Not sure if I believe his words or his intentions, I retreat another step. My knees buckle, but before my body hits the ground, large arms catch me. My vision blurs, and my body aches. I have no more fight in me. I let them carry and deposit me in the back seat. I can’t push past the fatigue and weakness to prove my place in the Whitemore pack anymore. All for nothing. The tears fall, and I accept defeat.
Large hands wipe my face. “Don’t cry, Little One. My name is Anders. I’m the head guard. You’re not in trouble. I’m taking you home.”
I turn my head to see the man who possesses the gravelly voice next to me and find the white-haired man. I grip the seat as anxiety rips through me, and the car pulls away from Alpha Agnus’s home.
Home? I don’t know where home is. How can he ensure I will be safe? Look at me.
My mind whirls with horrible thoughts and visions of what home will be like once I return. My heartbeat starts to race. My harsh, raspy breathing gasps through the hole in my throat. I want to jump out of the car.
A hand rests over my own, startling me. I didn’t hear anyone else climb into the car and sit next to me. I sense a blurry shadow, an outline of a man. I face forward with a grimace.
The large hand over my own caresses my skin with his thumb. He leans close to my ear and whispers, “I got you.”
My panic ebbs. I lay my head back against the car seat, close my eyes, and allow the soothing hand to lull me to sleep.
Chapter 18
Back Where I Started
JESSICA
EIGHT YEARS AGO:
May 19, 2016:
Emerald Pack Clinic
The glint of a blade reflects the moonlight as it comes straight for my face. A high-pitched, manic laugh echoes around me. The knife slices into my cheek, my scalp. Screaming with every slice until my throat is raw, it aims for my eye.
I raise my arms to protect myself.Stop!Please stop! Breathing harshly, I open my eyes and assess my surroundings. My vision distorts the shadows and light. I sit up in bed slowly, recognizing the smell of the sterile room.
I remember the man named Anders collecting me from Alpha Agnus’s house. I fell asleep in the car. I remember the man named Chris explaining they had wanted to return me to the clinic, where the doctor could take care of me. But I alsoremember Anders saying he planned to bring me home. Is this the clinic?
My heart rate accelerates, and the sound of my harsh, wet breathing bounces around the room. I close my eyes to calm myself. A warm palm holding my right hand, and another gently rubs my back.
“Shhhhh. You’re safe, sweetheart. No one will hurt you,” says a soft, soothing female voice. I can’t see what she looks like, but I detect a hint of mint accompanied by a delicate flowery scent of jasmine and vanilla. She continues to rub my back. I roam my hands down my body. A tube sticks out in my stomach, and another line runs into my arm. I wear that weird dress thing that only covers my front. I reach for my throat—no tube this time, but the hole is still present.
The woman makes a shushing noise and continues to rub my back. “The tube in your stomach feeds you. The line in your arm hydrates you. It’s to help you, not hurt you.” She pauses before apologizing, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up the other day. You must have been so scared. Between myself and my boys, we have been at your side since they brought you here. But my oldest son had to return to school. We all reluctantly left your side, not thinking you would wake up. You’ve been in a coma for almost two weeks.”
My shoulders drop, and the tension in my body relents.
“I’m here now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Little One.”
I nod and squeeze her hand.
She guides me back to recline in the bed. “My name is Shakti. I know—it’s a bit of a strange name, especially for someone born and raised in the LS. I can tell you how I was named, if you like?”
I nod again, encouraging her to continue.
“My father was a businessman who met many people overseas. One day, he met a beautiful shifter princess, adaughter of an Alpha King, in India on one of his travels. He met her only once. She was a little girl, no more than four or five years old, but he couldn’t get over how beautiful she was for a child. When he met his true mate, and they finally had a daughter after four sons, he was adamant on naming his daughter Shakti because he felt his daughter was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and his daughter would forever be his princess. I wish he was still alive today. I think you would have liked him.”
I reach out to find her hand and smile at her story, imagining how beautiful she is. I just wish I could see her, this woman who stayed by my side and comforted me. I worry I’ve lost my vision completely.
Without a voice and no vision, how will I survive? What kind of life could I possibly lead? Feeling sorry for myself, tears well in my eyes. What a mess. No one wants a weak person in their pack. A crybaby is weak.
A commotion outside my door diverts my attention. I can’t hear much with my ears, but inside my head, two male voices grumble with each other. The words are too fast, much faster compared to someone speaking out loud.
The door of my room bangs open.Great job, dumbass!You nearly woke the dead.
