Hey!
So, I don't really have much to say, other than no negative comments! It's a bummer when I read a negative comment; to be honest, it pushes me back from updating! I've received quite a few and I don't want anymore! Thanks! Oh, and I don't know about you, but this Valentine's Day, I've felt utterly alone! Arg! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter - may your questions all be answered ;)
~ Lissa
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When I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong.
No, it wasn't because Cole was standing at my side, prepared to snatch me if I launched myself at his Alpha, Drew. It was because I felt amazing - I didn't feel the slightest amount of pain in my body; not from the mark on my neck or the bites from being mauled the day in the forest. What the hell? I thought, confused. Being mauled by Drew's pack members happened awhile ago, but there should've been some pain, whether it was stinging or soreness. In fact, from the past few days, all the soreness in my body was gone - my muscles were no longer complaining. I looked at Drew who was seated at the end of the bed, watching me with cautious eyes. When he noticed my confusion, he started rubbing my leg, hoping to keep me calm as I slowly started piecing things together.
I looked down at the leg he was rubbing; the same leg where a healing bite mark should've been, but there wasn't one. My eyes widened and I searched my arms for the multiple scratches and scraps, but there weren't any. "Nora. . ." The mention of my name caused me to grit my teeth together; what the f*ck happened? Hesitantly, I lifted my fingers to my neck where Drew's mark rested, surprised to feel the bandage gone.
And, his teeth marks.
Oh no.
"What the f*ck did you do!?" I screamed, suddenly lunging forward at him. Instantly, Cole's hands shot out, grabbing my shoulders and holding me back against the headrest. I squirmed in his grasp, glaring at Drew who pushed himself off the bed, stumbling a step away. His tired eyes widened at the murderous look on my face; knowing I was completely healed and bottled with energy made him aware of how dangerous I was. I scratched at Cole's hands, breathing heavily through my clenched teeth. "What did you do to me!?"
He held up his hands. "Nora, calm down."
"You dumba*s! You didn't - tell me you didn't!" I shouted, feeling his Beta's grip on me tighten. I looked at Cole with narrowed eyes, swinging my fist around towards his abdomen. Somehow, he managed to lean away while keeping his hold on me; nervously, he glanced at Drew, his blond curls falling into his hazel eyes. With a frustrated groan, I turned my attention back to Drew, p*ssed. "No! You didn't! Y-you couldn't have!"
"No, I didn't," he assured, nodding at me. "Please, just calm down and I'll explain."
"You didn't - "
"No, I didn't change you," he said, slowly approaching the bed. "You're still human, okay? If you calm down, I'll explain." He forced a grin, hesitantly taking a seat at the end of the bed. If he dared to touch me, I wasn't going to regret kicking him. Still confused, I took a deep breath, slowing down my hammering heart and pushing away the adrenaline from my frustration. Drew watched with caution, looking pleased when my body stopped shaking in anger. Though, Cole's hands remained on my arms, gripping tightly.
I frowned at him. "Get your f*cking hands off me."
"I'm following an order."
I snapped my head around, scowling at Drew. He ran his fingers through his hair, before hesitantly commanding, "Let her go." Reluctantly, Cole nodded and released me, stumbling away in fear of me lashing out at him. I watched him lean against the nearest wall, folding his arms across his chest, making his muscles bulge. Still prepared to protect his Alpha, he kept his eyes locked on me, watching for any twitch. Gritting my teeth together, I looked back at Drew, clenching my hands into fists in my lap. He bit his bottom lip, the bed squeaking beneath him. "Nora, you know a werewolf won't hesitate to protect their mate - I did exactly that."
"What. Did. You. Do?" I seethed, shaking my head.
"I don't know how it's possible, but over time, werewolves discovered a way to protect their mates," he started, scratching the back of his head. "A way to care for their mates. I was told that centuries ago, this way was used to prove to werewolves who they belonged with. I-I didn't think it would work because you're human, but it did."
"It shouldn't have worked on you," Cole spoke up, exhaling loudly. "So, there's another mystery added to the list of f*cked up things." Drew frowned at him, shaking his head; though, he didn't snap at him for interrupting his conversation with me.
"What shouldn't have worked on me?"
Drew looked at me. "You're going to be mad."
"Probably."
