OUT COLD

Jemima’s POV

The world came back to me slowly at first. It was blurry images, muffled sounds, and a heavy, almost pain going through my whole body. Then, all at once, I felt something, as if someone was tugging my eyes open, or begging me to open my eyes. I couldn’t really tell. But my eyes shot open, my senses returning in sharp snippets it was almost too much to take in at once.

I was moving. No, I was bouncing. My body rising and falling in an uneven motion, like I was being carried.

What the hell?

The morning light filtered in through the trees, casting a bright glow on everything. It took me a second to realize I wasn’t on the ground. I was suspended. My heart raced as I looked down and saw the broad shoulders under me. Adrian.

I was on Adrian’s back.

It wasn’t just that realization that shocked me, it was the fact that I was clothed, too. My cheeks heated up immediately on its own accord, but I pushed the embarrassment aside.

“Adrian,” I said through the mind link, my voice sharp and urgent. “What’s going on?”

I felt him breathe a sigh of relief, as if he had been waiting for me to wake up all this while, but he didn’t answer right away. I could feel the tension in his body, his muscles tight, his focus sharp on the path ahead.

“Adrian,” I said, louder this time. “Talk to me.”

“You need to rest, Jem,” he replied finally, his voice calm but firm. “Just rest. Everything’s fine.”

“Fine?” I scoffed. “I wake up on your back, and I’m just supposed to believe everything’s fine? Tell me what happened. What happened to the pack? To the fight?”

Adrian sighed loudly, shifting my weight slightly as he walked. “The fight is over. We won. That’s all you need to know right now.”

“That’s all I need to know?” I snapped. “I faint, and the next thing I know, you’re carrying me on your back like a huge sack of potatoes, and you think I’m just going to let it go?”

“Jemima—”

“Don’t ‘Jemima me,” I interrupted. “What’s going on?”

I could feel his frustration building, but I didn’t care. I needed answers.

“The rival pack has retreated,” he said finally. “We can’t find Garret. Kanon and some others have gone in search of him. I almost went with them but came changed my mind when you called my name.” He paused for a moment. “You collapsed, and we couldn’t risk staying in the forest any longer. We’re taking you back to the pack house.”

“And you just decided to carry me like this? Without telling me anything?”

“You were unconscious,” he replied as if I was dumb. “What was I supposed to do, leave you there?”

I sighed, my body and my weight feeling too much against him. I mean he just fought in a war too. But okay, fine, he had a point. But that didn’t mean I liked being left in the dark.

“Put me down,” I said firmly.

“No.”

“Adrian.”

“You’re not steady enough yet,” he argued. “You need to rest. Let me take care of this.”

“I can walk.”

“I’m sure you think you can, but—”

Before he could finish, I used my power to push myself off his back, landing almost staggering on my feet behind him. My legs jittered slightly, but I straightened quickly, placing my legs firmly on the ground.

Adrian turned, his face a mix of annoyance and concern. “What the hell, Jasmine?”

I met his eyes at the same level, crossing my arms over my chest. “I told you I could walk.”

“What has come over you?” he asked, his voice low and questioning.

“What has come over me?” I said, my tone rising. “Maybe it’s the fact that I was unconscious for who knows how long, and no one thought to explain what the hell happened! Maybe it’s the fact that you’re acting like I’m some fragile thing that needs to be kept in store for what I don’t even know!”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, both of us didn’t say anything. I honestly didn’t know why I was so angry or what came over me to shout and raise my voice like that. But there was no going back now. 

The others, that were just walking quietly behind us, slowed sown and stopped, watching the whole drama between me and Adrian. Adrian gave them a single look with a growl and all of them turned and sauntered off towards the pack, leaving us behind. 

“You were hurt,” Adrian said finally, his voice lower now. “You were out cold. What did you expect me to do?”

“I expected you to trust me,” I said back. “I expected you to believe that I am strong enough to handle myself, even if I don’t look like it.”

“I should have trusted you and left that wolf tear you to pieces?” The raw emotion in his voice took me off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

He was right, but I didn’t like being seen like the weak one. It drove something inside me that I didn’t really appreciate or like. 

I took a moment to think about what I had to say and calmed down a little, then stepped closer. “I appreciate what you did for me, but now, let me stand on my own. I promise I can walk back to the pack on my own.”

He nodded reluctantly and I could see the question in his eyes but he gave in eventually and breathed out like he had been holding his breath in all this while.

“Good,” I said with a small smile. “Now, tell me what’s really going on. No more half answers.”

Adrian hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. “Let’s talk while we walk. There’s a lot you need to know.”