Chapter 4

***trigger warning sexual assault***

I tried to fight against Craig, hitting him with my fists as I shouted at him to stop. My body burned, and all my garbled thoughts were like shards of glass inside my brain. Nothing I said or did seemed to matter to Craig as he pulled at my clothing. The look in his eyes was hungry and mean as he insisted once more I “Stop fighting me and pretending like you don’t like this. I know you want it!” 

“No,” I insisted, but his mouth fell again on mine in a bruising crash that filled my mouth with the metallic tang of blood. 

Just as Craig struggled to undo my pants, there was a loud crash and suddenly Craig was gone. Knowing I couldn’t be that lucky, I scrambled back to a half sitting position. My eyes widened in a gasp. The lycan held Craig against the wall by his neck. He growled something at Craig, but it was too quiet for me to hear. Nor did I hear Craig’s response, but the Lycan pulled back his fist and punched him in the stomach then in the face.

He hit him several more times before dropping Craig and walking over to me. My breath caught in my throat as he approached. His strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the bed and against his hard warm chest. Unlike Craig’s painful and violating touch, the lycan’s touch was comforting and protected, but more importantly, I felt safe. Ever since my parents died, I hadn’t felt this safe before.

I looked up into the dark eyes of the Lycan as he sniffed around me. His sudden closeness made my already racing heart go faster. “Are you OK?” He asked, looking concerned.

“I’m okay,” I said and my voice came in a breathy tone. The feeling that I could faint at any moment from this strange heat was growing.

My reply was instinctive and I gave it without thought. Usually it was enough for people, but not for the lycan.  He gave me a skeptical look, demanding the truth. “I’m hot,” I admitted with a sigh, though hot didn’t cover it. It was like I was being roasted from the inside.

The Lycan pulled me closer to him, and despite the terrible heat burning through me, his warmth was soothing. “What happened?” He demanded. His voice was a strange mix of violence and concern. 

I tried to explain, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t seem to piece together the fragments of events. “I…” I started and licked my dry lips. “I need water…”

The Lycan laid his hand gentle on my cheek, it felt cool to my heated skin. I leaned in the touch and when he lifted up his hand, I tried to grab it, but I couldn’t move right anymore. The Lycan called for someone. I didn’t hear the name. It was lost to the fogginess I couldn’t seem to shake.

A moment later, another man appeared in the doorway. He wasn’t the same as the one the lycan had been talking to down in the meeting hall. This new guy rushed over to us and brought his face close to mine. “How do you feel, miss?”  I tried to answer, but the words didn’t seem to want to leave my mouth. He took my chin in his hand. “Miss, are you okay?”

Closing my eyes, I thought really hard about the answer. “No, I’m so hot…” my words slurred together that I didn’t think he understood me. 

The man directed his questions now to the lycan. “Do you know what happened to her, Sir?”

“No, I just found her like this. She smells… off. I think that asshole did something to her,” the lycan growled. 

“Pills you think?”

I didn’t hear the lycan’s response, but he must have done something because next the man asked, “But why isn’t her wolf taking care of it?”

Humiliation swam through me. I didn’t know if the goddess could hear me, but I begged her to stop them from asking me about my wolf. Admitting the shame of being wolfless would simply be too much. 

The man took my chin again, and looked into my eyes then shook his head. “We’re running out of time. If we’re going…”

Weariness rushed over me as another wave of heat ran through me and I missed whatever the man told the lycan.  Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to make the lycan very happy. He looked down at me, emotions warring over his expression. He seemed concerned about something, but also conflicted too.

I couldn’t tell you why, but seeing him so upset made me want to cry. I didn’t want him to be sad or conflicted. Someone as beautiful and as kind as him should be nothing, but happy. And he was kind. He stopped Craig and that was more than anyone had ever done for me since that day of the car crash. 

I reached up and brushed my fingers along his cheek. His skin was smooth and cool against my heated fingertips. “It’s okay,” I told him, but the words were still so slurred. “Don’t be sad. I only need some ice…and sleep. I’m getting tired.”

 When my fingers fell from his face, he caught them and he seemed to have come to a decision. The lycan gathered me up into his arms once more and carried me out of the room. I rested my head on his chest as we went back downstairs and away from the party. My uncle probably wouldn’t want me to leave and I tried to tell the Lycan that, but I couldn’t seem to get my mouth to work anymore. 

A sigh of contentment washed over me as he took me out into the night. The cool air was like a blessing from the moon goddess herself. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to rest. I didn’t know where we were going and I didn’t care. With the lycan, I felt safe and it was getting harder to pay attention to things.

The sound of a car engine made me open my eyes again. A sleek black car was in front of us. I didn’t know anything about cars, but this one looked really expensive. The Lycan slid into the back seat with me still in his lap. “Go to the nearest house,” he demanded in a barking order to the driver. The lycan cradled me in his arms. “As fast as you can,” he added without taking his eyes off mine. 

“You’re going to be okay,” he said in a soft, caring tone as he brushed my hair away from my face. What was happening? Part of me wondered if this was some kind of trick, but as I held his eyes, I didn’t think it was. No. I believed him. I was going to be okay.