Chapter 4
Zeke
Addison stands in the tub with water dripping down her body. It’s hard not to look at her right now. With her skin clean, I can see just how beautiful she is under all of the dirt.
I wrap her in a towel as quickly as I can. I’m sure being covered gives her some comfort, too.
She is still so weak, I practically have to lift her out of the tub. I’m not sure if it’s from the drugs or running, but regardless, I’m going to do everything in my power to bring her back to good health.
She sits on the side of my bed and dries herself with the towel. I make a mental note to ask one of the girls for a hairbrush because Addison’s hair is way longer than anything I’ve ever seen.
When I see her on my bed, with nothing but a towel wrapped around her, my wolf goes crazy. He scratches at me inside, begging for me to close the small gap of distance between the two of us and lay claim to her. He wants me to sink my teeth into her neck and bond with her.
I want to as well. All I’ve wanted over the years was to find my mate. Seeing my siblings pair off with their mates, as happy as ever, has only reinforced the need I felt over the years.
Now I’m standing here in front of my mate, someone who I know should feel the same strong connection that I do. Yet she doesn’t understand it. Or maybe she doesn’t want to accept it. The idea of that stings, and I have to force my mind away from it.
Something is seriously wrong here, and I have to get to the bottom of it. For Addison.
A knock on the door catches my attention, and Addison nearly jumps to her feet, clutching the towel tied around her. She stumbles in front of me, and I gently place my hands on her shoulders to lower her back to the bed.
“It’s fine, Addison,” I murmur. “You’re safe here. No one’s going to hurt you. It’s probably one of my siblings.”
“Sibling?” Addison whispers under her breath as I walk to the door.
When I open the door, I find Tara with a large serving tray covered with food. “I figured she might be hungry.”
I open the door wider, and Tara stands in the doorway tentatively, offering Addison a soft smile.
“Addison, this is my sister, Tara,” I say, moving aside so Tara can walk into the room.
Addison watches with a hint of apprehension in her eyes as Tara approaches the bed and sets the tray on top. Tara doesn’t say anything, clearly not wanting to push. Instead, her bright green eyes meet Addison’s with a warmth she’s always effortlessly portrayed.
I watch Addison, hoping that her walls might come crumbling down when she sees it, but they don’t. It’s going to take a lot more than soup and bread to get her to trust us.
“Thank you,” I whisper to Tara as she leaves, closing the door behind her.
Addison’s eyes move to the steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup and the thick slice of sourdough bread that I have no doubt is one of Tara’s homemade recipes.
“Tara’s a really good cook,” I say as I walk over to the bed and sit down beside Addison. Her mouth practically waters as she looks at the tray, but she doesn’t move toward it. “Want to try a bite? She makes the best bread ever.”
Addison looks at me, shaking her head. “I don’t know what’s in it.”
It makes sense that she would worry. Whatever happened to her, wherever she was, she probably couldn’t trust a lot of things. So I pull the tray closer to us and grab the spoon myself, making sure I pile a big portion of broth and noodles onto it before taking a bite.
I might be a little over the top with my satisfied moan, but it is very flavorful. Tara knows how to turn something bland into something delicious with ease.
Next, I tear off a portion of the bread and chew that, watching Addison with my eyebrows raised. “Would I have eaten if it were drugged?”
She contemplates for a minute before tentatively reaching for the spoon and sinking it into the soup.
She takes a cautious first sip of the broth, then her eyes widen as the flavor hits her.
She picks up the bowl and devours it. She practically shovels bites into her mouth like it’s the first meal she’s ever eaten.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
I have so many questions, but how many times can I ask her where she’s come from without driving both of us crazy? Whenever I ask a question, I can feel the internal panic radiating from her. Whatever happened to her, she’s not ready to talk about it.
But I need to know more.
Addison sinks her teeth into the sourdough bread and lets out a tiny moan, satisfied with the flavor.
“Do you have any family that I can contact? Anyone who would want to know where you are, who could help you?” I ask her.
The idea of her saying yes and contacting someone who will take her away from me is heart-wrenching, but I have to do what’s best for her. Now that I know who my mate is, nothing will keep me away from her. But right now, I would let her go if it meant helping her.
Addison just shakes her head. Her chewing slows, and she sets the bread back on the tray, grabbing the cup of water and sipping it.
“I don’t have a family.” Her voice is low and somber, and something about the look in her eyes makes my heart break for her. “I don’t remember anything about before.”
“Before? What do you mean?”
My heart sinks to my stomach. I think she’s finally about to tell me something that can help me figure out what happened to her.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice is small, scared. I know not to push anymore.
It’s late. I haven’t looked at the time, but I imagine it’s well past midnight. With everything she’s been through, I can only imagine how exhausted she is.
“I think you should get some sleep.” I pick up the tray and set it on my dresser.
I open the drawer and grab a T-shirt to hand to her. She looks at it for a moment before slipping it over her head and unwrapping the towel from around her.
“Listen…” I try to figure out how to say what I want to. “Would it be all right if I sleep next to you? I promise I won’t touch you. I just want to make sure you’re all right during the night.”
Addison stands gingerly, gripping the frame of the bed to steady herself as I fold over the duvet and reveal the soft sheets below. I watch her as she bites the corner of her lip, contemplating.
“Okay,” she says as she climbs under the covers and lets me fold them over her shoulders.
She sinks into the bed with clear satisfaction in her eyes. I can’t help wondering if she’s ever been in a bed as comfortable as this. Even the thought of what she might have had to sleep on before is enough to send a sharp pain through my chest.
Thinking of everything she endured before I found her is infuriating and heartbreaking all at the same time. I feel the anger in my veins, pouring not only through me but my wolf, too.
I climb into bed beside her, lying on top of the cover, and stare at the back of her neck. It doesn’t take long before her body gives in to the comfort, and I hear her soft breathing as she sleeps.
I wait here with her for a while, not counting the minutes but just making sure she’s comfortable before climbing out of bed as quietly as I can. I leave the light off as I sneak out of the room and tiptoe down the hall toward the living room.
As expected, my entire family is still sitting around talking among themselves. As soon as they see me, the conversation comes to a sudden halt. It’s clear that my mate was the topic of conversation.
“Any news?” Declan asks.
I take a seat on the couch beside Nora and run my fingers through my hair.
“What happened to her?” Tara asks, nervously biting her fingernails. Kyran grabs her hand and pulls it away. It’s a nervous habit she’s been trying to break.
“I don’t know. I’m as clueless as all of you.” I lean back with a sigh and shake my head. “She didn’t want to tell me anything. But she’s afraid. I don’t know if she’s afraid of something or someone, but she’s terrified.”
Declan stands to start pacing the room. I can already see the gears turning behind his eyes. A lone wolf on our territory was found covered in bruises and ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. Someone was holding her, that much we all know. But why?
“What is this going to mean for the pack?” Declan asks, thinking out loud more than anything.
“We shouldn’t worry too much right now,” Tara suggests, trying to be a voice of reason in everything. “She’s clearly in shock and still has drugs coursing through her body. After she sleeps and starts to recover, we can get more information. We don’t know anything right now for certain.”
I nod my head in agreement. There’s no sense getting worked up about something we don’t know about.
“Tara, come on,” Declan says, shaking his head. He grips the back of the armchair he was sitting in. “If somebody was holding her, they’ll be looking for her. That much I’m certain. Why else would she have been running to that point of exhaustion?”
“We need her to talk as soon as possible.” Kyran nods in agreement. “If we don’t know what we’re up against, we’ll be underprepared.”
I can hardly listen to them as I lose myself in my own thoughts.
I agree with Declan. It’s very clear someone was holding her against her will, and they’re going to want her back for whatever reason.
Maybe they don’t want her talking about them to authorities, or maybe they want her for something else entirely.
Until we know what that is, we don’t know how to move forward. But at the same time, I can’t even imagine forcing her to tell me something she’s so afraid of.
I can see it in her eyes every time I ask her. Whatever she ran from, she doesn’t want to think about that anymore. She wants to move on, and I want to let her.
Declan and Kyran start putting together a plan to warn the bear shifter clan nearby, letting everyone know what’s happened. Tara and Nora talk about other people in our pack that they can go to in the morning, and Cole is on his laptop searching for missing people who might resemble Addison.
If we don’t know what we’re up against, they at least want to make sure everything is secure within both of our packs. We need to be prepared for anything.
The planning comes to an abrupt stop when a bloodcurdling scream sounds from down the hall.
I’m on my feet, running toward Addison the second it registers, not sparing a moment away from her.