Chapter 11: Friendly fire

Ruelle’s POV

I peel my eyes open slowly, my throat bobbing from a deep and painful swallow. My mouth is dry and my head hurts. Everything hurts basically, but my head takes the prize. I turn my head slightly to take in the familiar angles and decor of my room, my eyes squinting to see clearly beyond the blurry remains of sleep in my eyes.

My room was dimly lit. I could tell it was nighttime because the sun always penetrated through the blinds but this time around the moon did. And the lights were off.

I wonder how long I had been asleep. Hours? Days? Weeks?

I remember what happened to me. Clear as day. I don’t know for how long I have been asleep, but all I know is that all the while I slept, I found myself back in thick and dreadful darkness of the woods hundreds of times. In different ways. The golden paw haunted my mind and dreams, looming dangerously in the dark behind the trees. In my dreams, it kicked me so many more times till I couldn’t take anymore. And in those same dreams, the parts I couldn’t forget, I always had a savior.

The door to my room creaked open slightly and I turned, watching as a feminine shadow walked in.

“Morra…?”  She had turned to put on the lights, but froze midway at the sound of my voice. Her wide eyes raked over my face as she glided over to the bed in a flash, her hands flying up to grab mine.

“My lady! You’re awake. How do you feel? Does your head hurt? Should I call the doctor? I’ll go call the doctor—”. I cut off her ramble by shaking my head and squeezing her hand.

“I’m okay. Just weak.” I told her and she sighed, settling unto her knees beside the bed. My voice felt groggy and it hurt to speak. My throat was also very dry and ached badly. “I need some water”

She turned her body towards the drawer by the bed and produced a glass of water, her hands holding it up so I could sit up and drink it. I did so with all the strength I could muster, taking a few sips from the glass.

“How long have I been asleep?”  I asked her, pushing the cup away gently.

“A day and a half”. She dropped the cup back with grace. “And he has been here since.”

He?

“The Alpha.”  She rendered, reading my thoughts. “He didn’t want to leave until you were okay”. She smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with dreamy hope.

I turned to stare at the wall, my mind racing. He probably feels responsible for what happened and decided that it was only right to make sure I was okay before he left. He is an Alpha anyway so he definitely has a sense of responsibility. Right? It has to be. There is no other reasonable reason. After all, he had attended the Gathering this year with another woman on his arm. It is high time I stop creating a fairytale with someone who wasn’t mine.

“Do you want to see him?”  Morra perked up, tilting her head to catch my gaze.  “I could go get him, he asked…”

“I think I will go back to sleep.”  I rubbed at my forehead, sliding back unto the bed “I am a little tired, I’m sure I could use some more sleep.”

“But…”. She trailed off before adding beneath her breath, “Any more sleep could land you in a coma it’s been almost two days”

“I’ll have more strength in the morning.” I deadpanned, turning towards her to sleep on my side. The sleep had since been wiped from my eyes at the revelation that Thorne was still here, but I would rather toss and turn than face him. I wasn’t ready. I don’t know why, but I knew I wasn’t.

I wasn’t afraid. Or maybe I was, but what I really felt was embarrassment. I was embarrassed that I attended that event all dressed up for him only to find another woman clinging to him. I was embarrassed that I allowed myself to become so clueless when it comes to him. I was embarrassed that I allowed him to affect me so much that I put myself in danger and made everyone around me worry over nothing. It was beyond embarrassing that I allowed him to see even the parts of myself I had never known.

“Are you sure you want to sleep? Is there anything else you need?”  Morra’s soft inquisitive voice echoed in the dark room. She had turn off the lamp so the room was completely dark now.

“I’m okay, Morra. Thank you”. I shut my eyes to will myself to sleep, but as soon as I heard the door creak shut behind her I decided to stop fooling myself. I sighed in the dark room, my thoughts running wild.

I was curious again. I didn’t want to face him, but I knew I wanted to see him, even from afar. Sneaking around was quite a specialty of mine, maybe I could sneak to wherever he was and catch a glimpse of him without him noticing.

I almost snorted at the thought. Who was I kidding? He would definitely see me. This ability of his puts me in a very tight spot seeing as it would be hard to sneak around wherever he was present.

“How could you let this happen?”  I sighed out loud, although the question was directed at my wolf. She was the one who made me gravitate towards him every minute, whether physically or mentally. She was the one who went all crazy whenever he was near and it is her fault that this happened. She still couldn’t even save my ass in the woods, leaving me bedridden for days.

