Piper
After Caleb left the room, it was completely silent. No one knew what to say, and all of us were in shock. I didn't know that Amanda had abilities; that surprised me. But I wasn't just surprised by this whole situation. I felt betrayed, sad, scared, and relieved all at the same time.
I felt like Amanda had betrayed me. I obviously didn't tell anyone, but she shared my secret. I was sad because I remembered exactly what I saw. When Caleb mentioned the flashback, it quickly replayed in my head. I was frightened about two things. I was afraid that Caleb would tell more people. I was supposed to have a clean slate here, but my hopes of that just diminished. I was scared that Caleb would take action, and he would to something stupid. I know that we're not exactly at a good place right now, but I care about him. And I don't want him to get hurt.
Lastly, I'm relieved. I spent so much time thinking about how to tell Caleb. I spent sleepless nights trying to find the right way to reveal my biggest secret. Now, I don't have to. He knows already. Sure, it wasn't the best way for him to find out, but I don't think I would ever have it in me to even tell him.
I know that I would have eventually told him. But I was thinking I would just cross that bridge when I got to it. Apparently, Amanda thought that she would knock me out and drag me to the bridge, forcing me to cross it. Metaphorically of course. Now, I'm stuck in the middle of the bridge and I can't go back to where I started. There's no other option, but to go the rest of the way.
"Pipes?" Mason said softly. I looked up and noticed that we were the only ones in the room. "Are you okay with me sleeping in here? I can find somewhere else to sleep tonight" he stated.
Frowning, I looked down at my hands that were still trembling. "I don't think I can handle it" I said quietly. Looking at him, Mason nodded in understanding. "Can you send Zeke in though? Please" I asked.
He nodded. "Just mind-link me if you need anything" he said as he made his way out the room with a pillow and blanket tucked under his arm.
I hate this. I hate everything about this. Post panic-attacks, I'm always weak and twitchy. I can't handle being around guys. I constantly break down. I'll have uncontrollable nightmares which make me not want to close my eyes. And the damn shaking. Its like shivering when your cold, but never-ending. I hate being like this.
And after the shaking and nightmares stop, it still doesn't get better. I'll shut everyone out. I'll be jumpy and I will avoid physical contact. I don't know why I allowed Caleb to hug me. I wouldn't let Grams hug me. It just felt too constricting. It felt like I didn't have room to breathe.
But when he hugged me. I felt warm and safe. I believed him when he said he wouldn't hurt me. I believed him when he said he'll do everything to make sure I don't get hurt again. I trust him. And that's something I don't want. That's something I can't have.
I don't want to believe in him. I don't want to trust him. I don't want to have feelings for him. I don't want any of it. If I believe him, it'll hurt more when he lies. If I trust him, there's more of a chance for me to get disappointed. If I develop feelings for him, I'll be the one hurt in the end. And I can't handle that. I can't go through it again.
I can't believe that someone will save me because it's not gonna happen; I saved myself. I can't have someone tell me that they'll help me, but they don't do shit. I can't love anyone. The people who were supposed to love me, used me. I went through this whole process before, it just breaks me a little more every time.
A warm hand brushed my hair out of my face. Zeke looked at me with a sad expression as he wiped my tears away. I didn't even notice I was crying. He sad criss-cross with his back against the headboard and pulled my head onto his lap. "It's gonna be okay" he declared. "You don't have to talk about it. No one is gonna push you. Baby steps, remember?" he said softly.
Nodding, I curled my knees up to my chest as my head was resting on top of Zeke's legs. "Caleb went back to his grandmother's house" he informed me while running his hand through my hair. "I'm sure he'll be back soon, but that doesn't mean that you have to talk to him. But you probably should. You don't have to. But it would be a good idea. I don't want to push you, but you shouldn't avoid the topic" he ranted.
I softly smiled. "I'll talk to him" I whispered. I heard Zeke sigh in relief. "Just not very soon. And maybe I'll just tell him a little bit at a time; slowly ease into it" I decided. He nodded in understanding. "Can you sleep in here tonight?" I asked after a while.
Zeke quickly agreed. We both got under the covers and laid on our sides, facing each other. I lifted my hand up and gently brushed his hair out of his face. His brown locks were getting pretty long. His bangs ended right on his eyebrows. "You're hair looks nice like this" I said honestly.
He smiled at me "Thanks. I've been trying to grow it so it actually looks good on my birthday" he informed me. His birthday is only a few weeks away. He'll be 13, and he will finally be able to shift. "I hated my short hair. I felt like some fuckboy" he said with a shudder.
