CHAPTER 5
1749 Words
HAZEL BLACKVALE
I can’t open my eyes.
I feel warmth on my face, hands shaking my body.
“Hazel… don’t do this to me… stay with me!”
I try to respond, but not even a whisper comes out.
I feel a weight on my chest. Firm hands press down in a rhythmic force. My body is jolted with each movement. It’s a chest compression.
I hear voices in the background. One of them is urgent:
“She’s too weak! We need to act now!”
But Luke’s voice cuts through all the others, filled with anger and fear.
“Find the woman who did this! Now! I want her alive or dead, but bring her to me!”
“Don’t die, Hazel…” he insists, and his voice seems to break at the end.
Darkness pulls me in once again. I lose consciousness.
When I return, everything is quiet.
There are no voices, no pressure on my chest, no rushing around. Only silence.
I open my eyes slowly. I recognize the walls, the furniture… it’s my room in his mansion.
I turn my head and see him.
Luke is standing, his back to me, looking out the window. His posture is rigid, but his lips move slowly. He’s murmuring something.
“Praying to the moon goddess, Luke? I thought you didn’t have a heart for that.”
He turns so fast it’s like he can’t believe what he just heard.
For a moment, I see pure shock, and right after… relief.
In a few steps, he’s at my side, kneeling, examining me as if I might disappear again at any moment.
“Are you okay? Can you breathe properly?”
I smile.
“Yes.”
His gaze is serious, almost harsh.
“You almost died.”
“But I didn’t… and you seem relieved about that.”
“Don’t say nonsense, Hazel.”
He sits beside the bed and picks up some bottles and a glass of water.
“Medicine. It’s going to help flush the poison out of your body.”
I sit up slowly. When I look up at him, I notice his eyes are red. It’s not just exhaustion… he hasn’t slept.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Four days.”
“You… didn’t sleep this whole time.”
He doesn’t answer, just looks away.
I take the water from his hands, drink a few sips, and then feel tears gathering in my eyes.
“If you hate me so much… why didn’t you let me die, Luke?”
He stares at me but remains silent.
“If I were dead now, you’d be free from me… and from the curse forever. You’d have your revenge.”
My voice is a broken whisper, and the tears finally fall.
He leans forward and, gently, wipes my face with his warm, firm hand.
“I don’t know why I saved you… but I did.”
“Why?” I ask once more.
He takes a deep breath before finally answering.
“Because maybe I haven’t had my revenge yet, Hazel. Maybe I want you to suffer more than with a quick death.”
I shake my head, gripping his hand tightly.
“I know that somewhere, there’s still that little Luke who took care of me when we were kids.”
“You’re wrong. We all change.”
He starts to get up, ready to walk away, but I don’t let go of his hand.
“Stay with me, please.”
I expect an insult, a cold reply.
But to my surprise, he just stops… and sits back down.
This time, he says nothing.
He just lies down beside me in the bed, his presence heavy and warm at my side.
“Sleep. You need to rest.”
But I can’t close my eyes.
My hand moves on its own, touching his chest, feeling the rapid heartbeat under my palm.
I realize something I don’t want to admit — that I feel something for this man who swears he hates me.
“You didn’t let me die because you’d feel guilty about it.”
He doesn’t respond. He just takes a deep breath but doesn’t push my hand away.
I move closer to him.
He knows what I want now.
“You’re hurt…” he murmurs, touching my shoulder gently, his fingertips burning where the mark still pulses.
I shrug and smile faintly.
“I don’t care.”
“You’re naughty.”
He frowns, but doesn’t insist.
Instead, we move closer, and our lips meet in a slow kiss, heavy with feeling and repressed need.
It’s as if all the hatred between us never existed.
I bite my lip hard, feeling his fingers sliding down my shoulders, pushing the strap of my tank top down.
His eyes scan my body before kissing me again.
I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m drawn to him.
“Luke…” I whisper his name, feeling his tongue playing with my body.
“I hate you so much, but I want you so much too, Hazel…”
I keep my eyes closed and don’t pull away from him. We have s*x once more and, for at least a moment, everything feels perfect between us.
