Once Upon a Wolf

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

My head bolted up, and I sucked in air, waking up groggy as fuck.

I winced at the throb in my head and squinted my sore eyes. The morning sun was harsh as it pierced my blurred vision. I blinked and found myself resting on the couch in the living room. My shirt was off, and I was in my vest and jeans. I glanced at my upper arm, it was cleaned and neatly bandaged. Something damp and cold settled on my forehead and my fingers reached for it. It was a small face rag I pulled off my face. I shifted my body and moaned out in discomfort. My muscles and internal organs felt like it been through hell. My clothes were damp from sweat, yet I oddly shivered.

I groaned as my eyes scanned around the place. A small bowl of water sat beside me on a side table, and I dropped the face rag into it. The living room was empty, except for Alice sleeping at the edge of the couch, still in last night's clothes. She sat on the floor, her head cradled in her arms on the couch.

"What the hell happened?" I grumbled.

Alice fluttered her sleepy eyes open and noticed me awake. Suddenly, her eyes were wide alert. "Zoey... oh my gosh, you're okay," she squealed. "I was so worried," she said and crawled closer. "I thought I was going to lose you. You had such a terrible night."

I frowned. Remembering nothing.

Alice noticed my puzzled expression. "You were restless throughout the night and burning up like crazy. You were falling in and out of consciousness, you were struggling to breathe. I tried to cool you down as much as I could. Only the last hour your breathing became steady again," she explained.

"Shit, I can't remember last night." I admitted and tried to get up, but I winced from all the muscle spasms.

"Careful," Alice said, easing me up on the couch in a sitting position. "You had a rough night; your body went through shit."

"Yeah, but at least I feel much stronger today." I swallowed and my throat was dry. My thick saliva grating down my throat. "Water?" I said. "I need water."

"You must be thirsty. Wait here." Alice said, jumping up from the couch and hurried to the kitchen.

I laid my head back against the sofa and breathed in deeply the air, filling up my lungs. It felt good. But I was far from okay. An underlining heat infiltrated beneath my skin and deep in my chest. Like heart burn but more severe that travelled low down my abdomen.

"Fuck," I hissed. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"You made it."

I lifted my eyes and saw Zack grinning, munching down an apple. "Good job, Miss Fragile," he said, and his smile dropped. "Oh shit, that reminds me. I lost the fucking bet to Mike. Damn!" he grumbled and walked past.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Yeah, I'm alive, assholes." I mumbled and rubbed the side of my temple.

Alice rushed into the living room and passed me a full glass of cool water. "Thanks," I said gratefully and grabbed it, slugging it down in four gulps. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was. The cool water relieved me, but the scorching heat was creeping quickly up my spine.

"I need to get to a doctor," I mumbled.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." I lifted my eyes above the rim of the glass and watched Faye walk in with a faint smile and sat down next to me. "A doctor won't be able to help you." She moved her long, silky russet hair to the side of her face. "Let me see," she said, glancing at my bandaged arm with caring eyes.

I nodded and extended my left arm. Faye unraveled the white dressing as Alice looked on curiously. I swallowed and frowned as the last of the dressing was removed. My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat.