Alpha (Jacob Seed X Deputy OC)

5 - No Rest For The Wicked

The rest of the day was spent flushing in and out of sleep. A searing pain had started to root itself around the wound and would occasionally jar me awake. After what I could only imagine was my fifth or sixth nap of the day I awoke to find that daylight had shrunk away from the single window in the room. Arm throbbing, I sat upright to set eyes upon a tall figure at the end of the bed.

'Shit me!' I almost jumped out of my skin at the sight, frantically trying to grab anything that could be used as a weapon.

'Calm down pup.' The gruff voice put me at ease even though it shouldn't have. Jacob stepped forward, rubbing his face wearily. 'I forgot you were in here still.'

'Well if you let me leave then you could have your bed back.' I bargained even though I knew the answer.

'That's not gonna happen.' He replied, peeling off his jacket and hanging it up onto the back of the door right where it'd been earlier. Had he been coming back to check on me? Jacob's calloused hands tugged at his shirt, whipping it over his head and dropping it onto the floor. 'You gonna quit starin' at me?' My eyes immediately darted away at his command and I sheepishly sunk under the covers. The sound of his belt buckle undoing sent my stomach into knots. He wasn't seriously going to get into bed with me was he? I got the answer to my question when I felt his great weight bear down onto the mattress.

'Oh!' I squeaked quietly, shuffling over to make room as he grappled with the duvet. My sock drifted against his bare calf and I felt warmth radiate off of him.

'Don't touch me.' Jacob swept his leg away, turning his back to me.

'S-sorry.' Stammering, I did the same. There was only a few centimetres of space between our spines but it felt like acres. A dull ache thudded in my arm. It was so uncomfortable. As I tossed and turned, I heard Jacob give a long infuriated sigh.

'Can you sit fuckin' still?'

'My arm hurts.' The complaint made him huff, sitting upright and swinging his legs out of the bed. Stomping grumpily over to his cupboard, he rummaged around in a box for something. I took the chance to look at his back. It was just as burnt and frayed as his arms, broad shoulders decorated with the spoils of war. His black boxers clung to his muscular frame though despite his fit physique, he seemed utterly exhausted. A bottle clasped in one hand, gauze and a bandage in the other, he strode over and sat beside me on the bed. Gripping me by the hair, Jacob pulled me up into a sitting position. Without an ounce of care, he forced the bandage from my arm to unveil the now healing wound. Discarding the used fabric, he unscrewed the lid of the bottle with his teeth and tipped it against the fresh gauze. 'What are you-'

'Shut. Up.' His words leaked through gritted teeth so I buttoned my lips. Pressing the damp gauze to the bite, he deftly bandaged it up with a rapid pace. 'It's a numbing agent. It'll extract the Bliss and take the pain away.' Jacob grunted, screwing the cap back onto the bottle and putting it into the cupboard once more.

'Thank you.' I mumbled quietly, already able to feel the antidote taking effect.

'Can I get some fuckin' sleep now?' Hoisting himself under blanket once more, I shrunk down and curled into a tiny ball.

'Y-yes.' I wasn't sure if he'd heard my mumble or not. Rolling onto his back, Jacob lay a hand on his chest and stared at the ceiling. I opened my mouth to speak but didn't know what to say. Instead I watched his chest rise and fall, each deep inhalation rattling through his ribs. His dog-tag glinted in the moonlight with each long exhale. There was something almost hypnotic about his breathing. Before long, it had sent me into a slumber.

Thump.

My eyelids fluttered open at the sound. It took me a moment to remember where I was as the blackness of the bedroom came into focus. It was much darker than early. I must've been asleep for a while. Rolling over, I saw Jacob's side of the bed was empty. Reaching over to where he had been lying my fingers recoiled at the feeling of damp on the mattress. It had a pungent smell, definitely that of sweat.

'Jake?' I mumbled incoherently, pushing myself up and rubbing my neck.

'Go back to bed pup.' His voice wavered and I followed the sound to locate him. He was sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the wall. His arms rested in his raised knees, dark circles painted under his blue eyes.

'Are you okay?' Crawling across the duvet, I reached out to him but he batted my hand away with force like I was an annoying fly.

'I don't want your pity.'  Despite his stand-offish attitude, I could see the sweat glistening on his skin and anxiety riddling his expression.

'But-'

'Leave me alone.' He grumbled, turning his head down and resting his forehead on his arms. Cradling my now sore knuckles from his slap, I slunk back to the other side of the bed and lay down again. I turned my back on him and tried to go back to sleep. But it was difficult to do knowing that he was suffering just a few metres from me.