Anthony• Book 2 ManxMan

•Pain•

Chapter 14 Cedric's POV

After emailing the council about our rogue problem and taking care of some pack business I checked the time. It was well over 3 in the morning and seeing as I had first patrol before sun up, I needed to get some shut eye.

I was quiet entering our room. I did turn the light on but Anthony never minds it. I look over to him and for once he's sleeping in our bed.

Blood

My wolf growls at the smell. It gets to me and the smell is similar to the one I smelled on Anthony when he arrived. It's just stronger.

I walk over to the bed and I lift the covers and move them out of the way. Black liquid... blood.

Mate!

"Anthony!" I grab the base of his head gently and I shake him awake. His eyes open and he's so disoriented it breaks my heart. His skin is glistening with sweat and his heart is beating like crazy.

"Cedric..." I rip his shirt in the front and there's black gauze covering his stomach. I notice a dagger on the night stand and I take it. I realize I could have used that to cut his shirt but I was too frantic.

I carefully cut the gauze and grimace at the wound. It's revolting, veins bulging out of the surrounding darkened skin. How is he not in pain? Is he in pain? I can never tell with Anthony. Where Jude was very expressive and fainted being happy, Anthony just doesn't show anything at all, unless it's sarcasm. Not that I mind, it's entertaining and cute.

You're getting carried away

"Your wound didn't heal. Why did you tell Logan it healed?"

"He'd be worried if I told him it didn't." He sits up and looks down at his wound as if thinking of what to do.

"Are you in any pain?" I ask him. He looks at me but then looks away at nothing in particular.

"No." He's not lying, or maybe he's just that good of a liar; that not even a werewolf can tell. Then it hit me.

"fuck whoever you want, it won't hurt me" 

"When you told me you wouldn't feel the pain of my infidelity... is it because you don't feel pain?"

"I feel pain Cedric, it's just... not what you think." His eyes are blood shot, he has under eye bags that are normally not there. He looks awful yet that's the only sign that his body is in bad shape.

I reach up to lightly touch his temple though I'm expecting him to swat my hand away. "Now you're looking at me," I give him a questionable stare as he rolls his eyes and frowns. He does in fact swat my hand away.

I watch him get up from our bed and walk to the bathroom. I get up after him, "What does that mean."

"Nothing." He starts the sink and dips a cloth in the running water.

"It is something. Tell me Anthony."

"Drop it Cedric. Sleep, don't you have patrol in the morning?" I crack a smile at that. Just knowing that he knows my schedule makes me happy. He took a glance at me through the mirror but turned his gaze to his wound right away.

"I won't-"

"Here's a question you should answer. How are you still okay? Unless you're fucking Vince I don't see how you can function right now with your curse." I frown at him. Not because I'm mad but because...

"Oh... well shit you have huh?" Guilt fills my chest, not that I haven't felt guilty this whole entire time.

"Just once... but I did it so I wouldn't attack you!"