To Share You (manxman)

Chapter 27

I wake up in pain.

For a moment I'm so disoriented that I don't even realise where I am. I struggle to put anything into perspective right now. Instead, my mind is overcome with my whole body aching. I feel dizzy and just trying to lift my upper body makes me feel so nauseous that the only thing I can do is let it drop to the side, lying back down. It's a few minutes after that everything comes back to me and immediately I lift my head, frantically searching for Raph. But shapes and colours just mix together in swirls, I feel the need to throw up and it's only after I do that my head begins to clear slightly. Raph is lying just a few feet away from me and I drag myself over to him, unable to stand up, but refusing to be away from him.

When I get there, he's not moving. I can see his chest rising far too little and irregularly. He's alive, but barely.

Then I notice that we're not alone. For the first time, I actually take in my surroundings properly and the immediate reaction is to cover Raph like I have done when we were escaping the rogues. All around us, partially hidden by the trees, are wolves. They are silent, unmoving and they are watching us. In my dizziness and confusion I didn't notice them, but they are here and they're many. I frantically look around for a way out but it becomes clear that there is none. They are everywhere and there is no way for us to escape. We are in a small clearing, me and Raph just on the edge and now that I know of their presence, I can feel eyes watching my back. I don't dare turn around though, because any wrong movement could be a signal for them to attack. Instead, I watch them. It's hard to even keep track of them. None of them are moving, which should make it easier to keep an eye on them, but they blend so perfectly into their surroundings that in actuality, it just makes it harder.

But it doesn't take me long to figure out one thing. These wolves are too perfectly still to be rogues. It makes much more sense now that my head is slowly clearing. This is a pack, a very well trained pack in fact, almost scarily so. They are waiting for orders and now I'm just trying to figure out from whom. But I don't have much time. There's no way to tell how severely wounded Raph really is. He took on four wolves by himself, then even a fifth one and then had to survive the unstable run on my back. I can't wait any longer.

And apparently I don't have to either. Right as I'm about to start talking to the nearest wolf, I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Across from me, a massive man emerges from he shadows of the trees. He's tall and bulky, with a fully toned body, rigid composure and cold, calculating eyes. There is no doubt that this is the Alpha.

Fighting is not an option. Even on my good days it would be a gamble to fight him. Right now, the only thing I could hope for was I to fight him was mercy. So submitting is the only option. I don't move from Raph's body, but lay flat on him. I can feel the blood sticking to me everywhere and his weak breath on my chest as I lower even my head to the ground. I would roll over to show him my belly but that would require me to move from Raph and that's the last thing I want to do right now, so I settle for this.

My nose is now pressed into Raph's hair as I am very obviously submitting to the Alpha. I wait a few minutes for the gesture to speak for itself before opening my mouth. My heart is pounding with fear. The fact that I could lose Raph so easily is making me want to give up. But every chance to save him is one I am willing to take.

'Please.' My voice comes out weak and breaks at the end, so I take a stuttering breath and try again. 'Please. He's dying. Please save him.'

It's obvious that Raph is not in good shape, but confirming it is not exactly smart when you don't know whether the wolf in front of you is on your side or not. But it is the only thing I can do right now. There's no other way.