Wild

Chapter 16 - Back to Square One

A/N
For a better reading experience, POV will start with Storm and continue in Makai's.

Storm

The first thing I see when I open my eyes are brown eyes. Beautiful brown eyes looking down at me in concern.

"You're awake," my mate says, his eyes still looking concerned but now shrouded with wariness.

"Two steps forward, one step back," I groan inwardly, annoyed that the ease that had been between us before was gone because Makai has gone back to being cautious. I know Makai so well, and I knew how badly the beast's way of punishing people who tried to harm either of us would affect him. That, more than anything, was what I had feared when I had seen the carnage.

Don't get me wrong, seeing all that blood and torn flesh had shocked me and made me queasy, but knowing how much it would affect his tenuous acceptance of me, of us, made me want to howl and wail all at the same time.

I groan aloud this time when I remember how I had jumped in front of the beast to prevent him from killing the rogue. How could I have been so stupid?

"Are you okay?" he asks, looking even more worried, mistaking my groan to be one of pain.

"I'm fine," I croak, feeling thirsty.

"Do you need some water?"
After my nod, he pours a glass from the pitcher, and I sit up while he carefully brings it to my lips to sip. He tries to do it casually, but it doesn't escape my notice that he makes sure he doesn't touch me more than he needs to.

I bring a hand up to touch the hand he was using to hold the glass against my lips, and he avoids my eyes while gently moving my hand away and returning them to the bed.

I swallow the sharp, painful hurt that fills me with my water, and pretend I hadn't noticed anything.

"Are the boys okay?" I ask afterI am sure I can speak without betraying my hurt.

"Yes, they're awake now and no worse for the wear. They were worried about you."

We both look toward the door when my family enters. My heart hurts just a little more when Makai takes the opportunity to swiftly move away to stand by the door.

Mom sits on my bed and sniffs softly, checking me thoroughly while she mumbles about me making her age ten years in just a few weeks.

I pat her hand and let her gush over me.

I love my mom so much, but I wish she wasn't such a snob and so mean to Makai. He doesn't deserve her attitude.

"This situation is becoming too common. I'm beginning to suspect that you just want attention," Quinn teases as he ruffles my hair.

I muster a smile and tell him, "This is just a test. I want to know how devoted you all are to me."

"I'm your most devoted servant," Zane assures me, shifting me gently to lie by me on the bed, ignoring mom's glare.

"Zane, you're going to hurt him!" She scolds when her glare doesn't deter him.

"I'm fine, Mom. Really. They didn't hurt me."

"What happened? Do you know who took you? And why?"

I frown as I try to recall how it began. "I was out by the pool waiting for the boys to finish changing when four rogues appeared from nowhere. I knew what they were because Quinn and I saw a dead one in New Orleans a few months ago."

Quinn and I had visited a friend whose locked historic pack library had been broken into by rogues. They managed to kill one, but the rest had disappeared.