Chapter 30


    Imagine being hit by a semi-truck then having said truck back over your broken body, only to run over it


    again. That''s me right now. My whole body ached and my mouth dry. I thought when you died all that


    stuff didn''t happen anymore. Unless I wasn''t dead, but that was impossible. I fell off a freaking cliff. I


    opened my eyes slowly, looking at the room around me.


    No angels or heavenly trumpets and it was too cold and stank too much of disinfectant to be hell. So


    alive - right now, I might have preferred dying. It hurt less. The door opened, and Emily walked in,


    smiling as if she''d just won a million dors. "Hello, Brook. It''s good to see you awake. How are you


    feeling?"


    "Confused," I said honestly. "I am pretty sure I should be dead right now."


    Emilyughed, pulling one of those stools on wheels all doctors have. "It was touch and go there for a


    while."


    A while? How long was I out? I started to ask her when she spoke again.


    "What do you remember after the fall."


    "I remember dying. There was a burning sensation, and I cked out I guess."


    "Burning?" Emily repeated, curiosity filling her voice.


    Okay, now I was even more confused. "Yeah like fire ants under my skin, but it didn''tst long."


    "Interesting," she said but the before she could say more Ryder walked in the room. He stopped


    halfway, staring at me. It was kind of creepy.


    "Hey," I said, self-conscious as he kept staring at me. I nced down at myp, noticing my arm no


    longer had the cast. In fact, it looked good as new.


    Suddenly, Ryder was next to me, my hand in his. "You''re awake! How do are you? Did you know yet?


    Mom, did you tell her?"


    I blinked at him, confused. His momughed, giving me an apologetic grimace. "No, I didn''t tell her, I''ve


    been busy with my checkup."


    I swallowed as I looked between the two. "Tell me what?"


    "It doesn''t matter right now. For now, I want to examine you. Besides the confusion, how are you?"


    I didn''t like the vibe I was getting from her, but I answered her question. "Like I''ve been hit been ran


    over a few dozen times. My body aches everywhere, and I''m really thirsty."


    Ryder leaped off the bed, running, and shouted he''ll get me some water. I blinked again. He was acting


    kind of odd. "Was I that bad or is he just being weird as usual?"


    His mom grinned at me with augh as she checked me over. "You were that bad. I wasn''t too sure if I


    could keep you with us, despite all the measures we took. What kind of aches are these? Is it like


    general soreness or to a specific area? Also, how is the ache burning, stabbing, stinging, throbbing?"


    "It''s a general ache, and more throbbing than anything."


    Ryder''s mom continued to question me for a while, helped me sit up when Ryder returned with my


    water. It was room temperature, but to me, it was pure heaven. "So what exactly happened to me?" I


    asked when I finished.


    "You were right, Brook. When you fell, you were dying and would''ve been dead in a matter of minutes.


    Brent did the only thing he could to save your life. He bit you," she exined.


    "He bit me," I repeated, and she nodded. Did that mean what I think it meant?


    "Yes, starting the change in you from human to werewolf."


    My mouth dropped open with a gasp, and my eyes shot wide. Ryder took my hand,cing his fingers


    with mine, and gave it a soft squeeze. As much as I wanted to return some gesture back. I couldn''t. I


    was too in shock. His mom gave me a small smile and began to exin things about the ability to heal.


    Also, some other things I didn''t understand.


    "So let me get this straight," I said, rubbing my forehead. "I''ve been in aa for half a month, and


    when the moon is full I''m going to turn into a wolf?"


    "Actually, you''ve already shifted once," Ryder said, grinning.


    "What? That''s impossible. I would remember if I turned into a wolf," I said,ing close to hysterics.


    "The full moon passed two nights ago Brook and while in aa you did go through your first shift.


    Complete wolf form," his mom said, her tone cautious now.


    Whoa, this was...I didn''t even know what to think.


    "You must be overwhelmed right now. I get it," Ryder''s mom said. Overwhelmed didn''t even cover it.


    "But you need to rest, you''re still healing from the fall and the shift. Take it easy, no more heroics. Got


    it."


    I grinned despite everything. "I don''t n to," I said adamantly. Next time Ryder''s pack can go save


    itself.


    "Good girl. Now I''m going to make my rounds. The others will want to see her too. I''ll also get someone


    to bring you something to eat."


    When she left Ryder suddenly hugged me to him. "I''m so d you''re okay, Brook. I thought I lost you.


    Why did you even do that?" His voice taking on so many emotions it was a little difficult for me to keep


    up.


    That''s when it, whatever it was, hit me. This smelling off of Ryder. It wasn''t bad, just the opposite.


    Everywhere he touched made my skin tingle, and it rippled through me like some electric wave. "Mike


    told me how his dad was going to use to me to break you then break the rest of your family and my


    family. I couldn''t let him do it, and it was the only option open," I replied, breathless.


    "And you didn''t stop to think we had a n for it?"


    "How was I supposed to know?" I said, a little angry. These feelings were weird. I was warm and tingly


    like I was wrapped in nket straight out the dryer. "Ryder, can I ask you something and you promise


    not tough at me?"


