Bianca's POV
"Ego semper posuit oculos in femina pulcherrima es," He spoke passionately in an unfamiliar but beautiful language.
"What does that mean?" I stammered, presumably sounding like an idiot. His plump mauve lips curled into a toothy smile, and he let out a small chuckle.
"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," he answered, making a rush of warmth creep onto my cheeks. I turned away slowly, looking down at my hands, shyly trying to hide my blushing face. Butterflies fluttered away in my stomach as I squeaked a pathetic "thank you." My face was so burning hot.
Stop being an idiot. He's our mate. My wolf practically scolded me.
Oh, so now you want to be vocal. So I barked back at her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, concerned.
"I'm alright, my throat hurts a little, but it's getting better," I responded, "Thank you." I turned back towards him. Looking into his soft eyes, I felt as though I would melt under his gaze. He slowly put his right hand, much larger than mine, out towards me, his fingers spread slightly. I placed my left hand in his palm. Sparks exploded throughout my arms and flowed through my body like fireworks. My hand moved upwards, and I could feel the raised veins on his forearm.
"Cane," I repeated his name. It flowed from my lips so naturally.
He cupped my face gently with his other hand. His eyes were darker now, glossed with desire.
"Alpha Cane." This time the words spilled from my lips uncontrollably, like an instinct. A deep growl came from Cane, his chest rumbling, eyes locked onto mine.
"Your Cane." He corrected me; his voice was low and deep. I watched his lips mouth the words, and his eyes flickered as dark as coals.
His words sent goosebumps throughout my entire body. His shoulders moved faster as his breaths became shallow. My wolf was howling and begging for our mate. She wanted nothing more than for our mate to claim us at that very moment.
You need to calm down. It was my turn to scold her, but in complete honesty, I was telling myself to calm down too.
I reluctantly pulled my hand away from him, turning my focus away. I looked down at my free hands and saw my right hand and neck wrapped in fresh bandages. I began moving my wrist around slowly. I winced, hearing a small pop from under the thick bandages.
"Don't be too rough," Cane advised. "Try just moving it back and forth like this." He put out his hand and began moving it slowly.
I gave him a slight nod mirroring his movements.
It was uncomfortable, but the pain wasn't as unbearable as before. I was slowly but surely regaining my strength and healing.
I smiled and turned to him. "It doesn't hurt." I giggled childishly, excited to finally move my wrist without pain.
"It's a little uncomfortable, but no pain."
"I'm glad," Cane flashed me another toothy grin; his eyes had returned to their toasted chestnut color.
"I'm going to inform the nurses that you're awake." He told me sweetly.
"Okay," I whispered. I watched as Cane left the infirmary room. As he walked away, I realized how tall he was, barely missing the door head by a few inches.
My wolf whined at the absence of her mate. 'Relax. Cane is going to be right back.'
She whined, 'I want, mate.'
I had never felt April so needy before. But I couldn't blame her. I, too, felt a longing for him to return. Even though I knew he wouldn't be gone long, the mere seconds he was away seemed like ages. I never knew the mate bond was this strong. It was nothing like Elijah's and mine's interaction.
I turned to look at the large window. The blinds were opened slightly so I could see the storm outside. The heavy rain was pounding the ground. My eyes widened as I made out the naked trees swaying in the wind. My eyebrow raised as confusion bubbled inside. It was just summer. The trees were just full of leaves. My thoughts were interrupted when a young-looking brunette woman entered the room. She held a brown clipboard tight to her chest. She couldn't have been much older than my sister.
Behind her was Cane. However, his toothy grin was gone entirely. Instead, his face was flat and expressionless.
She let Cane pass in front of her, and he returned quickly beside me to my right.
"Hello, miss, my name is Kayla," She introduced herself, giving me a small smile. "I'm one of the nurses for our pack; I'm just going to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"
I nodded. "No problem."
"Thank you." Kayla shut the door behind her and walked toward the edge of the bed. Then, standing across from me, she reached into the front pocket of her dark blue scrubs and pulled out a thin pair of purple glasses.
"Okay, here we go," she began, "what's your name?"
"Bianca Marie North," I answered, watching as she scribbled my answer onto a clipboard paper.
