A Werewolf After Dark (The Garrison Pack - Book 2) - Complete

Chapter One

They say as time goes by life only gets harder, but when you're time is up on this world, you know life has given you more than any dreams could have. Life is hard and it keeps getting harder. You have to fight for everything in this world for nothing is free; nothing is what it first appears. Some people give up, they don't want to fight, don't want to have to keep pushing as life weighs them down even more with each passing second.

But I, Annie Elizabeth Grison, have always been a fighter. I fight for what I believe is right. I try and always see the good side of a bad situation and I never give up. But even I'm now beginning to lose hope.

It's been a few months since my best friend, Kaitlyn, married her mate, Zack Garrison, had gotten changed into a Werewolf and adopted a little girl named Amy as her own. She doesn't do things by halves, that's for sure. Her life is beginning to move forward as mine... well mine begins to slow down. I don't need anyone to tell me I'm slowly dying, I know I am. I've all but stopped eating and every time I do eat, I vomit it all back up.

A few months ago, I was attacked by rogue Werewolves as I came out of the cinema, one bit me and somehow, our blood mixed and he changed me... sort of. I never shifted into a Werewolf on the full moon and ever since the bite, I've been getting sicker and sicker.
My body is literally crumbling in on itself and I can't do anything about it. I haven't told anyone I was bitten. No one knows, except Jason.

Jason Carter is the beta of the Garrison Pack. He's been trying to help me, but we keep hitting dead-ends each and every way we turn. To go and make matters worse, my parents have reported me missing and now I feel like some sort of fugitive, being hunted down by the police.

"Annie?" Jason says gently.

I look up from the bathroom floor, where I'm sitting next to the toilet. I can't stop the tears that build up in my eyes. I'm so tired, I haven't slept in forty eight hours, I've been vomiting all night, yet I'm hungry all the time.

"Shit Annie. It's going to be ok," he says gently as he kneels down beside me. He tucks my hair behind my ear before cupping my chin, he lifts my face up to meet his eyes, "It's going to be ok," he promises.

I nod softly, but the tears continue to fall.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. I've never cried in front of anyone before. Not even Kaitlyn has ever seen me cry and we've been friends forever.

Without a word, Jason wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. I close my eyes and breathe in his warm, unique scent as I begin to drift off into sleep. I'm almost asleep when he scoops me up into his arms effortlessly and carries me back into the bedroom. I grip his T-shirt in one weakly clenched fist and hold onto him. As silly as it sounds, the only time I really sleep is when Jason holds me. We never speak about how he'd place me on the bed and climb in next to me. How he pulls me back against his chest and wraps his arms around me. Protecting me. Keeping me safe. Trying to save what's left of me.

"Get some sleep, Annie. You'll feel better when you wake up," he whispers softly as he sits down in a big armchair in the corner of the room. I'm curled up on his knee, my head resting against his shoulder as he gently strokes my back, lulling me to sleep like a child.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly. It's about 3am. Everyone went to bed hours ago. I'd heard them all as I sat on that cold bathroom floor. 

Kaitlyn had wanted to stay with me, but I'd made Zack take her to bed. She's a mum and a wife and a Luna now, she needs her sleep. I love Kaitlyn like my own sister and I hate to see her looking so sad. She feels helpless, I know that, because I see it in her eyes, each and every time she looks at me. Some days, I want to give up, to die and let all those I love finally let me go. It hurts them too. I've thought about ending it all, letting go. But I can't. That's not who I am and as long as I have breath left in me, I won't give up.

"What are you sorry for?" Jason asks gently.

"For you having to always look after me," I say quietly, "It's not the greatest thing in the world to do."

"I don't mind helping you, Annie. We're going to find out what's wrong and you're going to get better," he promises.

"Yeah, we sure are," I say, but I don't believe my own words.

No one knows what's wrong with me, not even Millie, the Pack healer. She's taken so many blood tests. She's given me iron supplements, vitamins, endless amounts of needles to, 'help', but nothing has worked. No one knows what's happening to me, what's wrong with me.

"Let me tell them," he murmurs tenderly against my hair and I close my eyes.

"No," I breathe. No one can find out. I don't know why Jason has helped me keep this secret from everyone, even after all the trouble with my health and all the blood tests that Millie has done to me. Yet through it all he's kept his promise. He hasn't said a word.

"Why is it so important that they don't find out? Damn it, Annie!" he snaps softly, his eyes piercing into mine.

"Go to sleep, Jason," I whisper softly, "It's late."

"No, tell me why, Annie, please? I think after everything, I at least deserve an answer to that one question, don't you?" he mutters. I look away from him. He's right, he does deserve an answer, but I'm too scared to give him one.

"Why does it matter?" I say evasively.

"What if telling Millie and the rest of the Pack is the answer to getting you better, Annie? What if keeping it from them means you die?" I can feel his eyes on me, burning into me, almost as if he's trying to drag the answer from within me.

"I can't. I'd rather die than have them know," I whisper. I feel him tense against me, "Why?" he growls.

"Because..." I mumble.

"Because what? You don't want to be an animal like me? You don't want to be hunted like every other Werewolf out there? Are you scared, Annie? Sickened by the thought of what we are?" he snarls quietly, his temper reaching boiling point.

"Yes, I'm sickened by the fact. There, are you happy?" I spit out as I all but fall off his knee as I try to stand. He lets me hit the floor before he stands up and stares down at me, his eyes burning.

"No, I'm not happy," he growls. I look away from him as he kneels down in front of me.

"Piss off," I mutter.

"If you don't want to give me the answer, fine, but don't you ever fucking lie to me, Annie," he says and I look at him, shock replacing my anger.

"Just leave me alone," I whisper, but he shakes his head.

"You need to sleep. You'll make yourself worse if you don't rest," he doesn't say anything else as he places one arm behind my back and the other under my legs and lifts me up.

Neither of us says a thing as he places me silently on the bed and climbs in next to me. The light goes out and I close my eyes as he pulls the covers over us and he pulls me back against his chest before he wraps his arm around me.

"You can tell when I lie?" I whisper into the darkness.

"Yes," he answers softly, his breath blowing warm against my neck as he speaks.

"How?"

"A number of things combined together. Your scent alters; the sound of your voice shifts in tone. The small changes to the pupils in your eyes when they dilate... plus, you blush when you lie, Annie," he says and I laugh gently.

"Do I really?" I ask.

"Hmmm, always," he murmurs as he begins to drift off to sleep. Damn werewolf couldn't stay awake even if he wanted to.

"I'm going to have to be careful with what I say to you," I murmur as I stifle a yawn.

"You could just tell me the truth or say nothing at all, Annie. Don't lie to me," he breathes, before he pulls me even closer to him and buries his face against the side of my neck.

"You'reasleep, aren't you?" I whisper very softly, not wanting to wake him. He mumbledsomething incoherent and sighs. I smile gently and cuddle closer. Letting myeyes close as sleep finally takes me away from the constant pain and endless illnessthat wrecks my body every waking second.