TTMA [Complete ✔️]

20. Wolf

Dalia's P.O.V

I quickly sat up, noticing the decrease of physical pain with each passing day. I no longer felt the need to clutch the side of my stomach each time I got, up or the need to throw up after eating anything. The emotional pain, however, was still there and it tortured me, voices constantly screaming in my head.

My mind was in a constant fight with itself. I had no idea what I wanted anymore, neither did I know what to do. I wasn't used to being treated right, I looked for any indication that something was wrong so I could calm my racing thoughts, but if there actually was something, I hadn't found it yet.

"Knox," I began, searching for the right thing to say so he wouldn't get mad. He had told me multiple times that I could trust him and the thing that hurt the most was that I was starting to believe him. Believing him meant trust and trust meant getting hurt. But being hurt by him would cause way more pain than from anybody else. I needed to protect myself, nurture my broken soul.

I was about to continue, but one look at him and words got stuck in my throat. I found myself unable to breathe, let alone speak. The hurt that flashed through his eyes knocked all the air out of my lungs, but I didn't care. I just wanted his smile back, the warmth he radiated.

Perhaps I wasn't ready to be a mate, let alone to the most powerful Alpha, but that didn't mean I wanted to see him hurt, especially if it was my fault. All this time that I had been in his pack I had worried over and over again if he would hurt me, but I never thought about his feelings, if I was hurting him.

I opened my mouth again, trying to calm my racing thoughts. My head was starting to hurt the more I looked at him. Before I could say anything, he spoke instead.

"Get some sleep, love!" He told me as he grabbed the wet towel and hairbrush.

"Knox, I-I!" I tried, frustrated that my thoughts were too jumbled to form coherent sentences.

"It's ok, Dali, we can talk later." He mumbled, putting the stuff away and going to sit in his usual spot. Hurt still flashed in his eyes, but he was trying his best to hide it. He had brought a laptop with him, which he started typing away at.

I stared at him, watching as he worked, increasing the pain in my heart.

"Dali, you're exhausted, come on! You need rest!" He said as he caught me staring. I nodded, turning to my left side, with my back against him and facing the wall. A lone tear slipped down my cheek before I shut my eyes tightly, desperately trying to calm all the emotions raging inside of me.

I listened to the tapping of the keyboard as it slowly lulled me to sleep. Darkness took over, my mind finally calming and letting me rest.

***

I found myself in a completely black, never-ending space. I tried to walk around or find my way back, but a sharp pain knocked me down. My head felt like it was being torn in half, making me scream, but nothing came out. I tried to get up, move anything, but found myself paralyzed by the pain.

"Not now, she's asleep!" I hear a familiar male voice say. I want to scream for help, but I remain completely silent once again. Even tears wouldn't flow from my eyes. All I could do was stare at the infinite darkness, focus on the pain and voices.

"Come on, please!" A female voice I didn't recognize screeched, intensifying the pain.

"I said later!" The first voice I recognized as Knox growled lowly.

The two continued bickering back and forth as I focused on their voices, the fear in my heart growing by the minute. Someone wanted to come meet me and I had no idea who. What if it was someone that would hurt me?

I fought harder, finally managing to pull myself away from the darkness. I tried steadying my breathing to not alert Knox and the female of my awake state. The daylight burned my eyes, but the pain was gone.

My hearing suddenly felt sharper, as did my vision. My body felt weird, as if it wasn't mine. The pain in my head had disappeared, but an uncomfortable feeling remained. I felt as if it was full, as if my brain was being mushed around.

I kept my eyes closed, desperately trying to drown the voices, but still, I heard them clear as day. Finally, I couldn't help it anymore.

"P-please, sto-stop!" I yelled, clutching my ears.

Knox was immediately by my side, kneeling in front of the bed.

"What's wrong, love?" He asked, worry laced in his voice as he glared at the woman that came in with him. She stood awkwardly to the side, but looked unbothered by his stare. For some reason, I didn't like the fact that he was looking at her or that his gaze lingered longer than needed.

"M-make it s-st-stop!" I sobbed, pulling on my hair while clutching my head.

"Make what stop?" He asked confused.

"I, the-the p-pain!" I cried, watching as he exchanged glances with the woman.

"Mine!" Someone growled, but neither Knox, nor the woman moved or spoke.

"Yours!" Knox told me, wiping my cheeks with his thumb as he removed the hair from my face. Sparks flew where his thumb touched, making me lean in.

What was he on about? Mine? I looked at him confused, noticing that both he and the woman were staring at me, wide-eyed.

"Your wolf-" Knox started, making me gasp.

My wolf? No, that couldn't be! My wolf was dead, they killed her! She died two years ago, she was gone!

I frantically shook my head, starting to cry again.

"She-she's g-gone!" I cried, suddenly feeling insecure about being human. What if he wanted a werewolf mate? What if his wolf, Kane, started hating me?

"Dali, a wolf can't die, while the human counterpart is alive," Knox stated, shocking me.

"But-but s-she did!" I shook my head even harder, everything becoming too much.

