I was so warm and comfortable. I snuggled closer against the source of the heat. A gentle tapping at my cheek tried to rouse me. I swatted at it, not wanting to wake up yet.
Realization hit me like a bolt of lightning, and my eyes flew open. I looked up into ice-blue eyes. They captured mine and held them, stealing my breath away.
I didn't like how my body was responding to him. My heart raced, my breath caught in my throat, and I had the desperate urge to reach out and see if his long, dark hair was half as soft as it looked.
Damn Biology! I thought, trying to regain control of myself.
He stroked my cheek, brows knit with concern. "Are you alright? Did healing overtax you?"
"Must be it!" I squeaked, trying and failing to slide out of his arms.
He hung on, and I gave up slumping in his arm.
"You lie, why?" he said calmly, like it was a fact.
I huffed, not sure what to say to that. "Yes, well, I do that."
"We will go back now," he said, starting to get up.
"I told you I can't. I am not going anywhere with you," I snapped.
For a moment, I was able to get free sliding through his grip. Before I could fully twist away, he caught me and tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing, careful but firm enough to knock the breath out of me.
"You are," he corrected. "You are mine."
"Will you just stop and listen for a minute!"
He sat me back on the ground in front of him, one hand wrapped around my shoulder in case I tried to bolt.
"I am listening," he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
"There are a lot of sick people in the Outskirts right now. We think caused by your people. The least you can do is not take their only healer away from them."
He frowned, considering me, then nodded gravely, "I suppose that makes sense."
I breathed a sigh of relief, my pulse starting to slow. "Thank you for understanding."
"I will give you three days. By then, I will be able to get healers to take your place as well as enough resources to prove to you that I am serious about helping your people. You can say your goodbyes, in that time as well. Then you will return with me to Blackspire."
It felt like the world was spinning again. He narrowed his eyes, holding me upright.
I made a weird sound between a sob and a laugh. "This is a nightmare."
His frown deepened, and he looked deeply offended, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I hated him. We all hated him. There was no way I would willingly go to the Blackspire as his mate.
The thought was too vile, too twisted to be reality.
"I would rather die than be your mate," I snapped, the words pouring out of me like poison.
His eyes went cold—not angry, not hurt, just… resolved.
"Three days," he said, and walked away.
⋆···✦···⋆
I stood there numb with shock long after he had faded from view.
I slammed my hands into my cheeks, trying to jar myself out of the stupor. I winced, the biting cold penetrating the shock more than the slaps had.
I needed to think of a plan. Standing around with my mouth hanging open wouldn't do anyone any good. I ran back to my pack and slung it over my shoulders.
I hadn't collected enough for everyone not by half, but if I did have healing powers now, maybe going back was the best thing I could do. I jogged down the cliff, taking a wide swing to the left, so I didn't risk running into the Alpha again.
I wasn't sure he would change his mind or not, and I didn't think it was a great idea to push my luck.
I felt strangely stronger now and faster. My pack felt like it weighed nothing, and I zoomed through the trees at a brisk pace, arriving back in town much sooner than I thought I would.
I was so overwhelmed by finding out the freaking Alpha was my mate that I had almost forgotten what I had seen. My brother had tried and nearly succeeded in killing him.
If he found out that I had healed him, I didn't want to think about what he would do to me.
I was trying to think of something to say to explain how my gifts had awoken without mentioning the whole mate thing when a crowd caught my eye. I stumbled back, hiding behind a low brick wall, peeking out as the Alpha strolled back up to his men.
Somehow, I had managed to pass him, damn it.
From this distance, I could admire him, not that I wanted to, but it was like I couldn't look away.
He was massive and naked, not that wolves cared much about nudity; we were used to being naked. It came with the territory of shifting. People didn't usually stroll into town covered in blood and naked, however.
His men stared at him, horrified, and the people of the Outskirts backed away, muttering. He raised his arms to silence the crowd.
They fell silent at once, clinging to each other, in fear as the most terrifying expression crossed his face. I think it was supposed to be a smile, it was hard to tell. The baring of teeth he displayed looked more like he was ready to snap someone in half. It was definitely not a pleasant sight. Maybe it was the blood? No, he was just too sinister to pull it off.
"Take heart, people of the Outskirts. Today in the woods, while injured and on death's door, I was saved by my mate. Her power and gifts were more than my wildest dreams, and so I have decided to pardon the wrongdoing of last night, as a justified turn of events. However, the man who cowardly tried to kill me unchallenged and with human traps must pay for his crimes. I will return in three days to help lift you from this terrible state so you may live happy and comfortable lives," he called. Voice echoing around the still center. It was like the people were frozen in place, rooted to the spot.