When I open my eyes the next morning, he’s watching me.
“Do you have the strange habit of watching people sleep? I always thought there was no way you could get any weirder than you already are.”
My words draw a laugh from him.
“I like your sense of humor, sweetheart.”
I roll my eyes, sitting up in bed, and widen them when I look around at the bed and the room.
The headboard is broken, and I close my eyes, remembering when we caused all this.
“Looks like someone was out of control last night.” he teases, getting up.
I open my eyes, fixing them on his s*xy body.
He turns with an arrogant smile, and I look away, pulling the sheet to cover my naked body.
“Admiring the view, Hazel?”
“Shut up.”
He laughs again before getting dressed and walking to the door, but he stops before leaving and looks at me, without a smile this time.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
I frown at his gaze on me.
“Yes, Luke.”
“Be careful, you’re still weak.”
“I know.”
When he leaves, I get up, seeing feathers from the ripped pillow all over the room.
I bite my lip, touching the bite he left on my shoulder.
I shower, and when I leave the room, I find him on the phone, tense and angry.
“Luke… did something happen?” I ask, hesitating.
He takes a deep breath and hangs up, looking at me with hard eyes, but still with that intensity that makes me nervous.
“I have some leads on who did this to you… and I’m handling it today.”
“It’s dangerous.”
He smiles, a cold and confident smile that gives me chills.
“I’ve done much worse.”
I look at him, and then my mind turns to my grandmother.
“How is… my grandmother?”
He stays quiet, staring at the wall for a moment that feels like an eternity.
“Tell me, Luke.”
He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he looks at me, I know what he’s going to say.
“She’s dead. She was killed before we got there.”
I shake my head, feeling tears soaking my face.
I sob, covering my mouth with my hands.
Luke stands there, not knowing exactly what to do.
“I’m sorry, Hazel…”
I cry harder, my voice lost between sobs.
“Now I have no one left. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” I ask weakly, and he frowns.
“What?”
“I have no one left, just like you, Luke! You always wanted me to know what that feels like, and now you got it.”
“Hazel…”
I shake my head, moving away from him when he tries to approach me.
“We’re the same now…” I whisper, lifting my head.
He reaches out to touch me, I move away, but he doesn’t give up.
Luke takes me by surprise when he pulls me into a hug.
The last time this happened was when we were kids.
He doesn’t say anything, just keeps holding me against him. I cry, closing my eyes.
When I finally stop crying, he pulls away slightly, still with his arm over my shoulders.
“The mansion is protected. Nothing can come in or out. I have to go now.”
He leaves me alone.
I lie down on my bed and cry quietly, feeling sleep take over.
I wake up, and hours pass, and he doesn’t return.
I feel the mark on my shoulder suddenly burning.
My eyes widen, and a strange sensation runs through my body — something happened to Luke.
Tears return to my eyes.
I run to grab my phone, calling him desperately, but there’s no answer.
I run out of the mansion, finding his guards blocking the exit.
“Something happened to Luke! I can feel it!” I scream desperately.
They cross their arms, firm.
“We can’t let you leave.”
My anger explodes.
“I’m his wife! I order you to take me to my mate!”
They exchange glances, and finally one of them nods.
They take my hand and lead me to the car.
The car stops in front of an old house in a dense forest.
I don’t wait and open the door, running out before they can stop me.
I hear gunshots and howls in the distance. My whole body trembles with fear and adrenaline.
I recognize Luke’s car parked there. I scream his name, running as fast as I can toward the house.
My world seems to stop when I halt, seeing two werewolves fighting.
I recognize Luke’s black fur.
“Luke!”
He turns, surprised to see me.
But I realize I’ve made a huge mistake when the other werewolf takes advantage of Luke’s distraction to attack and bite him.
I scream, my eyes wide, hearing his howl of pain.
“LUKE!”
His men run toward the werewolf while I rush toward Luke, who falls to the ground.
He can’t die. Not now. Not like this.
- Writer
