159 Maybe\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
159 Maybe\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leilani.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I kept my eyes fixed on the road, watching the blurry scenery fly past as Jay drove the car through the bustling streets of NYC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t tell him that I was nervous. I couldn\u2019t tell him that I was so scared I almost wanted to disintegrate, and that the only reason I was agreeing to do this was because of the things I\u2019d heard him say in his sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I knew that he didn\u2019t deserve those.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That he didn\u2019t deserve being put in tight situations all the time because of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart began to race when he suddenly parked in front of a large oval shaped glass building that looked like a giant space ship. It was situated in a deserted street fenced all round and protected by many uniformed soldiers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we stepped out of the car, a soldier with a decorated uniform walked up to us, his eyes landing briefly on my face before he turned to Jay and greeted; \u201cGood evening, Alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood evening, Scott.\u201d Jay greeted back, his hand lightly resting on the small of my back. Pushing me forward gently, he added; \u201cThis is Ms Sinclair and she\u2019s with me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo formalities are needed with her.\u201d Scott answered with a gentle smile and with a slight tip of his head, he continued; \u201cShe\u2019s quite famous around here for the development of CUSP and its sister product, TINN.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face colored a bright red at his words and a feeling akin to pride surged in my chest. I curtsied briefly before being led by Jay into the building. And goddess, the interior was a lot more intimidating than the exterior.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was painted all in white with harsh fluorescent bulbs hanging in the pure white ceiling. Doctors clad in white lab coats walked around, only stopping to welcome us or bow before continuing with their day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to Jarek, my eyebrows shooting into my hairline as I asked; \u201cHow do you know all of them\u2026 or should I say how do they all know you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He flashed me a small smile and glanced away, but not before I saw the slight discomfort creasing his features. When he turned back to me, his eyes seemed a little bit off\u2026 a little bit unsettled. He explained;\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:54 O\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
159 Maybe..\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout 70% of them belong to my pack and this is one of Frostclaw\u2019s many organizations. This one is just a bit more- protected- than the rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean kept a secret?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He scratched the back of his neck and nodded. \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I fell silent as he continued to lead me further into the building, and after a while of awkward silence, he cleared his throat and asked;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you one time that my sister\u2019s corpse was left for a very long time because my father, who was reluctant to accept her death was looking for ways to bring her back to life, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded without looking at him. \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. This was where she was kept for years. We opened this place in secret shortly after her death. Initially, the plan was to make it a school for geniuses like you, but that dream faded after Grace\u2019s demise.\u201d He explained and as soon as I heard those words, my face fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart felt like it had suddenly turned into stone in my chest-heavy, large,\u00a0<\/p>\n
uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gently took his hands in mine, and with a reassuring squeeze, I let out; \u201cOh, my God!\u201d I exclaimed, slapping my other free hand over my mouth, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry Ja-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, I hadn\u2019t finished speaking when a new voice joined our conversation. \u201cAlpha, you\u2019re here!\u201d It boomed from behind us, and due to the interruption, I turned around, my brows furrowing when I saw Beta Orion walking over to us with a sly smirk playing across his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took my hand in his and bowed when he got to me, and with a voice that was both low and teasing, he drawled; \u201cLuna\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood evening, Luna.\u201d He continued, ignoring my obviously flustered face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My lips trembled and I gulped as I struggled to say the words I wanted to, but when I tried and failed repeatedly to speak, I instinctively turned to look at Jarek and to my absolute horror, he wasn\u2019t saying anything either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t move. He didn\u2019t try to correct him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He simply smiled and held my arm, whispering; \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:54\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
