All I can see are its hungry yellow eyes. Its foul breath and sharp teeth. The fear and panic that coursed through my veins. The intense pain as he sunk his jaws into my arm. The scream that ripped from my throat.
It all happened so fast. Thinking back on it now as I stare up at the ceiling, watching the fan go around and around, it all could have been in my head. I grimace in pain as I shift my shoulder, my arm screaming in a throbbing ache. That couldn't have been because of a dream.
My heart races in my chest as I look around the familiar room. It's Jack's, but where is he? My mind flashes to the moment he sprinted into the trees. Why did he do that? Also, why did he take off some of his clothes? My mind can't figure out why. It makes no sense.
None of this makes sense. The beast was too big to be a real animal, yet my arm is broken because of it. How? How did it get that big? I shiver and pull the blankets closer to me. I'm scared. I know where I am, but where is everyone? Why am I here and not at a hospital? Why aren't the police here?
I need answers. I bite my cheek to keep the audible groan from leaving my mouth as I throw the covers off of me and place my feet on the cold hardwood. I stand up, gasping as black dots abruptly appear in my vision. I quickly sit down, holding my head in my good hand as I suddenly feel lightheaded. I remember all the blood that covered my clothes. I look down and realize I'm not wearing my clothes. I'm wearing a hospital gown, but that just confuses me more. Why am I at Jack's, but in hospital clothes?
My head whips up towards the door as it opens slowly. Lilly smiles at me warmly as she comes in, a black bag in her hands.
"Is Jack okay?" The words are spewing from me before I can stop myself. Lilly nods.
"He's alright," she says, taking a seat beside me and then begins to dig around in her bag. "He's just resting." My heart seizes.
"What happened, did the monster get him too?" She's silent as she pulls out a small glass bottle. The liquid inside is clear, like water.
"He's got some new scars, that's for sure," she sighs, as if this isn't the first this has happened. Seeing my worried and terrified expression, she smiles reassuringly at me. "He'll be alright. Here." She hands me the glass bottle.
"Drink this," I look at her skeptically before uncorking it and smelling it, taken aback by how sweet it smells.
"Why does it smell like cotton candy?" I ask.
"Drink it, and I'll explain," I eye her suspiciously before she laughs.
"I'm a doctor, Riley, I would be breaking my oath to harm you in any way," she pushes my hand gently towards my mouth, and I finish the action. The liquid is sweet, tasting just like cotton candy, as it slips down my throat. It takes me back to earlier in the night when Jack kissed me for the first time. My face heats up, and Lilly smiles.
"Those 'monsters' in the forest were supernatural beings called Werewolves," I gape at her as she takes the bottle back from me, placing it back in her bag. "The water comes from a magical spring nearby that has healing powers. Your arm will be completely healed by the morning." I continue to stare at her as she looks at my arm, completely unnerved by the information she just told me.
"Um... What?" She glances at me.
"What do you need to be explained further, sweetheart?" I gawk at her, unable to process this information.
"Everything?" She sighs and pats my uninjured arm.
"This is the problem with having humans as mates," she smiles reassuringly at me. "Riley, everything you have ever read, seen, or heard about the supernatural and magical worlds are true." There's a roar in my ear as I stare at her, completely in shock. Her words are swirling in my head.
"Vampires, Witches, and elves, too?" I ask hesitantly, and she nods.
"All real,"
"How come I've never seen them before?" She chuckles.
"You have," she winks. "We're all around you, Riley, you just never looked hard enough to see." She gets up, taking her bag with her.
"I'll let Jack know you're awake," she says, smiling at me. "Get some rest; you're going to need it." She closes the door softly behind her, and I think I stare at that door for nearly twenty minutes. She can't be serious, can she? The supernatural is real? The magical world is real? My arm stops aching, and it starts to tingle, and I know it's because of the water. Oh, my God, is the water actually magical? My head is spinning.
My mind flashes to the massive beasts in the forest. My brain can't seem to find any other reasonable or logical explanation to back up what happened to me and what I saw. All I can do is take Lilly's word for it and accept that she's telling the truth because there's nothing else I can go on.
My arm begins to feel warm, but it's a comfortable warmth. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't ache. My mind begins to slow, and my thoughts become spaced apart. I suddenly feel very drowsy, and I lay down against the pillows, their comfort, and a familiar scent of fresh laundry and peppermint lul me to the dreamscape.
~•~
My eyes open slowly, and they land on Jack as he holds my hand tightly in his. His thumb etches soft tender circles into my skin before he brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently.
"I'm so sorry, Riley," he whispers against my hand. "I never meant for you to get hurt." His gaze meets mine, and my heart aches at the redness in his eyes. He's been crying.
"Hey," I say softly, my tongue feeling thick in my mouth. Jack moves onto the bed, sitting beside me, his hand holding mine even tighter.
"Riley," he breathes, his free hand coming up and caressing my cheek. I can't help but lean into his warmth as it lowers my uneasiness.
"Are you okay?" I ask, and he nods.
"Are you okay?" He repeats, and I sit up, surprised at how much pain I'm not feeling. Seeing the confusion on my face, Jack smiles.
"I'm glad the water is helping," he says, and I stare at him, bewildered. "I know that bites are some of the worst to heal." I gape at him as Lilly, and I's conversation echos in my mind.
"Everything is real," I whisper, shock and awe in my voice. Jack nods, squeezing my hand.
"Yeah," he rubs his neck nervously before he speaks again. "I, um, was one of the Werewolves." My eyes snap to his, and I suck in a breath as the wolf's ocean blue eyes flash in my mind.
"That's why you took off your shirt," I breathe, and he chuckles.
