ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ 7
___
"ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ɪᴛꜱ ᴏᴡɴ ᴅᴇᴘᴛʜ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ."
___
...Lucas
I pant as I shift mid-jump, running straight to the Pack hospital, past my trail of disaster. Now, like Carmen had said, I couldn't feel the pain anymore. Why I hadn't realized it before, must've been because of the depth of my thoughts and the longing ache and emptiness in my heart.
When I looked into her eyes, I instantly knew she was telling the truth. She never lied anyways. That's why I loved Carmen for who she was. My honest and caring big sister, despite our little disputes. Not that I didn't love my little brother either. Who knew I was capable of love after what I proved by hurting my mate, right? Whatever I had attempted to prove, hopefully worked because, I do actually love people and I do actually care for my mate too (shocker). The people I am close with, don't need the suffering I bring, and most of all, my mate. But it was necessary.
I skid to a stop in front of the hospital, shifting back and fishing out another pair of shorts, hidden in one of the branches of the trees above me. I break out into another suppressed smile when I remember me, my siblings and members of my Pack running around and hiding random articles of clothing around in my territory in case we forgot to bring them along or something.
After I slip the shorts on, I barge into the hospital and storm straight to the elevator, pushing the button to go up to the second floor. The corridors are deserted when I finally reach the floor where my mate had 'died', but I'm pretty sure anyone within a hundred kilometer radius can hear the whoops and screams from her room. I hope they didn't hear or see my uh issue outside. I had been quick to arrive here. Slamming the doors open, my eyes scan every face until they land on the one who was lying back on the hospital bed. All of the doctors immediately exit the room without questions, giving me and my mate some privacy.
"Melanie?" I ask quietly, my voice almost cracking at the end. I should never have treated her that way. But it had to be done. Now, she was safer.
Her head snaps to look at me, glaring at me with the typical fire she held within her green eyes. I hang my head in shame, the smell of her disappointment radiating off of her little figure. She was all skin and bones from the torture of not eating in the dungeons. The little hospital gown covered her front side when she made a move to stand up, but soon she realized that her back was completely bare since it had only been tied at the top. Who the fuck changed her?
Squealing, she looks up at me, both arms trying to cover her back before she winces. Chuckling softly, I grab the clothes that someone must have left for her on a chair beside the door and gently bring them to her. Yes, gently. She was hurting. And it was all my fault.
Melanie tries to thank me but no words come out of her mouth. Just sounds. She looks uncomfortable as I inch closer, confused. She won't try to talk any further. What have I done? Maybe she chooses not to talk. Or maybe it's because of the wound. The second option makes more sense. "Can-" I avert my gaze to my shoes and stop in my tracks. "Can you talk?"
Her scared eyes meet mine for a second and she rapidly shakes her head. No. She can't speak. Because of me, my mate has been forced to go silent. Will she ever be able to speak now? I can't even imagine the amount of pain I've inflicted on her. The scent of my sadness overcomes the scent of her fear.
Inhaling her scent, I make her a silent promise. She ignores my presence and swipes the clothes from me in one hand, and side steps around me, her back facing the wall as she shuffles towards the bathroom. I can hear her breathe a sigh of relief when she closes the door.
I grin to myself, despite the fact that my mate had basically ignored me and now, couldn't speak, striding to the small bed and plopping myself down on it. There were high chances of improvement with my upcoming dedication to her becoming healthy once more.
...Melanie
I groan softly when I notice that the bra was too big for me, the shirt super baggy, the underwear loose on me, and the pants unable to stay around my small, but still curvy waist. All of these clothes were according to my old sizes. A man, who looked strangely like Lucas, had brought them to me, saying they were his sister's and she had a stash of clothes nearby. He also informed me that she had the one who put the hospital gown on me when I had looked down at it in confusion.
I fold up my sleeves and the waistband of the jeans. When I had taken off my hospital gown, I wasn't shocked when I saw my ribs poking out, my arms and legs literally sticks that looked as if they could snap any moment. I had expected that.
What actually shocked me when I woke up, was the amount of doctors literally partying around me, their screams echoing through the hospital. Once my memory slowly came back, I gave them all a lopsided grin when I remembered that I had been on the brink of death. And they looked as if they were the ones who had saved me from being on the brink of death, which they probably were. Good for them. Even though I didn't really want to live anymore.
