I'm trying to distract myself with happy thoughts and I don't even notice when the snarls and whimpers die down. Suddenly, I feel arms wrap around my body, lifting me off the ground. I open my eyes hesitantly to see Braxton looking down at me with worry.
"You're naked," is the first thing I mumble.
Braxton smiles slightly, but his eyes remain angry and serious. "I am."
I swallow nervously. "Were you the black wolf?"
Braxton nods, not saying anything.
"Did you kill the gray wolf?" I ask, hoping that the answer won't be the same.
Braxton nods again, looking at me with emotions in his eyes that I can't decipher.
My heartrate increases dramatically. "Why?" I ask quietly.
I almost don't want Braxton to explain his reasons, partly because his actions were so brutal, but also because I think that I know the answer to my own question. Werewolves clearly have different morals, ones that more closely align with the four-legged beast than with humans. The wolf encroached on his territory, tried to attack his pack. I try to reassure myself with this, but it's not helping much.
"I wasn't planning on killing any of them," Braxton admits. "I wanted to take them to the prison, figure out why they were here. We managed to do that with the first few. But once Noah told me that there were rogues in our home, my wolf took over. And then I heard you scream, and saw you underneath him. I couldn't stop my wolf. Not that I wanted to."
"Oh," I murmur, not knowing what else to say. Alright you ripped someone to shreds, great job! I don't think so. Inside, I understand why he did what he did, but I can't say that I am okay with it by any means.
"How much does your arm hurt?" Braxton asks, changing the subject.
"Like a lot but I don't think it's broken. I'll be fine," I tell him. People always say that you will know it when you break a bone. And I don't think that it hurts enough to be a break.
"I'll let the doctor be the judge of that," Braxton tells me seriously, almost like he doesn't believe me.
"Doctor?" I question, furrowing my eyes. I notice that we are out of the trees and Braxton is headed straight for the large building in the center. The place where I met him.
"Yes. I'm not letting my hurt mate be in any more pain that she has to be."
I blush at his words and try to focus on my surroundings. We are nearing the large building.
"What is this place?" I ask as Braxton carries me through the front door.
"It's the pack house. It's like a common place for everyone in the pack. There's a lot of living space, a large kitchen, large dining room, some game rooms, and the pack hospital. There's also some offices, like mine that you where in before. Most of the space is where the lower pack members live. A little like a hotel, but much larger and nicer," Braxton explains.
"Why do you need it?" I question.
"Wolves are pack animals. We are stronger together. This helps us to exist as one cohesive and strong pack," Braxton replies as he starts to walk up some stairs.
"Okay," I nod.
Braxton takes me to the third level of the pack house and pushes open two big double doors. Inside are several hospital beds and nurses running around. I see an elementary aged child in one of the beds and a guy who looks to be in his mid-twenties in another. Other than them and the nurses, the place is empty.
It's very similar to a hospital, but it is just one large room. Braxton lays me down on one of the unoccupied beds carefully. It's only then that I realize that he is still very naked. A blush rises to my cheeks and Braxton's eyes widen, like he knows what I am thinking. He disappears and I look around, confused as to where he went. A few seconds later he's back next to me, wearing basketball shorts and a white t-shirt.
I raise an eyebrow, but remain silent. Braxton is very close to me, looking at me with worry etched onto his face. I'm about to reiterate to him that I'm fine when a red haired woman in a white lab coat comes up to us.
"Luna, how are you feeling?" She asks, looking at me with concern.
"She may have broken or fractured her left arm," Braxton explains before I even get the chance to open my mouth. I shoot him a subtle glare.
"I'm fine," I mutter.
The red haired woman nods. "I assume it is just a fractured but I'll need to take a closer look to be sure. I'm Leighton Bennett, the pack doctor. It's an honor to treat you, but I wish we had met under better circumstances."
I fight the urge to raise an eyebrow. An honor? To treat me? Okay...
Leighton comes to my side, carefully picking up my injured arm. I wince when she does so. Braxton's eyes darken and the doctor looks very serious.
"Tell me when it hurts," she murmurs, softly pressing two fingers against the top of my arm, almost at my shoulder. She moves them down slowly every time that I don't flinch.
"Ouch," I finally say when it hurts.
Leighton nods, backing up. "Okay, I'm leaning towards facture but I want an x-ray just to be sure."
Before I can stand up to follow her, Braxton scoops me up into his arms. I roll my eyes. "I can walk," I tell him.
"Let me do this," Braxton replies quietly, his voice strained.
I look up at him in confusion, about to say something else, when he sets me down in a chair. We're in a different, smaller room, with a large machine taking up the majority of the space.
"Alright, I need you to lay your arm on the table in front of you. Make sure it is completely under that box of light," Leighton explains, standing near a fancy looking computer.
I abide by her wishes, even though the angle my arm is at is not very comfortable. Leighton runs the machine and I close my eyes, trying to focus on keeping myself still.
"Okay, you can go back to the main room," Leighton says as she types something into the computer.