He shook his head. "Look, I didn't know what else to do, okay? The idea popped into my head and I didn't hesitate because there was a slight chance it could save you - it was all I could think of at the moment." He glanced at his Beta who nodded at him, encouraging him into continuing. Hesitantly, he looked back at me, before blurting, "I fed you my blood."
"Y-you what?" I sputtered, jerking back in surprise.
"A werewolf is capable of healing their mate with their blood," he explained, slowly. "My blood healed you, though I don't know how because you're human. But, only my blood is capable of healing you. All your injuries are gone, Nora. I took care of you. . ." Frozen in shock, I stared at him, dragging my tongue along my teeth, tasting the small metallic taste, though it wasn't as bitter as human blood. I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn't know what to say; what did you say to someone who saved your life with their blood? At the moment, I felt like a freaking vampire and as far as I was concerned, they didn't exist.
Cole cleared his throat. "What your mate is leaving out, is that this increased the bond between you two."
Drew scowled at him. "I was getting there."
Cole shrugged innocently, a small smirk dancing on his lips as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes. I watched as he lit a cigarette, shoving it between his lips - I nearly forgot he was addicted to cigarettes. I looked back at Drew, not entirely sure how I felt towards him. He saved my life, yet increased the bond between us. A part of me believed I should've been angrier than I was while the other part was thankful for him saving me. Frowning, I asked, "How can the bond be stronger? It was already strong as it was."
"Well, um, you'll feel a stronger pull to me," he answered, quietly.
I folded my arms across my chest. "What do you mean?"
"He means you'll want to touch him a lot," Cole said, a knowing smirk on his face. I knew what he meant and I didn't like it. I pressed my lips together in frustration as Drew whipped his head around with a growl, scowling at him. "Leave!" Cole bit his bottom lip and nodded, quickly leaving the room with puffs of smoke trailing behind him. No matter how close the two were, he still needed to follow his Alpha's orders. Exhaling loudly, Drew grabbed a handful of his hair, lightly pulling it to remind himself to stay calm. "I'm sorry, Nora. I-I didn't know what else to do and I knew that if I changed you, you'd hate me forever."
"You're right," I responded, nodding. "And, I'm not mad at you."
Shock appeared on his face; his jaw-dropped and his eyes widened. "You're n-not? I mean, I expected - "
"You saved me, okay? I'm not ready to die; I have people depending on me," I told him, a little harshly. "And, you could've changed me while I was unconscious, but you didn't. You know what? Lets just forget this ever happened." The words flew from my lips and I swung my legs over the side of the bed, rising to my feet. At first, the room started to turn, becoming a blur of colors. Noticing, Drew jumped to his feet, placing his hand on my lower back as I started to blink rapidly to clear my vision. When shapes started to appear, I stuttered, "I-I'm fine."
He frowned. "No, you're not."
"I'm fine," I urged, pushing away from him.
"Nora, we can't just forget about what happened," he said, watching me. "You almost died from a nightmare - do you not see how messed up that is?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You never want to talk about anything," he clarified, rolling his eyes. "What was the nightmare about, Nora? Please, don't lie to me; I hate it when you lie. You can trust me." I gulped loudly, seeing the guy's facing haunting me. His red eyes and dark hair; he could've made a little girl scream in fear with a simple nod, though I wasn't a little girl. I remembered seeing my mother in the nightmare, being abused, before disappearing off into the trees where I assumed she was murdered. Oh, and Caine who claimed I destroyed us all, which I didn't understand, considering I hadn't done anything. I mean, I didn't even speak!
"Nothing."
"Come on, don't shut me out," Drew said, taking a step towards me. "Talk to me, Nora."
"I'm not talking about it," I argued, glaring at him. He pressed his lips firmly together, obviously frustrated with me. Then, before I could react, his hand wrapped around my upper arm and he started dragging me towards the bathroom. "Hey! What the f*ck!?" He ignored me and flicked the light-switch; within seconds, the lights above flickered on. Swearing under his breath, he forced me to face the mirror, making me look at my nasty reflection. My hair was knotted and greasy, definitely needing washed. Dark circles rested underneath my eyes and smudges of dirt rested on my cheekbones.
