Chapter 12 Freedom
2678 Words
Louise
***
Sunlight streamed through the hospital window, sending the walls a blaze of white. Mum stood on one side of the hospital bed with her handbag slung over her shoulder. I stood on the other side, packing my bags. At the end, Doc Anderson flipped through his paperwork, clicking the tip of his pen as he read.
I had been in the hospital for four days now, with crippling period pain, and I was excited to be able to go home, even if it was for a short time before I was back for my surgery. Finally! I get some freedom!
“So, Louise…” Doctor Anderson glanced up at me. “What’s your pain scale from one to ten?”
“Zero…” I grinned, running my hand across my lower abdomen and wrinkling my jumper. “Those painkillers are great…!”
“Are you sure Louise will be all right?” Mum asked, as she handed me a thin coat. “She was bedridden the day before yesterday… And you have her on such a high dose of painkillers that I can hear her slurring words… Shouldn’t she stay here until the surgery?”
“I feel fine.” I rolled my eyes at her as I slid on my jacket. “It was just my period doing what it usually—”
“—Yes,” She interrupted. “And your usual is unusual for our kind… Hence why we’re in the hospital in the first place.”
That’s true… This time, I relented.
“Louise will be fine for a couple of days.” Doctor Anderson replied, sliding the pen he was fiddling with—the same one he usually nibbled on the end of, into his breast pocket. “I gave her mild pain relief and sent her home with more. It’s been a trial and error, but the slurring will settle in an hour.”
Mum glanced from the doctor to me and then back again. She read something in my expression that made her give in. “Fine, I’ll take Louise home…” She pointed a finger towards him, waving it. “But if there is any discomfort… Any at all… I’m bringing her straight back!”
“Deal,” Doctor Anderson agreed, nodding. He turned to me. “I’ll see you Sunday morning. And no eating after eight pm on Saturday. We’re bringing your surgery forward to Monday. Please, don’t overexert yourself.”
“Yes, Doc,” I agreed with a cert nod.
“Good” With a small, comforting smile, Doctor Anderson left the room.
I couldn’t wait to get away from the stuffy hospital, and the smell of bleach and hospital-grade disinfectants that I could swear had stuck to my clothes. Four days here is enough….
“Let’s go…” Mum scooped up my overnight bag, tossed it over her shoulders, and left the room.
I followed closely behind, taking each step carefully, hoping not to aggravate the pain. The last few days, I had been so bad that I was borderline ready to tear out my ovaries. But as bad as that pain had been, the day Joseph visited was the worst. It was no wonder I hadn’t seen him since. Not that I cared!
At the counter, Mum hurried to fill out the release paperwork. The nurse who explained the form to Mum, Alannah Meyers, was an Omega werewolf from the Hillside Clan. She was funny and sweet and had waited on me hand and foot while I was here.
She offered me a gentle smile, knowing how excited I was to go home. I would be free. Well, for a while!
Something niggled at the back of my neck, sending the tiny hairs on edge. I glanced around the room, unsure who I was looking for but knowing someone was watching me. No one stood out besides a few nurses in their blue scrubs. That’s weird!
“We can go now,” Mum said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Hmm?” I replied at half attention as I scanned the room. Am I being watched?
“Ready, sweetheart?” Mum asked, gently cupping my shoulder.
“Sure,” I turned to follow her, waving at Alannah as I went.
Mum took pity on me as I walked at my awkward pace—not exactly slow, but not your average speed. When we finally reached the elevator, she sighed.
“I’m sorry,” I folded my arms, tucking my hands and stepped into it. “I don’t mean to be such a hindrance.”
“Louise,” Mum stood before me, the doors closing behind her. “You’re not a hindrance… Why would you even say that?”
I scrunched my face, raising an irritated eyebrow. “Your heavy sigh gave it away.”
“No, that’s not that…” She shook her head and knelt as the elevator dropped a floor, then took my hand. “The Alpha and Luna are hosting a dinner for the entire pack tonight, and I’m hoping you will be okay with it. Their daughter has returned from her long journey away with the Elders. Joseph will be there and,” she grinned, “I hear he may have found his mate…”
“Joseph…” I winced, letting a strange squeak escape my lips. My entire body tensed. Didn’t he say I was his mate? A heat of anger prickled at the back of my neck. He lied! I knew it! All my nerves grated down my spine. Liar!