159 Maybe\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I followed after him slowly with a pounding heart, even though I knew fully well that my face must be as red as dried ketchup as we speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orion\u2019s smile also didn\u2019t leave his face, and even though he had managed to successfully get my mind off the reason I was here in the first place, I also couldn\u2019t help but be nervous because it was obvious that he knew what he was doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d done it intentionally, either to get under Jarek\u2019s skin or mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And he had succeeded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because now, I am a mess, and Jay wouldn\u2019t stop scratching the back of his neck like a shy teenager.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For most of the session, I kept my eyes closed whilst grabbing onto Jarek\u2019s arm for support, and do you know what was cuter than having someone stand by you through it all?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fact that he never complained\u2026 even when I squeezed too hard or screamed too loud, or when I cried so much, it became annoying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few hours into the procedure, the doctors strolled out, that is after getting all that they needed, leaving just Jarek and I in a wide white room with only one bed and one chair as its only decoration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes found Jarek\u2019s desperately, and in a shaky voice that mirrored the desperation I felt, I asked; \u201cDo you think it\u2019ll be bad?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shook his head stiffly. \u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re not scared that I\u2019m probably one very large freak who can probably shape shift like the Incredible Hulk?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what are you afraid of?\u201d I asked softly, trying so hard to get my mind off the fact that my blood and every other fluid they\u2019ve managed to take from me in the past hour was being tested right now as we speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands trembled slightly at the thought, but Jarek noticing this quickly, held them in his. He kissed my knuckles one after the other, sending jolts of electricity running up my arm, and then he drawled;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not scared. I\u2019m only worried.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
159 Maybe\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWorried about?\u201d I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that question.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jay didn\u2019t hesitate to answer. His eyes found mine and held as he whispered; \u201cYou. I\u2019m worried about you. And I\u2019m wondering how you\u2019re the only one with this issue in your entire family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made the color drain from my face because truthfully, I had never thought about it that way before. However, before I could voice my worries and now fear, he pulled me into his chest and continued to speak. His voice soothing and calm as he said;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLeilani, I don\u2019t care about whatever happens today. All I want you to know is that I always be here for you. I\u2019ll always support you and love you. Whether you\u2019re the Incredible Hulk or Batman. Okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made my throat tight with emotions. And goddess, I couldn\u2019t speak. I couldn\u2019t move. I was too emotional to even form a coherent sentence or thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My racing heart calmed and even the tremor in my spine seemed to have lessened as he continued to hug me tightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aftera while, I slowly pulled away from him and with my head probably far up my butt, I did the only thing I thought was possible. I went on my tip toes and slammed my lips against his, loving the feel of his mouth on mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And realizing then and there that maybe\u2026 just maybe I loved him too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
160 I wanna beat them up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
160 I wanna beat them up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leilani. C\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our mouths moved in perfect sync, his, the more dominant one, as he pulled me impossibly close to his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His tongue teased mine, sending jolts of electricity down my spine. I moaned wantonly, my heart racing at the possibility of being caught by one of his employees, but as soon as he swiped his tongue over my bottom lip, momentarily forgot all about where we were, who might walk in on us\u2026 gosh, I almost forgot my name too!\u00a0<\/p>\n
His kiss was gentle at first, then it became more frantic\u2026 more maniacal. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, giving him more access to my mouth while my hands, frantic and shaky, found his hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slipped my fingers into his thick strands and closed my eyes, moaning silently when his hands slipped into the back of my blouse to pull me close; So close that his warmth burned my skin. So close that I could feel the steady thumping of his heart against my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed into him, completely lost in the pleasure that his body promised, my heart pounding in my chest like I was running a marathon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Goddess, the connection was undeniable. It was electric. It felt as though the kiss was a way to say everything we couldn\u2019t and I revelled in it, thrashing slightly when an ache began to form around my lower abdomen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He suddenly pulled away to brush his lips against my face and with a small smile, muttered; \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t do this here, Sweetcakes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should,\u201d I snapped back immediately, cupping his face as I pressed my lips against his again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A small smile spread across his face and with a gentle nod, he drawled; \u201cI can\u2019t\u2026\u201d he moaned. \u201cI can\u2019t control myself. I want you\u2026 so much. And this place\u2026 this place isn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up and kiss me!\u201d I snapped hurriedly, pressing my lips one more time against his because I feared that he would say something that would completely diffuse the mood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jay didn\u2019t argue this time around. He simply smiled against my mouth and slurred; \u201cOkay\u2026\u201d before clamping his lips back down on mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:54 O\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/6\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