I slammed my hand into my palm, groaning. So much for my brother not finding out. There was no way in hell they wouldn't know it was me. He was speaking in quieter tones to Miss May, who looked furious. His scowl was back at least, the disturbing smile no longer plastered to his face.
She seemed to be having a heated argument with him. Her head held high. I decided I had seen enough and slipped away, darting around buildings towards my shop.
Cinder sat on the front steps looking like hell. His head darted up as I approached, his eyes widening.
"You're back! I have been so damned worried," he gasped, pulling me against him.
I let him hold me, not trying to pull away. He tenses, sniffing me, and pulls away, eyes widening. "What is that? What is that smell?"
"I messed up," I sob, unable to keep the fear and regret from spilling over. His hands tightened on my arms, fear and anger warring in his eyes. I told him everything that happened, about my brother, about the Alpha, all of it. By the end, he looks ready to storm off and burn the city to ash. His fist clenched at his side, jaw so tight I feared his teeth would crack. I grabbed his arm before he could leave.
"Don't. Please, I am begging you not to make it worse. If something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," I sobbed, wrapping my arms around him tightly.
"Alright," he said through clenched teeth, "what should we do?"
"I want to heal the sick. Let's start with the ones that are the worst, and make our way through everyone else. After that, we let anyone who needs healing of any kind come to me, and I will fix them up. Hopefully, we can get through everyone in three days."
He frowns down at me, "If that is what you want, but…"
"I know. I don't know what it will do to me either. We just need to test it and find out," I sigh, glancing back to the square. I couldn't tell if the Alpha is gone yet or not from where we stood.
"Go tell Miss May what happened. I am going to start seeing people. Let as many people as you can know to see me if they need me. I doubt many still trust me after…after…" The words cut off, too bitter to be said out loud.
"You start curing people, and they will have no choice but to trust you. I doubt they will want to let you go, though," he said with a sigh.
"We don't have any other options. I am not going to toss away a gift like this, unused, for my personal safety. That isn't who I am."
"Oh, I am aware of who you are, and I will tell you right now. Mate or not, I'm not letting him take you," he spat bitterly, storming away like the world was riding on his damned shoulders.
I waited for him to come back nervously, ready to bolt at the first sign of the Alpha or his men. I sighed with relief when Miss May walked my way, slumped, looking her age for once. Cinder followed, pushing my father behind her, eyes staring down haunted.
I ran out to meet them. Miss May watched me with a deep sadness in her eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't think of any way to make this better.
"Heal him first if you can," she said, gesturing to my father, "If things start to get out of hand, we will force you apart."
I nodded, tears streaming down my cheeks at the disappointment in her voice. We had waited for so long for my powers to show, only to have them claimed by a tyrant.
My father stared ahead unseeing. Gently, I took his hand in mine, and the power drifted from me, strong enough to make me gasp, but it didn't hurt. I wouldn't say it was pleasant either. Profoundly unnerving, like my soul was slowly being sucked away a little at a time, but it was a ghost of a feeling. This pain wasn't my pain to fill. My mother swam into my mind, and the events of that day started to replay behind my closed eyes.
I realized with a start that this was my father's memory, not mine. I could no longer open my eyes, even if I wanted to. Nothing could make me let go.
"Hey, Hale, there is something weird going on down below. The entire place has been shaking," a miner says, his face eerily blank.
"Hmm, it does that sometimes," I shrug, or rather my father does, his deep, calming voice nearly breaking the trance. I hadn't heard it in so long.
"I am telling you this time…" he doesn't get to finish as an unnatural sound of rock sliding on rock shakes the entire tunnel.
"Out! Everyone out now!" I cry, fear thundering through me hard enough to make me want to vomit. I can't die, not now, they need me! She needs me.
I could feel tears flowing down my cheeks as the memory played out; the pain in his thoughts made me collapse to my knees.
I shove people in front of me, counting heads waiting, making sure every single one gets out ahead of me. A man stumbles, falling. I run to him, grabbing him by the back of the shirt, hurling him out of the mine, diving out after him. It was too late. A rock falls on my legs, pinning me in place.
Pain pulls a scream from my throat, and my legs are crushed beyond repair. I know I am going to die. Then I see her, my everything, Violet, goddess no, not her. Don't let her do what I think she is going to do. She collapses at my side, clutching my hands. "Forgive me. I am so sorry, I just can't live without you."
"Stop! Please don't do this," I scream, desperately. As power swims through my veins, she smiles, tears spilling down her cheeks as slowly the life leaves her body, and I know nothing but pain…then darkness.
I fall away from my father, sobbing, uncontrollably, and warm arms pick me up, cradling me. At first, I think it is Cinder, but his scent is warmer, more woodsy than smoky.
"I got you, baby," my father soothes, wiping away my tears.