“Louise!” Mum squealed, yanking her hands from mine. She stood, cupping them to her chest. “Are you sure you’re ready to go home?”
“Ahh - I’m sorry,” I hid my hands shamefully behind my back, willing my annoyance away. “I guess I don’t know my strength.”
“I’d say…” She eyed me suspiciously as the lift came to a stop. What did she see? She turned away from me, clearing her throat. “Like I was saying… There’s a dinner tonight, and I know we said we didn’t want the Alpha to know—”
“—I still don’t!” I snapped back. The elevator door opened slowly, almost mocking me. I glared up at her. “I don’t want the Elders to know either! I don’t want to be exiled!”
“But—”
“—No!” I shook my head and hurried out of the elevator quickly.
Not another word was said as we drove towards home. My mind continued to flicker to thoughts of Joseph—how his lips had felt against mine. How could he have a mate but claim it was me? Arh! Why do I care so much?
The packhouse came into focus, its brilliant green yards alive and inviting. An enormous white marquee covered the field to our right, opposite the training grounds. Omegas darted around, dressed in black waiter suits and dresses. Amongst them, I saw Alpha George. His Beta Reece stood beside him, his face buried in paperwork, waving a hand to a group of Omegas standing before him.
A static hiss buzzed in my ears before Alpha George’s slate grey eyes met mine, burying deep into my subconsciousness. No wonder he was Alpha—his presence was powerful and difficult to ignore.
Swallowing a nervous lump, I pulled my gaze away and fiddled with the zip on my jacket.
“The Alpha and Luna are concerned about you. It’s their responsibility as our pack leaders,” Mum said, glancing at me before returning to the road ahead. She could feel their proximity just as well as I could. “I think they know you’re sick. Goddess knows I’ve tried to hide it, and the Gammas have said nothing. I know Doctor Anderson is very trustworthy, and Joanne and Lorraine would never say anything… but they are well aware of the affairs of the entire pack. Alpha George was a good friend of your father’s. I doubt he would have us exiled...”
“I don’t want them to know! I can’t risk it getting back to the Elders.” I defended. “Besides, by Monday, it will all be over.” Along with my womanhood… A tear trickled from my eyes. I wiped it away.
“Gamma Archie, Madeline and the kids care about you too…” She continued as she turned into our gravel driveway. “They would stand by us…”
“I know they do…” I rubbed my forehead. “They were there the day it first happened… They know everything.”
“Madeline wants you to get better so you can see one of her performances,” Mum said as she turned off the engine, then swung around in the seat to face me. Please don’t notice the tears! “And you will get better…” Her hand landed on my knee. “Louise, the Alpha and Luna are leaders of our pack… maybe it’s time we told them.”
“I-I…” I stammered, remembering the disgust Joseph had given me. I shivered. Would Joseph tell his parents? I swallowed back a wave of nausea. I’m going to be rejected by the clan…!
“If we tell them—”
“—No!” I cut her off. “If you tell them, and they tell the Elders…” My hands shook as I threw open the door and then clambered out. “If they realise you, Doc Anderson, Gamma Archie and the others know, it could go bad. We could all be exiled!” I held Mum’s gaze. “And it would be all my fault!”
Mum’s face grew mournful, her eyes filling with tears. “No, sweetheart, you can’t think like that. None of this is your fault.”
I closed the car door and stood back, hugging myself. “It feels like it…”
“Hi…!”
“Who…?” I spun around to see a young girl, aged ten or eleven, standing before me. She gazed at me with knowing ice-blue eyes as if peering into my soul.
“Hi,” She smiled at me sweetly, making the tiny freckles across her nose crinkle.
I opened my mouth to reply but faltered. The girl looked familiar—where do I know her from?
She tilted her head to the right, making her deep brown hair flail around her. “Louise…?”
Blinking, I stared at her. “How do you know—”
“—Your name?” She interrupted, straightening. The knowing glint in her eyes intensified. “I just do… I can’t explain it… It’s why I went to live with Elder Josephine…”
“Josie-Anne, the young Alpha daughter…” Mum exclaimed as she came around the car with my bag. “It’s lovely to see you.”
