Bite Marks

Nightmares

Kane was unbelievable. I sat down on the bed, trying to calm my breathing. I was angrier than I should have been about this. Kane really didn't have any reason to trust me. And if what Mia said was true and he treated his pack like family then he was probably just trying to protect them. If I was the first female rogue then I guess he had reason to be suspicious of me. It wasn't like I had tried to gain his trust either.

There was a soft knock on my door and Mia peeked her head in.

"Hey, I'm sorry I freaked out like that. Apparently I don't know how to control my emotions anymore."

"It comes with the territory," she said with a chuckle. "Most everyone is back from whatever they were doing today, but I told Kane to bring us some dinner. I didn't figure you wanted to go down there and be around everyone just yet."

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem, I don't mean to defend him, but Kane really is just trying to do what's best for everyone."

"I know Mia, I'm sure his control issues are rearing their ugly heads just like mine are."

"Well, you're right about that."

Kane slipped through the open door, balancing a plate piled high with sandwiches and a bag of chips. In the other hand he had two bottles of water.

"Wow Kane, do you need a job as the restaurant?" I teased, newly determined to put the animosity behind us.

"Ha ha. I made turkey and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly. I wasn't sure what you would like, Cassie."

He laid the tray full of food down on the dresser and I jumped up to snag a sandwich, not caring what kind, just knowing I needed food.

"Kane that was so nice of you to make us these sandwiches," Mia said.

Kane snarled at her quietly and I looked back and forth between them, mouth too full to ask what was going on.

"Goodnight ladies."

He slipped out the door as quickly has he had come. I polished off four more sandwiches before I felt full. I looked down at my belly in dismay.

"I'm not gonna get fat am I?" I asked looking up at Mia.

She tossed her head back and laughed. I didn't know if Mia was always laughing or I was just that funny. She shook her head, grin still in place.

"So should we go back to that stuff about Sierra, or?"

"I don't think we should talk her right now. The house is a little too full for my liking."

"Honestly, I could go to sleep right now. It's been a long 72 hours for me and I could use some rest."

Mia left with a goodnight, shutting her door behind her. I pulled on a pair of the pajamas that Elise had gotten me. A pair of cotton shorts and a t shirt that smelled mysteriously like an annoying alpha I knew. I wasn't sure I was ever going to figure that man out.

I pulled back the fluffy duvet and crawled into the queen sized bed. I tried to settle back against the pillows but there were just too many. Who in the world needed that many pillows in their bed!? After I had disposed of all but two of the pillows I finally relaxed.

At first I wasn't sure what had woken me. I rubbed my sleep crusted eyes and listened for a sound. Then I heard it. Crying and moaning coming from Mia's room. In a flash I was across our adjoining bathroom pushing open her bedroom door. I looked around quickly, trying to find the source of her anguish. I didn't see anyone in the room so I looked back at Mia. She was twisted up in the covers. I could smell her sweat and fear from the doorway.

I walked over and laid my hand on her shoulder.

"Mia, hey wake up. It's just a dream."

She let out another sob. I shook her harder.

"Mia! Wake up."

Her eyes flew open, devoid of recognition. She pulled back panicked.

"Hey, hey it's me. You're okay."

She finally calmed down enough to actually look at me instead of through me.

"Cassie?"

"Yes, are you okay? You woke me up, you were having a nightmare."

She opened her mouth to speak but instead let out a sob. She buried her face in her hands as her shoulders shook from the force of her crying. I was at a loss. I didn't know what to do, people crying just made me uncomfortable, but I sucked it up. I sat down beside her on the bed and did what I wished someone would have done for me a hundred times, I pulled her to me and let her cry.

She finally started to calm down a few minutes later. I continued to rub soothing circles on her back. Her head was against my shoulder, and my t shirt was soaked, but if I offered her even an ounce of comfort it was worth it.

"I'm so sorry Cassie. You shouldn't be having to deal with me losing it."

"Mia, it's fine. Do you... do you want to talk about it," I was never one to talk about my dreams, but I figured Mia might want to.

"It's a long story," Mia says giving me a watery smile.

"I've got nothing but time."

"When I was seventeen Kane has just started to take over the pack. Dad had been killed by a Rogue, and his death left the pack in turmoil. Kane was young, and a lot of wolves from neighboring packs thought they could swoop in and take over. Many of them were overconfident. They thought because Kane was so young he was weak. They challenged him directly, but Kane proved his worth and killed them.

There was one wolf though who had a better plan. Damien was twenty when I met him. The same age as Kane. He claimed he wanted to become a member of our pack. That he was tired of the brutality in his previous pack. We all believed him."

I watched Mia take a breath of air, and patiently waited for the rest of the story. 

"He was so charming. Everyone loved him and welcomed him into the pack. He was gorgeous too, and for some strange reason he seemed to like me. At first we just became friends, he hung around the house a lot and I was still a teenager, but I fell for him. Hard.

He was so great at first, even Kane didn't have anything bad to say. I thought he would eventually become my mate. Everything was so perfect, until it wasn't."

I really didn't want to hear the rest of this story. I was pretty sure I had lived it and every single cell in me rebelled at the fact that the sweet innocent woman in front of me had lived it too.