed over her and she tried to recoil from the dark, negative thoughts. What was going on? She felt confused and afraid. Was she losing her mind? She darted her eyes around the room as she searched for an explanation.

There was movement beside her and she saw that it was Kane. Of course! It all came rushing back to her now. Their argument, the angry accusations, her emotions all over the place due to her heat cycle. She'd pushed Kane too far and he'd snapped. They'd had sex and then... Oh my God, they'd blood-bonded!

Elise quickly moved her hand up to her neck and touched the source of the pain. No wonder it hurt; Kane had had his impressive canines dug into her flesh while they'd wildly mated. She imagined that their frantic movements had resulted in the skin and muscle being more than a bit torn. Well, the hurt wouldn't last, but at the moment it was definitely tender.

Sitting on the far side of the bed, Kane was hunched over. His bare back was to her and he had his head propped in his hands, with his elbows resting on his knees. She shifted so that she was sitting and tentatively reached out a hand to touch him. "Kane?"

He jerked at her touch and seemed to hesitate before turning, as if reluctant to look at her. His face was impassive, but the expression in his eyes couldn't totally hide how he was feeling. His eyes. They were bleak pools of despair and regret.

She gasped as it suddenly all made sense to her. If they were blood-bonded, their minds were now connected. Her confusion was because both of their feelings were rushing through her brain and she didn't know how to sort them out yet. But, she frowned and felt her heart lurch. If these were Kane's feelings, then he was the one who was regretful. But why? Then it dawned on her. He'd blood-bonded with her in the heat of the moment and now wished he hadn't. He didn't want to be bonded to her. She disgusted him!

Elise felt tears beginning to well up. At the same time, Kane groaned, closing his eyes. Another wave of loathing washed over Elise and she felt her lips tremble as she acknowledged how he felt about her. Kane wiped his face with his hands, and looked back at her before sighing heavily. "Elise, I'm sorry. This—" He dipped his head towards her neck. "It was a mistake. I never should have done it."

Unable to stop them, tears began to spill down her face. For quite some time now, she'd been hoping Kane would want to blood-bond with her and now that he had, he thought it was a mistake! He didn't love her; she'd misinterpreted his actions completely. While he liked the sex they had, and tolerated her in his home, he didn't want to be bound to her mind, body, and soul. She felt like someone had just ripped a chunk out of her heart.