Chapter 64 Gaping Holes

Chapter 64 Gaping Holes
TW: Mentions of manipulation and dubcon

INDIE
          I woke up slowly, my body heavy and warm under soft sheets. The mattress felt familiar, but something was wrong. The air smelled like West's cologne. The one he used to wear years ago. My head throbbed with a dull ache, like I'd drunk too much or slept too deeply.

I blinked against the morning light filtering through half-closed curtains.

West was lying beside me.

Shirtless.

His arm was draped loosely over my waist, his skin warm against mine. He looked peaceful and soft in the golden light, his hair messy from sleep. When he felt me stir, his eyes opened, and a gentle smile curved his lips.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said, his voice husky with sleep.

Before I could respond, he leaned in and kissed me.

It was soft at first, familiar in a way that made my stomach twist. His hand slid up my side, cupping the back of my neck as he deepened the kiss. My body reacted on instinct, my lips parting. But my mind screamed that something was deeply, horribly wrong.

I pulled back slightly, my heart hammering.

"What... what day is it?" I whispered.

West chuckled softly, brushing his thumb across my cheek as if I'd just said something adorable.

"Tuesday, babe." He kissed me again, gentler this time. "You fell asleep right after you seduced me last night. Couldn't keep your hands off me."

His words sent a strange jolt through me. I didn't remember last night. I didn't remember seducing him. I didn't even remember how I got here.

He shifted closer, pressing his body against mine. I could feel him, hard and insistent against my thigh, slowly rubbing his cock against me through the thin fabric separating us. A low, pleased sound rumbled in his chest as he kissed down my jaw to my collarbone.

"West..." My voice shook.

He hummed against my skin, his lips trailing lower until he reached my breasts. He sucked one nipple into his mouth, his tongue swirling, his teeth grazing just enough to make me arch with a gasp. Heat pooled between my legs even as nausea twisted in my stomach.

'Why am I on edge?' I thought desperately. 'This is my husband. This is West. The father of my child.'

But the thought felt wrong. Like it belonged to someone else.

His hand slipped under the waistband of my panties, his fingers teasing my entrance before sliding one thick finger inside me. I gasped, my hips jerking. He groaned against my breast, sucking harder as he slowly pumped his finger in and out.

"Fuck, I've missed this," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "You've been spending so much time at the healing centre lately, helping with the plague. I barely get to touch you anymore."

I froze.

"What plague?"

West went still. He lifted his head from my chest, eyes searching my face with genuine concern.

"Baby... you really don't remember?" he asked softly.

The worry in his voice made my skin crawl. My heart pounded harder. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

I pushed at his chest, suddenly desperate for space.

"West, what are you talking about? What plague? Where's Lila? Where's—" The name caught in my throat. Zade. Why couldn't I say his name? Why did it feel like it was buried under thick fog?

West sat up slightly, still hovering over me, his finger still buried inside me. His expression was soft, patient, and almost pitying.

"You've been under a lot of stress," he said gently. "The plague has been bad in the outer territories. You've been helping heal the sick for weeks. You came home exhausted last night and... we reconnected. Don't you remember?"

I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes. My body was responding to his touch — wet and aching — but my mind was screaming.

"No," I whispered. "No, that's not... I don't remember any plague. I don't remember coming home with you. Where's Lila? Where's—"

The words died again.

West's face tightened with worry. He slowly withdrew his finger but stayed close, cupping my cheek.

"Indie... you're scaring me. Lila's with my mother. She's safe. You really don't remember yesterday at all?"

The room felt like it was closing in.

I was in bed with West.

He was touching me.

And I couldn't remember how I got here.

Something important was missing. Someone important.

And the longer I lay here, the harder it became to remember whom.

West pulled back slightly, his expression shifting from concern to something raw and hurt.

"Indie..." His voice cracked. "Do you not find me attractive anymore? We haven't mated in so long. It's weakening my wolf. I can feel it every day."

