Monster in My Bed

Chapter Thirty-Seven | Laying in Her Grave

[repost]

Normally when a man takes my hand and drags me somewhere, I get excited. In this case, not so much. Jack's iron grip on my wrist was so tight that it kind of started to hurt. I wanted to whine like a child in protest as he pulled me through the steel compound, but decided against it. From the looks of it, Jack was taking me outside to scold me which is exactly what I was hoping for. I knew Jack better than I think he knew himself sometimes. He was a dad at heart. It's in his nature to reprimand me like I'm five. I don't mind it, though. It reminds me of the older brother that I never had.

Picking up his pace, we rushed past two men standing by the entrance. They were pack members in charge of watching who was coming in and out of the compound from the inside. It seemed a little like overkill to me having two watching from the inside and two from the outside, but I guess that's just how Matteo likes it. Everything has to be secure. I made eye contact with each of them and gave a small shake of the head to let them know I was okay. I watched as their tense postures relaxed slightly, shoulders rolling back and their heads dropping a tad. Jack may be the Beta, but I'm the Luna. The pack would not hesitate to kill Jack had he posed any type of threat to me. Especially, now. Again, I don't quite understand it. Jack is definitely more important to this pack than I'll ever be, but I guess it's just a pack wolf thing. I'm learning not to question these things anymore.

The contrast from the artificially lit cellars to the outdoors was shocking, to say the least. The air was colder, but the bright sun spread warmth over my skin. It also managed to blind me in the process. I squinted as I stumbled over my feet, no longer on the smooth concrete but an uneven mix of damp grass and mud. I suppose that was the worst part of March weather--the aftermath of February snow.

Suddenly, the dragging came to a halt. Jack released my hand and turned around to face me. I could see the anger in his eyes as they connected with mine. It was a foreign darkness that made my lips fall into a flat line. Jack being mad at me was a whole other feeling than when Matteo is. It made a weird pit settle in my stomach.

"What was that?" Jack snapped. I bit back the urge to snap back at him and shrugged.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Kaia, don't do this. I know you aren't that dumb," he argued. I bit the inside of my cheek, not knowing how to respond. Do I agree? Well, of course, I do, but do I literally tell him that?

"I just want to help," I responded. It was an honest answer. I did want to help. Not her, though. Jack closed his eyes for a moment and ran a hand down his face. I could tell by the heavy sigh that he was already tired of this conversation. The purple bags that practically swallowed his under eyes told me that he was also just tired in general. I reached out a hand, placing it comfortingly on his shoulder. "Jack, I just want you to be happy. You're falling apart in there. It's not good for you." It was manipulative. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't being manipulative at that moment, but I couldn't do it. Jack could have sat down in that cellar for another five days, and I probably wouldn't have thought much about it. The only reason I was even here was because Matteo wanted me to be.

Jack dropped his hand from his face, allowing me to look into his emerald eyes, once again. This time, I could see the pain in them. Anger had completely vanished, and all that remained were the remnants of a lost boy. I bit the inside of my lip to hold back the comment that I wanted to say, 'Suck it up, Jack. It's not that big of a deal.' It was a big deal to him, though.

"It's so much harder than I thought it would be," he admitted softly. I didn't respond, just gave an encouraging nod. "She's everything to me, and I don't even know her. I hate it--wanting her in every way, but knowing that there's no way I ever can." I always knew Jack to be the most emotional out of Matteo, Daniella, he, and I, but I can't explain why it made my chest drop when a small tear slipped down his cheek. It felt like a brick had been dropped on my ribcage.