‘A day and a half’. I heard in my thoughts. It was her. Silly little thing.

My door creaked open again, this time I couldn’t see since the room was dark. A presence walked in and shut the door behind them.

I sighed. “I’m okay, Morra. I told you…”. My voice trailed off as soon as I felt it. Or rather, felt him. I stared in the dark with wide eyes, making out his frame in the darkness. Broad shoulders, black cloak, tall frame, green eyes.

Green green green eyes. Those eyes would be the death of me.

My hand flew to the lamp beside my bed and turned on the switch, the yellow glow filling the room and slowly dispelling the darkness. I could see him clearly now and I watched in shock as he approached the bed and knelt beside it, holding my gaze like a treasure he didn’t want to loose.

“Thorne…”. My lips moved and the word poured out. I had no control of it. My body was acting of its own accord. Like it always did whenever he was around. “You…”

“I’m sorry”. He says, his voice was thick with emotion and soft. A rare sight for a man of his caliber and strength. It made an indescribable emotion explode in my chest and fill it with warmth. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Ruelle. This is all my fault.”  His hand raked through his hair that was already a mess, probably from all the times he ran his hands through the curls.

He was as beautiful as ever. Even though he had regret all over his face and didn’t stand as tall as he usually did. He was still the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He was so beautiful that it was both painful to look at  him and even more so to look away.

But all in all, he marveled me. Much more than any plant, or forest, or hunt, or animal or anything else for that matter. I wouldn’t find anything that marveled me as much as the man who kneeled by my bed did.

“It’s not your fault.”  I told him simply, trying and failing to keep my voice cool. “I don’t blame you for this.”

He simply stared at me. His eyes soft as it ran through every corner of my face. Then he raised his hand in front of my face and my breath hitched in my throat, a sharp exhale escaping me. He opened up his palm slowly, as if to show me he was harmless. But I already knew he wouldn’t hurt me. My body reacted for a totally different reason.

Slowly, his hand moved to hover over my cheek, his forefinger swiping a stray hair from my forehead and grazing my skin in the process. This wasn’t the first time he touched me. But this was the first time it felt like this. Heavy, and strained. I could see in his eyes and in the roughness of his touch that this was new to him. And just like every other time, he looked like he wanted more. Like he wanted to go further, do more, say more.

He removed his hand from my face and my eyes followed it as it came to rest beside my head, on the bed. He didn’t want to touch me anymore. But his eyes and the ticking in his jaw said otherwise.

He looked away briefly and I watched his throat bob up and down in a swallow, his voice coming out as a rumble as he spoke, “I spoke to Garron. I’m taking you with me.”

I almost choked on my spit at the sound of those words. Taking me with him?

“What?”  I sat up and he winced, as though he was scared I might hurt myself.

“Don’t move so quickly, you aren’t healed yet”.

“Where are you taking me?”  I ignored his scolding, my eyes searching his face.

“To my clan. My Keep.”

Is he serious? All of a sudden? And why now of all times?

“And what did Papa say?”  I asked looking away, my fingers playing with each other.

“He agreed.”

I shut my eyes, shaking my head. Of course he did. Of course my father fucking agreed to the Iron Alpha taking me with him without my own consent.

“I don’t”. I simply told him and he sighed, as though he wasn’t expecting a different answer.

“Ruelle…”

“No I don’t agree!”  I turn my body to face him, anger surging through my veins at the fact that yet again, I am treated like a child. “You can’t just come here and scoop me up and take me wherever you want. I will not allow it. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

I waited for it. The boom of his command, or his argument. But nothing came. Instead he slowly rose to his feet and stared down at me.

“This isn’t up for debate, little moon. I need to personally guarantee your safety from now on. I can’t let this repeat itself again.”  His voice was stoic as he spoke, firm and commanding.

But that didn’t deter me.

I let out a dry and humorless laugh. He can’t be serious. I am only in this position right now because of him! But I wasn’t ready to hear that out loud. It was still embarrassing.

“There you go again about guaranteeing my safety like I’m a child.”  I shake my head, looking up to hold his gaze. “I beg your pardon, my lord. But I don’t need to go all the way over to the South with you to be safe. I’m safe in my father’s Keep.”  I told him, the sarcasm and contempt thick in my voice. My body shook with anger, a complete opposite to his calm frame.

He turned around without a word, ignoring my tantrum all together. I thought he would walk out but he paused, his passive voice filling the room once more.

“Get some sleep.”  He said. “We will leave in the morning.”  With that, he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

I wanted to scream.