**For those of you interested in the sequel to Knox's Girl, KEEP READING FOR THE INFORMATIVE AUTHOR'S NOTE.
So, when I begin to write a story I start out with a word document dedicated solely to the plot of the story. I type out characters and their personalities, I iron out fine details, and I write outlines of every chapter there before I write them all. So, it's basically the backbone of the story.
With that being said, Into the Woods has been completed, and the plot word document is only 31 pages long. Troy's story (which I've recently decided will be titled: League of Her Own) is already at 20 pages and that's only with ideas written out and two official chapters written... #cray #getexcited
Anyway, this chapter isn't edited yet, but I hope you enjoy it!!**
Aceso's POV
My ear-piercing scream was cut short by a harsh slap across my face. My cheek stung as tears gathered in my eyes.
"Shut the fuck up or I'll blow your fucking brains all over this god damn kitchen! You hear me?" Alpha Jack growled menacingly in my face. I scanned his features and grew more scared then I ever have been in my entire life. He's gone crazy.
I sobbed as I realized there's a large possibility I wasn't making it out of this situation alive. I almost didn't catch the sound of pounding footsteps coming towards the kitchen because of my own tears.
Jack must have heard the footsteps as well, because he suddenly flipped our positions. He pulled my body in front of his own, grasping my neck tightly in his hand, pressing his thumb against my windpipe and making it difficult to breathe. Xavier came running into the room first, face loosing all color when he saw the situation I was in. Jack suddenly pulled out a gun and pressed the cold metal tip to my slightly protruding stomach.
"No! God, please no!" I screamed through panicked hiccups.
"Take one more step and it's bye-bye to your first born, Xavier." Jack sneered in a menacing tone laced with amusement. He was truly a sick bastard. Xavier lifted his hands into the air in a surrendering motion before standing rooted in his spot. Leighton and Charlotte soon entered the room, both their eyes growing wide with terror at the sight before them.
"P-please. D-don't hurt my baby!" I begged, knees beginning to buckle as the weight of the situation dawned on me.
"Shut up! All of you shut up!" He screamed moving his hand away from my stomach to waver it back and forth between the others in the room. If I weren't terrified for my life, I would laugh at how idiotic he was being. No one was even speaking but me.
"You're all going to shut the fuck up while I talk. Anyone that interrupts gets a bullet between their eyes." He said eerily calm, but I could tell he was still loosing it by the subtle shake of his hands.
"You can't even imagine the childhood I had growing up. My father never cared about anything but being the best. He always had to be the best at everything. If I weren't meeting his expectations, no matter what it was, I would be beaten. Some days, I couldn't get out of bed because he'd been merciless. He trained me to be a ruthless Alpha like himself since the day I came out of the womb. 'Pain is for pussies!' he would say. 'Never show any emotion but anger. Be unforgiving and hard. No one likes a bitch Alpha!' Everyday! It was drilled into my brain for 25 God damn years!" He paused his story to gather his thoughts. His breathing was ragged and quick and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"It only got worse after this stupid bitch and her sister were born!" He screeched, momentarily tightening his grip on my throat and blocking my airway completely. Xavier's roar caused his grip to loosen and I immediately gulped in large breaths of air before coughing harshly.
"So, we came up with the plan. It was going to change everything. We were going to be a family again. We were going to be the pack on top again. But then you came into the picture!" He spat, pointing his gun and aiming at Xavier's head. My body tensed immediately as I repeatedly chanted a prayer to the Moon Goddess over and over for her to keep him safe.
"I'm fucking done being second place to this shitty fucking pack!" Alpha Jack suddenly yelled. It seemed like it all happened in two seconds. He flicked the safety off before turning the gun back on my stomach. I shut my eyes, but I refused to stay still. I wouldn't let him take my baby from me without a fight. I would give my life for my child. I could hear movement happening around me, but my mind had already shut down. Xavier's familiar growl echoed around the room. I peeked my eyes open just in time to see Xavier lung for both Jack and I. Xavier managed to nudge Jack's arm, but it just wasn't enough.
