Bloodline and Kin (Gifted Werewolf Series: Book 2)

23: Simone

I woke in a dark, musty place, chained to the wall behind me. The metal burned into my skin and I felt weaker than ever. My back hurt and I felt my body slowing down from the wound I had. I tried to move but couldn't without feeling like something was stabbing me. My hair was ratted and everywhere, and I was freezing cold. I realized why when I saw I was stark naked except for a hospital gown tied loosely to hide my body.

From my left, a metal door opened and shut, and someone appeared before me, smiling down at me. Blinking away the stinging tears, I saw blonde hair and blue eyes, a feminine face, and a silver knife. I let my head fall to my chest, unable to keep it up much longer.

"No greeting?" my mother asked in a sickly-sweet voice. She clicked her tongue. "Too bad! I was happy to see you!"

I didn't say anything, my throat was dry and sore, and I didn't have the heart to fight back.

"Simone!" she said in a sing-song voice. "I know you can hear me! You aren't dead yet, my dear daughter!"

No, but I wish I was if only to be free...

I felt the cold bite of the knife on my arm as it pressed lightly and drew blood. I groaned but couldn't move. "Cat get your tongue?" she said and dug the knife deeper. "Or are you just as speechless as you were this morning when you saw me until you called for the Alpha?"

Reed... I remember leaving the hospital and I winced. I wanted my mate...needed my mate. I wanted this all to be a nightmare I could wake up from, but I felt the pain and knew I was. "Mate..."

My mother laughs harshly. "I told you, you don't have a mate! I don't have a mate! Mates do nothing but corrupt your mind and steal your heart! They are meant to weaken you! They get you to fall in love with them before they reject you and trample you in the dirt! Mates. Are. Cruel."

I shake my head a little, hating her words. "No...not cruel."

My head jerked to the side and I felt pain bloom on my cheek. "You're naïve, Daughter! He's got you wrapped around his finger, doesn't he?" She lowered her voice and whispered into my ear, "Forget about him. He isn't coming for you. He doesn't care. That Alpha only used you to gain attention and favoritism. He's no good."

"He loves...me," I whimper.

"Has he said that?" I flinch, knowing I had only assumed it. Reed had never said the words, never asked me to marry him, never spoke of pups or a family. The only time we came close to being that way was when he marked me. "He hasn't, has he?" my mother crooned.

"But...he marked me."

"That does not matter when it comes to love, Simone. If they do not say the words, it isn't true. If he does not fully mate with you, he does not love you. If you only spend casual time together and never get intimate, then he does not care to love you. Haven't you ever asked yourself if he'll ever get closer to you?"

"He...did," I whimper. "Last night."

She gives me a sympathetic smile. "I don't mean kissing and sleeping in each other's arms." Coming closer, she puts a hand on my abdomen. "Don't you ever feel a certain desire in here for something to happen?" I don't move. She goes on. "Don't you ever look at him and want to touch him without the barrier of clothes?"

I felt my stomach flip at the thought of skin-to-skin contact with Reed but hated the added pain of the silver. "I want that...but can't."

"Why not?"

"He's not here and he is usually tired."

My mother gives me pitiful eyes. "It's your fault if he doesn't love you, Simone. You waited too long. You made him wait and he got bored. He won't come for you now."

"He will..." I cry. "My mate...will come."

"Keep thinking that," she whispered. "You'll be dead soon as long as the silver is in your blood. Once it reaches your heart and brain, you will shut down and cease to take another breath. Think about that," she said and walked away.

After she left, it grew quiet and I had doubts. What if he didn't come? What if he didn't love me because I made him wait? What if he is bored with me? My mother had said everything we did was wrong...everything fun and normal was wrong...that there should have been more actions to deal with desires than anything else. What if all he wanted was power? All he wanted was to use me. Was his mark on my neck nothing but that...a mark? Did it have no meaning to it?

"Great..." I hiss and let tears fall. I should've stayed in Roniston's pack, kept to my bedroom like I was told, stayed silent and reserved. I should have rejected Reed the moment I saw him. Maybe then I would still have Jerom. I wouldn't have been kicked out. I wouldn't feel so ashamed as I do right now.

It's amazing what a few words can do to one's mind. After what felt like hours, I began to believe her, if only because Reed hadn't come around yet. And even though I had a shred of hope he'd come; I was hesitant on holding onto it. If it weren't for the silver, I'd be curled up in a ball hugging my knees. If it weren't for the dank cell I was in, I'd have found a place to hide until reason came within reach. But I was stuck in the chains, helpless to do anything but hang, and losing hope by the hour.