Not My Alpha (Completed)

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Just Call Me a Saint

The drive was long. I didn't sleep, no matter how much I tried. With each bump in the road, each nightmare that started, and each movement from Samuel, I was left more and more awake. So, I  spent the time thinking, instead. I thought about everything that happened previously and everything that was bound to follow our arrival back in town. The reality of the situation was pressing, and decisions needed to be made. So, I started with the small things and worked my way up. 

The least of my worries was that I would probably no longer be allowed to work or to go anywhere, for that matter. I would have no more freedom in any sense of the word. Samuel would never leave me. That much, he promised. I needed to get used to his presence, which led directly to my next problem. 

I would probably be spending a lot more time with the wolves. If Samuel still insisted I move in with him, he'd probably be living with the rest of his kind. They would most likely all want to eat me alive. I was supposed to ignore this and push past my anger at Samuel, at Riley, at everyone. I'd have to do more than lie and fake emotion because they would see right through me. Riley would see right through me. 

There was no doubt in my mind Riley would constantly be watching me. That, I was sure of. He'd monitor my every move and hold it over my head if I didn't live up to his expectations. Samuel had to be kept happy. If not, I wasn't the only one that would get hurt. 

At that, my thoughts turned to Riley's threats. His demands. It was in that moment, in the dark of the truck with Samuel distracted beside me, that I finally allowed myself to dwell on the fact that my humanity wouldn't last much longer. If Samuel wanted to turn me, I couldn't refuse. Riley wouldn't let me. If I were to even try, my own life would be the least of my concerns.   

I saved my biggest concern for last, knowing once I dwelled on this thought all others would cease. Of course, all other thoughts led me here, anyway. 

My family. My small, broken, family. I couldn't help but think of the possibility of arriving back home only to find they were gone. Dead, even. That thought broke me more than anything else could. They were all I had. I was hopeful that Riley hadn't harmed them, as I hadn't provoked him enough to do so. But, they'd been left alone with James, and that was just as dangerous. 

These thoughts were enough to occupy my mind for days, so it wasn't surprising when enough time had passed and the truck was suddenly being opened. When the light flooded our surroundings, I wasn't given time to adjust, think, or move. Samuel scooped me up and brought me directly to the hospital. 

I was in the same hospital where Will resided, that much I knew. It was where all the humans were treated. Where I was, what floor, or even what room, was left a mystery. When Samuel brought me through the sliding doors, a whirlwind of people hit me. I vaguely recognized a few of their faces from when I visited Will, but none of them would look directly at me. They followed orders barked at them by Samuel, hurriedly preparing what was needed to make me whole again. They'd brought me to this room, placed me on the bed, and cleaned me up. It was absolute hell. They'd dressed and sewn up my gunshot wound, forced needled into my skin, pushed medicines down my throat, and mumbled about infection and treatments. I was a rag doll in their hands, a broken dish they were intent upon forcing back together. 

It seemed like lifetimes before they left. When they did, it was only after they were temporarily satisfied with the endless supply of fluids and pain medication dripping into my body. I was now lying back on the bed in a white gown with matching knitted blankets pulled up to my shoulders. I was supposed to be sleeping, but I was only fading in and out. For some reason, my body wouldn't let me fully relax. The reason couldn't be that Samuel was continuously staring at me from across the room.