Forced To Love You

They Don't Heal Overnight

I hadn't been given clearance to use my foot but I didn't care. I wanted out of Christian's stupid room and his stupid mansion and away from him. I wanted to go back to North Carolina. I wanted my normal life back.

I opened the door and glanced out into the hallway. A tall man with olive skin and black hair stood beside the door, on the right. He didn't look in my direction but I knew he was aware of my presence.

I ignored him and started walking down the hall. I looked at the doors around me as I walked, almost expecting someone to step out of the rooms as I passed. There was no way I'd be able to sneak out without getting caught.

But I was going to try.

I found a staircase and started down. When my bad foot touched the step, I cried out at the pain that shot all that way up to my hip. The movement was too much for my ankle to handle. If it kept being a problem, I was never going to get out.

Someone started down the steps beside me and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for whoever it was. Surely, they would say something to me about trying to leave. I just hoped they wouldn't tell Christian.

When I opened my eyes, I looked straight ahead at Christian standing on the step below me. His right hand was on the banister beside him.

"Your ankle's never going to heal if you keep putting pressure on it."

I was surprised that, of all the things he could have said to me, he was warning me about hurting myself further. It wasn't what I was expecting.

"I've never broken any bones before."

And, if I was honest, I was surprised that I chose that sentence to say to him. Not an apology. Not me begging for forgiveness or mercy. Just... the truth.

"Well, they don't heal overnight."

I stared at him, speechless. I was in trouble and I knew that. I was just... waiting on the punishment he'd give to me.

He just stared back at me. It felt like he was trying to read me and figure me out. If what he was saying was true, he was bonded with me. So he would want to know things about me. Things that I wasn't sure I was comfortable telling him.

"Let me help you back upstairs."

I wasn't in any place to argue so I nodded.

He slid one arm around my back and one under my knees before he picked me up. He started up the two steps that I'd managed to make it down before he headed back down the hallway toward his room. "I won't hurt you, Blair. I know you're scared of me right now but my intent has never been to cause you any harm. I only want you to feel love towards me."

"I don't know you. I don't know anything about you."

He looked ahead as he spoke to me. "I'm the Alpha of this pack. My uncle gave me the pack once he retired. I've been the Alpha for ten years now."

"Alpha of what?"

"Wolves."

"How does that... How do you..." I struggled to come up with a complete sentence as I struggled to comprehend what he was telling me. I couldn't understand what it meant.

He walked up to the door and nodded at the guard who stood on duty. The guard nodded back. Christian opened the door and stepped inside. He closed and locked the door before carrying me over to the couch. He didn't speak until he had set me down.

"We shapeshift into wolves. It's not based on the full moon cycle like some would think. Most of my pack either doesn't shift or doesn't know how to. It's not as common anymore."

I swallowed my fear before asking my question. "Do you?"

He nodded. He sat down on the chair to my right and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "I try to do it every day."

I debated asking more questions. I wanted to know more but I didn't want him to think that I cared enough to ask about him. I was only doing so because I was curious. It wasn't going to change my mind about staying.

"How long are you expecting me to stay here?"

"Hopefully forever." He held my gaze and I knew that he was going to be just as stubborn as I was about me staying. I knew we'd end up fighting back against one another until one of us got our way. He had the advantage of strength against me but I wasn't going to let it stop me.

Once my ankle was healed, I was out.

"We'll see about that."

He nodded but didn't say anything more on the subject. "I have a meeting to get to. Frey will come and check up on you shortly."

I didn't realize who he was talking about until he had gotten to his feet and was heading for the door. "She has a name, you know."

"It's nice to see you becoming acquainted with the staff here."

I grabbed a pillow from behind me and chucked it at him. The door closed just before the pillow hit it and I growled in frustration.

I grabbed one of the magazines strew across the coffee table and tried my best to not think about Christian.