Wrath (Seven Sins Book One)

Four

She was wearing a soft satin black gown. It was covered in lace. She wore a chain around her neck. It wad tied to him, her captor. He used it as a leash. They were in front of an alter. There was a large goblet full of red liquid. There was a knife and a bowl of salt. He had prepared her for this. Was was going to become his mate. He was going to change her. Make her vampire. Make her the mother of his children. Use her wolf ties to fimd the pack amd kill the alpha for ripping her form him. Even though she didnt want to change. Even though she didnt want to be the mother of his children, she couldnt fight back. He made her so weak she could barely stand. He made sure she hardly had the strength to stand up beside him. The ritual was going to happen.
He moved forward and grabbed the knife. His first in command grabbed her arms and spun her to face him. He smiled an evil grin at her and raised the knife. As it plunged forward she screamed.

**********

He was walking the grounds to make sure everything was secure for the night when a scream piecered the silence. It had come from the clinic. His mind instantly went to Joy and Ari. Had Dimitri somehow gotten into the clinic? He raced to the clinic ready to attack. He threw open the door. The screaming continues.
"No... Dont... Get away." He heard a female voice scream.
He followed the sound to the room where Joy had been placed. He opened the door carefully and saw Ari trying to calm her down. Ari's red hair was a mess and she had scratches on her face.
"Whats going on?" He asked as he entered the room.
"I heard a scream and came in here. She was flailing and fighting nothing. I tried to calm her but as soon as I touched her, she began fighting me. Kicking, scratching." Ari explained as the woman on the bed relaxed.
"What set her off?" He asked.
Ari shrugged. The female was shaking. She looked frightened and very close to changing again. He knew her body couldnt handle that again.
He stepped forward and hels out his hand to her. "Hello, my name is Rage. Whats yours?"
She carefully shook his hand. "Joy." Her voice was soft and barley audible. "Where am I?"
"Somewhere safe." Rage told her. "Ari is our doctor. She wants to look at your wounds. Will you let her?"
Joy seemed to think about it but eventually nodded. "If... If you stay."
He nodded and moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed from Ari. He saw Ari carefully move the scrub shirt, which Ari had given her, up. The gashes on her stomach were red and looked to be oozing. He knew it had to pain her. When Ari put on gloves, he felt a small warm hand grip his. He gave it a reassuring squeeze while Ari applied ointment and checked stitches on a few. When she removed her gloves, Joy let go of his hand. Her face showed the pain she was in. He was concerned. Hebwas about to mention pain meds when Ari pulled out a syringe and injected it into the IV in Joys left arm.
"The medicine will kick in soon. Are you hungry?" Ari asked her. "I can have something brought to you. Chicken soup?"
"Chicken soup sounds delicious." Joy said with a small smile.
Ari nodded and turned to leave. She motioned him to follow her out of the room. He didnt want to leave Joy. He wanted to stay with her and show her she was safe. He wanted to be by her side. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but when she had grabbed his hand he had felta strong urge to protect her. To hold her in his arms until she calmed down. To make her see she was safe.

Joy found herself alone in a small room. The walls a pale blue color. The curtains a white lace. There was an overhead light that was on casting light everywhere. The bed was comfortable and big. There weren't any furnishings besides the bed and the small hospital like table beside her. It held nothing but a glass of water. Which she gladly took a drink of.
She heard voices from in the hall.
"How is she doing?"
"Her wounds are infected. She's running a fever. How high I dont know yet. I was going to check it before I went to bed."
"Any word on those tests?"
"Nothing yet. These things take time. You know this Rage."
"Maybe there are records. Her name is Joy Daniels. I found her missing persons report."
"You going to report her found?"
"Not until Dimitri is killed. We will keep her here until the threat to her is gone, and until she has her wolf under control."
Wolf? She had a wolf? She scowled. Did she have a wolf? A vague memory came rushing back to her.

Help me. She cried. But what came out of her mouth was a howl. Help me. Another howl came out. What was happening. She decided to crawl to the door and pound on it. But when she raised her hand to do just that, she saw a paw. A dog's paw. Covered in jet black fur. It moved when she moved her hand.

She had turned into a wolf. She couldn't believe it. How was that possible? How had that happened? Had her captor turned her into one? Was he one too? She began to panic. What had happened to her? What didnt she remember? Had her nightmare actually happened? Who were these people? Did they know what happened to her? She wanted to go home. She wanted to leave the whole horrifying mess behind her. She wanted to forget everything. Pretend she hadnt turned into a wold. Pretend she hadnt been kidnapped. Pretend none of this had ever happened. But the nagging pain in her stomach brought her to reality. She was in pain and infected. She should be on antibiotics and an ointment. She should be showered and the clothes she had on changed. Clothes? Her last menory had been of her naked. Whose clothes were these? The door opened and the tall man with long black hair and green eyes came back in with a tray of food. It smelled delicious.
"Ill help you sit up so you can eat." He said as he set the food down.
When he turned to her, he paused. She nodded and let him grab her hands and help her up. She felt a warmth rush through her body. She felt a sudden calm wash over her. It was as if he caused it. She didnt think too much about it. Once she was upright he grabbed her hips carefully and helped her move backwards. She was aware of his masculine scent. Dark, wood, earthy scent. With his hands on her, she felt fragile, femimine even. He let go of her and moved the table over her lap and settled it to a height where she could eat comfortably.
When he turned to leave, she said, "Please stay."
He slowly turned toward her and smiled. He grabbed a chair and moved it to the side of the bed. He was watching her. She was self conscious of him watching her eat.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her.
"Confused. Theres stuff I think I remember happening. Things I am not sure if they happened or not. Things I just cant believe." She said softly. "I just wish I knew the truth."
"Will talking about it help?" He asked as she ate a bite of soup.
She shrugged. "It might."
"What do you remember happening?"
"I remember leaving the hospital. I had worked a twenty four hour shift. I saw a man strabgely dressed for the cold. I remember being grabbed." She paused. "I remember being chained to a chair. I remember the man demanding to know where the pack was. I told him over and over I had no idea what he was talking about." She sighed. "I still dont. I remember pain in my hands. I remember him biting my neck. I remember being chained to a bed. I remember a knife. I remember turning into a... A wolf. And I remember you." She glanced at him. "I remember laying naked on the floor and you carefully picking me up. I remember how your green eyes showed how concerned you were. I remember how gentle you were with me. I remember feeling safe in your arms."
He smiled. "I was concerned about you. You were injured and in need of rescuing."
"How did you find me? How did you know I was missing? A missing persons report?"
He shook his head. "I had a premonition of someone attacking someone. I heard your voice. I knew he took a woman. He is our enemy. Out to kill us. I knew I had to save you. We searched all his hideouts and began. If you hadn't called out, we might not have found you." He gave her a sad smile. "Eat up. You need to eat. You also need rest. Ari would kill me if I didnt let you rest."
"One last question." She said, he nodded. "Did I really turn into a wolf?"
He nodded. "You did. You became your inner wolf."
"Did... Did my captor turn me into one?" She had to know.
"No. You are either born one or you aren't. You are a half breed. Half human, half wolf. Your wolf half is dominant."
"If he didnt change me then what was he?"
"A vampire."