But how do you expect me to live alone with just me. 'Cause my world revolves around you. It's so hard for me to breathe ≈ No Air, Jordin Sparks
I'm aware of the throbbing in my neck before I'm aware of the empty bed beside me. I'm then aware that I don't remember lying on a bed, before I remember exactly what happened.
An angry Kyle apparently results in a pain like I've never felt before. That's saying something considering I was blinded in an accident.
Everything feels a bit disoriented as I wake up more, unsure exactly what bed I'm in and where. Am I still at the Pack House? Is Kyle here somewhere? Do I even want to see him?
I have none of those answers.
I can feel my heartbeat thump in my neck, the blood rushing to the wound created by my Werewolf mate. I have no idea why he did what he did. It's probably some weird Werewolf thing they do.
I'm not a fan of it.
"Gemma?" I nod to show Michael I'm awake. The door squeaks as he opens it and enters the room. I think we're at my family's house, my old bedroom door always squeaked when opening. "How's your neck feeling?"
"Sore." I mumble.
Michael sighs before the bed dips beside me. I feel him sitting next to me, his eyes probably trained on the area above my collar bone.
"What happened?" I whisper as I lean against him and rest my head on his shoulder.
Michael sighs. "The mate bond is a very delicate thing, it's main purpose is to bring two mates together as quickly as possible. A part of that, is making sure two mates aren't apart for too long before they have fully mated, in order for them to grow closer and not away from each other. Kyle was away for too long, that's why you haven't been feeling well the last few days."
"Why would he leave for so long if he knew it was going to affect me like that?" I ask.
"I don't think he really thought it through, he left in such a rush and he didn't really know how long he was going to be gone for. That's something you'll need to ask him yourself because I'm not really sure."
"What actually happened? It felt like he bit my neck."
"He did. It's called Marking. It's part of the mating process. The male Werewolf bites the female's shoulder, it combines their scents and shows other Werewolves that the pair are mated. Kyle now smells like you, like a mated Werewolf, and you have a mark on your shoulder to show that you're mated." Michael explains, his voice flat.
"You don't sound too happy about all of this."
"It isn't supposed to be done without consent, especially not with a human mate. It causes you more pain. He didn't have enough control to stop himself or his Wolf. He's the Alpha, he's supposed to set an example to the Pack on how to treat mates, not hurt his more and more with his actions."
We sit in silence for a second, I'm not sure exactly what to say. I've never even heard of Marking and now apparently I've been marked. "So, what does this mean now?"
"It means you're officially the Luna of Kyle's Pack. It also means he has a whole Pack that witnessed what happened and are royally pissed off at him for what he did."
"Why would they be mad at him?"
Mikey pauses for a second before answering. "The Luna is looked up to almost more than the Alpha, especially in our Pack. Kyle is an amazing Alpha, but the Luna is the one who grounds him and keeps him in line when others can't. On top of that, you're human so everyone's instincts to protect you are stronger, add to that you being blind and the Pack can't stand the thought of anyone hurting you. The last person that should hurt you is Kyle, yet here we are."
I nod, not completely understanding Werewolves and all their 'instincts' but accepting them anyway. "Where is he now?"
"Downstairs getting his ear chewed off by Noah and Stacy for what he did."
"Wait he's here?"
"He isn't coming up and he isn't seeing you. No one is being very nice to him at the moment. The only reason he even came into the house was because his Wolf almost took over, again." Michael tells me.
"Are we at my family's house?"
"We are."
"And Kyle's downstairs?"
"He is worried, Gem. He knows he just stuffed everything up and he knows you're going to be mad at him, but it still hurts to be away from you. Now that you have been marked, you will start feeling the mate bond more. If the circumstances were different, it would be a happy thing."
I just stay quiet, letting myself get used to all of this. I'm now 'marked' as Kyles, against my will, and I still don't know where Kyle went or why he was gone so long..
"So I guess if I ask to see him, you'll say no?" This catches Michael by surprise. He thinks I'm going to just fall into Kyle's arms the second I hear his voice, boy is he wrong. "I just want to talk to him. I think he owes me a few explanations." I add on quickly.
"I guess. But I swear to God if I hear you say anything along the lines of forgiving him, I'm throwing him out the window."
I laugh, because I know for a fact that Kyle is listening. It's not long until Kyle comes up, Michael leaves, and I'm left in silence. I don't know how to do this. I don't want to fight with Kyle, but I need answers, and it's pretty clear he isn't going to give them to me anytime soon.
"I'm so so-" He starts to apologise, but I don't think I can hold my ground very long if he starts begging.
"Where did you go?" I cut in.
"What do you mean? I went to see another Alpha, at another Pack."
My gut tells me that that isn't the whole truth. With everything that has happened the last few days, it just feels like he's lying to me. I can't shake the feeling, nothing he says makes it go away. He's lying to me.
"You were the one who told my family that they couldn't keep secrets from me because of my disability. You were the one who was completely honest with me from the start, who made sure he was up front and didn't lie to me. Don't start now, just be up front with me and tell me the truth."
"I did go to another Pack, but I didn't go to see their Alpha." Apparently guilt tripping him works. "I went to see their Pack Doctor."
I frown. This is the big secret? This is what he didn't want me to know? Bullshit. "So why keep it from me?"
"It wasn't just any Doctor. I went there for a reason. It's Dr. Collins."
I suck in a breath. He didn't.
"The doctor who treated you after the accident." Kyle admits.
HE DID!
Fury runs through my veins. I can't believe this.
Dr. Sandra Collins - apparently a Pack Doctor - was our family doctor, which now makes a lot more sense since she was probably the doctor of my family's old Pack. After the accident, she is the only Doctor I went to for a while, and the only one I trusted.
"Why?" I ask, my voice shaky and unstable.
"I just wanted answers, Gem. You don't talk about it much and I didn't want to upset you by bringing it all up. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to-"
"To what? Fix me?"
"No! That's not what I meant or what I was going to say. I just wanted to try and help, I don't think you need fixing Gemma." His voice sounds sincere, I wish I could see if his eyes reflect the same thing.
"Kyle, you seriously should have just talked to me. I would have told you about going to different doctors all over the country, all of them confirming that there was nothing they could do, but they still recommended me to another doctor. I've seen 8 different people about my eyesight, all of which told me the same thing. There isn't a chance, and there never will be. I'm blind, and there is nothing you or me or any doctor can do about it."
I'm crying now, I can feel the wet tears rolling down my cheek, the salty liquid tasting bitter on my tongue.
I hear Kyle walking closer, and if it were twenty minutes ago, I would've pushed him away and told him to piss off.
That's exactly what I'm about to do when I hear him sniff.
"Kyle." I wipe my eyes as he pulls me into his warm embrace.
The whole time I have known my mate it has always been Kyle holding me up and keeping me strong. I was always breaking down and needing the comfort but I never once considered that it would be equally hard on him, watching me suffer and knowing he can't stop it.
So now it's my turn to be strong for my mate, and Kyle's time to break down. It's time for the roles to reverse.
"I'm still mad at you. That isn't going to change for a while." I whisper softly as Kyle lies me down next to him.
He's crying silently, and I gently wipe the tears away and look up at where - hopefully - his face is.
"I know. I was stupid and lost control and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, Angel. But, for now, please just lie next to me. We don't have to do anything else, just lie here."
So we do, we lie next to each other and I hold him while he cries. He cries for both of us, knowing that I will never see his face and he can never destroy the darkness that traps me twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.