It was dead quiet.
So quiet I couldn't hear anything but my heartbeat, which was about to explode with fear and anger.
His withering look made my barely there inner wolf yelp in fear and I would have given anything at that moment to be able to take my slap back, but it wasn't possible.
We stayed like that for what felt like hours and I thought I was already sweating from nervousness, while I had the feeling that years would pass by, until he suddenly started to grin widely and a loud laugh came out of his throat that I could only laugh in disbelief eyes widened.
"You're really brave, little Jade," he said, smiling, and without asking my permission beforehand, he grabbed my hips and carefully threw me over his shoulder.
It all happened so unexpectedly and suddenly that I didn't even have time to defend myself when we were already standing outside by his black SUV, which was beating down in the sun and made it sparkle.
He gently slid me down and positioned me against the car like a mannequin, then opened the passenger door to take my hand and help me get in.
I was completely lost in my confused thoughts and didn't know what to think or feel anymore.
After all, he was the one who stood in my hallway at night and gave the order to simply shoot my brother. Now and here he showed himself from a completely different side, which made me so confused that I had to put my hand to my head to keep from completely freaking out.
"Are you okay?" he asked, still standing next to me in the open doorway, and then grabbed the seat belt to buckle me up like I was a baby to be looked after.
"Yes," I replied quietly and at the same time I felt ashamed that I didn't have the strength to rebel against him at the moment. But he would get it all back. At the latest when my foot would be fine again.
I put my hands on my lap, closed my eyes and let my head fall against the back of the seat. I just didn't care at that moment.
My head was pounding, my stomach was growling, and my foot was so sore that I was just trying to shut it all out and eagerly looking forward to a pile of painkillers.
Silvan got in next to me, started the engine right away and then drove with me along the busy streets.
Curious to explore their territory under the rays of the bright sun, I opened my eyes again and looked at everything calmly.
The houses were bigger than ours. The asphalt was so slippery that we didn't hit a single pothole. Devin would like that...
Then I also saw a ruin in the distance, which must have been the burnt down school.
"You should know that I'm really sorry about your brother," Silvan suddenly said and after a moment's hesitation, I turned in his direction to examine him as he stared intently at the road in front of us.
"Your apologies don't make up for it either, and no matter how many times you apologize, I certainly won't forgive you," I explained to him in a calm tone and then looked away from him again. He didn't really think he would apologize and everything would be fine!
After that there was silence in the car again, which was fine with me. I didn't want to talk to him any more than I had to anyway and then started observing the people outside again, all of whom were staring curiously back at the car, making me look uncertainly at my hands.
"They just want to know who you are," he explained next to me, then took a deep breath. "After all, I've been looking for my mate for a long time."
"Aha," I replied as disinterested as I could and then skillfully rolled my eyes, which he probably didn't miss because his low growl roared through the whole car.
When he stopped abruptly at the side of the road, I thought he was about to lecture me about showing respect to an alpha, but he got out without saying anything and then quickly disappeared into the little yellow house us.
The sign in front of the garden fence simply said the name "Bernd Hutzfeld", which sent shivers down my spine. No doctor who knows his trade would call himself that.
My nervous gaze then darted over to the steering wheel and I realized with amazement that the idiot had actually left the key in his pocket.
"Jackpot," I whispered triumphantly and struggled to get into the driver's seat, which was easier thought than done with my injured foot. But I still made it while cursing loudly and already saw the endless freedom in front of me.
The first thing I did then was lock the car from the inside and try to remember how Devin was going to explain me how to drive the car.
If only I had listened to him better back then...
Clutch, brake, gas, gear ...
Surely it couldn't be that difficult.
I carefully turned the key, waited until the engine was running and then looked excitedly at the gear stick next to me.
I just needed to get this thing into first gear, so I started tugging and yanking at it like I was crazy, but that shit wouldn't go into one.
That's when it dawned on me... clutch...
My heart racing, I pressed the right pedal, but this only made the engine rev, which Silvan apparently heard, because he almost ran towards me and then knocked on the driver's side next to me.
"Open the door immediately!" he said in a menacing voice and fixed my eyes, but I just gave him the middle finger with a grin and then pressed the middle pedal, which I still couldn't get into gear.
As a reflex, I wanted to press my left foot onto the entire left pedal, which of course hurt like hell, because I had completely forgotten about my injury because of the adrenaline. I cried out in pain, hunched over the steering wheel and felt a few tears running down my cheeks.
"Jade," Silvan knocked on the window again. "Please open up," I then heard his voice, which sounded full of concern and pity, but I didn't think at all of giving up. I'd rather just run him over if that fuckin' car started moving.
One very last time, I wanted to try to press the left pedal with my right foot, but then I gave a start, because Silvan had broken the window on the passenger side and opened the car with a handle through the open window and then sat down next to me, to look at me without expression.
Why wasn't I lucky once in my life!