3. Nevin
3
NEVIN
A pitiful whine escaped me as I groggily lifted my head. The room spun. My stomach churned. My body ached all over and I felt so damn heavy. Not to mention the stink of antiseptic and bleach made me feel sick. I blinked a couple of times to try and clear the fog from my vision—and that’s when I realized that I was in a cage.
Trapped.
My anxiety ratcheted skywards. No… Whimpering, I unsteadily shifted my weight and nosed at the stainless steel bars that separated me from the rest of the world. Pain thumped through me in a steady one-two beat. My breath came in soft pants.
Where was I?
I squeezed my eyes shut to try and calm myself down. When I opened them again, I was painfully aware of the fact that my body was wrapped in bandages. My shattered leg was encased in a thick plaster cast, the other hooked up to an IV line. Clear liquid dripped down the rubber tube from a large plastic bag hung on the outside of the cage.
Someone had saved me.
No, not just someone—that Alpha, the one with the gentle eyes. My chest grew tight, my lungs pinching as sorrow overwhelmed me. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t I have met someone like that? What did I do to deserve rough men like Rex when wolves like that existed?
I dropped my muzzle to my paws and bit back another whine. Not that it mattered. I couldn’t conceive a child. No Alpha would want me now, especially not as another man’s thrown-away leftovers. There was no use in wishing. I might’ve survived the attack meant to kill me, but I wouldn’t get a happily-ever-after.
It wasn’t long before the Alpha came into the room. He paused in front of my cage, peering in at me from between the bars. I was struck by how oddly handsome he was. Tall and stocky with dark hair and an ample amount of pudge, he wasn’t traditionally beautiful, but his warm smile and his kind eyes were enough to send my broken heart into palpitations.
“Hello there, honey. You’re looking much better. There for a minute, I thought we’d lost you.” His voice was a thrum of sound, low and resonating. Comforting. He knelt down so that we were face to face. When he stuck his fingers between the metal slats, I leaned into his touch. He smiled. “You’re safe here in Rubydawn. No one will harm you again, I promise.”
He reached up and lifted the latch. With a soft squeak of metal, the cage door swung open. He bit down on his bottom lip and splayed his fingers, as if expecting me to come leaping out at him. I didn’t even move. It hurt too badly.
Instead, I whined. Emotion clogged my windpipe, making it hard to breathe, and if I’d been human, I probably would’ve started sobbing hysterically.
“Shh, you’re okay,” said the man, stroking his hand down my neck. Before I could think twice, I nuzzled my nose into his big palm and pinched my eyes shut. I wasn’t even aware I was trembling until he cupped my tufted cheeks in both hands and placed the sweetest of kisses atop my nose.
Why did life have to be so damn unfair?
“Don’t worry, honey. You’re only stuck in here for a little bit, and then you’ll be coming home with me until you’re better.” He lightly scratched his finger along the dip between my eyes, then offered a sheepish smile. “Uh… Just so you’re aware, Mom put a silver collar on you so you don’t shift back and hurt yourself. So you’re temporarily stuck as a wolf. Sorry about that.”
I didn’t care. If anything, I was thankful for the excuse to hide behind my fur coat. At least as a wolf, I didn’t feel so vulnerable, so worn thin. So weak. I blew out a shaky sigh against the Alpha’s palm and then swiped my tongue over his skin. He tasted of salt and smoke and earth.
He ruffled the fur behind my ear before standing and latching the gate once more. My heart gave a thump. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
He went to turn away, but something made him pause. He spun back around and leaned in close once more. “Oh, and for the record? You can call me Kace.” A smile toyed at the corners of his mouth, right before he strode from the room.
I watched him go with longing in my tired heart.