The Unknown Alpha

chapter twenty-two

Even before Bailey opened her eyes, she knew she was in an unfamiliar place. The space felt so wrong. Nothing familiar or comforting. The air felt heavy and Bailey could detect a musty smell.

     Maybe she had forgotten to air out her bedroom again?

     Probably, but the blankets draped over her body felt scratchy and thin. With a tired sigh, Bailey snug beeper into her pillow, but something within the mattress beneath her body wouldn't stop jabbing into the centre of her back. As she shifted and silently cursed for a more comfortable position, Bailey was finally able to figure out what made the mattress so uncomfortable.

     She could feel the springs and wires within. No way. Her mum was hectic when it came to mattresses. The second a spring popped out of place, the mattress would be tossed out and a new one would soon replace it.

     As Bailey laid there, trying to decipher the odd smell in the air, the events of the school hallway came flooding back.

     The monster.

     Being attacked. Bleeding. So much pain. 

     The werewolf. Her fear. Anger. 

     Then, being carried . . .

     Bailey's eyes snapped open with that last thought. Yeah, as she laid there, mulling it over, she couldn't ignore the fragment of memories that slithered through her tired mind. She felt arms beneath her body, her head resting against someone's chest. Somebody had definitely carried her somewhere.

     Maybe an EMT? Maybe she was in the hospital?

     But surely the hospital wouldn't be this dank?

     Bailey sniffed again. The air felt stale. The ceiling was faded, small patches of mould sprouting in one corner.

     Moving sent a ripple of pain through her body, but Bailey bit down hard on her lips to stop herself from groaning. She forced her arms to push herself into an awkward sitting position, her fingers tearing deep into the mattress in a poor attempt to maintain her shaky balance.

     The world swarmed the longer she remained upright. Bailey's arm wrapped around her waist, the memory of that beast's fang tearing into her flesh flashed in her mind. When she looked down, clean white bandages peeked out from beneath her shirt. No. It definitely wasn't her shirt.

     Feeling panicked and a bit nauseated, Bailey pushed the blankets off her legs, breathing a sigh of relief to see that she was still wearing her jeans. They were bloody, but at least no stranger had removed them.  

     No, Bailey thought in revulsion. Only her shirt had been removed. She felt so violated. But at least whoever was responsible had patched up her wounds.

     Bailey swung her legs over the edge of the bed, shivering as her bare feet touched the wooden floor. The room she was in, four walls of old plaster, was so dark. The only light came from a nearby dim lamp, and as Bailey crossed over to the window, moving so silently and swiftly the floorboards didn't even creak beneath her weight. Benefits of being an alpha finally kicking in.

     Bailey parted the curtains, wincing at the sound it caused. Pausing and holding her breath, Bailey glanced at the door. It was cracked open slightly, soft light poured in from outside. Bailey strained her ears, desperately trying to detect any sounds from outside. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears, but she was surprised to hear footsteps. But at least they didn't seem to be coming towards her.

     She seemed safe. Or as safe as she could be considering she had been kidnapped. 

     But even still, Bailey knew that werewolf, the girl with pale blonde hair and enticing blue eyes, Bailey couldn't bring herself to fear her.