Not My Alpha (Completed)

Chapter Thirty - I'm Not So Dense

The bastard.

The sick, twisted, conniving, heartless, bastard.

Riley knew Samuel would come to him. He knew Samuel would ask what to do with me. And what had he suggested? That I be locked inside his house for an immeasurable amount of time as punishment for something they deemed wrong. 

He was a genius. 

Even in my current state, I couldn't deny it. I would be a fool not to realize what this meant. If I was locked away with Samuel as my only contact, not only would I be forced to be with him, but he'd be given that much more access to my life. My humanity. The very thing I was trying desperately to hold on to. There would be no running, no stopping him. I would be rendered helpless to his will.

Samuel watched carefully as countless thoughts and emotions crossed my features. I tried to keep my face numb and untelling, but it wasn't working. I knew it wasn't. My brain was sluggish, my body was tired, and I was coming to the ends of my ropes. Samuel read me like an open book. I knew he saw the pain and fear etched permanently in my eyes and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. No matter how hard I fought against it, how much willpower I had, or how many times I convinced myself I'd be alright. My resolve eventually had to end somewhere. 

Suddenly, I was panicking. 

I didn't know why. I'd expected this punishment or at least something like it. I knew that the minute I stepped back into this town, Riley would cause me a world of hurt. He would make sure I was exactly what he and Samuel wanted. There was no way around it. So why was it that when my fate was finally revealed, I had wave after wave of panic, dread, and anxiety crash upon me? 

Tense minutes passed. I tried calming myself. I truly did. However, with each one gone, another piece of my mind followed. Samuel was silent. He didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do, and the situation was quickly turning into an impending storm. Each minute, each second, signified one more wave pushing me further under a frenzied ocean. Samuel was at the surface, waiting, while unbeknownst to him, I fought to breathe.  

My breaths were short and shaking in time with my hands. I planted them firmly in my lap, trying desperately to shield the tremors from Samuel's watchful eye. My heart was racing. The monitor beside me registered the accelerated pace. The beeping noise quickened until it sounded like one solid high-pitched drone. I didn't acknowledge it and prayed Samuel would do the same. He couldn't know what his words were doing to me. He couldn't. If he did, Riley would find out and we'd all be dead. 

Samuel opened his mouth, worry lines etching deeper into his skin. The smile he held before was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead with a man that had too many troubles. He looked at me with a pained expression as his body went stiff, watching intently as I slowly unraveled. When the heart monitor didn't calm down, he nodded to himself and smiled sadly at me. His gaze darted to the door, leading to the myriad of hospital staff. Before I could say anything, he called for them. 

Another wave hit me. This time, it forced every last bit of air out of my lungs. I fought frantically to breathe in again, but it wasn't working. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't get air. There was nothing there. My hands snaked to my chest and throat where they clutched and pulled at my skin, fighting to find a new way to breathe. 

"What happened?" A woman suddenly spoke. 

I shot my gaze up to see a petite woman with short blonde hair. She was standing in the middle of the group of workers that had just flooded the room. They each had their gazes drilled into me, silently assessing my declining state. I flinched away from them, but they did not rush me like before. For whatever reason, they stood rooted in place. I suspected it had something to do with the werewolf sitting at the foot of my bed.