Chapter 8 - Franco
My eyes snapped open. I hadn’t intended on falling asleep. I hadn’t even realized I was feeling drowsy before drifting off. The sun was still shining outside, so it hadn’t been long. It had been afternoon when Sienna had finished healing the pack’s wounds.
Sienna.
She was still sleeping peacefully in my arms. Her magic had exhausted her to the point of collapse, but I wasn’t sure what my excuse was. Something about the soft weight of her head resting on me and the warmth of her body must have comforted me. Lying here with her felt safe. It wasn’t a feeling I was accustomed to. The serenity was completely at odds with the war that constantly raged in my mind.
I began to feel self-conscious being so close to her. When she woke up, I feared that she would be uncomfortable finding herself lying on my chest, my arms wrapped around her, but there wasn’t a good way of extricating myself from our embrace.
I shifted slightly and attempted to transfer her onto the bed so that I could sneak out of the room. It wasn’t very chivalrous of me, but my options were limited. In spite of our mate bond, we weren’t exactly friends, let alone lovers. No, it was better for both of us if I left before she woke up.
“Franco?” Sienna mumbled, eyes opening.
“Hey,” I replied uncertainly. She didn’t sound upset, but what did I know of women?
She blinked and wiped sleep from her eyes as she arched her back in a stretch. Her chest pushed into my ribs, and I was suddenly aware of the fact that we had never been this close before. I wasn’t sure what I should do now that she was awake, and I got the impression that she didn’t know, either.
“Sorry for trapping you here,” she said.
“No worries.”
Really? “No worries”? What a stupid thing to say, Blizzard scoffed.
I’m sorry, I replied sarcastically. If you don’t like my responses, feel free to give your input before I say them out loud next time.
Sienna propped herself up on her elbow next to me and cleared her throat uncomfortably as she cast her eyes down toward the bed between us. I mirrored her position, scrutinizing her expression. There was something she wanted to say, but she looked like she was afraid to say it.
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said quietly. “I just wanted to say… thank you. For listening to me. It’s been a while since I felt like I had someone to talk to, and it really helped me feel safe.”
Unbidden, my hand reached up to cup her cheek. Her emerald eyes darted up at mine, and I felt my breathing hitch at the vulnerability in her expression.
“I always want you to feel safe,” I murmured.
I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. I wasn’t even sure if I meant it. There was something about this woman, but she was still my enemy and a tool for removing the curse. I was entering into dangerous waters here, and I hoped I had the power to remain afloat. My pack was depending on me.
Her eyes darted to my mouth as she bit her bottom lip. I swallowed when I saw the movement, realizing she wouldn’t be opposed to me kissing her right now. Something had changed between us, and I was ready to find out what that was.
My lips parted as I took a steadying breath, and I saw her do the same. I moved my hand from her cheek to the nape of her neck and leaned forward in anticipation of the moment. Her eyes closed, and I felt her breath on my lips.
A sudden, loud rapping on the front door interrupted us when our lips were only millimeters apart. The noise started Sienna, who pulled back, looking sheepish.
“I’m just going to go to the kitchen and grab something to drink,” Sienna said, rolling away from me and off the bed.
“Franco!” Dylan’s shout came from outside as the knocking started again.
“Dammit,” I swore under my breath.
I sighed, unsure whether I was upset by the interruption or thankful that I hadn’t let my guard down any further with my mate. The blood was slowly returning to my brain, but there was no hiding the fact that I had been excited by what had just occurred. Waking up with her in my arms had been bad enough, but the thought of kissing her had sent me over the edge.
“What do you want?” I asked, opening the front door and stepping outside to greet my second-in-command.
“Sven said there was another disturbance to the west,” Dylan said. “You told me to come find you if the Crescent Shield wolves made any more trouble. I don’t think they’re heading this way, but I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“Alright, I’ll go check it out,” I grumbled.
“Is everything okay, boss? Oh…”
Dylan’s voice trailed off awkwardly as he noticed my aroused state. I saw his cheeks redden as he raised one eyebrow at me. A strange mix of judgment and embarrassment crossed his face as he cleared his throat.
“Something you want to say?” I challenged.
“Not really,” he began. “But as your beta, I feel it’s my duty to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“We all know that the witch is powerful, so be vigilant not to fall for her spell. She’s the key to ending the curse,” Dylan said.
“And you think she’s trying to distract me from that,” I stated.
“Isn’t she?” Dylan eyed my deflating hard-on suggestively as proof of his statement.
It was hard for me to argue with him, given my current state, but I wasn’t sure I agreed. From what I could tell of Sienna, she had been nothing but sincere. She seemed to have no knowledge of her father’s actions, and didn’t seem to be aware of what he was truly capable of. There was no doubt in my mind that she would like nothing more than to go back home, but she hadn’t done anything to harm the pack—or me—so far.
The way we talked this afternoon hadn’t been an act. She had been too worn down by her spell work to have any energy left over for lies and tricks. Sienna may be many things—a witch and the daughter of a deceiver, for starters—but she was also honest.
“I’ll keep your warning in mind,” I told Dylan.
He nodded, turning back toward his post as I considered what I should do next.
“What did Dylan say?” Sienna had come outside without me noticing, startling me with her sudden appearance.
“I need to check on something. I’ll be back later,” I told her tersely.
I didn’t bother explaining further, even though I sensed uneasiness in her. The change in my demeanor had caught her off-guard, but I had bigger issues than Sienna’s feelings right now.
I took off immediately, jogging in the direction Dylan had said the disturbance had originated. I shifted into wolf form, allowing Blizzard to enjoy the run while I let my mind wander.
Ever since I had captured Sienna, I had managed to keep my bloodlust at bay through sheer willpower. But after my conversation with Dylan, my resolve was fading. The Crescent Shield pack had already attacked us once today. If they were spoiling for a fight, I was happy to give it to them. It would help relieve the tension I was feeling.
The scent of blood reached my nostrils, and I felt the bloodlust rise up within me. All thoughts of moderation and restraint left me. The last thing I remembered was a pair of eyes looking out at me through a large bush before everything went dark.
***
I came to with my face pressed into the dirt and vegetation below me. The air smelled cold and sweet, and I saw that night had fallen. A feeling of unease settled in my bones as I realized I had no memory of what had transpired over the past few hours.
I pressed my hands into the ground and raised myself to look at my surroundings. No one was around, but there was a pit in my stomach. I had done something. I knew it.
My hands were covered in dirt from the ground, so I brushed them against my pants to clean them, only to find that there was a sticky substance under the dirt and grass.
Blood.
Not only were my hands coated in the drying red liquid, but my arms and clothing were as well.
What did I kill? Or who…
I struggled to maintain my composure as I ventured out into the grass, looking for signs of life—or death. It wasn’t the first time I had killed without remembering it, but I prayed it would be the last.
After a few minutes of searching, I found the pile of carcasses I had left behind from my murder spree. Luckily, none of them were human. The bodies of four coyotes, a mule deer, a fox, and two beavers had been deposited close together. The sheer number of lives I had taken in a single day overwhelmed me. Shaken, I knelt to the ground next to them.
Forgive me .
But there was no forgiveness for someone like me, and no excuse for what I had become.
The light of the full moon guided me home as I walked slowly, ashamed of myself. I expected Sienna to be fast asleep, but she was sitting on the front step, waiting for my return.
“Where have you been?” she demanded. “You’re covered in blood. Is this going to be a daily occurrence?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I answered tiredly.
“At least let me heal you,” she insisted.
“I’m not injured. Just back off, okay?”
I walked past her into the cabin and headed for the bathroom. All I wanted to do was clean myself up and sleep. It had been a long, emotional day. But it seemed Sienna had other ideas.
“You’re lying,” she said, pushing into the room behind me as I began to undress.
“You don’t need to heal me,” I sighed. “I’m a werewolf. I’ll be fine by morning.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” she snapped.
I wasn’t sure why she was pushing it so hard, but I was too tired to care. Everything was too much right now. If it helped me get to sleep sooner, I would let her check me for injuries.
“I don’t have the energy to fight,” I admitted. “Do what you need to do.”