The guilt hit me like a punch to the chest. He looked so vulnerable, so broken, lying there beside me. This was the man I loved enough to have a child with. The father of Lila.

But it still felt wrong.

"I... I don't know what's happening to me," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

He leaned in again, kissing me softly at first, then deeper, more insistent. His hand slid down my body, hooking into the waistband of my panties and slowly dragging them down my legs. I shivered as the cool air hit my bare skin.

"West, I—"

"Shh," he murmured against my mouth. "Let me take care of you. Like old times."

He freed himself from his boxers, his cock hard and heavy as he rubbed the thick head along my folds. I gasped at the contact, my body reacting even as my mind screamed that something was deeply, horribly off.

Then his face changed.

For a split second, it wasn't West above me.

It was Zade.

Violet eyes. Sharp jaw. That dangerous, possessive stare that always made my knees weak.

My pussy grew wetter instantly, a rush of slick coating his cock as he nudged against my entrance. Horror flooded me.

'Why am I imagining Zade?' I thought, appalled at myself. 'I'm a married woman. This is my husband. What the hell is wrong with me?'

West thrust in.

I cried out at the sudden stretch, my back arching off the bed. He was thick and familiar, but the intrusion felt too much. He groaned deeply, burying himself to the hilt.

Then the vision came again.

Zade's face. Zade's cock driving deep inside me. Zade's low, rough growl in my ear as he claimed what was his.

I moaned his name before I could stop myself.

"Zade—"

The word slipped out.

Shock froze me.

West didn't stop. He kept moving, his hips rolling steadily, like he hadn't heard me at all. His breathing grew heavier, his hands gripping my hips as he thrust deeper.

My heart hammered in terror.

What is happening to me?

A loud knock suddenly echoed through the room.

West cursed under his breath, still buried inside me. He stopped, his forehead pressed to mine for a second before pulling out with a frustrated groan.

"Fuck," he muttered, quickly tucking himself away and grabbing his pants. "Stay here. I'll deal with it."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, soft and tender, before heading to the door.

I curled into myself the moment he was gone, pulling the sheets up to my chin. My mind was spiralling.

I didn't know where I was.

I didn't know what was real.

And the worst part was... some sick, traitorous part of me had liked it when I saw Zade instead.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I trembled under the covers, terrified of what was happening to me.

I pulled my knees tighter to my chest, trying to disappear into myself.

Then I heard voices at the door.

West's low murmur... and another voice. An unfamiliar one.

"...Zade and the vampire have crossed the border. They're heading this way fast."

I gasped, pressing a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound.

Zade.

The name hit me like lightning. I hadn't heard it in years. Or... had I? The thought felt slippery, like trying to hold fog. Why did it feel both brand new and painfully familiar?

West's voice lowered even more. "How many?"

"Two. The wolf alpha and the red-haired vampire. They're armed and moving like they know exactly where she is."

My stomach dropped.

He's with a vampire?

The words didn't make sense. Zade — my Zade? — working with a vampire? The Zade I remembered hated vampires. He would rip one apart on sight.

West's tone turned sharp. "Stop them. Use whatever force necessary. He can't get in here any way. Keep the wards up and the perimeter locked."

"Yes, sir."

Footsteps retreated down the hall, and the door slid shut.

I stayed frozen, my head throbbing. Zade was coming. With a vampire. And West was giving orders to stop him as if Zade was the enemy.

The bed dipped as West returned. He slid under the sheets and pulled me against his chest, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder as though nothing had happened.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady.

"What was that about?" I asked.

West sighed, nuzzling closer, his hand sliding possessively over my hip.

"Nothing you need to worry about, baby. Just some old trouble trying to stir things up again." His fingers traced lazy circles on my skin. "Zade's causing problems at the border. Him and that vampire he's been running with lately. But the pack's handling it. They won't get anywhere near you."

My heart skipped a beat.

Zade... causing problems?