“Are you sure, Emily? You’re entitled to your privacy.” Doc asks softly. His gaze lingers on me, conveying a sense of trust and respect, as if he understands the significance of granting me the power to decide. It’s a rare and comforting feeling, one that I haven’t experienced before, but it imbues me with a sense of security and reassurance that I am in control of my own choices.
My breath hitches at the opportunity for autonomy I have never before been granted.
“Um, ye… yes, it’s fine, I… I don’t mind.”
“Emily, on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst pain imaginable, how would you rate your pain?”
“M… maybe a three?”
“Really?” he asks as his eyebrows raise in shock. Doc’s voice betrays his disbelief, as if he can’t comprehend my answer. His eyes widen as he waits for further clarification, unable to conceal his surprise.
“I’ve had worse,” I say too fast and regret it instantly. They don't need to know about my past. “I mean, before I got here, the pain was… worse.” Not to mention my other injuries. Like when Aidan dislocated my shoulder and wouldn’t permit me to put it back in place for days afterwards. Or the time that he hit me so hard that he broke my jaw in two places. I had to have it wired back together and couldn’t eat solids for a week. Or all of the times he whipped my back, stopping only when he had sliced through my skin.
A shiver rolls through me, but I hide it from the men. I think. I’m sure they can detect the pungent scent of my embarrassment, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Also, the subtle fuzzy feeling I have now leads me to believe they have already given me pain relief, which was never an option in Blood Moon.
“Okay, well, I guess you have had worse pain to compare to,” Doc sighs before taking off his glasses and cleaning them. The corners of his mouth droop with an unmistakable sorrow. His whole body seems to lose its vitality, as if drained of the energy and vibrancy he displayed only moments ago. The air around him weighs heavily, saturated with a sadness impossible to ignore. It’s suffocating.
“Emily,” he sighs, and I hold my breath, anxiously awaiting his prognosis. “The severe break in your leg resulted in extensive muscle damage and a significant infection. You were also suffering from acute dehydration.”
I swallow down my fear as best I can. “Will I be okay? Will I run again?”
“We removed most of the damage during surgery, and antibiotics will help clear out any remaining infection. I also had to re-break the leg and pin it in place to resolve the way it had healed in a misaligned manner. How long ago did you break it?”
“It was a while ago. A few weeks, but I’m not sure exactly. I’ve been in my wolf form most of the time since.” Jackson takes a deep breath, and Doc shoots him a look that I don’t understand.
“I’ll take out the pins tomorrow. You should be able to run again within a week. Avoid shifting during that time to allow your wolf to heal, too. I’ve already treated your other injuries, which were mostly superficial. They should be healed by now.”
The tightness in my chest eases, allowing me to take a deep, calming breath. A small, relieved smile blooms on my face. This is so much better than what I was expecting, judging from his serious expression.
“I… I don’t know what to say. That’s amazing. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me.”
As the overwhelming sense of fear and tension lifts from my shoulders, my vision becomes blurred. Tears trickle down my cheeks, carrying with them the weight of all the built-up stress, leaving me feeling lighter and freer. Almost like the tears possess a healing power, soothing away the remnants of anxiety.
Imade it.
I’msafe.
It might be only temporary until I’m healed enough to leave again. But I did it. I got away from Aidan and for the first time; it looks like I might be okay. I might really survive this.
“You’re very welcome, Emily,” Doc says softly before taking a deep, steadying breath. He glances at Jackson before continuing. His tone stays soft, but his eyes harden. “What I’m most concerned about is your other injuries. Scans showed… older injuries. A lot of them. Fractures. Lacerations. Burn.”
It’s hard to focus on his words as the deep-seated shame I’m all too familiar with envelops me. A low, guttural growl reverberates from Jackson’s chest, like a warning sign echoing through the room.
The tension in the air becomes palpable, and I sense the mounting anger radiating from him. It dawns on me why Doc had asked if I was comfortable with Jackson’s presence while he talked to me. This is not an ordinary anger; it’s an intense fury that seems to consume him from within. I don’t understand it, but it makes me want to curl in on myself.
“The number of old injuries I discovered on your scans, Emily, I’ve only seen before in books; on torture victims. But I could also see evidence of previous surgeries to resolve extensive injuries. I’m curious, where did you sustain these?”
I flinch when I hear Jackson’s thunderous growl beside me as he jumps to his feet. Is he angry at me?
“Who hurt you?” he asks. His voice is a ferocious snarl, directed at me. I flinch as fear coils around my chest like a venomous serpent, stealing my breath.
“Oh, uh, you know, here and there, it’s not a big deal,” I squeak. I shrink down, uncomfortable under Jackson’s intense glare. So similar to Aidan, right before he would let loose on me. As I observe Jackson, the air intensifies with ominous energy. His eyes flicker a golden amber color with a fiery ferocity, hinting at the monster lurking within. Not the wolf, it's the man I fear.
The metallic scent of my fear infuses the air, and I’m trapped with my leg in a cage. It’s not like I can walk out anymore. Oh Goddess, I’m stuck here surrounded by males I don’t know, as Aidan’s words ring in my head.
See, this is what you do, Emily. You make me angry. It’s your fault. You bring it on yourself. You force me to hurt you, it's the only way you'll learn.
My wolf purrs, trying to soothe me. She doesn’t seem afraid at all, but perhaps her intuition doesn’t work. She also thought Aidan would be a good match for me at first.She believed him when he said we would be mates. And she might not be afraid now, but I’m petrified. My heart thunders in my chest. I’m cold and sweating and it’s getting harder to breathe. My body is shutting down as I wait for the blows I’ve come to expect.
