Hit

Chapter 16

I woke up with Derek's arms tightly wrapped around me. If he held me any tighter I think he would squish the life out of me. I tried to move his arm and his arm gripped tighter around me. I couldn't breathe and I squirmed in his grasp, but I couldn't get any room. With what little air I had I called out to him hoping he would wake up. "Derek!"

"Lauren, are you okay? What's wrong?" He jumped up and threw the covers off to look me over for some sort of injury.

"I couldn't breathe." I panted as I regained the ability to breathe.

"What? Why? Is there something wrong?" He seemed frantic and scared making me confused. Why was he acting like this?"

"You were squeezing me so tight I couldn't breathe. What's the matter with you?" I went to get out of bed and Derek grabbed me and held me in place. His mood went back to usual, demanding and stubborn.

"You're not leaving this bed if you need anything I'll get it for you." He said through gritted teeth. I raised my eyebrows and stared at him.

"Derek I can't stay here forever and what's the matter with you? You're acting really strange."

"Yes you can, you're going to stay here forever." He kept avoiding my question about what was wrong with him so I decided to ignore the fact he was determined to keep me in his bed forever.

"Derek, seriously what's wrong with you?" I asked in a calm and soothing voice trying to work him into answering me. He shook his head and I tilted my head to the side and gave him the eyes that read 'he better tell me or I'm leaving'. He sighed and laid down on his back next to me.

"Yesterday I watched you die in front of me and I lost it. I couldn't protect you from someone in my own pack. I figured if you were to stay in bed with the watchful eyes of everyone in my family you would be safe." I sighed and rested my head on his chest I guess I got why he wanted me to stay in bed, but to be honest I didn't remember dying or being in pain. I didn't feel scared and it was hard for my brain to register how it would have affected others.

"Derek you know that you can't protect me from everything. I don't remember what happened at the ice skating rink. I remember skating on the ice, surprised I didn't fall and bust my butt, and then I was standing in the middle of the rink looking back at you. That's all I remember and it's hard for me to grasp what you went through, but I can't stay in this bed." Derek nodded in understanding but I could see he wasn't happy about it. We sat there and then it hit me, Uncle didn't know I was alive. "Oh my god Derek I have to leave, Uncle doesn't know what happened to me." I jumped out of the bed and ran out into the hall way. I was halfway down the stairs when Derek got around me blocking my path.

"Lauren wait maybe he shouldn't know. He hates me and I can't show up to your house with you because of him." I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Talking to Derek was like talking to a child, you couldn't just tell them they're crazy because they wouldn't accept it. I had to change Derek's mind so I had to aim a little low.

"Derek he thinks I'm dead, how would you feel if I was alive and I didn't tell you?" Derek looked away and I know I hit home. I didn't want to make him feel bad, but it was the only way to make him understand.

"Fine, but I'm going with you the whole way so you might want to find a way to explain that to him before we leave. In the mean time we are going to go down and eat some breakfast. Remember you're a wolf now and some things are going to be hard to control so you need to take it slow. If you start getting a headache or feel anything unusual at all you need to tell me. When werewolves first change it takes them time to control what's going on and you being sixteen and not a young child make you more dangerous. It's like comparing an out of control dog to an out of control puppy; it's a lot easier to control the puppy."