"Age."
"I'm twenty," I replied.
Through my peripheral vision, I saw Cane's eyes widen.
Turing my head slightly towards him, I could see his raised eyebrows. "Please, don't tell me your secretly like forty or something." I half-joked.
His face fell, clearly not amused; he squinted his eyes, "I'm not. I'm only four years older." He snorted
"Alright then, don't stare at me like a weirdo. I'm not a child...creep." He rolled his eyes, making me laugh; it felt so good. I turned back at Kayla, who was watching the both of us, an amused look on her face,
"Umm, your birthday, please."
"May twenty-first."
She nodded and continued, "Pack name?"
I hesitated at first before replying. Then, "I was born into the WestMoon Pack." I hoped she wouldn't ask any questions about my pack. I was not ready to fully explain anything further that had happened with my, technically previously, pack,
Kayla nodded and then proceeded to look at Cane.
"We should contact her pack and let them know where she is and that it is safe."
"No." I blurted out. It was like word vomit spilling from my mouth uncontrollably.
Cane looked at me, obviously confused. I didn't want to tell him what had happened before I left, at least not yet, and I was afraid for my family back home. "I would like to call my parents first, please. I want them to get the news first before the alpha." I mumbled nervously.
"They last heard from me was days ago. They must be incredibly worried right now."
The room fell into a dead silence. The only sound that could be heard was the storm continuing to blow outside the window. Kayla quickly looked down at her clipboard and began writing—the sound of the tip of the ink pen breaking and silence.
"What?" I asked curiously, but neither of them answered me at first.
"What is it?" I asked again.
"Bianca," Cane's eyes were wide, his jaw clenched.
It made my heart thump as my anxiety began building.
"Do you remember the man who got you off the truck?" He asked.
"Kind of, but not really."
"That's our beta. He interrogated one of the men involved." He placed his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. I hadn't realized it at first, but he attempted to brace me for his following words.
"Bianca, you were in the bunker for almost two months."
As the words came out of his mouth, I felt my heart sinking.
"Two months?" I asked in disbelief. "That's impossible." I shook my head. "That's impossible," I repeated once more.
I felt his gentle grip on my shoulder tightens lightly.
"How?" I looked at Kayla, who finally looked up from her clipboard. "How could I even be alive? I was unconscious." My heart was beating so fast.
"From what we gathered, you were given some sort of injection with daily nutrients needed to keep you alive but sedated by one of the men while you were unconscious." But, Kayla explained, "It also included enough Wolfsbane to keep you extremely weak for when you did wake up." She continued.
"Why was I unconscious for that long?" I asked, desperate for more answers. I even turned to Cane in hopes he could tell me something. But when I looked at him, he stared straight at the door. His now once again bouncing black orbs practically burned a hole through it.
"Cane," I nearly sobbed. I was desperate for him, trying to turn his focus away from his anger. I needed some comfort, some strength, not wholly to break down sobbing. My poor parents must think I was dead—a knot formed in my throat. The familiar sting of tears began to prickle behind my eyes, threatening to spill over. As I fought to hold back the flood of emotions, an intense burning sensation gripped my throat as if an invisible fire had ignited within. It felt raw and constricted, as though my body desperately tried to suppress the rising tears. I swallowed hard, hoping to alleviate the burning sensation. Instead, the tightness in my chest made breathing harder, and the lump in my throat grew larger, constricting my voice.
I knew my composure was slipping away, and the tears I had held back were becoming an unstoppable force. It was as if my body was urging me to release the pent-up emotions, to surrender to the overwhelming wave of vulnerability.
"Please, I need to call my parents. They need to know I'm alive." With his free hand, Cane began to rub my back slowly and reached into the back, pocked to his jeans, pulling out a white phone.
He handed me the phone, which was unlocked. I, without hesitation, began to dial my father's cell number. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I gripped the phone tightly, pressing it against my ears. It rang for a while with no answer. More tears escaped as my mind began to wander, panic consuming me. I dialed the numbers once more.
"we'll give you some privacy," Cane continued rubbing my back before turning to the nurse and for both of them to leave the room. I'll be right outside." Cane and the nurse left the room.
