Dedicated To: AqsarniqNeovean for the BEAUTIFUL cover/banner that she made for me.
There's a lot of re-readers and I'm amazed that y'all are going through this story again! It makes me smile to know y'all are there. And all the new readers are amazing as well, of course. Yalls comments also bring a smile to my laugh :) JUST A WARNING for those of you wondering, you don't know Snowflake's name yet but that was done on purpose. You'll learn it ;)
Chapter Twenty Five
Pain is something that is accustomed for everyone, whether it be emotional or physical. It's that incommunicable, nondescript feeling that demands your full, undivided attention, no matter how small. Pain can be felt as a subtle flicker, or it can be felt as a raging, never-ending wave. It can go away after a few moments, disappearing until a later event. Or, Pain can stay, slamming and piercing a person's mind and body until they give in. It can linger in the depths, haunting its victims for a lifetime. Pain is a wide, vast feeling that is feared by most, whether they choose to admit so or not.
I thought I had reached the highest points of pain, both emotional and physical, in my lifespan. I had dealt with more than enough pain for one person, one who hadn't done anything particularly dreadful in her life. Emotionally, I had dealt with my heart-broken, crazed mother and the passing grief-stricken, sorrow-filled father, all of which I had face within a day. Physically, I had dealt with an emotionless, hopeless, and broken wolf from which I had a permanent scar on my neck. With these each taken under consideration, I thought my long-term pain was over and done with. Yet, Pain hadn't finished its course in my life. It had just begun leaving its mark.
Had I thought it through or been just a tad more selfish and rushed to the opposite side of the room, I may have been able to walk out by myself with damaged and ringing eardrums. Had I cared a little more about my own well-being, it would have been me who received the information that the other victim of the blast wasn't likely to make it, not Kendall. Had I not protected Kendall like I was supposed to, it would have been me who broke down when I was finally alone, crying and breaking anything I could get my hands on. But I had made my decision, and it was Kendall who was told the news and who broke down, not me.
So it was I who was rushed into the hospital and a surgery room for one too many hours as they attempted to stitch and glue me back together. It was I who lay helpless and unconscious in a stiff hospital bed, my healing abilities practically useless given I couldn't shift. It was me that the tubes were hooked up to, slipping in and out of my body, feeding and breathing for me. It was I who resembled a fragile, porcelain doll. It was also I who had an 18.07 percent chance of surviving.
It's amazing how such a small action had the opportunity to end your life. It was as if Opportunity made a deal with Pain to affect not just me, but Kendall also. I may have been the one who was encased in a ball of relentless fire, but Kendall had been placed in his own version of hell.
Kendall had been diagnosed as healthy, excluding the temporary injury to his eardrums which would last for a week or so. He'd been able to walk out of the conference room on his own, but he'd been in shock at the sight of my body covered with varying degrees of burns. The guards who had been nearby when the explosive went off had to drag Kendall out.
His family was contacted shortly after, along with my mother who wasn't able to be found. They said the house looked as if it had been vacated completely. Kendall's parents and brothers were staying in the palace for a little while, but he refused to be comforted by them. When he wasn't in the hospital with me, he was in his locked office, drinking and working his worries away. It was so bad that they had to force him to eat and when they did, crushed sleeping pills were slipped into his food. Even Lex, the only person he would vaguely talk to, couldn't get through to Kendall.
All the guards, every single one of them, had been fired for their incompetence. Within two days, they were replaced with highly trained men, each of whom were threatened by Kendall himself. The quantity of guards was also doubled to the point that you couldn't go anywhere in the palace without running into at least two of them.
Security had also been tightened. There were background checks done for everyone, which resulted in several servants being fired for unknown reasons. Now, no one could get within the palace walls without a thorough body check done by five different guards, a complete search through your items along with a series of questions about each, and a sniff search for you and your items done by three different werewolves. The whole process was tedious, but necessary in my eyes.
With hundreds of people walking and running throughout the palace, it was expected that as least one person would have seen someone setting up the explosive. However, when everyone was asked about it, no one had an answer. Someone in the palace was lying and remaining quiet out of fear or for some unknown reason. Kendall had been furious enough to threaten to close the palace, which would result in hundreds of people without a home or job. The threat had been empty and not enough to make the person come forward.