    "Sure."


    "Why do you...smell so good and why is it when you touch me, it weird?" I narrowed my eyes at him


    when he grinned. "Noughing remember."


    Still grinning, he held up a hand in mock surrender. "I''m notughing and I won''t. It''s nice the bond isn''t


    so one-sided now."


    Could I get any more confused? One would assume I''d somehow understood them now, but nope, still


    clueless. "What is one-sided?" He grinned some more, and I let out a little growl, surprising the hell out


    of myself. I pped my hand over my mouth, and now heughed. "You''reughing," I said behind my


    hand.


    "Yeah, at the question. That has to be the most adorable growl ever," Ryder said, pinching my cheek,


    granny style.


    "Ryder," I whined pitifully. "I nearly died, and all you''re going to do is make fun of me now?" I said,


    giving him my best sad face and man did it work like a charm.


    A guilty expression spread over his face as he looked at me in horror. "I''m sorry I didn''t mean-"


    "Exactly! So start answering my questions," I demanded, tossing away my sad face and crossing my


    arms over my chest.


    He grinned and hugged me to him, sending all those weird sensations into overdrive. "What you''re


    feeling is the mate bond. It''s how we are able to recognize each other. Though I''ve never heard it


    described as weird,"


    "You''re a werewolf, everything about you is weird."


    "Yeah, well you''re weird too now," Ryder replied.


    "Which is even weirder. I can''t believe it, I''m not like a human anymore." It was as if I''d suddenly lost


    something very precious.


    Ryder cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look in his eyes. "Hey, you''re still human. You''re


    just a little more than human now."


    I like the way he said it, made everything seem less estranged. I wanted to tell him to thank you, but my


    mouth didn''t want to work as I stared into his eyes. It was like they were pulling me in and I had no


    choice but to fall into them. As our lips touched, it was as if I''d grabbed onto a live wire but not in a


    painful way. It was like a sort of energy ran through me, charging all my cells and bringing them fully


    alive.


    My eyes slid closed as the sensation wrap around me like a warm nket on a cold day. We deepened


    the kiss, and I love all sensation that wasn''t him, me, and our kiss. Never in my life had I experienced


    anything like it in my whole life. Good thing I didn''t die or I would''ve missed. It.


    "Oh God, no! My eyes, my poor virgin eyes," Dean practically screamed.


    Someone snorted. "d to hear you''re finally admitting you''re a virgin," they said, and it sounded a lot


    like…


    I pulled away from Ryder, breaking our kiss and Ryder groaned in aint. "Andy! You''re alive! But


    how? I saw him kill you?"


    Andy scoffed waving at me. "Please, him? Kill me? I''d be offended if I didn''t know you better." He gave


    Ryder an apologetic grimace. "Sorry for the cockblock."


    Ryder grumbled a sour reply and helped me sit up when he noticed me struggling. All my muscles had


    the shaky feeling one gets after a hard workout.


    "So why are you in a wheelchair?" I asked, my curiosity ignoring any kind of filter. "Well when you get


    your neck broken isn''t good on the spinal nerves," Dean said with a smirk. "He''s our little cripple now,"


    he added then yelped as Andy ran over his foot with one of his wheels. "Hey, what was that for!"


    "Really, Dean, really," I said, shaking my head at him, then smiled when I noticed Kara. "You''re okay


    too!"


    "Of course. Why wouldn''t I be?"


    I grinned more and shrugged. "So what exactly is going on now?" I asked, taking Ryder''s hand in mine.


    God help me, but I liked touching him or him touching me...yeah so not creepy at all.


    "The war is over," Kara replied, pleased.


    "Alpha Ryan didn''t survive the fall like you did little beastie," Dean said with a snicker.


    I gave him an unamused re then asked, "So this means Mike is the alpha now, right?"


    "Actually, he''s our prisoner," Ryder said, putting his free arm around my shoulders. "One of my uncle''s


    men took over and agreed to give Mike to us as a prisoner."


    "Wow," I breathed, overwhelmed again.


    "You take one little nap, and the world moves on without you," Dean said with a snort. He then


    suddenly climbed on the bed and hugged me, well Ryder and me since he was so close. "Wee


    back, Brookie," he said in an imitation of a fangirl voice which made my ears ring.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Hey get off. She''s mine," Ryder growled at him, pushing him off the bed, making Dean make a high


    pitch squeal and re at Ryder from the floor with a ridiculous pout.


    "Don''t be a dick," Dean replied, standing and rubbing his backside.


    "Watch it, or I''ll ask Mom to teach you how to be alpha again," Ryder threatened.


    Dean''s eyes widened. "N-no, no, no, no. No thank you." He waved his hands above his head as in


    surrender.


    I shook my head leaning back into the bed, tired. "Thanks foring to visit, guys." I rested my head


    against Ryder''s chest.


    "Hey you guys, I think it''s time to call it quits for now. Mom said she''s still healing from the fall," Ryder


    said, and the others nodded. Dean groaned, but Andy threatened to roll him over again. I smiled


    watching them leave and then snuggled against Ryder.