I clutched the phone tightly in trembling hands, my heart pounding with anticipation and anxiety. Each passing ring felt like an eternity, echoing in the silence that enveloped me. Time seemed to stretch as seconds turned into minutes, and the weight of the unknown bore down on my shoulders. I silently pleaded for the call to be answered, for the connection that would bring solace and answers to my restless mind. Every ring felt like a lifeline, a flicker of hope that I desperately clung to. My breath caught in my throat, my fingers growing damp against the phone's surface.
"Hello?" I recognized a hoarse women's voice coming from the other end. I nearly screamed into the phone.
"Em!" I cried, ignoring the pain in my throat as I screamed my sister's name. The tears rolled down my face and wet the bandages around my neck.
"Bia?" My older sisters' fatigued voice cried back. "Are you okay? Where are you?" She frantically asked, panic in her voice.
"I'm okay; I'm safe," I reassured her. "Are you okay? Where's Dad and mom?"
"Me?" I could hear the apparent confusion in her voice, "Don't worry about me! Bia, where the hell are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm safe, Emiline. I promise I'm safe."
"Dad's here." She began stuttering," I'll give him the phone."
"I love you," I told her, barely holding back more sobs.
"I love you too."
I heard shuffling from the other side. Emaline shouted to my dad, whose voice followed as he yelled my name.
"Bianca!" He cried into the phone. I could hear the desperation in his voice. "I'm so happy you're okay. Your mom and I, your sister, Philip, and Carson. We've been a mess. Scared shitless, worried something terrible had happened to you. I know you're strong and capable, but sweetheart, when we didn't hear from you in days." He was talking through loud sobs, swallowing his tears. I could hear him choking up on the other end of the line. His voice became shaky. "And days turned to weeks, and then." My hand that held the phone tightly against my ear was trembling. Hearing my father so broken was shattering my heart.
My father and I had always had a close relationship. It went beyond Dad's little girl. He was my rock, my shoulder to cry on ever since childhood, and my best friend and mentor. I always pushed myself to be like him, generous and kind, loving and strong. How he treated my mother taught me how powerful love is, never mind the mate bond, true unquestionable love. Sure, we butted heads, but at the end of the day, my father was everything to me, and hearing him like this broke me into pieces.
"I'm an okay dad. I'm safe, I promise."
"Sweetheart, where are you?"
"I'm with a new pack; they took me in. I'm getting checked out in their infirmary." I reassured him. I wasn't ready to tell him everything; I didn't want to overwhelm him.
"When did you get to the pack? Is your wrist healed? Are you walking fine?" He bombarded me with questions.
"Dad, I need you to know I am okay. I'm healing." I sighed. "I'm a bit overwhelmed," I admitted. "I wanted to call you as soon as possible, let you know I'm okay, so you and Mom wouldn't worry."
"I undertsand sweetie." My dad choked out a few sobs. "I'm just so happy to hear your voice."
I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. "I'm happy to hear yours too." We stayed speechless on the phone for a few minutes; no words were shared, only cries.
"Dad," I sniffled, "I need you to tell Mom, Emaline, and the boys I'm alright. I'm going to call and explain everything as soon as I can. I love all of you so much."
"Remember to call. We need updates. I couldn't give a shit about what that shitty excuse for an alpha said. We are your family, call. We are all here for you. Mom, Emiline, Carson, Philip, and I are here. We love you so much."
"I love you, Bia, so fucking much." I heard my sisters' tearful voice in the background.
"I love you guys. I'll call as soon as I can. I promise." We exchanged short and weepy goodbyes before the call went silent.
Thank you; enjoy the rest of the book, and I look forward to seeing all the fantastic covers!
Note: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope you have been enjoying the book. I want to talk about a few things; I'm sorry I went without updating this book for so long. I, unfortunately, got into a car accident, and my depression spiraled. I went a long time not having inspiration but also being too sick to write. I am back now, and will be updated weekly or bi-weekly. I plan to finish this book by March and begin publishing the sequel, which will also be updated. Also, I know many of you need clarification about the name change for Carlos' character; Carlos is now Cane. I recently found out I have a family member named Carlos. Now it just feels weird, so I decided to make that change.
Thank you; enjoy the rest of the book.