"Father, stop!"Logan was suddenly there, pulling his dad away from me. "You could kill my pup!"He knew?My eyes popped open in shock, and I pressed a hand to the tiny baby bump under the overly large shirt I wore. How did he know? It was just a bundle of cells at this point. There wasn't even a heartbeat yet! So how?I watched as the Alpha's angry face shifted into one of surprise, and he looked down at me. I quickly averted my gaze until he looked back at Logan."Shit." He breathed. It actually sounded like he felt bad. Not for hurting me, of course, but for potentially hurting his grandpup."Take her to the healer, then come right back here." Alpha Greyson ordered. "Leah."My attendant snapped to attention. "Sir?""Take over on dinner." And with that, he left the room, calling out. "And clean this mess up!" As he went.I breathed a sigh and winced. Those broken ribs would be slow to heal, but this latest beating could be used to my advantage. I could blame the beating for a miscar
And there it was. The rare way that werewolves were made accidentally.Rabies.The magic that allowed us to change our shape was in our blood. Sometimes, a weaker wolf would catch rabies and then bite their tongue as they went on a rampage or breathe so hard that they could cough up blood from exertion. The blood in their mouth would then mix with the foam forming from the virus, making the salivary glands overproduce.If they attacked a human, then their blood could be transferred in a bite with the rabies virus. If the human got to a hospital in time, then the rabies could be eliminated, but the shape-shifting magic would still be there just waiting for the next full moon.I gave Skye a sympathetic hand squeeze, letting him know I was still here. He wasn't alone.He gripped my hand tighter and kept talking. "The wolf attacked me before I could move. All I managed was to get my arms up to protect my face. It's a bit of a blur after that. I remember blinding pain and screaming, then a
In some ways, my quality of life improved after that night. Logan held true to his promise and rarely let me out of his sight. I attended meetings with him seated on his lap, where I started to learn this pack's politics and more about the surrounding world. I ate meals the same way. My stomach couldn't hold much yet, so Logan just loaded extra onto his plate and shared it with me, feeding me one careful bite at a time.I was just happy to be getting full meals now. I wasn't going to risk upsetting him and losing my food privileges, so I wasn't about to complain.One thing that I had not expected in the slightest was for Logan to begin teaching me. I had a very basic understanding of how to read and write, but my math was terrible. He helped me with these and also taught me history, which I greatly enjoyed. Surprisingly, he also began to teach me self-defense."So you can protect our pups." Logan had explained. Fortunately, the years I had spent tackling all of the manual labor around
"Alpha Logan, Sir?" A small voice called, drawing both of our gazes to the child that approached."Adella," Logan greeted. "What can I do for you?"The little girl fidgeted with the hem of her dress looking nervous. "Mamma asked me to ask you… she said… Mamma wants to talk to you." She finished in a rush, pointing to a light blue cottage with white trim.Logan followed the child's pudgy finger and nodded, standing to offer me a hand up. "Shall we?" He asked.But Adella shook her head. "Not her." She said quickly. "It's a surprise.""Right then," Logan dropped his hand but smiled warmly at me. "I'll be right back, babe. Two minutes." He promised and kissed me quickly on the forehead before striding off with Adella.The smiling mask I wore slipped from my face as a feeling of foreboding settled over my shoulders like a thick wet quilt. Smothering.Something was going to happen, and it would not be good. All I could do was wait for it to find me.I didn't have to wait long before Leah ap
Skye took a breath to steady his hand and brought the scalpel to my skin.“Are you sure?”“Just do it, Skye!” I didn’t mean to snap, but I was already fighting down my trauma, and I wanted this over with before Logan came back.“Okay, okay.” The blade bit into my abdomen, opening a trail of red across the orange iodine stained skin. The pain was familiar and helped me focus on my breathing.I had chosen this. This was my choice. That thought helped me settle my panic down further, so I kept repeating it to myself like a mantra. Sky made several more overlapping incisions. Each time, the scalpel dipped further and further into the bloody cave he was opening. He moved with precision, working quickly but deliberately, brows furrowed together in concentration.“Almost there.” He murmured.A trembling breath escaped my lungs in a soundless whimper. The emotional pain was worse than the physical pain. But this was why I had requested a hysterectomy. I couldn't keep doing this. As much as I
I peeked out through my lashes at the yellow and very well lit room and groaned. "Well, well, it looks like my favorite patient is awake. How do you feel?" I tracked his voice to the chair next to the bed I lay on. Skye gave me a gentle, if not cautious, smile.“Why is…” I grimaced and licked my dry lips. “Why is my brain so fuzzy?”Skye's smile faltered. “What do you last remember, hon?”The tone of voice he used immediately put me on edge. “Why?”“Just… please.” His big hazel eyes searched my own, so I did as he asked.I furrowed my brows and hauled myself into a sitting position but then closed my eyes, trying to remember. The fuzz in my brain refused to budge, swirling around my thoughts like a lazy fog. I shook my head groggily, looking back up at Skye.“I can't think. My brain is too fuzzy.”The Healer pursed his lips and then spoke. “I had to sedate you.”My mouth popped open like a fish.“For your own safety.” He added quickly when my face morphed into a look of horror. He s
Skye kept me under observation for the remainder of the day. He had told Logan it was to make sure I didn't relapse, but I was pretty sure that he just said that so I could rest and have some peace and quiet.It was strange to be so alone outside of the basement after years of constant abuse. I had never really had free time. Never had me time. Logan had hardly let me out of his sight for the last seven months, and his presence had become stifling. So laying on the little cot in the dark, listening to the world turn around me and feeling the ripples of energy pass over and through me, I felt like I could breathe a little bit easier.Every so often, Skye came to check on me and bring me food. His energy was soothing, like chamomile tea with honey or lavender, I came to recognize it before he even knocked.But then worry started to creep into my mind. I had never had this much time to think and just be. What if they were plotting something? What if Logan and the Alpha were thinking of s
The moon stared back at me, unblinking through the window as I lay trapped under Logan's arm. “Do you remember our first shift?” I asked Silver. “The freedom and joy we felt?” A wistful sigh escaped me. “I wish we could go back to that night. Back before any of this happened” But my wolf said nothing. She had never ignored me outright before. “Silver?” I called searching within myself for a trace of her strength and love. But all I found was darkness and the taste of metal. She was gone. “Logan.” I shook the arm draped over my waist. He mumbled something but didn't wake. “Logan!” I tried again, panic edging into my voice. This time, he stirred and blearily asked. “What is it? What's wrong?” “I can't feel her. I can't feel my wolf!” Tears poured from my eyes as I clutched his arm like a lifeline. “My soul is gone.” I had lost her. I had been so wrapped up in carrying on the pretenses of this relationship facade that I hadn't noticed my wolf slowly fading away. Now she