All commotion in the room ceased after the telltale deafening pop of a gunshot rang throughout room. Pain ricocheted all over my body, waking me up from the numb mindset I'd been in. Looking down, I realized that instead of Xavier knocking the gun out of Jack's hand completely, he threw off Jack's aim. Blood flowed in an endless stream from my chest, a few inches from my heart. My mind went fuzzy and I couldn't hold my own weight anymore. I looked up, the last thing I saw before my eyes rolled into the back of my head was Xavier's mouth moving in silent screams as he reached for me.
**
I began to come to my senses. Everything felt warm and fuzzy and there was a golden light casting over everything. I released a content sigh as the warmth wrapped around my skin, caressing me sweetly like the touch of your lover. I'd never felt this safe before. Everything just seemed so...right.
I reached down to rest my hand upon my stomach, relaxing instantly when my hand came in contact with my perfect little bump. I patted it lightly, smiling happily to myself.
I jolted upright at the sound of a giggle in the distance. My heart began to race as the peaceful atmosphere was abruptly interrupted. I turned and came face to face with two absolutely stunning women. They resembled Alethia and I, but their facial structures were slightly different. They were wearing long, beautiful white silk dresses that trailed behind them as they approached me, hand in hand.
"Hello there, sweet Luna." The brunette spoke, shattering the silence. Her voice was soft, but strong and I detected traces of power amongst her being. Though I had no idea who this stranger was, I wasn't scared by her presence at all, just curious.
"W-who are you!" I replied, holding her stomach protectively while baring my canines. I may not feel threatened by them, but I refused to be tricked. For all I know, this could be a trap. It was then that I suddenly realized I had no idea where I was, or what time it was.
"Calm down, Sweetpea! We pose no threat! We have only come bearing advice and love." The blonde assured me, her voice serving to smooth my ruffled feathers.
"You've done a wonderful job so far as the healer. There's been much more action since I've handed the job down, that's for sure." The blonde giggles out. I gasped in realization as her words registered in my mind. These two women must be the past healer and peacekeeper wolves that died when Aceso and I were born. But if that's true then...
"Oh my god! I'm dead." I cried. "Xavier! No! God no, please I need to be with Xavier!" I screamed hysterically, tears springing to my eyes instantly as a feeling of regret settled in the pit of my stomach. The eyes of the two in front of me grew and they rushed towards me.
"No! Calm down, you're okay! You're not dead, silly!" The peacekeeper said, trying to calm my erratic breathing. "You're in a coma. You have been for quite a while now. We've come to tell you that it's time you go back. Our kind needs you. Your mate needs you. And..." She said, trailing off. I was about to yell at her to cut the shit and finish her sentence, but then I suddenly heard the little pitter patter of feet coming towards us. A child, no older than two, peeked out from behind the two women while sucking on his thumb.
Upon seeing me, he pulled his thumb from his mouth as a wide grin set upon his face. "Momma!" He screeched before running towards me, with slight difficulty, and hitting me head on. His arms wrapped around my leg as his little baby legs struggled to keep his body upright.
"He needs you." The peacekeeper murmured, finishing her previous sentence. I couldn't control my tears as I scanned the face of the little boy. My son. God, he was the spitting image of Xavier, but with my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and experiencing. I leaned down and hoisted him upon my hip, running my fingers across his pudgy cheeks. I was so in love. After I remembered what she'd said to me earlier, a wave of anger hit me.
"What are you talking about? Why would I be here if I had a choice in the matter!" I yelled, letting my anger get the best of me and shouting at her. I was pissed that she was acting as if it was my fault I was still stuck here in coma land.
"That's just it. Until you were ready to face the world after your...experience, you stayed here without consciousness. You'd still be there had it not been for our help. It's not natural for the healer wolf to get hurt. Actually, I don't think it's ever happened. Oh, how you worried the Moon Goddess so!" The blonde exclaimed sporting an extremely distressed scowl.
"We mustn't waste more time. We shall be watching over you, Aceso. Always." They whispered simultaneously before grabbing the little boy from my arms and simultaneously kissing me on each cheek. They brought their hands up before abruptly shoving me back harshly. I released a scream, expecting to hit the ground, but I just kept falling.
My eyes fluttered open in fright, but I instantly regretted it. The bright, white light was harsh on my unused eyes. I squinted them shut immediately before blinking multiple times in order to help them adjust to the blinding light. I glanced around the room before I caught sigh of a huge shadow looming behind the curtain that was pulled around my bed for privacy. My head felt fuzzy, like it was filled with cotton balls, but I strained my ears to listen in on the rest of the conversation going on.
"Alpha, there's nothing more we can do. We have done everything and exhausted every resource. I'm sorry..." Who I assumed was the pack nurse trailed off. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was like the Sahara Desert - so dry my vocal cords couldn't even function.
I tried once again, but only ended up coughing. I guess that would have to do. I heard two intakes of breath before the curtain was harshly ripped back, revealing my worse for wear mate. God, he looks horrible.
"A-Aceso." He cracked out, rushing to my side in seconds. He cradled my face in his hands while shaking his head back and forth like he couldn't believe I was real. "Aceso..." He rumbled out once again before tears began rolling down his face. "I thought I'd lost you!" He exclaimed, rubbing my cheeks harshly with his thumbs. I brought my hand up to rest against his own while leaning into his comforting touch.
"Water?" I croaked out, barely able to speak.
"Someone get me a glass of water! NOW!" Xavier screamed to whoever was behind him. I winced at the intrusion to my ears. In seconds, the request had been filled. The room buzzed with activity, but I chose to block it all out and focus on the only two things that concerned me as of the moment: my mate, and the glass of water.
I attempted to take the glass from the nurse, but I was too weak and the glass slipped from my fingers. Xavier managed to snatch it before it smashed against the ground and brought the cup to my lips. I took long greedy gulps before closing my eyes in bliss and resting my head back against the hospital bed.
"What happened?" I finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
"After you passed out, all hell broke loose. Leighton and Charlie rushed you to the pack doctor while I ripped Jack's body to shreds. The past few months of training have been useless, being as I now have rightful ownership of Jack's pack. You slipped into a coma shortly after you got out of surgery and have been in one for the past two weeks. I kind of lost it.
"We found a cell phone on Alpha Jack's body and used it to lure his father into a trap before killing him quickly. Your father wanted to drag his death out and torture him, but I didn't want to risk him getting away and having to carry out our war plans. With that being said, I was full owner of Bloodlust and Nightshade, but I had no want or will to run their pack so I handed it over to Leighton on the condition that he sign a treaty with us as well as swearing to the Moon that he'd never let the greed for power get to him." I blinked a few times at Xavier as I processed the hoard of information he'd just thrown at me.
"I was in a coma for two weeks, Jack and his father are dead, and Leighton's Alpha of Nightshade?" I recapped, grasping the important bits of the story for my muddled brain. Then, a crippling thought made its way into my head.
"Oh my god, the baby!" I yelped, looking at him intensely.
"The baby is fine, thank the Moon." He spoke out on a relieved sigh before resting his hand upon my stomach protectively.
"No! Xavier, you don't understand. I was in this weird coma-induced place and I held our baby." I said, begging him with my eyes to believe me.
"What? How?" He questioned, suddenly much more alert than before.
"I don't know, but God, Xavier, he looks just like you." I whimpered, becoming emotional.
"He?" Xavier croaked out.
"Yes, baby, he." I affirmed. He leaned down, kissing me deeply. I pushed his chest, effectively removing his lips from mine.
"Don't. My breath is awful." I grimaced.
"I don't fucking care." He growled out before placing his lips back upon my own.
"I'm so glad you're safe. I don't know what I would've done without you." Xavier rasped out, looking pained just speaking about it.
"I love you." I replied, caressing his cheeks.
"You are my sun, moon, and stars. You are the reason I wake up every morning and the reason I want to be a better man everyday. You are my world, and I love you with everything that I am." He finished his passionate speech, sealing his words with a tender kiss.