Again, Braxton picks me up in his arms, bringing me back to the bed I was in before. When he puts me down in it, I look up at him.
"You know it's my arm that hurts, not my legs," I tell him.
Braxton sighs. "I know. But my wolf needs you in his arms. I need you in my arms."
Leighton is back before I have the chance to respond. "It is just a facture," she tells us, holding what looks like a sling in her arm. "I want you to wear this for the next week or so and not use that arm for anything, okay?"
Both Braxton and I nod at her words and Leighton comes over, helping me put the sling on. I wince slightly, but we get it on.
"Do you have anything for the pain?" Braxton asks her.
"Most of what I have is made for werewolves, it could kill her if she had any," Leighton explains and Braxton growls lowly at her words. "I do have some Advil. It's made for headaches, but it should help somewhat."
Braxton nods at her and Leighton immediately walks away. She is back in less than a minute with two pills and a glass of water.
She hands me the pills but gives the glass of water to Braxton. I want to be annoyed but I realize that with one arm in the sling, I can't hold it all in just one hand. I pop the two pills in my mouth and grab the glass from Braxton's outstretched hand. I can't help myself and drink all of the water, feeling dehydrated from today's events.
"Alright, I want to see you again in a week, to make sure the bone is healing," Leighton says.
"Okay," I nod.
She smiles at me before bowing in Braxton's direction. As she walks away I send him a confused look. He doesn't reply, scooping me up into his arms once more.
Braxton walks out of the pack house silently and I don't know what to do other than look around. We see several pack members, both inside and out, and even though they all look at me with wide eyes, I send them small smiles.
After what seems like forever, we are back in Braxton's house. Braxton carries me upstairs and I have no doubt that he is taking me up to his room. He has no trouble opening any of the doors that are in his way and I can't help but be mildly impressed by his strength.
He sets me down gently in the bed that I've come to know and love. He pulls a soft blanket over my body, careful to avoid my hurt arm. Braxton rearranges some of the pillows to support the fractured bone and I can't help but notice that he is basically glaring at my sling. After he determines that I am comfortable, he stands up, but remains close.
Braxton stares down at me as I lay in his bed. All I can do is look back up at him and study his stiff body. He looks uncomfortable, almost like he is restraining himself.
"I need to get you more guards," Braxton mutters, an angry look in his eyes.
"What?" I ask, squinting up at him.
"You need more guards," Braxton repeats. "Two clearly were not enough."
"It's not Noah and Garrett's fault!" I yell.
Braxton raises an eyebrow. He speaks quietly, his voice like steel. "A rogue wolf was able to get to my mate. A rogue wolf hurt my mate. I refuse to let that happen again."
"But it's not their fault!" I reiterate. "If anything, it's my fault."
Braxton growls at me when I say that. "What?" He asks, like he is hoping that I didn't say what I just did.
"It's my fault!" I snap, folding my unhurt arm over my chest for emphasis.
Braxton is on top of me in an instant, his eyes almost black. Somehow, even in this state, he manages to completely avoid jostling my fractured arm.
"Don't say that," Braxton growls. "This was not your fault. Nothing like this would ever be your fault."
"But it is," I insist, not backing down, even though physically I am cowering back into the comfort of the bed. "Noah and Garrett did what they had to do. I just stood there! I was completely useless. I couldn't even push that wolf off of me! I couldn't do anything to defend myself!"
"You do not need to defend yourself; I will get you more guards," Braxton states.
"Clearly guards aren't going to cut it! They still got to me! You can't devote your entire pack to watching over me for every second of the day!" I yell as tears brim my eyes. I hate feeling this powerless.
Braxton stares at me silently, like he is thinking over my words. He doesn't say anything, but I can tell that he knows that I am right.
"I will do whatever I have to do in order to keep you safe," he finally says.
"Then bite me!" I shout in his face, sick of him not thinking of any reasonable ideas.
"What?" Braxton asks, his voice sounding just as dark and ominous as his eyes look.
"Bite me, asshole! Turn me into a werewolf!"
Braxton stares at me for a moment, as if trying to figure out if I mean what I say. When I don't break my glare, he leans down, burrowing his head into the right side of my neck. He places a soft kiss on the spot where my neck meets my collarbone.
The second I feel Braxton's razor shape canines digging into my skin, I regret my words.
The pain is overwhelming and I can't stop myself from letting out a loud shriek. Braxton's arms close in around me, pulling me into his chest. After what seems like ages, he moves his head back, removing his teeth from my neck.
My neck is throbbing and tears are running down my face. I've never felt this type of pain before in my life. Braxton's lips are pressing softly against the bite, leaving kisses and... I think he is licking me? I can tell that it helps somewhat, but Braxton's actions aren't enough to keep me from slipping into unconsciousness.
~*~
Hey guys!
I hope that you all liked this chapter a lot! I've already made headway into the next part so hopefully I'll update again soon!
Thanks as always for all of the reads, votes, and comments!
- Nina