BLACK

Wounded

When I awoke, I was in a cot. In a place I've never seen before. I moved ubruptly trying to get to know the unfamiliar place when my entire body screamed in agony.

I groaned twisting in pain. I could hardly breathe or move. I hurts so much that all I could do at the time was bite my teeth and clamp my jaws and wait for the pain to subside.

"Easy there." I heard Jake's familiar voice coax me to calm down. "You were hurt." He said, as he place a gentle hand on my back.

The memory of the afternoon before crawled in like spiders tingling my brain. I remember, we were in the woods, and I remember we were cornered by two lycans. A male and a female. We were heading out of the woods when they came out of nowhere.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind into what happened.

Jake burst out into his mostrous form and everything after that seems like a blur.

"What happened?" I grunted through my clattering teeth. "I missed something."

Jake gently guided me back down to the cot. "You shifted." His voice took an affectionate tone, a lover's tone.

"I don't remember."

"That's probably a good thing." He dragged a seat next to me and sat down. I noticed the extra count of bruishes and bandages from his mounting injuries. I'm surprised at how he's holding on so nonchalantly when he's hurt. "Most werewolves don't have control of their strenght and power the first time they turn. That's why it was very important for us to train so we may be ready when the time comes. In your case, it was a good thing." He gave a laugh. "You thrashed those lycans like they were rag dolls."

"I what?" I could hardly believe it to be true. "There's no way I could have taken those two."

"You shifted and kicked ass, Grace." He boasted on my behalf. "Those assholes hardly had a chance to shift into their form when you pounced from behind me and attacked. I didn't even know you shifted." His eyes lit up at the memory. "I was as surprised as they were."

I let it soak in to my head. "I didn't know I could shift."

"Well, now you know. And there's no turning back." He said, his features a mask of happiness.

"Why are you happy?" I asked confused.

Both his eyebrows rose as though he needed to explain something so obvious. "That kinda validates our..." He slowed down, the word that followed bore a heavy meaning to him.

"Bond?" I continued for him.

We smiled at each other. "It solidified that we are mated." He said with a hint of blush.

We fell into silence as we soaked in each other's company for a while.

"You lovebirds doing alright?" Lucas stepped into the room, his broad body leaned on the side of the door stirring the dust that floated aimlessly in the room.

My heavy hooded eyes lifted to him, while Jake lifted his chin. "Lucas."

"She should move in inside the community." An older woman joined our conversation, she wore her long dark her passed her shoulders, a deep scar engraved on her forehead that hints a dark story behind.

She walked into the room, carrying an assortment of ointments and bandages placing them upon the foot of the bed. 

"Meet my mother, Grace." Murmured Lucas quietly. 

"My name is Ruth." The woman introduced. 

She grazed me with one quick glance of her sharp caramel eyes assessing my condition. Without a word, she began rummaging through the medications. 

"I can't." I managed. "I'm only seventeen and I don't think my mom would agree."

"It must be done, it's too dangrerous to live out there on your own." She reasoned. 

"I can't..." I repeated. No mother would let her underage daughter go. 

"You can." She insisted, authority lashed out in the tenor of her tone. I could tell she's the kind of person who's not used to having her descisions questioned. "Lycans had seen you shift. They've seen you with one of ours. They have you marked, they know who you are. Those monsters will come for you at dead of the night and drag you out of your house. They'll kill your mother and you without as much as blinking an eye." Ruth straightened up her spine and rose to her full height. Her body radiated power and I have never been so intimidated by a woman in my life. 

I turned to Jake with plead in my eyes but Jake only returned my gaze silently. Not even a word through our bond.

"We'll have a home ready for you and your mother as soon as possible." Ruth added trying to ease my worry. "Your mother can come too."

It's for your safety, Grace. I heard Jake's voice tapped in my head. This is the only way we can fully protect you.

A smile tugged on my lips. There's no doubt in my mind Jake will risk his life protecting me. I just didn't like having the descision made for me. 

"Just think, once you're a luna, the descision making with be all yours." Jake added loudly.

Lucas' wild eyebrows arched in protest. His broad body tensed. Lucas poked his chest out trying to display his more superior masculinity. "Not so fast, I'm going to be the future alpha!"

Lukas' mother let out an exhausted sigh and I had assumed this was a common bickering among the young men in the community. 

I presume anyone could take over the position of the alpha as long as the pack declared him to be.

Jake flashed him a wide grin. "How are you going to be an alpha when you're so fat? Half of your weight is barbeque ribs!"

Lucas huffed, cheeks compressing into a shade of scarlett. "You're too skinny to be an alpha! I haven't seen a skinny ass alpha!"

"I'm seventeen, I haven't grown into my alpha body yet."

"I'm only a year older than you, and yet twice the size!"

"Twice the weight you mean?" Jake burst into maddening laughter. I tried to hold my giggle but I was swayed into laughter along with my mate, regretting it soon after. 

My entire body throbbed in unbearable pain. OUCH!

Lucas glared at both of us, a faint display of envy. "Fine, so this is how it's going to be? You two ganging up on me?"