Shattered Pieces (Wattys 2024)

Chapter 8 Gym

                                                                                  Sapphires POV

I start to think about all the strange things that always happen to me. Sometimes I get intense phantom pain in parts of my body as if someone is attacking me. I have no physical scars or bruises on me.

The worst one was when I was 15 years old, my left arm felt like it was broken. I remember dropping on the lounge floor screaming in excruciating pain for ages holding my arm, yet there was nothing wrong with it.

The only thing that the pack Doc Mary came up with is I might be experiencing someone else's pain. But I had no idea who it might be. I remember seeing a flash of guilt cross Mum's face before it disappeared, replaced with worry. Now that I found out I am a twin, it could be my brother's pain I'm experiencing all this time. He must get into a lot of fights.

Bugger this, I huff in frustration and throw the covers off myself and stomped out of bed, and sneak down the stairs, trying not to wake everyone.

I stomp over to the pack house gym in a dark mood, some pack members see me and scarper away, bowing their heads at me.

I throw open the gym doors, and there are some pack members in there. As soon as they see me they pack up, bow to me, and run as fast as they can out of the gym. I am too wound up to comprehend what these actions symbolized.

I start assaulting the punching bag, trying to release all my frustration. I feel hopeless and completely miserable.

"WHY DID YOU TAKE ME?!" kick.

"HOW COULD YOU?!" punch.

Sapphire let me out. Rory hisses at me.

"THEY MUST BE DEVASTATED!" punch.

Let me out now! This time she yells at me, but I can't let her have control. I don't know what she will do.

"WHY?!" kick.

"WHY?!" punch.

"HOW COULD YOU?!" punch.

"I FEEL SO BETRAYED!" Kick.

I scream until my throat throbs. I don't care and carry on punching and kicking the bags for hours. My hands are bleeding and swollen, blood soaking into the floor, my legs and throat are sore, but I don't care. I don't care about anything or anyone right now. I can feel myself losing control and going into a blinding red rage.

I destroy three punching bags, and as I move on to the next one. I hear someone talking. I zone them out and growl at them to shut up, I don't want to talk to anyone.

Next minute I feel strong arms wrap around me from behind while I'm still trying to punch the bag.

"Let me go." I hiss, my voice coming out strangled.

"No, Gem it's OK, you need to calm down." I recognised that voice.

"Let me go!" I scream at Stewart, trying to get out of his grip, he just holds me tighter, he is so strong.

"Stop!" He whispers with authority in my ear.  When he uses his alpha command on me, I feel my whole body relax. Luckily he is still holding me otherwise I would have fallen to the floor.

Before I know it, he is carrying me bridal style to a chair. He sits down with me sitting sideways on his lap. I am literally covered in blood, sweat, and tears. I lean my head on his chest. Whimpering.

"Gem can you tell me what happened? Did someone hurt you?"

No, I shake my head, "water" I try to say.

"Here." Elijah hands me a bottle of water. This is when I realized Elijah and Tim are with Stewart.

"Thanks." I try to say, then guzzle half of the bottle.

I look into Stewart's eyes and see worry, compassion, and something else.

"Do you want Tim and Elijah to leave?"

No, I nod. "Make the pain go away, my heart feels like it is shattering into a million pieces." I wale at them. "Why? why me?, what did I do to deserve this? how could she?" I scream at no one in particular.

"Shh, it's OK we will make it better." Stewart comforts me, looking confused.

I take big breaths trying to control my rage and breathing. I can feel Stewart rubbing circles on my back to comfort me, it works a little.

Next minute I can feel wave after wave of love and joy pulsating through me, like someone is sending them to me. They helped calm me down, they are not my feelings. I am so wound up like a string to try and work out where they are coming from.

Tim grabs two chairs, while Elijah gets some bandages and ice packs. They start to wrap up my hands and feet and then put the ice packs on my hands. They hold them there before sitting down backward on the chairs.

I manage to give a small smile at their kindness. I try to talk but can feel my lower jaw wobbling and tears start falling again.

"It's OK Gem," Stewart says while kissing my forehead. I blush at his affection, the other two look away pretending they didn't see anything.

I take a big breath again and say "shekidnappedmefromthehospitalatbirth."

"Can you say that again?"

"She kidnapped me from the hospital at birth."

I see them all stiffened up, Stewart's hold on me gets tighter and all three of them start to growl, while I am balling my eyes out again. I hide my face on his chest, trying to cling to his shirt with my bandaged hands like my life depends on it.

"She as in Cindy?" Stewart inquires now seething.

I just nod at him still crying, I was soaking his shirt, but he doesn't seem to care.

"I have a twin brother, she only took me!" I choked out.

"All this time I thought Dad didn't want anything to do with me, but he never knew where I was!" I start to get hysterical again.

Stewart rubs my arm, in comfort. "I'll talk to Dad in the morning OK? Knowing him he may already be trying to find your family if Travis has already told him. I promise that we will find them Gem."

"You are not alone, we are all here for you." Tim reminds me, sympathy laced in his voice and on his face.

I manage to give them all a weak smile and nod.

"What would I do without my knight in shining armor?" I try to chuckle but it comes out wrong, while I'm wiping my tears from my cheeks.

"What about us?" Elijah explains putting his hand over his heart pretending to be wounded.

"You are his trusted noblemen," I tell them.

Elijah and Tim stand up chest-bumping into each other. "Did you hear that, we are noblemen?" Tim says.

"You guys are eggs." l can't help the smile that creeps up on my face watching them.

"There's the smile we all love to see," Stewart says.

I blush and bury my head in his chest again. I can still feel wave after wave of love and joy pulsating through me. I can feel myself getting tired, my eyelids are getting heavy.

"Shh, go to sleep," Stewart tells me and kisses my forehead again. I just nod at him and let the darkness take me.