His Savior

Pain

~Zahara~

               I knew he would try something, but Laslo as my chosen? I would never, and that would be the same even if my fated had died. That brings my thoughts back to Cory. I tried, in vain, to search for him while we were on tour. I didn't want to make it obvious, especially after Laslo's offer, but I wanted to find him. Unfortunately, I didn't catch sight of him anymore. The meeting next week doesn't help me either because he doesn't seem to be in a leadership position. That means I will not be able to see him on my territory. I have to find a way to get to Cory and pick up where we left off. Well, not pick back up at the rejection, that is. "Penny for your thoughts?"

               "Why couldn't I find him, Lennox? I find my mate, and then he disappears." Lennox is sitting next to me, and I can feel his eyes on me.

               "We will figure out how to get to him, I promise. It will become my priority." I sigh and reach out for Lennox's hand. I squeeze it and say nothing else. My mind is overrun with so many different thoughts. I keep replaying everything that happened today and trying to devise a plan to solve my problems. It remains this way the entire trip home.

               When we make it home, I notice my dad watching me, but he says nothing. I'm curious why he has so much attention on me, but I'm too preoccupied to question him. I skip dinner in favor of an intense workout. I have so much energy that I need to burn off, and I hope it will help me devise a plan.

               When that doesn't wholly work, Lennox and I go for a run in wolf form. I felt the need to have someone with me just in case Aria tries to take over and head back for her mate. Cory may not have a wolf for Aria to meet, but she is taken with Cory already. She hated that I left the territory without him, but I had no other choice. I tried to explain the reasoning to her, and she blocked me out for a few hours. I head to my room to take a hot shower when the run is over. The events of the day, tied with the workout and the run, have me highly exhausted. I tuck myself into the bed and hope that sleep takes over quickly.

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               I wake up to a pain in my face. It makes me pop up and grab my face. Before I can figure out where it came from, I double over from a pain in my stomach. I get a jolt to my rib,s along with another pain in my face. I'm sweating and panting, not understanding where this pain is coming from. I feel an intense pain in my crotch which makes me scream out. It feels like I'm being stabbed, and I have no idea how this is possible.

               My scream was enough to wake some people, I gather, when I see Lennox burst into my room. "Z.....Z! What's wrong?" I'm struggling to answer because I can feel more pain radiating all over my body. Lennox is at my side, trying to calm me. He is checking me over, but his face is one of pure confusion. "What's going on? I don't see anything, so what's wrong?" All the pain I feel, and he doesn't see anything wrong with me. How is that possible? I can feel the block between Aria and myself lowering. This is the first time I've had access to her since we headed home earlier.

What the hell is going on with us, Aria? I'm in so much pain.

N....not us. I.....it......it's ma.....mate. I can barely hear Aria, but the pain is apparent in her voice. It's mate; what does she mean by that? When I think about it more, I realize what she is telling me, and I jump out of bed. "Lennox...." I rasp out. "The pain.....it isn't mine. It's Cory's. I have to go.......I have to help him." I don't wait for an answer but run out of my room and down the stairs. I can hear Lennox right behind me.

What are you doing? Go home, Lennox!

Hell no, Z! I will not have you go to him alone. I will follow you and make sure that we have a doctor come out with us. I told you I got your back. I say nothing else but head out the back of the packhouse towards the forest. When I get to the tree line, I shift into Aria and let her take over. I need to get to my mate as quickly as possible.

~Cory~

               I stayed out of the way, as I was told, while the group was on the premises. Everything in me wanted to go back to Zahara and beg her to forgive me, but another part of me wanted to complete the rejection for her sake. It was best to do neither because if I were caught hanging around, the consequences would be horrible.

               Once the group left, there was talk about something not going well. Laslo ran off to the forest, and no one has seen him. I came out of hiding and resumed my usual chores. I am usually cleaning the packhouse and doing the laundry. I'm not the only Omega here, but many things fall on my shoulders, especially regarding what the Alpha family needs. This has been my life for years now, and I have grown accustomed to the solitude that I live in. Everyone stays away from me because speaking to the wolfless person makes you as weak as he.

               Dinner is over, and I'm in the kitchen to clean up as I usually do. The room is silent, which I have grown to appreciate. It used to bother me that no one wanted to be around me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm so used to it that I have started to get bothered when I'm around many people. It's kind of funny when you think about it.

               I hear the backdoor open as I'm cleaning in the kitchen. I decide not to see who it is because I'm sure they will just ignore me anyway. I continue to clean when I feel a presence in the kitchen with me. I make the quick decision to stay out of the way of whoever this is. To do this, I head to the pantry. There may or may not be anything to do in there, but it will be a place I can hide quietly because no one will want to be in there. When I reach the pantry, I turn the light on and walk inside. The pantry is enormous due to all of the food that needs to be stored. I walk into the room, checking the shelves as I go. I fix things here and there, but there is nothing major to do. I hear the door close behind me, and before I can turn around, the lights go off. Panic starts to seize me at this moment. I have no way of knowing if someone is in here or if there is something I need to be careful of. Without my wolf, I don't have night vision or heightened hearing. My sense of smell is that of a regular human, so basically, I'm screwed.

               I decide not to have my back facing the entrance. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad idea, but a decision was made. I turn towards the door, wishing there was even a sliver of light that could shine through and help me see what's in front of me. As I take a small step forward, a fist connects with the left side of my face, and pain radiates all over. I can taste blood in my mouth. I feel a kick to my stomach, which makes me double over, along with a punch to my side. I swear a rib or two cracks with that impact. I feel a punch on the opposite side of my face. I try to use the shelving on the side to stand up straight, and that's when I feel a sharp pain in my crotch. I see bright lights behind my eyelids, and there is barely any air in my lungs. The pain radiates over my body as I get hit, kicked, and stabbed. I don't know who is hurting me or why because the only sound that is being made is from me.

               At some point, I black out, the pain becoming too much for me to take. I come to a bit and can feel my body floating. I can't open my eyes or move my body, but it doesn't matter because I black out again. I'd pray to the Moon Goddess to spare me, but I'm not sure it would be worth the pain. I do send a prayer that Zahara will find someone to love her since it can't be me.