I watched out the window as the sun began to rise, causing golden light to shine through the glass and reflect throughout the room.
I had spent all day and night in Theo's room, only popping out to go to the bathroom or to grab a snack. Logan had come and sat with me for a little bit, but he had errands to run, and needed to get everything prepared for tomorrow.
My heart rate quickened at the thought of The Whipping, and I ran my hands down my face, closing my eyes and sighing, an overwhelming feeling of anxiety building up inside of me.
I gazed at Theo, who was still motionless, his chest barely moving up and down as he took in small laboured breaths. I turned my head as the click of the door echoed throughout the room, seeing the doctor enter, smiling at me sadly.
"He still hasn't woken up," I stated, studying the doctor's eyes as her eyebrows furrowed.
"His body needs time. He was as close to death as you can get."
I shook my head, closing my eyes for a few seconds, taking in deep breaths. "Is he ever going to wake up?"
The doctor gazed at me, her face turning blank as she stood there; her mouth set in a firm line. "I wouldn't be able to tell you."
I nodded, understanding that she didn't want to give me any false hope. There was a part of me that just didn't want to accept that Theo may be gone, but I knew the sooner I came to the realisation that it could be a possibility, the better.
"Thank you," I mumbled as I exited the room, making my way out of the hospital, towards Jordan's house. I plodded down the path slowly, taking in the crisp autumnal morning air, allowing it to enter my lungs and almost cleanse my body.
The village was quiet, and I knew there wouldn't be much trading today. People knew The Whipping was happening, and most people would be wanting to come and watch.
I didn't doubt some would already be at the clearing, wanting to save a space so they had the best view of all the action.
I shivered at the thought, remembering the searing pain from the whip as it met my flesh, causing my heart to pick up speed.
I pushed the awful memory back down as I reached the front door, quickly making my way up the wide marble steps and into the bathroom. I stripped of my dirty clothes and hopped in the shower, lathering the shampoo into my hair.
The steamy hot water soothed my skin, relaxing my tense muscles, sending me into bliss.
Once I was finished, I wrapped myself in a fluffy towel, brushed my teeth, and made my way into the bedroom, fumbling around in the chest of drawers full of clothes that Heather had gifted to me.
I settled on a white knitted sweatshirt and black jeans, having to roll the bottom of the jeans up multiple times due to Heather's tall stature.
I decided against breakfast, knowing my stomach wouldn't be able to handle it, and pushed the front door open, only to see Logan walking up the path, smiling at me.
He pulled me into a hug, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head, his arms embracing me tightly, sending tingles to spread throughout my body.
I pulled back, analysing Logan's tense face, knowing he was as nervous as I was.
"Eliza, I'm still not sure you should come. I don't know if you'll be able to handle seeing your pack." he said, grabbing my arm softly.
I swallowed nervously, shaking my head. "Logan, I'm coming."
"I don't want you to," he whispered, staring at me, his grip on my arm tightening slightly, looking between the door to the house and me.
I shook my head, growling lowly under my breath. "Don't do it."
"I'm sorry, I can't risk you volunteering," mumbled my mate, quickly picking me up and hoisting me over his shoulder, walking me back into the house. I pounded on his back, yelling, attempting to wriggle out of his grasp.
"Logan, let go of me! You can't do this!"
"Eliza, please stop," pleaded Logan as he walked me into the study, settling me down on the couch and planting a soft kiss on my head, his mouth set in a firm line. "I'll be back soon."
I yelled as Logan shut the door quickly behind him, ensuring it was locked before I had a chance to slip out. "Logan, come back and open this door! I swear to God!"
I threw myself against the door, growling at it when it didn't budge. "I'm just going to shift and break it down!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a voice from the other side of the door. "We've been told to watch you, and if you leave the room, we've been given permission to stop you."
I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief that Logan had locked me away with guards at the door. He was never going to let me attend The Whipping.
I growled out in frustration, quickly searching the room for anything I could use that would help me, huffing to myself when I found nothing.
Throwing open the draws, I pulled out all of the documents, sifting through everything to see if there was anything hiding that could be used.
Eventually, I gave up, dropping my head and sliding down the door until I hit the bottom of it. Because I wouldn't be there, someone from my pack was going to be chosen at random and be whipped, possibly to their death.
I had told myself I wasn't going to let this happen, but I had failed.
Yelling, I picked up the desk chair, throwing it across the room, watching it with satisfaction as it landed in a heap on the other side of the room, the wall now with a large dent in it.
Eyeing up the chair, I picked it up yet again, glaring down through the window, analysing the drop.
Without warning, I threw it at the glass, shattering it instantly, the sound deafening, shards flying in every direction, some grazing my skin.
I quickly grabbed Theo's hoodie that was draped over the leather couch, jumping from the window ledge, landing on the grass with a loud thud, my side burning from the impact.
"What the hell are you doing?" yelled one of the guards from above me, glaring at me with dark eyes.
Inhaling sharply, I picked myself up off the ground and sprinted across the clearing towards the tree line, shifting into my grey wolf and making my way into the trees, hoping to disappear.
I swivelled throughout the forest, taking different twists and turns to avoid being caught, and once I eventually reached other people, I shifted, pulling the oversized over my body, lifting the hood up, attempting to blend in, my heart racing.
I gazed to my side as I stepped through the shrubs, into the forest, and I could see multiple pack members all on their way to the clearing, clearly not wanting to miss the intriguing event.
They wanted to see who their Luna would be, I understood that, but I couldn't help but wonder if they all thought that this tradition was as barbaric as other packs did.