I laughed and lightly smacked his chest. "Language" I scolded him.
"Yes, Grams" he said sarcastically. We both burst into laughter. It was nice. We didn't talk about the heavy stuff. We just joked around until we both fell asleep.
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I woke up to wiggling in my bed. Don't judge me for this; but my first thought was holy shit there's a huge worm in my bed! My heart rate increased as I jumped out of bed. Unfortunately, my legs hate me; so I tumbled to the ground and hit the nightstand on the way down. "Pipes?" Zeke said, leaning over the edge of the bed to see me.
Sighing, I pushed myself off the ground. "I forgot you were here" I said sheepishly. I wanted to slap my brain for thinking that there was some giant insect in my bed. "Good morning" I mumbled.
Zeke laughed. "I don't think its a good morning for you" he stated. I chuckled and sat next to him on the bed. "Crap, Pipes. You're bleeding" he informed me.
Following his line of vision, I saw blood staining the light blue shirt I wore to bed. "Oh. I didn't notice" I said honestly. I didn't even feel it. Moving my shirt, I revealed a whole in the fabric and a gory cut on my side.
"I'll get Kaley" Zeke said in a rush. I quickly shook my head and stopped him from getting out the bed. "Piper, that's a deep cut. You need to get it checked out" he demanded.
I shook my head in defiance. "I've had worse" I said with a shrug. Zeke frowned at my words. I honestly didn't mean for it to come out like that. "It'll heal. It's fine" I said dismissively.
He sighed. "Can you please just let Kaley look at it? It looks bad" he begged. He looked so worried, so I agreed. Zeke left quickly, to make sure I didn't have time to change my mind. I know that the cut will be fully healed in an hour or two. I just didn't want him to be too concerned, which is why I'm letting the doctor look at it.
There's no point in making him more worried. I know that he'll probably stay with me all day to make sure that I'm okay. Today is gonna suck. I'll either be angry and distant or break down and sleep all day. He'll probably have to get someone to force feed me. The thought of food started to make my stomach churn.
Quickly, I ran to the bathroom and leant over the toilet. Almost nothing came out. It was just saliva and stomach acid. The mixture of the two burned my throat as I vomited. "Piper?" Zeke called from inside the room. I quickly flushed the toilet before washing my hands then face. "You okay?" he asked concerned.
I nodded my head and eased onto the bed. I noticed Kaley standing to the side of my brother. "Zeke said you got hurt?" she asked softly. I nodded my head and lifted up my shirt. She moved closer and examined it for a while. "Its already healing up, so I'll just put some gauze on it" she informed me. Nodding, I held my shirt up while she did her doctor stuff.
She finished really quickly. "Try not to do any physical activities. I'll be back in a few hours to change the gauze" she stated before leaving the room.
Patting the spot next to me, I motioned for Zeke to come sit with me. Reluctantly, he sat down a the farther edge of the bed, away from me. He looked nervous. "What's wrong?" I questioned. His head snapped up at me and he quickly put on a fake smile. "Zeke" I warned.
He sighed in defeat. He should've already known that I could see right through him. "I'm just worried about you" he said quietly.
Suddenly, I was filled with anger. "Well, don't be" I snapped. "I'm not a little girl. You don't have to babysit me" My fists were clenched at my sides as I glared at my brother.
Zeke looked at me and ran his hand down his face. "Calm down" he said.
"Don't tell me what to do!" I screamed. "I'm older. You're supposed to listen to me! So get out!" I demanded. He stared at me for a couple of minutes before giving up and leaving. Once the door shut, I quickly walked over and locked it.
I screamed in frustration while tugging at my hair. I'm tired of everyone treating me like I'm a fragile piece of glass. I'm tired of my younger brother trying to take care of me. I don't want their help. I don't need their help. I got Zeke and I out of the Blood Star pack without their help. People need to stop thinking I'm some charity case. Thoughts like these continued to run through my head.
Thinking about how everyone is just trying to help me, made me angry. Screaming, I started to destroy the room. The electronics were my first victims. I shattered four lamps by throwing them at the walls. Why there are four lamps in this room is a mystery to me. The next was the T.V. that was mounted on the wall. I picked up the nightstand and threw it as hard as I could at the screen.
I continued my assault on the room. Ripping the cushions. Cracking the furniture. Punching the walls. Throwing sheets and clothes around. I was about to punch another hole into the wall, when someone grabbed my wrists and held them to my chest. Arms were wrapped around my body as they tightly held my hands down. "Let me go!" I demanded while struggling against the person.
