Her Feral Heart

Feral

I awoke to the sound of a faint beeping, all my memories rushing back, slowly at first, and then all at once. I jolted forward to cover what I remembered to be my naked body, and felt a painful tug at my arm. I looked down to see an IV struggling to stay attacked to my vein. I could feel my heart rate rising as I struggled to get my bearings. I was clearly in the pack hospital of whatever pack Belle had dragged us too. I felt panic rising in my throat. Was this an ally pack of Blue Fire? Would they hurt me? I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

I ripped the blanket off of my and gritted my teeth as I pulled the iv out of my arm. I rolled my eyes at the hospital gown I was wearing, but as there were no other clothes on sight, it was either the hospital gown or shifting, and I was sick of being on all fours after so many days. I scanned the room, assessing my exit. It appeared I was in a private room, and judging by the darkness, it was late at night. This would bode well for my escape. Since I had no belongings, there was no need for me to continue lingering. I made my way to the door, silently pushing it open. Pushing my head into the hallway, I looked left and right, relieved to find myself alone. I tiptoed out, careful to shut the door silently. I let out a sigh of relief, happy to be out in the open and ready to get back on the road. My stomach was full again, which means they must have fed. I was grateful to not have to hunt for a day or two. Just as I was ready to turn around and find the exit, I smelled a strange but familiar scent. It smelled like cedar and pine, and the smell was intoxicating. I turned around and found my nose again a wall. Except it wasn’t a wall, it was a man.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

It was that voice again. It sent tingles down my spine and Belle finally reacted.

Mate.

WHAT? I internally screamed at Belle. This could not be happening. We needed to get out of here now, and I knew a mate would ruin that plan. I pleaded with Belle, but I could feel the excitement emanating from her, propelling me towards this man. I silently cursed my situation, trying to decide how to respond.

“I was just leaving.” I muttered, plastering a blank expression on my face.

I could see confusion play across his eyes as easy as reading a book. He could feel the mate bond, and he didn’t understand why I wasn’t responding to it. My cheeks burned as I watched his eyes trace over my body. This was the first moment I took to assess my situation.

I looked down at my feet, toes adorned in chipped black nail polish. My long tan legs, usually an attractive asset, were covered in cuts and bruises. The hospital gown drowned my small frame. Blood dripped down my left arm where I’d pulled the IV out. I knew my face was marred with bruises as well, my brown eyes red from the recent lack of sleep. My long brown hair, usually falling to my back in soft waves, was so tangled from the journey that it sat matted to the back of my neck. I looked feral. Rabid. I imagined this man was probably disappointed to find his mate was someone like me.

“Dr. Evans says you need to stay at least one more day for observation. You’re incredibly emaciated, you can’t just leave.”

I heard genuine concern in his voice that made my heart wrench. I wanted to lean into him, let him carry me back to bed and stay with me. I shook my head, steeling myself against those dangerous thoughts.

“I can’t stay, I was just passing through. I appreciate the hospitality but I really need to keep moving”

I brushed past him, making my way towards the exit. Before I could get far, he grabbed my wrist, haulting me. On instinct, I cowered, covering my face with my free hand and waiting for what would come. After only a moment, I looked up and saw him staring, wide eyed.

“Did you think I was going to hurt you? I just want you to stay, to talk to me and tell me what’s going on” he said as he released my wrist. Belle whimpered, wanting to feel his touch again.

I stared blankly, not sure how to respond. I didn’t want to show weakness, but it was pretty hard to play off that kind of reaction. As I decided to ignore him and continue towards the door, I heard his deep voice call,

“I’m your mate you know. Can’t you feel that?”

I stopped, turning on him, trying to drown out the pounding of my heart with anger instead.

“I can’t do this, okay? You don’t want me as your mate. I’m a rogue, clearly. Exiled from my pack. And I can tell based on the authority I just felt off you that you’re high ranked. What are you, an omega? You don’t want me.”

“I do want you, that’s the one thing I’m certain of. Oh, and I’m the alpha. Alpha Andrew.”

Belle howled so loud I almost covered my ears on instinct. s**t. s**t s**t s**t. I didn’t realize I’d run so far West. How did I make it all the way to the New Moon pack. And how was alpha Andrew my mate? This didn’t make any sense. My head was swimming again and I couldn’t figure out why. I looked down at my arm again and felt my face go green. My arm was bleeding much more than I expected. I was too weak to heal myself and was losing too much blood. My knees buckled as I felt Andrew’s warm arms scoop my up and cradle me, carrying my back into the hospital bed. Before I have into rest, I heard him whisper,

“I don’t know what has happened to you before, but I promise to never hurt you. My love. My mate.” I couldn’t help but let a small smile grace my lips as dreams took over.