Blackheart

.III.

It was the worst feeling ever. I was there, and my body was there, but I had no control. I was awake but couldn’t open my eyes. I began crying, wanting to huddle up in my mom’s arms and

feel the warmth of her comfort, for what felt like an eternity. A few seconds later, I could move my finger, so I did again. Soon enough, my body began to respond, and I could open my eyes. So, slowly, I did. As I regained consciousness, the first person I saw was Atto. I tried to move away, but winced in pain as I did. I looked down at my hands and noticed that they were both covered in bandages. I looked up at Atto, scrutinizing him; his facial expression seemed pained. I

soon took notice of the tall, dark-skinned lady standing at the foot of my bed. She smiled at me and indicated to Atto to leave as she needed to run some tests and make sure that I was okay. He gave resistance at first, but after seeing how scared and hurt I was, he obliged. She began speaking to me, but I wasn’t hearing what she was saying. That was when I realized that I hadn’t

heard him argue that he wasn’t going to leave the room. I began to panic when the doctor came, stood next to me on the bed, and placed her hand on my back and her notepad on my lap. I read what it had said, checked off in a box, was ‘DEAF’. I began to cry, she hugged me and consoled me for what seemed like an eternity before moving, gliding across the room and over to a table and back at my side, taking her notepad, she scribbled something onto it. Placing it back on my lap, she took my hands and placed something in them. I read the pad and looked at what lay in the palm of my hands. They were hearing aids. I looked at her, gesturing for her to help me put

them on, and she did.

“Hello Niha,” she said. “My name is Tonia Hale.” I nodded. She then asked me a series of questions, to which I answered.

“Uh. Tonia,” I called her. She turns to me with raised eyebrows. “Can you tell the alpha that I am mute?” She looks at me with a puzzled expression.

“Why would I do that? I thought he was your mate?” she said. “At least that is what I was told.”

I shook my head and proceeded to explain everything to her, bursting into tears at some parts, but she remained quiet and listened. When I was finished, we came up with the plan that I would go for an ‘evening jog’ recommended by her and go to her brother’s pack. After making the plan,

she gifts me a phone and allows Atto back into the room.

“I apologize, Alpha Atto, but your mate is mute and deaf.” Tonia said in a grave voice, “Her vocal cords arebroken beyond repair and, well, there is no way we can fix her deafness.” Atto

looked at me with saddened eyes as Tonia left the room to bring me some food. Upon her return, she brings a tray of one and a half sandwiches, a pudding cup, a small fruit bowl, and a cup of hot chocolate. After I waited about an hour, I was released from the hospital under the recommendation that I must go for a jog every evening. As we left the hospital, Atto opened his mouth to speak to me, but hesitated. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish. As we sit on the benches outside the hospital, Atto looks at me and utters words I, again, never expected to hear.

“I am so sorry, Ororo,” he said, “I shouldn’t have rejected you. I am so f*****g sorry! I should have been a better mate and understood things from your point of view. I am so f*****g sorry. I

take it all back; I take everything back! I, Atto Xavier Forde, take back my rejection and accept

you, Ororo Niha Akio Blackheart, as my mate and luna.” I smiled, though solemnly, and got up, dusting my skirt back as I did. As we walked to the car park, I stopped and nudged Atto’s foot with my own. He stops and looks at me as I point to my wrist as a means of asking for the time.

“Is your wrist hurting?” he asked. I shake my head and point to my wrist again. A look of confusion paints its way onto his face when a voice comes from behind him.

“I think she wants to know the time, dude.” he jumps and turns around revealing the pack’s beta,

Wyatt Jones. “Oh,” he replied, “It’s ten thirty.” The drive back to the pack house was quiet. I sat

in the back seat, twiddling my thumbs whilst planning how to get past the guards.

“Are you really going to do this?” Ivory asked me. I sighed, catching the attention of Atto.

“Something the matter, little one?” he asked, looking at me through the rear-view mirror. I shook my head, and he looked back out the window.

“Yes, Ivory, I am leaving tonight.” As we arrived back at the pack, Atto stopped by the door, blocking my way. He looks down to me and apologizes again, I pat his arm as a mean to cheer him up, causing myself pain in the process. He opens the door to the pack house, and everyone just stood still. It was as if time had frozen,

until Midnight, Calypso and Nyx came together bowing before me, “Luna.” was all they said before everyone else joined in greeting me. Some apologizing, some staying away to avoid Zaria’s wrath.