“Josie-Anne Black!” I gasped, taking an involuntary step back. Then I saw a hint of Joseph in her smile, the twin dimples that framed it.
“I do look like my brother…” She replied honestly. “Don’t I…”
“I didn’t…” I glanced, confused, from her to Mum, then back to her.
Mum knelt so she was level with her. “It’s good to see you, Josie-Anne… How was your trip away with the Elders?”
“It was different…” Josie-Anne said, blinking at Mum, then returned to me. “I see things…” she shrugged. “A little from the past and a little from the future… And they helped me understand it… But they don’t believe in fun. Josephine does, but the others are too old for fun.”
“You see things…? But how do you…?” I started to ask.
“—Like this…” she interrupted, reaching out and taking my hand before I could react. A moment of warmth passed between us, her eyes growing larger before she blinked a few times and then let go. Her smile never faltered. “I will see you at the welcome home party tonight?”
“I-I…” I turned to Mum and then back to her. “I don’t know…”
“Please?” Josie-Anne pleaded. “We would like to have you there…”
We? Josie-Anne and Joseph? I shrugged, reaching for the corner of my lips where I could still feel Joseph’s. A strange urge to attend this dinner flowed through me. I sucked in an awkward breath, dropped my hand and nodded. “I guess so…”
Josie-Anne clapped her hands excitedly, making her hair bounce over her shoulders. “Yay… I’ll save you a seat.”
Before I could question this girl’s sudden interest in me—and possibly her sanity, a familiar voice boomed from the end of the driveway, making my stomach clench. “Josie-Anne, Mum’s looking all over for you!”
Joseph! Swallowing a wave of nausea, I glanced across to see his figure closing in on us. “I have to—”
“—Go…” Josie-Anne finished for me. “So do I.”
“We will see you at dinner,” Mum added with a grin that twinkled her moonlight eyes.
“Bye,” she waved before turning on her silver shoes and skipping away.
“Sweet girl,” Mum whispered as she headed inside. “I’m glad her time with the Elders went well. They are known to be quite strict.”
“And deadly…” I added, hugging myself.
“Only if provoked,” Mum added before kissing the top of my head and stepping inside.
“Josie-Anne!” Joseph scolded as his little sister ran up to him.
I desperately wanted to run. Why? Joseph didn’t scare me. Not even his Alpha tone influenced me. But the sight of him made my inside go warm and the pain return. Trembling, I turned away and headed for the front door.
“Louise…”
Damn it…
“You’re home…”
“I’m not really here…” I turned to face him. “You’re hallucinating…”
“Are you always this sarcastic?” A slight grin crinkled the corner of his mouth before it sobered. A glimpse of disgust flashed across his face, and I remembered why. He can smell the cancer!
“Sorry, your majesty… I’m fluent in sarcasm!” I snarked between clenched teeth, the warmth turning to irritation, the pain intensifying. “I have things to do…” I waved my hand around and turned away.
“Stop!” he demanded in his Alpha tone.
When I didn’t obey, he hurried to block my path.
“What?” I sneered, crossing my arms. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”
His face was suddenly closer. His hot, angered breath whisked between us. “Why don’t you obey your Alpha?”
“You’re. Not. Alpha. Yet!” I glared at him, refusing to concede. “Besides, you’ve done nothing to deserve it…”
“But I will be…” He smiled again, muting my anger for a split second.
Then wolf-black filled his eyes, blinking out the moonlight glow that had been resonating there. His smile faded, that predatory glance took over, and his lips found mine. I melted against him as his lips moved with mine, drawing breath from me.
The pain was excruciating, breaching the barrier medication had given me. “Stop…!” I gasped, shoving him back with all my strength and into the plant by the front door. My hand went to my lips, feeling the heat his kiss had left, my other against my throbbing abdomen. “Jerk!” I stormed into the house, slamming the door behind me.
My heart thudded hard against my chest as I pressed my back to the door and tried to slow my breathing. My hands trembled, and my entire body was suddenly on fire, the pain in my abdomen pulsating. Why won’t he leave me alone?
- Writer
