Kenzie Hope
It was, from what I could tell, in the middle of the night. The blinds of the window in the hospital bedroom were open. Forest trees sprouted from the ground as far as the eye could see, allowing for the pack their privacy. There were bright stars scattering the midnight blue sky and the waning crescent moon provided me light. Crickets sounded in the distance, letting my know that there was life in the quiet woods.
The moon light glistened into the room with a beautiful elegance. Though it was dark, I could still see everything. There was a pull out couch perpendicular to the left of the window. It was red and the usually tacky hospital room couch. On it laid my little brother, sleeping soundly, except for the occasional stir when my heart monitor would beep. He snored softly ever now and again,
My heart swelled when I saw Brady. I hated that he had to go through this, but I loved that he cared enough to sleep in my hotel room. He had always been a fantastic brother, even as a moody teenager. He always remembered my birthday and he always knew when something was wrong.
He was my best friend. Always had been, always would be. Since he was old enough to understand what was happening, he had always loved being with me. It didn't bother me because I loved it just as much. As a child, he would love to play Legos or action figures with me. It was adorable. He would walk over to me and tap on my leg exactly three times. Then he would very quietly ask if I would pretty please play with him. I love him.
On the other side of the room was a larger door with a window in it. It was well-lit on the other side of the door. People were bustling back and forth, like hospital people do. Most of them were in light purple scrubs, but every once in a while there was a person in dark purple. I watched them for a while before I felt something move at my foot.
I looked down in front of me to see a mop of black hair. His arms were serving as pillows and one of his hands was touching my shin lightly, allowing sparks to ignite the area. The grey sleeves were slightly ridden up, revealing half of a tattoo. I couldn't make out what it was, but it added to the attraction I felt for him.
My heart swelled involuntarily and my heart monitor started beating slightly more rapidly. Brady stirred in his sleep and Alpha Winters jumped up a bit, then settled back down. He cuddled up in his arms again and moved his hand against my thigh. It was almost as if his unconscious self wanted to make sure I was still there. I took a few deep breaths to calm my heart.
After a few moments, the door cracked open. The light seeped into the room and so did a taller woman with light purple scrubs and long red hair. She tiptoed toward the bed, obviously not wanting to wake anyone up. Once she looked over at me and realized I was awake, she smiled kindly. She glanced back at Alpha Winters then continued tiptoeing toward me.
She had long red hair and freckles scattered on her pale face. Her eyes were a beautiful ocean blue and they showed kindness. She was a taller woman with a slender build. The bags under her eyes were obvious, it didn't look like she had sleep in a few days. Poor girl.
"Luna Hope," She whispered to me, quiet enough that it wouldn't wake the boys who had super hearing. My eyes widened and my breath hitched at what she called me.
"No, no, no. Kenzie, please," I corrected her. She nodded as she smiled.
"Laura. I just need to take your vitals. May I?" She asked. I gave her a slight yes by moving my head and she began on the basic routine. She finished and after a few questions, she was on her way. The door accidentally slammed shut after her.
Alpha Winters jumped up again, but this time he didn't settle back down. His lively green eyes were bright against the dark tones of the room. He stared at me for a while, his green eyes penetrating my soul and silently talking to my wolf.
His eyes were the hues of every forest, rimmed with dark green moss. They were the kind of green that revives the earth after an unforgiving winter. There were flecks of strength, of the kind of green that comes only as summer advances. The kind of green that budded on the prisoners of winter, bringing life back to their branches. That churning, passionate green that the ocean turns during a storm.
Next to the shade of his hair, that black color, he was alive in the same way birds are, casually wild. His hair was ruffled from his night's sleep, the strands sticking together in the way they do when a wash is overdue. It was as wild as the jungle, unnameable and unruly. His once styled and gelled back strands now resembled beached kelp after a storm, ruffled, and certainly not in a way you'd see on the cover of any magazine.
The stories of the prospective alpha all told of the wild stories of the boy. He was the boy who was worshiped as a child and rebelled because of it. He was the man who held more authority than anyone else in our world. In another time and place he could have been one of those prep-school boys with their year round tans, but in the here and now he's a small step from ruling our world. All he has is this way of life and no hope to change it.