But, what really stood out to me, was the t-shirt on me being ripped down the front, far enough down that I was able to see my bra. There, right below my collarbone - right where the man in my dreams touched me - was a mark. It was of a crescent moon; to be honest, it looked almost like a tattoo, just fainter. Shocked, I lightly touched it, afraid of it stinging, which it didn't. Drew spoke through gritted teeth, "Feel like talking now?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but I was lost with words.
I knew this mark.
I remembered seeing it in one of my father's books.
It was the mark of power.
* *
"Did you see God?" was the first thing Brody said to me as he greeted me in the kitchen, awkwardly pulling me into a hug. I flinched at his touch, but didn't push him away - before I started considering him a friend, I would've punched him in the throat for the action. He groaned, almost as if hugging me too tightly was causing him pain. His sister, Katie, stood by the refrigerator, smiling in relief at seeing me back on my feet. Like usual, she resembled a model with her long, blonde curls and fluttering eyelashes. She took a sip of her soda as Drew stepped into the kitchen, releasing a growl.
"Get your hands off her!" he snapped, his hands clenching into fists. Quickly, Brody pulled away, startled.
I rolled my eyes. "Calm your a*s, he was only giving me a hug." Katie bit her bottom lip, leaning back against a granite counter. Brody scratched his head, muttering an apology. I looked at him as Drew growled in warning. "And, as for your question: no, I didn't see God."
Drew frowned. "She didn't die, Brody."
"Almost," Brody countered, looking at me. "If you died, I think I would've died with you from grief. Seriously! A guy can't live without his homie, you know." I smiled at him, patting his shoulder. Drew scowled at how close I was with his pack member, though didn't say anything, knowing well enough that if he did, he was going to receive my rage. I took a deep breath, looking at him. After seeing the mark on my chest, I briefly described the nightmare to him. The only part I left out was Caine, considering he didn't need to know about him yet. Judging by his expression afterwards, he was happy that I was finally opening up to him a little, though angry about the unfamiliar guy who touched my chest.
"She wasn't going to die," Drew argued, walking towards me. "I wasn't going to let that happen. Never."
"What if your blood didn't work?" Brody asked, curiously. I pinched my lips together, a little embarrassed that his pack knew about that. I didn't like the idea of people knowing I drank his blood - completely gross. Drew placed his hand against my lower back and I gulped loudly at the sparks, which were much stronger than before. He released a growl, obviously not happy with the question. Eyes wide, Katie scrambled around the counter, grabbing her brother's arm. "Brody, drop it. You're making Alpha Drew angry."
"But - "
"Come on, I have some Skittles in my bedroom," Katie interrupted, forcing a grin. He gasped, a smile stretching onto his face. Then, he rushed out of the kitchen with his relieved sister trailing after him. I shook my head, knowing very well how much he loved his candy - he reminded me of a five-year-old. Drew exhaled loudly and I stepped away from his reach with a frown; I folded my arms across my chest.
"Why'd you tell everyone about . . .what happened?" I asked, seriously.
"Most of them were there to witness it, Nora," he answered, shrugging. "It's not a big deal; it just shows that I'm the only one who's capable of taking care of you."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, God."
"What?"
"You're being possessive," I told him, frowning. "'I'm the only one who's capable of taking care of you.'" I mimicked his words and he took a step towards me, his lips quirking upwards. "And, you freaked out when Brody was giving me a hug. Really? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't be so protective."
"I agreed to nothing," he responded, smirking. Standing in front of me, he watched as I thought back, remembering when we discussed this at the table. But, he was right - he never agreed to toning down the protectiveness. Sh*t, I thought, wondering how I allowed that to slip. With all these thoughts shooting through my head, I almost didn't notice him leaning closer. . . and closer. . . and closer. His smirk slowly disappeared as he became serious, his eyes softening. He watched my reaction, still a little cautious of me. His masculine smell overwhelmed me and I found myself losing my breath at how close he was.
When I felt his hot breath on my face, I snapped out of it.
No.
I took a step back, frowning. "Don't try that again."
"It's going to happen eventually," he said, a little frustrated.
"Not today."
I walked past him, our shoulders brushing, sending sparks through both of us. He whirled around, watching me head towards the entrance of the kitchen. "Well, then, I look forward to the day, sweetheart!"
I flipped him off.