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When I woke up, I was made instantly aware of a dull pain in my stomach, I opened my eyes and saw a set of bright blue eyes staring back at me. I gasped, startled and went to move but the dull pain in my stomach turned to a sharp pain.
"Ah!" I cried out.
"Easy." Kieran said. "I know, my dashing good looks are enough to startle anyone." He followed up with a smirk.
I shot him a glare and tried to sit up.
"Will you stop moving? You're going to rip your stitches, again!" a man fussed at me from my left. I turned my head confused and looked at the blonde headed man wearing a lab coat.
He didn't smell like a fullblood. I cocked my head curiously.
"You weren't born a wolf." I stated. I'd never met a bitten.
"No. I wasn't." The man shrugged. "Now sit still." He said and went to lift my blanket. I growled and slapped his hand away.
"I'm not clothed!" I spat.
"Love you haven't been clothed for two days." Kieran said.
I turned to him. My face was flushed bright red and I hated that it did that. He gave me a cocky wink and a grin, and I just wanted to slap the shit out of him.
"Two days??" I demanded.
"Well, you've been in and out of it and you've torn your stitches twice because you kept freaking out when you did wake up, so I've had to keep you pretty well sedated." The doctor said and again went to lift the blanket and I slapped his hand again.
"Ow! Stop!" He hissed at me.
"You stop!" I snapped.
"I need to check your wound. I've already seen everything under that blanket."
"I want clothes. and for him to leave!" I said and pointed at Kieran.
"I've already seen everything under the blanket too." Kieran grinned.
"GET OUT!" I shrieked.
Kieran chuckled and stood up.
"As you wish, princess." He sneered and turned to the doctor. "I'll have Roxy bring her clothes, try not to kill her, Jake." He smirked and walked out of the room, and I watched him leave.
"There, now will you let me do my job?" Jake sighed.
"I guess." I sighed and looked down at my arm, noticing the needle sticking in it with a tube filled with liquid.
"What is this?" I asked.
"You've never seen an IV?" He asked and then shook his head. "It's what's kept you hydrated this whole time; I also used it to keep you sedated."
"We don't use modern medicine often in my pack." I shrugged and winced as he poked at my stitches. I looked down seeing them for the first time and as soon as I saw the wound, painful flashbacks from what caused it washed over me. I shuddered and shook my head, shaking them away. My fight with Jamie was the last thing I wanted to think of right now.
"Whoever did this to you must have hated you." Jake sighed. "I almost lost you twice on the table and I thought Kieran was going to rip my head off my shoulders."
"Are you assuming Kieran cares about anyone but himself?" I asked.
"I know for a fact that he does. He hardly left the room while you were in here."
I shrugged. "Probably because I'm an important game piece in this foolish war between him and my father. That's all." I said. Although I was trying to convince myself of that more than anything, one thing I remembered vividly, before I blacked out, was the look of concern and fear in Kieran's eyes as he watched me slip away. It was a look that I had seen before, in my father's eyes when my mother passed, and it scared the hell out of me.
The door opened and a woman with dark brown hair, and red streaks walked in. She smiled at me before turning to Jake and kissing him on the cheek.
"Kieran told me to bring her some clothes." She said and put my backpack in the chair that Kieran had been sitting in. She extended her hand to me.
"I'm Roxy. It's good to have you here." She said, I raised my eyebrow and shook her hand.
"Amara." I introduced myself. "But I won't be staying long, I've already been here much longer than I planned."
"And you won't be leaving until you are healed." Jake said.
I glared at him.
He put his hands up.
"Kieran's orders, not mine, although I agree with him, an injured wolf is an easy target, for hunters or whoever did this to you in the first place. If they wanted to finish the job."
"It's not bad around here, you'll see." Roxy smiled. "I have to go, I'm helping Mary today while Connor goes out with Kieran and Rob to look for the she-wolf-" Roxy stopped short as Jake was gesturing for her to stop speaking.
"What are they looking for?" I asked.
"Nothing important." Roxy shrugged nervously. I could tell she was lying. I narrowed my eyes skeptically at her and she turned and left.
"Are you, her mate?" I asked.
"I am." Jake nodded.
"I don't understand, only Alpha's can turn humans, and most won't even consider it. My father forbids the mating of fullbloods and Halfbreeds and won't even allow humans near our pack, even the peaceful ones. How did you even meet Roxy?"
Jake smiled.
"Roxy snuck off to the city a couple years ago and I almost hit her with my car, she was in her human form and wasn't used to the city. So, I took her to the hospital I worked at to check her out and make sure she wasn't injured, and she imprinted on me."
"Wolves don't imprint on humans." I said flatly.
"You only know what your father has taught you and that is quite sad." Jake sighed. "It is possible."
"So it's possible, Surely Kieran wouldn't have been okay with it." I argued.
"He wasn't, at first. He was furious with Roxy for sneaking off into the city; he wouldn't allow her to run with the pack for weeks but she was persistent." Jake smirked. "She still snuck off to be with me and Kieran decided the only way to keep Roxy from danger was for me to stay here."
"So he turned you?" I asked.
"He gave me the choice, I could never truly be with Roxy as I was, but it was always my choice to stay human or not, Kieran made that clear."
"And the others. They don't shun you?" I asked.
"No. I think you'll find the longer you stay here that Kieran does things differently, he's not the villainous monster your father makes him to be." Jake said.
"I'm going to step out so you can get dressed. Don't move too quickly and take small steps you're going to be sore for a few days, but I'll get you something for pain, and an antibiotic cream to keep your wound from getting infected."
"I don't want any more of those poisons you call medicine in my body. Just get me some willow bark, some honey, and cloves." I insisted.
