“O-oh… this is all my fault.” I bring my hands up to my mouth, horrified that Teddy was injured in a fight with stupid, smirking Rafe.
“How can a fight between two werewolves possibly be your fault?”
“I’ve known about that loner for a while; I dated him once… and… and—” I’m having trouble catching my breath all of a sudden.
“It’s okay, Sophie,” says Marv gently. “We know Rafaellus MacTire has been harassing you.”
“How do you know that?” I sniffle.
“Teddy was worried and told Jake, who asked Rob and me to keep an eye out.”
Of course Teddy blabbed, but that doesn’t matter now. “Where’s Teddy? I want to see him.”
Marv crosses his beefy arms and shakes his head. “That’s out of the question. The full moon is hours away; no one outside the pack gets in.”
“But… but… ”
“No buts about it; you know the rules. You’re going to have to wait until the full moon wanes, and Doc Demetrius says it’s alright for you to see Teddy.”
“If someone called Doc, then Teddy must be pretty badly hurt.” An image of Teddy’s chiseled, gorgeous face flits across my weary brain. I blink rapidly,trying to shake off the same picture of Teddy’s face, now battered and bruised.
“Yeah.” Then Marv adds softly, “But not all his injuries are physical.”
“That’s my fault too,” I whisper, swiping my leaky eyes. “I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
Marv goes to the door. “When Teddy wakes up, I’ll let him know you were asking after him.”
I lock up and lean against the door, my head in the crook of my arm. This time, when the tears start flowing, I don’t bother wiping them away.
Chapter 27
Meds, Moons, and Mates
TEDDY
Saturday to Sunday, July 14-15
“Soo-phie! Soo-phie!” I howl through my muzzle, knowing she can’t hear me, knowing she doesn’t love me, knowing she won’t come. I’m thrashing around on a thin mattress inside a dim, windowless room. I’m in agony; every part of my body aches, but my greatest torment comes from the chasm inside my chest, where my heart’s been cleaved in two.
“Soo-phie!” I moan, my long snout muffling my words. “Pain… o-oh… such pain!” I begin tearing at my chest and limbs, seeking relief from the relentless anguish; I’m cracking, my soul is splintering.
“Doc!” A woman shouts on the other side of the door, probably the vampire nurse. “He’s reopened several wounds—he needs more sedation!”
Paws pound and footsteps scramble on concrete flooring; harsh light spills in from the open doorway. “Soo-phie?” I whimper. “Where she?” I push against the furry hands holding me down, arching my back in frustration.
“No-o… meds!” I screech as the vampire doctor with wire-rimmed spectacles sticks me with a needle. “Need. Her-r-r. But… she… no-o… need… me-e.” Slurring my words, I begin to drift off.
“How. He. Doing?” demands my alpha in wolf-speak.
“Physically, he’ll heal,” murmurs the vampire. “But his mate blight…”
The room darkens, the door swings shut, and I fall into a fitful slumber. I’m pursued relentlessly by a massive werewolf with fur as black as midnight; he’s constantly nipping at my heels, despite how hard I’m running. When he finally catches me, something glints wickedly in his paw: a dagger, which he thrusts into my heart. As I tumble backward with a loud cry, the face of my assailant peers down at me… but it’s no longer the werewolf who’s holding the blade… it’sher.
“Teddy!” shouts Rob through a small opening in the padded door. “Doc says you can come out now.”
“Go. 'Way!” I growl. “Not-t. R-ready.” The inexorable pull of the full moon receded hours ago, but I have no desire to shift out of my wolf form and emerge from my cell. I’m bruised, battered, and most of all, bereft; I want to be left alone to lick my wounds in private.
There’s a low hum of voices—my pack has obviously returned to their human forms—and Doc Demetrius calls out, “I need to examine your injuries, Teddy.”