“What the f**k are you assholes doing bowing to her!” Zaria wailed while walking down the steps in a really miniskirt, “I am your Luna! Not this b***h!” she said pointedly at me. I pushed past her and walked down into the basement, shaking my head. As I got down, I looked around and realized all my books were gone. I shook my head and plopped myself down on the broken couch. I heard two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs, but didn’t bother to look as I already

knew who it was.

“What are we doing down here Atto, it’s cold and dark.” she whined.

“I never told you to follow.” he coldly replied. “Oh, and I really like the clothes you had Wyatt go pick out for me, though they’re three sizes too small.” Zaria whined and I rolled my eyes and closed them.

“They weren’t for you!” he retorted, “Now stop bending over in front of me. I don’t want my clothes stained by your p***y juices.”

“Oh, well I’ll keep the bed warm until you are finished with this bitch.” she said, spitting out the last word.

Atto looked at her, smiling devilishly, “Oh I forgot to tell you, this b***h, is the Luna, not you.”.

Zaria’s face fell. “W-w-what?” she chuckled out nervously, “I thought I was going to be Luna.

We already mated!” tears began to pour from her eyes.

Atto laughed, “I never said that all we did was f**k. Nothing more.” At those words Atto walked over to me, lifted me into his arms and walked pass Zaria and out of the basement. He walked into the foyer and up the stairs to the third floor. The third floor was for the Alpha, Beta, Gama,Warrior, Luna Guardian and their respective families. He walks down to the room at the end of the hall. Beyond the door revealed a large bedroom. With a four-post queen sized bed, a walk-in closet, a standing closet, a couch set off to the left a fifty-inch LED flat screen television to the center, with an Xbox One and Play Station four connected to it. A work desk and computer desk to the right. As I walked in and looked around, on the right side of the bed, was a little

bookshelf of all my James Patterson, Maximum Ride series books, in chronological order. I turned to Atto and looked at him.

“I had your stuff moved up here while you were at the hospital.” he said shyly. I looked at him, confused and wondering what he was thinking as I really couldn't care less as I was leaving

anyway.

"You know," Ivory sang, "we can just look into his thoughts."

"How?" I asked.

"By using one of my many amazing gifts," she mused. She instructed me on how to utilize her gift of spirit reading. Using spirit reading, I read his heart, mind and soul.

“Man, I was so stupid for listening to those rumors, my father and her brothers. I mean come on; she couldn’t have done that! She was three! I’m such an i***t. I’ll take her and run away! Far away where father can’t hurt us.” he thought.

I scowled and turned away. Although it didn't change much for me, I tried understanding his reasoning and how he came to his decisions without ever truly speaking to me. I walked into the

closet and changed into a workout suit. As I walked out, he looked at me quizzically and I jogged in place as to indicate where I was going.

“Promise to stay within pack boarders?” he asked. I nodded. As he took me down to the forest in

the back. As I got to the tree line Ivory piped up from the back of my mind "Can you at least hug him for me?" so I obliged and hugged him and took off into the woods. It felt good to run, to feel the wind whipping through my hair. As I continued to the border, I ran faster jumping through. I felt a small pang in my chest but continued anyway. A snapping sound made me stop in my tracks. I placed my hand on my hearing aid to increase the volume to hear better. I stooped down, placing my hand on the ground using my seismic sense, I felt for any disturbances, any unnatural vibrations. There was one, a loud one that came with an ominous growl and broken branches. I took off in a sprint, the creature following close behind me. Looking back was my mistake, as I did so, I saw another one closing in behinds us. I closed my eyes and ran faster, tripping over a raised tree root. I turned over and tried backing away on my injured hands, causing me to cry in pain, but I was saved by the other wolf. He killed him and came stalking towards me, that was when I caught his scent. It was Atto. Atto saved me, he sniffed and nuzzled me to make sure I was okay, then he shifted, looking angry and hurt.

“What the f**k are you doing out here?” he asked angrily, “I thought you weren’t going to leave!” I began shaking my head furiously, pointing to the Lycan he just killed. Seeing that he didn’t understand and was still angry, I sighed, wanting to cry when Ivory gave me both an idea and courage. I walked over to him and as he was about to open his mouth to speak, I tiptoed, hooking my arms around his neck, I pulled him into a kiss.