Jake gave me an indignant look, as if I had just insulted his entire line of ancestors for referring to his modern medicine as poison.
"Well, sure. Are you hungry? I could grab some twigs and berries too." Jake snarked.
"Look, you have your way of doing things, I have my way. It's not my fault, mine is better." I smiled. "Thank you, for saving my life, but I can handle things on my own from here."
Jake shook his head in disbelief as he walked out of the room leaving me to get dressed.
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As I walked around Kieran's home, I noticed everyone for the most part seemed laid back, and not bothered by my presence in the slightest. For a member of a rival pack to be walking around amongst them they didn't seem to care at all.
"Ah, look who's up and about." I heard from behind me. I turned to see one of the guys that was with us when I ran off the other day. The mouthy one.
"My apologies, I don't think we've had time to be properly introduced, what with all the screaming and kicking, and then you almost dying." He smirked. "Names Marcus."
"Amara." I said and tucked my dark brown hair behind my ear and looked around.
"You've got no reason to be nervous here, love. Kieran made it clear before he left, that you were to be left alone."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, no offense but you're somewhat of a loose cannon, the littlest thing sets you off and Kieran didn't want any fighting."
"Loose cannon?!" I hissed. "I am not!"
Marcus chuckled. "Sure, If you say so."
"Where did Kieran go?" I asked and put my hands on my hips.
"Demanding little thing, you are." Marcus laughed. "He went out hunting with Rob and Connor."
"Bullshit, Wolves hunt as a pack." I said.
"For food, yes. I didn't say what they were hunting for." Marcus shrugged.
"Well, what are they hunting for?" I asked and rolled my eyes.
"That's on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know." Marcus smiled and started walking away.
"Hey! Wait a bloody minute!" I yelled and followed him.
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It was hours before Kieran, Connor and Rob had returned, and as mouthy as Marcus was, I couldn't manage to get it out of him what they were going after, I didn't even know why I cared. I stood in the kitchen with the supplies I had asked Jake to get, preparing my own medicines.
"What are you doing, pup?" That annoying familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around with a large knife in my hand.
Kieran smirked.
"You're what... Four feet tall? Not very intimidating even with a knife in your hand. Sorry love."
"I'm five-foot-two, asshole!" I grumbled and turned back to what I was doing. "You aren't intimidating either." I mumbled.
"Oh. I'm not?" He asked and I could feel him standing directly behind me now. He put his large hands on the counter on each side of me and leaned in. I could feel his breath on my neck. I swallowed thickly and willed myself not to tremble. I tried instead to focus on getting a sense of where he had been. He smelled like the weeds that grew out by the river that separated our territories but there was another scent on him. Jasmine. I had a small garden of Jasmine flowers just outside my home. Surely, he hadn't been stupid enough to go there.
"What were you doing in my territory?" I asked.
"Clever little she-wolf." Kieran whispered, leaning in so close I could feel his breath on my ear. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and Kieran chuckled and pulled back watching me crush the cloves with the flat of the blade.
"Answer my question first. What are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm making a natural antibiotic out of cloves and honey." I said and rolled my eyes. "My question seems more important. Are you trying for a bloodbath?" I asked.
"It's none of your business what I do." Kieran said and leaned against the counter to the side of me.
"It is my business, if you are going to my home. With my pack." I said, crushing the cloves with more aggression than needed.
"According to your pack, you are dead." Kieran said. My hand slipped on the knife, and I cut myself.
"Bloody hell!" I grumbled and hurried to the sink.
"You just can't help but be injured, can you?" Kieran sighed and walked over to take my hand.
I pulled my hand away.
"It's fine..." I said.
"No. It's not." Kieran said firmly and took my wrist pulling me closer so he could see my hand. He backed up a couple steps and opened a bottle of rum sitting on the counter before walking me back to the sink and pouring a bit of it on the cut.
"Ow!" I hissed. "Why?!"
"To clean it, don't whine, I don't just waste rum for anyone." He mumbled and turned around, opening a drawer, to retrieve some bandages. He carefully wrapped the bandage around my hand and tore it with his teeth, looking me directly in the eyes while doing so. I felt a wave of something unfamiliar rush over my body, there was a burn that I'd never felt in my stomach and my skin felt like it was on fire. His blue eyes took on a silvery tint and, in his eyes, my amber eyes reflected the color of wildfire, and I pulled my hand back away from him. I turned back to my herbs and finished what I was doing quickly. Kieran even went quiet and there was a strange tension between the two of us until someone else walked in.
"What are we feeling tonight, Kieran?"
I turned around looking at the dark-skinned woman with curly raven hair.
"Whatever you feel like making tonight, Sable." Kieran said and then turned to me.
"This is Sable, she cooks all our meals."
"Nice to meet you." I muttered trying to avoid eye contact with Kieran at all costs.
"What did I just walk in on?" Sable asked, giving Kieran a smirk.
"Nothing." I said and gathered the antibiotic salve I just made and started walking out of the kitchen.
"Don't go too far, we eat together." Kieran said.
"I'm not hungry." I said keeping my eyes to the floor as I walked out of the kitchen.
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While Kieran's pack dined on the delicious smelling food. I sat on the front porch looking up at the sky.
"Why? Why now?" I demanded cursing the crescent moon in the sky "I never wanted this, I don't need it. I am fine on my own!"
It was a centuries old myth that when a wolf found their true mate, their eyes would shift colors when looking directly into each other's eyes. I wanted no part of that whatsoever. I would not love Kieran Quinn. I would not mate with Kieran Quinn, or anyone for that matter. I liked being on my own, and not tied down to any one person or thing. It was just who I was.
"Take it back!" I yelled at the sky.
"Who the devil are you talking to out here?"
Speak of the devil…