The first thing I noticed was that I was naked. The second thing I noticed was that I was lying on a cool metal table, and the third thing I noticed was that bent over my midsection needle and thread in hand was a wolf I hadn't met yet.
"What the actual fuck is going on!?"
I tried to sit up but Kane's hands on my shoulders prevented the hasty movement.
"I told you she would wake up cussing. That's fifty bucks you owe me, Doc."
I glared up at the smug bastard above me. Here I am naked and full of holes, none of them natural, and he has the nerve to make jokes! He looked down at me with a smirk, but it wasn't humor that I saw in his eyes. That same wild anger he had shown in the forest was still simmering under the surface.
I didn't want anymore injuries, so I decided not to poke the beast, for now. I bit back another curse as the needle entered my skin. The clawed skin of my stomach was angry, and hot, and sensitive. Frankly I could relate, but I tried to clam my temper and take deep breaths. That turned out to be a mistake when my large inhale caused the skin to pull against the fresh stitches.
"Motherfucker! Your bedside manner is terrible, Doc. Don't you have any pain meds?"
I winced as the needle entered my skin again.
"Our metabolisms are too high. Pain medication would have to be continuously administered and even then the effects would be greatly diluted. Your body burns through it too quickly. But regardless you are almost finished; everything else is stitched. This is the last area. You shouldn't have run off and gotten yourself torn to pieces."
"They had Mia," the words came out as a snarl and I tried to control my anger. The doctor and Kane shared a quick look. He didn't say anything else while he finished my stitches and neither did I or Kane.
After what felt like ages the doctor bandaged the freshly stitched wounds and handed me a robe. I hastily shrugged it on trying not to catch it on any of my many bandages. When I was covered I hesitantly turned toward Kane. I had yet to pinpoint the cause of the tumultuous emotions I could see brewing behind his eyes.
"How is Mia?" I asked softly.
"She is fine. You saved her life," he clipped out.
"Why are you mad at me?"
Normally I had at least as passing idea of what I do to piss people off, Kane especially, but for the life of me I had no idea why he was angry.
"Why am I mad at you? I am not mad, Cassie. I am furious."
I felt the begging of the stirring warmth in my chest that meant anger, but I pushed it down. Kane was madder than I had ever seen him and I didn't need to add fuel to his blazing fire.
"Kane, whatever it is, I'm sorry."
Now he had me apologizing and I didn't even know what for!? Get a grip Cassie don't make it worse. He shot me a look that I couldn't decipher and stood a step toward me. The last time I had felt this much like prey was right after he kidnapped me.
I swallowed loudly and took a step back. The backs of my thighs brushed up against the cool metal table where I had been laying. Kane took two more steps and quickly grabbed me by the upper arm, his grip bruising. For one single second a different face flashed before me and a different hand held my arm. I don't know what Kane saw on my face, but he dropped my arm like it burned running an aggressive hand through his dark hair.
"Christ, Cassie," he growled at me
He was still furious, and I was getting impatient. We both knew he wasn't really going to hurt me. I paused at that thought, I didn't know why I was so confident that he wouldn't hurt me, but I knew it deep in my bones.
"Kane, just tell me what I did."
"What you did!? Are you insane. You really want to know why I'm so mad that I can't see straight?"
I nodded but kept my mouth shut. Guess an old dog can learn new tricks. He's right I am insane.
"I am mad at you because you are funny. I am mad at you because you are the strongest person I have ever met. I am mad at you because you are loyal and sarcastic; the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, and you challenge me like no one ever has. I am furious that you risked your life to chase after those two rogues to save my sister, that you were standing between her and death, barely hanging onto life yourself, with a snarl on your face. But I am seething with rage because when I looked around and couldn't find you, when I heard that fighting in the woods and knew it was you, I deserted my pack, my family, and ran after you without a second thought, because all I could think was that if they had laid a hand on you I would paint the earth with their blood. I am mad at you, Cassie, because the only unacceptable outcome to that fight, the only thing I could not face, was not reaching you in time."
The phrase stunned to silence never had any meaning to me until this moment. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, but before I could articulate any of the thousands of thoughts shooting around in my brain Kane turned on his heel and walked out. Slamming the door behind him. I sat back onto the metal table a shuddering breath leaking out of my parted lips.
I don't know exactly how long I saw there with my brain a raging sea of half finished thoughts, and disbelief. A hesitant knock on the door had my head shooting up in time to see Mia slowly creep in.
She didn't look nearly as bad as I did all things considered. Her arms were bandaged where the rogues had pulled her unconsciously through the woods. Her cuts and scrapes from being drug along the forest floor were already healed and it looked like she had had a shower. I looked down at myself in despair. I could really use one of those as covered in blood and dirt as I was.
"Hey," she said quietly drawing my attention back to her.
"God, Mia, I'm so glad you're okay!" At my relieved words she burst into tears and pulled me in for a hug.
"Cassie, I was so worried about you. You shouldn't have come after me like that what were you thinking. You could have been killed."
I pulled back to look her her, "So could you. Hell, who knows what they were going to do with you!"
I shuddered at the thought of her at the mercy of someone like Miguel. Mia wasn't a fighter, for being a werewolf she was surprisingly soft, she was good. I would have risked my life a hundred times over to keep her safe.
"Mia, what happened."
I listened quietly while she described the time between Kane and I leaving the house up until she was knocked unconscious.
"I don't understand, where did they all come from? And how did they know Kane was gone? And why did they try to take you?"
All I had were questions and no answers, and it was so frustrating I could scream. I couldn't help feeling like this was all my fault. They had to have been looking for me. What other reason could they possibly have for attacking the pack house like that. From what little information I had gleaned in my time here I didn't think this was typical rogue behavior. Mia all but confirmed it when she guiltily glanced up at me.
"I think they were looking for someone."
Well they sure as shit didn't find me because I was off traipsing through the woods with Kane while Mia was fighting for her life and- I took a deep breath. I needed to stay calm. the last thing I needed was a partial change.
"Holy fuck! Mia I changed!!"
In the chaos at the beginning, with the burning rage at seeing Mia hurt, and in the insane aftermath that had been the furthest thing from my mind. But I had finally done it! I had completed the change and I wasn't a werewolf's version of a freak of nature anymore. My smile dimmed when I met Mia's hesitant look.
"Cassie, uhm, how long did it take you to change?"
"Uh, I don't know. Thirty seconds? Forty-five? It didn't take me long to find you when it was over... why?"
"Well, are you sure it wasn't more like three or four minutes? Time is funny when you're high on adrenaline like that."
"No, Mia. I know how long it was while I changed. I practically counted the seconds that you were out of my sight. Why?" I asked again.
"It's just that... That's unheard of. The strongest wolves in the pack take at least two and a half to three minutes to complete the change. Kane has shaved it down to two minutes fifteen seconds and thats taken him years of practice. I don't think there is a wolf alive who can change as quickly as you did."
Of course. Of-fucking-course I could not even change correctly. What was my issue here. Why did I have to be some weird unheard of rogue female werewolf. It seemed like the universe was playing a sick joke here. All I wanted was a quiet normal life away from my abusive husband, but instead I got to be the werewolf version of a circus freak. I looked back at Mia.
"I need a drink."