160 I wanna beat them up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, he had just started kissing me again when suddenly, someone stepped into the room and began to speak; \u201cAlpha-\u201d (2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The person stopped talking, causing Jay and to immediately pull away from each\u00a0<\/p>\n
other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes widened in embarrassment when I looked towards the sound of the voice only to find Orion there; But right now, he wasn\u2019t looking at us. He had turned around, facing his back to us and dropped his head, muttering;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know\u2026 I\u2019m so sorry Alpha, Luna.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I was embarrassed before, then now, I was probably that thing a notch higher than embarrassment. Should we call that mortification?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Should we?!\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face and the tips of my ears burned when I glanced at Jay to find him smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smiling!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not correcting this misconception that his Beta keeps having!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you here, Orion?\u201d He asked after flashing me his infamous dimpled smile, and at the sound of his voice, his Beta turned around, grinning when his eyes landed on my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results are out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just like that, my smile disappeared. My heart plummeted too and I staggered backward only to be quickly caught by Jay whose hands instinctively wrapped around my waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you read it to us?\u201d He asked coldly, all traces of his initial playfulness gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it wasn\u2019t until that moment that I noticed the resigned look in Orion\u2019s eyes, and the way he held the paper in his hands like it was an abomination. \u201cYes, Alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo tell us, what does it say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing basically.\u201d He said slowly. \u201cIt shows that there is a copious amount of silver and wolfsbane in her blood. No wait, there was a copious amount of silver and wolfsbane in her blood, specifically injected into her bloodstream to make her unable to shift.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wait, was that what those procedures were?\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:54\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/6\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
160 I wanna beat them up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was it the content of those heavy syringes that my mother always asked the doctors to inject me with?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrion, go straight to the point.\u201d Jay snarled impatiently, snapping me out of my daze, and I saw something akin to panic flash in Orion\u2019s eyes before he continued;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just repeating what the scientists told me word for word.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer blood cells which had accepted the toxins before are now getting rid of these toxins at an alarming rate. Hence her shift\u2026 and the illness.\u201d He answered, and then turning to me, he added; \u201cIn less than a fortnight, you should be one with your wolf\u2026 to the extent of hearing her in your head and shifting whenever you wish.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze. \u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, really.\u201d He answered. His eyes found Jay\u2019s in a moment as he spoke. \u201cWe also checked for the symptoms you said she was manifesting, and we cannot know for sure until most of those toxins are expelled from her body, but we suspect traces of lycanthropy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, that had the smile on my face disappearing. I stumbled forward, standing between him and Jay as I asked;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means that you manifest signs of lycanthropy. Are any of your parents Lycans?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandparents?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My brows furrowed. \u201cNo,\u201d then with a shrug it should\u2019ve been a shrug but it came off like I was about to convulse, I added; \u201cEven my twin doesn\u2019t manifest these signs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there\u2019s something up there too.\u201d Orion answered but I didn\u2019t miss the confusion on his face or how he glanced at me worriedly like he couldn\u2019t fathom what kind of beast I was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe I was a demogorgon in the making-you know, one of those beasts from stranger things.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a probability that it seems like you are manifesting because your wolf has been locked up for so long-\u201d he began to say but before he could finish, Jay interrupted him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer wolf has silver fur. Pure silver\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:54\u00a0<\/p>\n
Healing Slowly But Surely By R. Joseph 159 159 Maybe\u2026\u00a0 159 Maybe\u2026\u00a0 Leilani.\u00a0 I kept my eyes fixed on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chosen-by-none-feared-by-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23362\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}