We marched through the trees, trying to control my breathing as we walked, stopping myself from hyperventilating.
Adrenaline was wracking my body, sending copious amounts of energy surging through me, making me want to just scream out in frustration.
I watched multiple pack members rush past me, giggling in excitement, sending shivers to run through my body. It angered me, knowing that they felt nothing for what was about to happen, to them, it seemed like some cheap entertainment.
I trembled as I stepped over logs and small rivers, my mind wandering to my Mother and Father who I hadn't seen in what felt like forever. I felt guilt swallow me up, knowing I had almost died and they had no idea.
I wanted to see them, and I wanted to let them know I understood why they felt the way they did. They loved me and I loved them, and I didn't want to not have them in my life.
I wanted them to learn to love Logan, just like I did, but I was afraid it would never happen. They seemed to have made up their minds.
After about ten minutes of fast paced walking and allowing my mind to reach the darkest places, the trees finally began to appear more scattered and spaced apart, signalling to me that an opening was coming up.
I could hear the noise of the crowd; chattering filling the air, hitting my ear drums.
I rubbed my sweaty palms together, shakily exhaling as I rounded the final tree, stepping out into the large opening.
The crowd was large, making me feel even more anxious, knowing what I was about to do in just a few moments.
I ducked behind a large group of people, trying to become invisible, blending in with the crowd. I knew most people would be too focused on what was going on in the middle of the circle, but I didn't want to be spotted until it was time.
I stepped to the back of the crowd, allowing people to step in front of me to get a better view, keeping right to the back, a meter or so away.
I quickly scanned a part of the crowd, looking for anyone that I recognised, but I couldn't see over anyone's shoulders.
However, I knew seeing my parents or James right now probably wouldn't be ideal. I didn't want to cause a scene.
"Is everybody here?"
My head snapped up at the sound of Logan's voice; the crowd turning dead silent.
"I want to thank everyone for being here today. I understand there was a little confusion with the last event, but this one has been organised immaculately and everything will be going to plan today. I'm sure everyone is very aware of the rules, so I would like all volunteers to please make their way into the middle of the circle."
I pulled my hood down, taking a deep breath, preparing myself, but right before I could take a step forwards, an iron grip locked itself around my waist, yanking me back.
"We have this place surrounded. Don't make a sound or we will kill everyone you've ever cared about," whispered an icy voice in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
Suddenly, a hand covered my mouth, pushing down with force, causing my teeth to press against my lips painfully.
I was then dragged backwards, leaving me trying to kick backwards uselessly, knowing that my faint muffled cries couldn't be heard over Logan's booming microphone.
I turned in my attackers' arms, twisting in order to see his face, but he tightened his grip on me, shaking me like a rag doll, keeping my back to his chest.
As I was dragged deep into the trees and round a few corners, my muffled cries only getting quieter until I gave up, knowing there was no way I would be heard from where I was.
My attacker span me around, gripping onto me by my neck as he aggressively kicked at a pile of leaves on the ground, uncovering a small wooden door. He quickly flipped it open, glaring at me with deep brown eyes, forcing me down first so I couldn't run.
He pushed down on my shoulders painfully, urging me to climb down the ladder in the small tunnel quicker, but I slipped, falling a few meters and landing on the dirty ground.
I took in a few deep breaths as I lay there, clutching at my side which I was certain was now horrendously bruised. My attacker yanked me up, pulling a flashlight out of his back pocket, pushing me forward.
I grimaced as the smell of blood and grime wafted up my nose, slightly burning it, causing me to scrunch it up.
I slowly plodded my way through the tunnel, walking past multiple openings, trying to peer into the large rooms, only to be jabbed harshly by the man behind me, ordering me to not look, only making me more curious as to what was in them.
Suddenly, I was yanked to a stop, and my attacker pointed towards one of the rooms, causing my heart to race. I didn't know what he was going to do to me, but I knew if we were underground, it wasn't going to be good.
I stepped into the dimly light room, gazing around at the concrete walls and rusty cells before I was grabbed and pushed into one of the cells, sending me skidding across the floor and hitting the back of the cell wall with a thud.
I clutched my throbbing head and gazed forward to see the cell door being slammed shut.
"What are you doing?!" I screamed as I gripped onto the cell bars, doing my best to shake them, but they didn't budge.
"Oh, would you stop yelling?"
I looked around to see where the aggravated voice had come from, only to see a tall dark haired woman walking into the room, a smug look plastered on her face. I squinted at her, trying to get a clear view of her face.
The long dark hair.
The freckles.
The blue eyes.
"I know you," I mumbled to myself as I studied the woman in front of me, furrowing my brows in confusion.
She laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think you do sweetie."
"Yes, I do," I answered, wracking my brain for any memory of this woman. I knew her from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it, and it was messing with my head.
"Just be quiet," she growled, moving closer to the bars, allowing me to get a full view of all her features.
"Joanna...?" I whispered, my eyes widening and my mouth hanging open.
"Smart girl," she sneered, chuckling to herself.
"What am I doing here?" I growled, getting frustrated with Joanna's cocky demeanour.
"That's a great question, but why don't you ask the person who's fault it is you're in this cell right now?" she replied, signalling at someone I couldn't see to enter the room.
I peered around the corner, my eyes widening when the person stepped into the room, their full form coming into view.
I was frozen in place as I stared in shock at the person in front of me...
The person who I was least expecting...
..........................................................................
In case anyone had forgotten, Joanna is Jordan's ex girlfriend and Jordan left her when he found his mate, Emily.