My head was spinning and I had a hard time breathing. I was shaking, but this time not from fear. I was confused and it seemed that everything I had known to believe was a lie. I had no idea who to trust and what was happening to me, no idea who the woman my mate kept staring at was, and why she was even here. I had no idea why I felt the way I did and I could feel myself starting to lose it.

Knox took my hands in his, rubbing soothing circles in an attempt to calm me down. He breathed in and out, making me imitate his movements.

"They lied to you, love. Your wolf was never dead, she just couldn't bare what you were going through." He explained, trying to stay calm, but I could feel his body tense by the way his movements fastened. "They also used wolfsbane, according to the doctor." He mumbled underneath his breath, Kane trying to take control.

"He's right, Dali. I'm so sorry I left you. I didn't have a choice, but it was no excuse!" A sweet voice apologized, making me freeze.

"K-Knox?" I whimpered, an invisible hand squeezing my chest so I couldn't breathe. "I'm here, love!" He gripped my hand a little tighter as I took a deep breath.

It couldn't be her! I felt the pain of our connection breaking on the night of my sixteenth birthday. We had only a few minutes together before she was gone. It couldn't be her, she couldn't be back!

"D-Deli?" I tried, my voice shaking.

"It's me! I'm back and I would never leave you again, I promise!"

"You're really back? But you died!" I cried into our link, not believing what was happening.

"I'm back, Dali, and I'm so proud of you!"

"See! She's back!" Knox exclaimed happily. "You're getting better, love!" I shook my head, sobs echoing through my body as I shook. This was too much! Far too much. I couldn't do it! All the changes, all the new emotions were far too much for my body to handle.

"Knox, let me have a word with her!" The young woman said, interrupting my thoughts. I shook my head again, fear rippling through my body at the thought of being alone with someone new.

"Rose, she's not ready!" Knox tried to reason, but she didn't budge. Who was this lady to order the Alpha?

"I know what I'm doing, let me help!" She demanded, my mate giving in to her request.

"I'll be back!" He murmured as he stood up. The spot, where his hand had just seconds ago met mine now felt cold, losing the warmth and comfort he brought with his presence.

Warmth and comfort? From a male wolf? An Alpha at that! Who was I turning into?

"You can trust him." My wolf whispered into our link. Before I could argue with her, however, the woman sat down next to me.

I tried to move away, but she held my hand, stopping me. I gulped, feeling uneasy and uncomfortable in her presence. There was something powerful, intimidating, about her.

"I'm Knox's sister, Rosalie, and Beta Zane's mate." She smiled as she introduced herself.

Hearing that she was Knox's sister made me relax a bit, but I still needed to know her true intentions before I could let myself calm down. This was the moment I feared, being with the pack when my mate wasn't here to tell me I was safe. Yes, I was afraid of him, of angering him, but that didn't mean I didn't find comfort in the way he kept me safe from anyone that tried to hurt me.

"I-I'm Dalia," I spoke, watching as her smile grew wider.

"Listen, I'm aware of what you've been through and that it hasn't been easy, but you have to know that my brother and I's lives also haven't been a piece of cake. It's his story to tell, but what I can tell you is that you changed him, or more so brought out the person he used to be. You brought the smile back to his face after years!" She admitted before growing quiet to let me process what she had told me.

I changed him? Brought the smile back to his face? Maybe Knox and I were more similar than I had thought. Maybe she was lying because he told her to. So many maybes and so little answers...

"I was also abused once. I felt like I could no longer trust... until I learned that Zane was my mate. He changed my world, made me believe in myself, and helped me see the world from a different light. We aren't perfect, no one is, but I can tell you it's worth it." She whispered, rubbing her belly, which appeared to be flat, making me stare.

She caught me, gently grabbing my hand and placing it on her tummy. "If I hadn't trusted him, I would have never known what happiness felt like. I wouldn't know what creating a life and being a mother would be." Tears welled in her eyes, making my own water.

I had just met this woman, but I already felt close to her. No one had ever opened up to me the way she did, especially not in such a short amount of time. I hoped that maybe she could be my friend, the first one after I lost them all.

My hand instinctively rubbed her stomach as she wiped her tears away.

"All I'm saying is that you deserve to be happy and experience the things you would never be able to if you let fear control you." I nodded, carefully rethinking everything she had told me.

"Welcome to the family, sis!" I felt my cheeks become wet with tears. Family? I had a family? A family that wanted me and accepted me. Maybe there was light and maybe the tunnel was coming to an end.

She scooted closer, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Between you and I, I never thought my brother would have a mate."

"Why?" I found myself asking, no longer feeling uncomfortable around Rose.

"He and his wolf are a different breed." She shrugged with a laugh, making me giggle.

For the first time in years, I got to giggle. I got to experience emotions I wasn't allowed to, I got to heal. I owed everything to this pack and I no longer felt like I wanted to leave it.

A/N:

Hi, Treasures! Make sure you join my F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k group Teddy's Treasures for extra content and discussions! Am I the only one that thinks Rose and Dali are adorable together? Would you like to see more of them together?