Connor Chaney, the man Kendall had been expecting to see, was eliminated as the creator of the explosive. He hadn't been in the palace at the time nor anywhere near it. The reason for his visit was to inform Kendall he was dying. He had made Kendall the sole owner of all his land in the will. In trade, he wanted Kendall to have him buried near the palace and remembered for his generous gift, which Kendall agreed to.
The chef, whose name was Alex, informed Kendall of the werewolf I'd seen. There was a search for him, but he wasn't found. Kendall then decided to give a bountiful reward to anyone who could find him.
I knew all of this because I'd become part of the 18.07 percent that survived. Everyone had been surprised, most of all my doctors. They had told everyone I was a fighter and that someone had to have been watching over me for such a miracle to happen.
Shortly after, I was placed in physical therapy where I shifted numerous times in order to completely heal my body. The damn place was a hell on earth. No matter how many times I begged, cried, or tried attacking them, they wouldn't let me stop. I had blacked out twice from their "exercises" until they finally decided it was time to stop them. Now, they gave me human exercises that did little to nothing for me. But I refused to tell them.
I now had burn scars to match the scar on my neck. If I wore long shirts and pants, then they weren't visible. The doctor told me I should just be grateful I hadn't lost any ability to function properly. And I truly was grateful for that.
Kendall had supposedly been there when I first woke up, but I don't remember seeing him. But then again, I don't remember when I first woke up. What I do know is that since then, Kendall hasn't visited, and I hadn't seen him. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Luckily, I had his brothers, Lex, and Raelynn to keep my mind from wandering towards the subject.
Currently, it was Lex's turn to become my source of entertainment. He was telling me about his childhood and the crazy things he, Raelynn, and Kendall used to do. My favorite was the time Kendall and Raelynn had dared Lex to provoke one of the guard dogs. Lex had snorted, claiming he could do so in his sleep. The snarl Lex received in return made him in need of a new pair of underwear.
I wasn't able to talk just yet as when I'd first tried to, the numb pain had rapidly sharpened, and my eyes had started to tear up. So the doctor gave me a notepad and pen to use for communication means for now.
What about the bet? I tried writing, but it was still hard to properly hold the pen, so I was sure it didn't read near as well as I hoped.
I handed the pad to Lex who gave my handwriting a puzzled look before he scratched the back of his head and said, "I hate to be the one to inform you, but your handwriting is horrible. If you're creating your own, secretive language, then you're doing a wonderful job because I can't read a damn thing!"
I just glared at him, willing to give anything just for the chance to snap at Lex. He would be second on my list for revenge, Calyx easily being crowned first. The boy had the nerve to spend his time with me "testing out his new pickup lines." Afterward, he decided there was no need for them as his looks alone could seduce a girl into his bed. Calyx's head was so far up his own ass that he didn't even realize it.
Lex laughed, amusement in his eyes. "Have something to say, wolfette? Bark once for yes," he said before laughing at his own joke when I didn't. I only flipped him off, plotting my revenge with care.
Fortunately, Raelynn walked into the room, smiling and planting a sweet kiss on Lex's cheek. Lex's eyes softened in reply, and I found myself looking away. I missed that, having someone who blindly adored me. I'd had it once, but we'd both slowly drifted our own ways. So now, the closest thing I had was Kendall who couldn't even pay me a visit.
"What did you do to her? Did you make the poor girl sad?" Raelynn asked with a frown, her voice conveying her disapproval.
Lex glanced at me, looking panicked. "What? No! We were joking before you came in. Don't you dare tell Kendall; you know he'll have my ass," Lex said rather quickly, and Raelynn slowly raised one groomed eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" She said, and I wanted to laugh at the way Lex blushed and bowed his head. It seemed as if Lex had his weakness.
"I'm sorry, darling; will you forgive me?" Lex asked, and I could tell by the look in Raelynn's eyes that he was already forgiven.
"Let me see that," Raelynn said with a sigh as she grabbed the notepad from Lex's hands.
"Good luck," Lex grumbled under his breath, grinning when he caught my deadly glare.
Raelynn studied the writing before she slowly said, "What about the bet? What bet?" She was now looking as Lex whose smile had grown sheepish.