He hushed me; but I continued to thrash around, trying to get away. "Get off!" I shouted. Eventually, my body drained of energy and anger. I was left with sadness and regret. However, I used what little energy I had, attempting to make the person stop restraining me. "Just let go of me" I whispered softly.
"No" he denied. I sighed and looked around at the remains of my room. My bed can no longer be slept on. The small table that was in my room is broken in half. All the drawers are pulled out and the clothes littered the floor. "I'll fix it" he informed me.
Tears streamed down my face before I went limp in his arms. I destroyed everything. I ruined the room. I'm a monster. While the thoughts ran through my head, I was carried into a different room. He was still holding me as I continued to cry. I didn't sob, but tears were falling from my eyes. "I don't want to be like him" I choked out.
He told me not to talk, but I started blabbering like an idiot. "I don't want to destroy everything. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to be like him" I repeated. I suddenly realized that he didn't know what I was talking about; so I blurted it out.
"They beat me. They wanted me to be obedient. They wanted me to follow their rules. I was supposed to mate with the Nick, the Alpha's son. They told me I didn't have a choice. They wanted the strongest Alpha, so they wanted me to mother his baby. I have pure Beta Blood. They thought that since I'm full Beta and he's full Alpha, we would have the strongest baby. They wanted to use me to get more power" I said with my voice cracking in some parts.
He was breathing heavily and slightly shaking. I didn't even consider how angry his wolf would be from hearing this. Slowly, I turned in his lap, so I was straddling him. I buried my face in his chest as one of his arms snaked around my waist to keep me from falling. Eventually, he took a deep breath, stopped shaking, and relaxed. Caleb softly stroked my hair and kissed my temple. "Its all gonna be okay" he whispered.
But I didn't have it in me to believe him. I couldn't believe him. I didn't want to be let down again. I didn't want to get hurt again. "What are you thinking about?" he asked softly as he gently pushed his face into my neck.
I have to admit, it felt kinda nice. His breath was lightly fanning the edge of my jaw and my neck. It made my face warm and tingly. "Piper?" he said as he slowly pulled away from my neck. "You okay?"
"It tickles" I blurted. Instantly, I felt heat creeping up to my face. Caleb chuckled and told me that he would stop. For some reason, I felt sad about it. "You don't have to stop. Its fine. I like it" I assured him. I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face and I was sure that I was as red as a stop sign.
He smiled at me while pushing my hair out of my face. "You're so beautiful" he whispered, making my blush deepen. Caleb laughed before burying his face into my neck, again. Both of his arms were wrapped around my waist; and my arms were loosely around his neck. I didn't resist the urge to run my fingers through his hair. "I don't know the whole story. But I'm sure you're nothing like your Alpha and father" he mumbled after a while.
I acted off of anger and used violence to release my emotions. Its exactly what they did. I chose not to respond instead of saying that Caleb doesn't know me or them. "We should eat" Caleb changed the subject. "Its almost five, and I know that you haven't eaten all day" he informed me.
Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement and eased off of his lap. Thinking about food didn't make me feel sick; so I'm sure I could eat a little before my stomach gets upset again. Caleb stood up after me. He surprised me by grabbing my hand and interlacing our fingers. I smiled at the small sparks that erupted on my skin.
While holding hands with my mate, we made our way down the stairs. "What do you wanna eat?" he asked once we got to the kitchen.
He pulled me along with him as he held my hand and opened cabinets with the other hand. "Do you cook?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows. Caleb shook his head and continued looking through the kitchen. "Oh! Poptarts!" I exclaimed. He laughed and grabbed the box off the shelf. After skillfully opening a pack one-handed, he put them in the toaster. "You toast them?" I asked as my face scrunched up.
Caleb nodded. "They're better this way" he defended as he opened a pack Poptarts for me.
I grabbed one and started munching on it. "You're weird" I muttered. Pouting, he got his food out of the toaster and stacked both Poptarts on top of each other. He ate it like a sandwich. "Yup. You're so weird" I stated.
He shook his head amused. "You're weird! We have so much food in this house and you choose to eat Poptarts" he said incredulously.
I happily nodded my head. "Poptarts are awesome!" I chirped.
Caleb laughed. "Whatever you say, Poptart"
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BAM! UPDATE ON A WEDNESDAY!!!
Hehehehe
Anyways... such a cute little scene with Caleb and Piper... I think she's warming up to him!!
I have nothing important to tell you guys...
Kayyyzzz Byeeezzz
~A.J.