THE FALTERED BOND

Chapter 5 | An almost kiss

Pain greets me upon my wake. My muscles, numb and sore, scream at the slightest movement, pining me onto my back. Just thinking about moving feels like torture. My temples buzz with a high pitched ring. I crack my eyes open, bright lights pouring into my pupils with such force, I squint uncomfortably. It takes a moment for my senses to settle. The resinous smell of pine sap and the acrid scent of smoke to reaches my nose, causing me to jump in alarm.

Where am I?

I shoot up and ignore my aching muscles to take a look at my surroundings. I was placed onto a King size bed, it's gentle frames shimerimg with a hint of gold under what I realized was the dim light of a fire. The chimney itself seem to disappear within the wall, it's bricks a rich obsidian color. The remainder of the room felt quite underwhelming, filled with every day furniture-- albeit they seemed to be lot more expensive than the average decoration.

Only then do I notice the man sitting in the center of the room. My body becomes wholy still as our eyes lock. Forest green eyes. I swallow thickly, horrified by the unwavering flame of anger simmering in those gem-like orbs. He seems to notice my discomfort when his brows furrow, assessing my every move like a hawk.

I part my mouth to speak, but the words quickly die onto the tip of my tongue.

His snarl is blood chilling. "Do you know who I am?"

My body begins to tremble. This... This is Jace Weston. The Alpha's son. My thoughts swirl uncontrollablely as the realization sinks in. "I- I-

- Do you know who I am!?" His voice lowers an octave, echoing in my chest with such force, I can hardly breathe.

My words stammer in reply. "Jace. You're Jace Weston- s-son of Alpha Xavier."

He becomes wholy still. Fiddling with the large ring on his thumb, he falls silent but I could feel his eyes assess me further like that of a hawk watching it's prey. A strange presence prods at the edge of my mind, calling to me. It seems to awaken my wolf as I sense howl of... Pleasure? The realization briefly pulls my gaze away, causing Jace to growl in retaliation.

My eyes snap towards him and my breath stills in my throat. Questions continue to swirl at the back of my mind, fearing the worse. What do I do? What does he want from me...? What happened?

I part my mouth to speak, bracing myself for his retort. "Wh-where am-

- I ask the questions here girl." Venomous words slice through me like a dagger. I feel the sting of tears brim at my eyes, but I'm unable to bring myself to look away. "You will only speak when spoken too. Otherwise, you keep your mouth quiet."

I nod. My wolf however, seems to disagree as the heat of her rising emotions suddenly fill my chest- is she... Angry? Before I can lean more into it, the feeling dissipates as my fear prevails.

Many seconds pass in silence when Jace speaks once more. "Do you know why you are here?

- No. I-I don't remember- anything." The thought sends waves of panic under my skin, feeding into my fears. Did he touch me?

I nearly part my mouth to ask, but quickly correct my mistake, covering my mouth with the quilt instead. The sting in my eyes grow with every second, threatening to spill over at the slightest mishap.

Jace seems to notice my discomfort as he leans his head, eyes cold and unreadable. "Stand up."

Fear grips me and I hesitate but his hardening look quickly urges me to obeye. Once again he falls silent, scanning my body from head to toe with cold, unreadable eyes. He stands and I gasp, intimated by his stature alone. My gaze wonders over his body, utterly captivated and terrified by his muscles rippling beneath the fabric of his shirt. I feel my cheeks flush red, still unable to move or speak when he slowly steps forward. So close in fact, I feel his warm breath blow against my face.