Imogen is her pack's runt. She was a surprise to her family, and a disgrace. Her father is the gamma of her pack so her existence as the runt is a disappointment and disgusting.
Her family wait for the moment when she can find her mate, leave the pa...
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Groaning, I try to lift my head up from the hardwood floor but the tight pain flares in my neck and my cheek is stuck to the floor with congealed blood.
The tears start to flow before I even have the control to hide them. The sunlight that is pooling on my body through the window tells me it's late morning at least. I don't remember falling asleep which tells me I passed out.
Moaning in pain, I lift my head up from the floor, ripping open my cuts wider and causing the blood to pour down my cheek again.
Gingerly, I bring my hand up to touch my cheek lightly. My face is swollen and puffy with pain. My broken wrist is burning after being thrown on the floor, I've only been with my mate for a day and I'm a mess.
"Morning Imogen." A voice calls up the stairs brightly and I freeze. Shit, the beta is back again. I don't want him to see me in such a pathetic state but there's nothing I can do. He's a beta I'm just a runt, whatever he wants to do he can.
I can hear Tobias getting closer and closer up the stairs, he'll already be able to smell the blood coming from this room so I don't bother to move or try to hide my cuts.
"Imogen- oh shit..." His cheerful voice trails off as his eyes land on me, curled up on the floor.
"Stay there, ok." Numbly, I nod and touch at my cheek and wince again.
Tobias has disappeared and I can hear him thundering down the stairs. Sighing, I shakily get to my feet and stumble over to the bed where I lay down, staring up at the ceiling.
"I said stay there." Tobias' voice makes me jolt and cry out at the movement from my bruised and swollen neck.
"So-rry." I weave out, my voice cuts and crackles so much you can hardly hear the words.
"I should be the sorry one." Tobias sighs and sits opposite me on the bed. I watch as he opens up the first aid box once again and begins to dab at the the gash marks on my cheek.
I deliberately set my jaw, not wanting to appear any weaker in front of someone else.
"I can only give you painkillers for your throat I'm afraid."
"It's ok."
I don't speak for a moment as Tobias disinfects the claw marks, all I can think about is the look of hatred in my mate's eyes.
Looking down at my feet, I notice they are still tinged with the blue fingers of the cold. Tobias follows my gaze and purses his lips tightly as he looks at my cold body.
He sighs heavily once again before reaching behind him and pulls off his sweater. It's woollen with a repeated pattern of earthy colours. Tobias holds it out for me to take, even though my wolf whines at the thought of wearing a wolf's scent that is not my mate's. She knows, like me, that another night in the cold will make me ill.
I cautiously pull it over my head, keeping it as far away from cuts as I can. The warmth embraces me immediately and I take in a deep breath of relief. The sweater smells of Tobias and the Earth.
"My mate won't like the smell of you on me." I mumble, warning Tobias of the threat as best I can. "You're his beta, he won't like that."
"I'm sorry little tree-wolf, but you're mate won't care." His voice is soft and full of remorse, I know he isn't saying it to be cruel it's just the truth but my heart still hurts.
The weight of the night before presses down on my mental state. Tears start to bubble again, desperately I try to wipe them away before Tobias notices but he does.
He holds his arms out in an open invitation which I take, even though it's a little reluctant on the surface, I desperately want to be held by someone.
I crawl over slightly and into his open arms, pressing my face into the space where his shoulder meets his neck. Finally, I feel a semblance of safety and I let the sobs rack my body.
Tobias pauses for a second before one of his hands strokes up and down my back soothingly.
"It will get better, I promise."
I don't believe Tobias' words, maybe he doesn't know it but my mate is searching for a way to sever our bond and then throw me out into the snow. Maybe Tobias doesn't know, but I do.
Finally, I get control over my tears and instead focus on the pain in my cheek. It was something my mother taught me to do when you feel sad, focus on something that hurts to distract yourself.
As I lay my cheek on Tobias' shoulder I'm suddenly aware of a numbing sensation tingling through the pain in my cheek. Both Tobias and I jerk apart in surprise at the foreign, unexpected feeling that flowed between us.
Tobias moves back a few inches and I expected him to leave, but he doesn't. Instead he remains sitting, a little way off from me admittedly, and looks down at his hands.
I watch him in earnest intrigue as he sits before me, distracted and without barriers. His breathing tells me he's distressed and trying to get control of his emotions like I did moments before. I don't know what's upset him so, but I decide to give him his privacy. Instead I choose to ask him a question that's been burning in my brain for the last day.
"How did you get that scar?"
"A fight." He replies curtly, ok, point taken. I guess that's another sore point to not talk about when it comes to Tobias.
What am I talking about? I shouldn't be thinking about Tobias at all! He's not my mate, he's just making my life a little more bearable, that's all.
"Do you think this will scar?" I murmur, pointing to the gauze pad covering the claw marks so graciously left by my mate.
"Maybe, the more time you spend around your mate will help it to fade but I'm not too sure..."
I don't blame him for his uncertainty. This situation isn't common. Normally, wounds won't scar when you're around your mate to help you heal and take your pain but my bond isn't being nurtured. My mate is trying to destroy it, so will the bond help me, I don't know.
Tobias inhales sharply and distracts me from my thoughts. His glazed over eyes tell me that he's mind-linking someone from the pack so I keep my mouth shut.
"I'm sorry Imogen, I have to go now."
"That's ok, thank you for helping me."
I watch as Tobias walks to the door, just as he goes to open it and leave, his eyes fall down to the floor. He sees the mouldy bread there and let's out a growl.
"I'll bring you some food next time."
I don't reply again, I just smile as much as I can make my face do under the tape and gauze.
He walks out of the door and I feel a moment of sadness at the thought that I won't see him, potentially for days.
"Wait!" I gasp, suddenly noticing that I'm still warm. "Your sweater."
Tobias smiles warmly at me. "You keep it, it's cold out here."