After being given a second chance at life, I came to the realization that I couldn't just give up on my family. And I definitely could never live with myself in death even, if I died and left my family and Lucas to deal with the pain. Even though he had hurt me beyond what felt like repair.
Combing my hair with the brush that had been in the small bag that someone had left for me wrapped in my clothes, I stare at myself in the mirror. My cheekbones jutted out slightly and my lips were a dark blood red, my skin extremely pale, my dark green eyes now as light as dry grass.
To be honest, I looked like a freaking vampire. Yeah, that different. Except for the eyes part. They weren't red. And I didn't feel the need to viciously murder people by sucking blood out of their bodies to satiate my cannibal-like tendencies. I mean, vampires basically ate from what was almost their own species.
After I'm done adjusting myself, I smile, satisfied of the work that I had accomplished. I almost looked like the girl that had to leave her house three months ago. Key word: almost. I was as thin as.... I don't even know where to start. I can't describe myself. That's how bad my situation was. Let me try to sum it up.
My eyes are ten shades lighter, my strawberry blonde hair is now a light red, and my skin is paler than a vampire's. And I have bandages wrapped around my wounded neck. Can't forget that. As much as I don't want to leave the confinement of the bathroom and go out to face my monstrous mate, I couldn't live in the same room as a toilet, especially with my enhanced sense of smell.
So, rapidly breathing in and out, I open the door and step out of the small room. Lucas is talking to my kind doctor, sitting on the bed that's still stained with my blood. His icy blue eyes snap to my previously forest green ones and he immediately stands up, dismissing the man and walking towards me. I almost cower away from him despite my natural instinct to curl up against him and instead, find myself leaning back into the door. He stops and frowns, eyebrows knitting together.
I'm not sure if I can talk. I tried before and it didn't work. Now, I don't trust my voice. It'd probably be extremely hoarse and painful seeing my neck was wounded so badly. I stop trying to form words with my mouth and avoid his intense gaze as my eyes roam over to the bags and bags of donated blood on the side. Were they part of the reason why I was here right now?
"I've missed you Melanie. I feel terrible for hurting you, mea lux." He starts, his smooth deep voice causing my legs to turn to jelly. It had been, well, never since I had heard his calming voice. His rudeness that he always used on and around me? I could live without that. "I'm sorry." Lucas steps closer to me and this time I don't flinch. He continues walking closer to me and wraps his arms around frail body in a somewhat tight embrace even though it wasn't what I wanted right now. Still, I realized, it was what we both needed.
I can't talk. I'm wounded. I just can't talk. It's physically impossible right now.
His soothing scent envelopes me and I involuntarily lean closer to him. My wolf hasn't spoken to me for an extremely long time. A whole three months now. I guess she felt partly responsible for the pain we were put through. She should've held herself back a little and tried to contain me like usual, just like I should've contained myself. However, it could've been the silver too.
Now that he knows I can't speak, he doesn't ask me anything and I like it that way. I like this comforting silence as we hug each other. Drifting away into my thoughts, I don't notice the wet patch that had been growing on my shirt where my mate's head was.
Was he crying? I push him away for a second and stare up into his face. Tears drop down from his saddened pale eyes. I quickly wipe them away, not liking his pain even though it couldn't even be an ounce of the pain I felt. Lucas grabs my hands and intertwines them with his larger ones. I didn't realize I was crying too until his soft finger brush away my tears.
"If you died, I would have literally gone out of my freaking mind." He whispers, burying his face into my neck and inhaling my scent. Another tear drops out of my eyes at his words. Did he actually care for me? After he literally killed me? Maybe there were other reasons for his actions than his heartlessness. He doesn't seem like such a tough guy anymore. Just another hurt person.
I back away from him, a couple paces anyway since I am now leaning against the wall. I was hyperventilating until he put his hand on my waist and pulled me closer again. I calm down at his touch, stupid Mate Bond, and glance up at him to see his pained expression. Waves of guilt flow through me and I bow my head in submission, for the first time since we've met. I suppose death does that to a person.
"I'm sorry, Melanie. I really am. Please forgive me?" His voice cracks again as he sobs in front of me. Guilt flows through me again and I nod slowly, offering a small smile as I pull him closer this time and wrap my arms around his waist. This Bond is making me go crazy and my thoughts go haywire.