I could sit here and stare at him for hours, looking at his beautiful features. I could sit here and describe the way his eye lashes fell onto his face, the way the moonlight accented his defined jaw, or the way his hair fell onto his face when he began to run his hands through it. I could sit here and admire all that he is, all that he is meant to be because he was the ultimate kind of person.
We sat there, in a staring contests for a few minutes, neither of us daring to move. It wasn't awkward, like it would be assumed to be, but it was comfortable. The feeling in the air felt like we had known each other our whole lives, in reality he had only stumbled into my life maybe twelve hours ago. I didn't understand it a bit, but it made me understand why my dad gave everything up to be with my mom.
He was the first one to speak. "Are you okay?" He asked the question smoothly, the baritone of his voice reverberated through my bones as he slid a strong hand over my shin. I could feel the calloused hand through the thin blanket. The low rumble of his voice was comforting as it wrapped around me and carried me off to a world where sound is the power that could change everything wrong in the world.
I squeaked and then flushed lightly when I realized that he was waiting for an answer. He looked at me expectantly.
"I'm fine." I piped. The chuckle that replied was that soft, rolling thunder that billows across the dark skies on a stormy night. It was the most powerful, yet genuine laugh I had ever heard.
"You don't have to lie to me," He whispered. He looked down at his hand that was tracing mindless circles on my blanket covered skin. The action stopped my heart and then quickly sped it up. My heart stopped again when he smiled down.
His smile was one of happiness growing, much as a spring flower opens. A person smiles with more than their mouth, and I heard it in his voice, in the choice of his words and the way he relaxed. I could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. The way his lips lifted upward. The way his one dimple crinkled. The way his teeth are perfectly aligned. The warm glow his happiness gives. His smile is a ray of sunshine, and I am a sunburn.
"I'm not lying," I squeaked. It was hard getting words out, apparently. I struggled to utter the simplest words in front of him.
The wheels of the chair were the only thing that could be heard in the room besides Brady's light snoring. His hand trailed up my shin and over the side of my body, making sure not to touch my arm, as he rolled over to me. He ignited sparks though the entire left side of my body. He reached my shoulder and looked back up to me. His eyes silently asked me for approval.
It was common knowledge that someone could heal their mate with a simple touch. With that in mind, I slowly nodded my head. His eyes lit up, just slightly, and he slightly nodded back.
Sparks shot my body awake when he kissed the top of my injuries. It burned like hell the first time, but a second kiss in the same area was only tingles. He slowly kissed down my arm, two in every spot, until my arm no longer pulsed in pain. My wolf howled in pleasure at each and every one. When he looked back up, his eyes matched his hair.
He growled, in what I hope was delight. "Mate," He purred, rubbing his nose on my shoulder. My eyes closed involuntarily, unable to take the sparks. "Can I lay with mate?" His grumbling voice asked.
For the sanity of my human side, I wanted to say no. If I dive into this too quickly, the part of me that was human would get heartbroken. I wanted to say no, but my wolf side was stronger. She was already head over heels in love with him and I couldn't help but nod my head at his question.
I carefully moved to the right side of the bed, not wanting to disrupt the burns on my shoulder. When I finished moving, I looked back at him. Somehow, his dark eyes glistened and I patted the bed next to me, my wolf eager to have him next to us. Slowly and carefully he got off the chair and slid into the bed next to me. There was about a foot of room in between us and we sat there for a moment before he decided to say something about it.
"Why is mate so far?" He whimpered, sounding genuinely hurt. He wrapped his arms around my body and carefully lifted my body to rest on his lap. Purring, he put his nose in the crook of my neck and took a large sniff. I leaned into his touch; it comforted me.
"What's your name?" I asked him once we had settled into a comfortable position. He took his head out of my neck and looked up at me.
"Gage," He murmured, his nose running softly against my cheek.
"Hi, Gage," I whispered. He growled seductively in response. My wolf loved that.
'I want control', She whined. I wanted to, for her happiness, but I couldn't. If I let her out, they would end up marking each other and I, the human, was not ready for that. I doubt the human counterpart of Gage wanted that either.
"Kenzie." He pulled me closer and purred into my skin. Goosebumps spread across my cheek and neck.
I wasn't long after that I fell asleep in his arms. Something about the way he was holding me and his smell of pine trees and cinnamon allowed me to drift off into the best sleep I've ever had.