"My parents pay a lot for my clothes, the least I can do is try to take it off before shifting," he laughs nervously, assessing every expression on my face.
"The other, uh, Werewolf?" A sudden dark, grim expression casts over Jack's face as he looks away from me.
"He was hurting you," he states as if he's said this to himself multiple times. "I had to do something." A heavy silence fills the room. Realization settles in my mind. Jack killed the other Werewolf. For me. I feel remorseful. My eyes burn, and I look at my injured arm. I could be dead if it wasn't for Jack. That Werewolf could have killed me, but it didn't because Jack was there. Jack saved my life.
"Thank you," I breathe, and his eyes snap to mine, shock in his eyes.
"I put you in danger," he says, jaw clenched as he looks away. I squeeze his hand, but he doesn't look at me.
"Not on purpose," he shakes his head.
"No, but I knew better," he sighs, annoyed, and frustrated. "I knew that it could be dangerous, I just thought..." he shakes his head. "I shouldn't have brought you there, and I'm sorry."
"No," I say, and he looks at me. "No." His eyes widen in surprise, and before he can say anything, I continue.
"You showed me a place you felt safe and that you loved going to. I could never blame you for what happened," Jack gawks at me. "You saved my life, Jack." I bring his hand to my lips, kissing the back of it as my face heats up. My eyes close as I hold his hand close to my face, leaning into it as if my life depended on it.
"Riley, I..." I feel his hand caress my cheek, and I open my eyes to see him looking at me. His pupils are dilated, and he's moved closer. I lean into his hand, kissing his palm.
"I don't care what you are," I whisper, and I can hear him suck in a breath. "I know you care about me, and that's all that matters." His other hand caresses my other cheek, and my eyes closed as I sink into him. I feel his lips brush over mine, and my body shivers.
"You don't know the full story," he says gently, and I open my eyes. He smiles at me. "You're my mate, Riley, so of course I care about you." My mind jumps to what his mom said before.
"My mate," I repeat, and his eyes soften as he nods.
"Yeah," his thumbs smooth over my cheeks. "My soulmate."
"How do you know?" A small smile spreads across his face.
"Your scent, like strawberries and vanilla," my face burns. "Also, every bit of you I'm attracted too, and I can't do anything about it."
"O-oh," he smiles at me, his eyes soft and open.
"Not that I'd want to, though," he chuckles. His lips brush across mine. "I know a lot has happened, and you've been told so much, so I'd understand if you need some space." I quickly shake my head.
"No," he looks at me, surprised. "I really don't want to be alone right now." A small part of me is afraid something terrible is going to happen now that I know all this information.
"Are you sure?" I nod. He sits beside me, leaning against the headboard and he pulls me into his side. I rest my head on his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat. His hand smoothes the hair over the top of my head. He holds me close to him and squeezes my hand.
"I was afraid you were going to reject me," he breathes, and I look up at him. "I wouldn't blame you, though. After everything that's happened."
"Maybe," I reply, scrambling to continue after his eyes flash with fear. "I mean, it doesn't feel like the right thing to do."
"I don't want you to feel pressured," he sighs, leaning his head back against the headboard. "It's one thing to accept your mate naturally, but it's another to be told."
"I wanted you to accept me and fall in love with me naturally," he continues after seeing the confused expression on my face. "I only wanted to tell you about my world after I knew you were mine completely." My face heats up at the thought.
"Oh," I breathe, and he sighs.
"And we've just gotten together," he kisses my knuckles as my heart skips a beat. "I don't want to ruin that." I remain silent, unsure of what to say. Being apart from him felt... Wrong. Unnatural. The universe and world brought us together, and now I have the decision to tear us apart. My eyes burn at that.
"I've barely met you," I say softly, lifting my head to look at him. "But I believe you about the soulmate thing. I can... Feel it." He smiles at me as my face burns.
"It's called The Pull," he squeezes my fingers. "It's the connection and attraction that we feel as mates, and it draws us together." His words make sense, and they settle in my mind.
"I knew there was something different about you," I say. "I didn't expect the whole Werewolf thing, but what you mean to me, that is." He nods.
"I know," he kisses my forehead. "The Pull makes it very difficult to not want to be around your mate." He chuckles.
"What do you mean?" His eyes meet mine, and my heart skips a beat.
"I could have easily done that project by myself," he says, referring to our project for Mrs. Hawkins. "But I wanted to be around you. I wanted to get to know you. I wanted to know why the universe put us together as mates." I narrow my eyes at him.
"I knew you were too smart for my help," he laughs, and I can't help but smile at the sound.
"Could you blame me?" His fingers brush over my cheek. "My mate was right in front of me, and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to spend time with her." His thumb traces my jaw, eyes searching mine.
"Did you figure out why the universe put us together?" I ask, and he shakes his head.
"I didn't," he smiles. "But I really don't think I'm supposed to know." My stomach flips with butterflies as his eyes dilate, and his lips draw closer to mine. My breath catches, and my eyes closed as he places a tentative kiss against my lips. All at once, warmth spreads through my body, and I have an inner desire for more. I lean against him, capturing his lips with mine. His hand cups the back of my head, kissing me with such passion, it goes all the way down to my toes.
These kisses are different but in a good way. It feels fuller and not as restrained. Like he isn't trying to control a part of himself. I gasp in a breath as his lips move to my neck. Tingles spread through my body, and I hear him growl softly, goosebumps spreading across my skin. He pulls back, resting his forehead against mine.
"There's still so much more you need to know," he says, voice deeper. I shiver, and he kisses my temple, lingering over my skin. I look up at him and smile.
"I'm all ears."