I had almost broken him. My 'death' had caused the original, non-Alpha Lucas to come out, I think. My mate. This was my mate. Not the ruthless Alpha part he always displays.
"You want to go back home?" Lucas asks and I raise an eyebrow at him, knowing full well he would never let me go back to my home. He corrects himself, "To my house?" I hesitantly nod and he slips his hand into my mine, squeezing it slightly, the other hand of his wiping away my tears as I do the same for him with my other hand. I have nowhere else to go anyway.
His expression changes to a blank one, the Alpha side of him emerging as he drops my hand as if it burned him when we leave the room. Can't all Alphas be kind and filled with emotions, like my dad? There isn't anything wrong with that. Maybe it isn't just Lucas's Alpha side that's icy and mysterious. Maybe it's just the way he is and I'm chipping away at his cold exterior. Maybe that's why he's started showing me the real him. We walk, silently, down the corridor to the elevator. Whenever someone glanced towards us, Lucas would give them one warning growl.
I try to crane my head to peek at Lucas from the side of my eyes but it's difficult with the bandages wrapped around my neck. Since the wound was caused by silver chains, it would take some time to heal, even with my quick healing abilities and Alpha blood.
Once we exit the small building, Lucas walks a bit further ahead rather than beside me as if even our nearness burned him. I avert my gaze to the starry sky when my mate slips his shorts off. I hear the sounds of bones cracking and the bark of a wolf. I look back to where Lucas was to see a giant black wolf instead. Glancing quickly into its eyes, I recognize the icy blue eyes.
He crouches down in front of me, clearly wanting me to get on. Who knows where Celeste is or how long it will take for me to be able to shift again? What catches my attention is the fallen and clawed trees surrounding us. When Jake, my mate's wolf, sees what I'm looking at, he sends me a sheepish smile, as if suggesting it's his fault, and nudges my wobbling knees. It has been a while since I've stood and walked.
Sliding onto the large wolf's back, he stands up which causes me to clutch onto its black fur tightly. The ground seems to be a whole five feet under me as Lucas sprints through the woods. Minutes later, a small mansion-like comes into view with tall, marble pillars holding it up. Balconies litter the outside of probably the topmost floor, but not a single person is in sight.
Once we arrive in front of it, I slip off of Lucas, stumbling slightly, as I gape at the house. Lucas, the wolf, strides towards me, bones cracking as he shifts mid-step. I cover my eyes, even though I know a part of me might enjoy seeing the naked version of Lucas, I'm not really sure whether I'll be able to control my still-angered, hurting wolf.
I hear his soft chuckle. He slides his hands over mine and pulls them away from my face. "Look down." Instead of looking down, I look up. My mate chuckles again and grabs my chin, making me look into his deep blue eyes. "Look down." He says again. I obey and look down, breathing a sigh of relief when I see him wearing shorts, I let out a nervous little sound when I look back up, careful to notice his proximity.
Lucas raises his eyebrows but doesn't comment, instead moving even closer. That's probably the first real sound I've made since we left the hospital. He leans down, wrapping his arms around me as if some urge had taken over him. I lean forward as the Mate Bond demands and our lips meet, sparks igniting at the contact. My hands naturally fly up to his soft hair, tugging at the ends but my mind flies back to our first kiss and the circumstances at the time. This is so different.
He groans, trying to deepen the kiss. I moan unwillingly when he bites my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I pull away, panting, foreheads touching and then I step back, turning away. I offer him a small smile when he moves to stand in front of me, unsureness on his face, and he breaks out into a full blown grin. He intertwines our hands, despite my clear hesitation at his unusual behavior.
My mate had accepted me. The rumors weren't true.
The great Alpha Lucas was somehow falling for his damaged little mate with his own damaged mind and soul. But neither of them would realize that. Not until it was too late.
Send me your feedback! It would be greatly appreciated.
This whole book will be edited after I'm done writing it, even though I do go back every now and then to add/ remove stuff. SO, in the meantime, you guys can point out any mistakes or ask questions.
Thank you to for an amazing cover! I couldn't upload it into this chapter and I changed it a while ago but those who have seen it, know how good it was.
What's your opinion on this chapter?
COMMENT & VOTE & SHARE