The Exception

Chapter 30

I put two and two together, realizing that these were Selena's parents.

"Jake, you shouldn't worry yourself so much. It's not healthy," she chided lightly.

Still standing off to the side, I noticed that Alpha Jordan was heading in my direction.

"Josh? You're still up too?"

"Yes, Alpha." I nodded respectfully.

"Ahh, well, since you are up, I'd like you to meet my Betas, John and Mary Cooper."

Reaching out my hand, Beta John Cooper extended his hand to meet mine.

"It's an honor to meet you, Beta Cooper."

Smiling, he nodded in return before his mate came over to me as well.

Shaking my hand as well, she smiled, "You must be Josh Williams. It's a pleasure to have you as a member of our pack."

"Thank you," I replied.

"Well, you guys really need to get some kind of rest, even if it is only for 2 hours. Don't make me get Galena Crowley to knock you both out." Alpha Jordan teased. 

"Fine," Jake replied, "I'll see what I can do." 

"Good," Alpha Jordan nodded,  "You're going to need the rest." 

*Selena POV*

It feels like the past few hours have been going on for an eternity. My mind felt as if it were swimming between conscious and unconscious. Thankfully, it seems as if Aaron has left the room a while ago, despite not being able to tell how much time has passed since I came to be in this room.

Through the moments I felt my mind float to the surface of consciousness, there was always this unshakable question. What was he trying to do to me?

Just as I was beginning to sink back into the silence, Aaron seemed to materialize out of midair. Simultaneously, I felt myself reawaken enough to process what was happening.

"What are you? And why are you doing this?" I yelled out.

"Come on, dear. We talked about this."

Suddenly, my throat felt like it was beginning to constrict. I attempted to scream out, but no sound was produced.

As if by a rhythmic beat, Aaron began waving his finger back and forth.

"I'll release your vocal chords when you learn the rules," He winked.

I winced as a tear began to well up in my eye, despite my attempt to remain strong.

Slowly, steadily, Aaron made his way towards me until his face was inches from mine. Attempting to move my face away proved useless since his hand grasped my chin to stop me from turning away.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope I'm not hurting you."

His sickening smile made my stomach turn as he slowly closed the distance between our faces. Unable to do anything else, I tightly closed my eyes.

The pressure I was feeling in my throat slowly began to subside. Cautiously, I opened my eyes to see that Aaron had leaned back from me a good bit, despite still having a hold on my chin.

"I would have thought your connection to Josh would have been a lot stronger." Adding to my discomfort, his head tilted sideways as he narrowed his eyes.

"We'll have to change that if I'm to truly put him through pain."

Thinking of what he could possible meant made me begin to shake. Letting out a snicker, Aaron released my face.

"There's no need for you to fear. I plan to take my time re-programming you."

Turning on his heel, he headed towards the opposite wall before stopping one last time.

"And to answer your other question, I am an abomination. Nothing more."

His voice seemed to hold a slight hint of self-loathing. However, I could have simply read too much into his statement. Although the curiosity in me would have prompted him further, I remained silent instead.

In a matter of seconds, I not only witnessed Aaron dissipate from my vision, but my eyes faded as I drifted back into the partial consciousness I was entrapped in moments before.