"Please tell me it doesn't involve Kendall," she warned, her eyes narrowing at her partner.
"Well . . ." Lex said, peeking up at Raelynn who threw her hands up in angry annoyance.
"You told me that you two stopped with your crazy antics!" She yelled, and I just continued watching them. They were like some sort of soap opera that you made fun but could never get enough of.
"Aww, come on, Rae. You used to be right there with us," Lex exclaimed, trying to defend himself, both of us knowing he had failed miserably. He was wrapped around Raelynn's finger so tightly that he would never be able to win an argument without telling her he was wrong right away.
"But I'm not, which is the point. I quit long ago like you promised to do when we got together," Raelynn scolded, and Lex grinned back at her, pulling her closer to him.
"I promise that was the last time," Lex murmured, causing Raelynn to roll her eyes and smile.
"It'd better be," she replied and pressed her lips to Lex's. I frowned at them, tapping on the bed rail, catching both of their attentions. They were going from cute to disgustingly sweet fast.
"Alright, tell your story Lexy," Raelynn said, finding a chair to sit in as my eyes lit up. Lex was blushing at the nickname, and I held out my hand for the notepad, a mischievous smile on my face.
"Do you want to hear the story or not?" Lex snapped, glaring at me. I reluctantly crossed my arms and nodded, pleased I knew just how to get under his skin. It would come into great use the second I was able to talk.
"Kendall had discussed his plans for his own Protector, and I'd called him crazy," Lex began, all attention on him.
"He, of course, ignored me, telling me that there was no problem with his plan, only one with modern society. So he continued with his search, nitpicking over every small detail. One was too large and another's fur wasn't white enough. Kendall wanted the Protector he had envisioned, and we all know Kendall's standards are well above average.
Anyways, Kendall was tired of coming up empty-handed. He was beginning to doubt himself and more than anything, Kendall hates being wrong. So Kendall decided to take a break and prove someone other than himself wrong. That's when the bastard invited me over.
I knew something was up the second Kendall asked me if I wanted something to drink. Kendall isn't a drinker usually, but the man knows his alcohol. He calls it a form of art. But I knew something was going to happen because Kendall doesn't share his collection of alcohol. It just sits in his office or a room for display.
That's when Kendall bet me. He'd just finished assigning a guard dog to each of his guards, which finished the upgrade for his security. However, he had yet to test it. When he'd first thought of it, I'd told him that it was only a waste of money. So naturally, he thought I should be the one to test it.
The agreement was that I would run through his palace wearing a mask and carrying a gun. I could tell people it was me, but I couldn't take off my mask or prove it in any way. If I could make it to Kendall's office, he would owe me a favor, redeemable at any time. If I couldn't, then it was vice versa.
Now, had the security been like it is currently, I would've never agreed. I can't even get through without practically being stripped naked, and I'm Kendall's best friend. But I knew his old security was horrid, so I agreed without hesitation," Lex suddenly stopped, a grin on his face as he recalled the details.
"And then?" Raelynn asked, not amused with the whole story. Personally, I found the whole story very entertaining since I knew Lex didn't make it, which meant he had gotten his ass kicked somewhere along the way.
"And then I almost made it. I don't know how, but I did. I had just reached the half-way point when they released five of those guard dogs. Needless to say, I ran like hell the rest of the way. I thought if I made it to Kendall's office, he would call them off. Of course, I didn't make it that far."
Raelynn's eyes suddenly narrowed as she asked, "The bite on your leg?" causing Lex to give her a nervous laugh in return.
"One of the wolves got to me and decided to see how I tasted. Luckily, Kendall's ass was waiting nearby and stopped them before the other four could reach me. I'll never forget the arrogant smirk he wore after."
By the end, Raelynn had laughed, saying Lex deserved the bite for his constant stupidity. Raelynn knew Kendall didn't make bets he wasn't sure he could win, and Lex knew so too but continued betting Kendall. He was waiting for the day he was given the chance to prove Kendall wrong, which didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
Lex and Raelynn left soon after and I stayed up, fighting the meds like I did each day. I waited, hoping he would show up. I didn't care if it was only for a minute; I would take what I could.
I waited patiently for the rest of the day but fell asleep with disappointment and sorrow once again.