Vague Rejection

CHAPTER 6: Today, on Dr. Phil—A traitor!

RED

"Vos?" He glanced at me, before bending down to get what looked like a water bottle from the ground and I couldn't help but notice the way his arm and chest muscles tended with every move he made. I swallow, and look away, refusing to be caught ogling him. I don't need him to find a reason to dislike me even more.

"Drink this, you're going to need a lot of it." I accepted the clear bottle and hesitantly glanced at the brown liquid inside it. "Those are just herbs mixed with river water, they help with your dehydration."

I nodded and placed the offending bottle against my lips, closing my eyes when the bitter liquid hit my tongue, the smell of charred wood also invading my senses.

"You don't have to drink the whole thing." Vos pulls the bottle away from my mouth and places the cap over it, giving me a concerned look. "The whole bottle is meant to last you three days."

"Oh." I said, my voice a little stronger and louder.

"What do you remember?" I swallowed hard, dreading this question. I was hoping he would get past the fact that I passed out in the middle of the forest. I have a very bad feeling about what happened and the fact that I can't feel my wolf further cements my suspicions.

I purse my lips and breathe in the bitter air and turn to him when he settles in front of me. He really does look beautiful, like a sculpture that has somehow come to life.

"Red?" I was staring at him but my pride wouldn't let me look away as I levelled with his gaze.

"I passed out. All I remember is pain." I wrap my arms around myself and shiver as a cold wind blew past us. "My question is, how in the world did you find me?"

Something in his gaze softened at my question, but as quickly as I saw it, it vanished like it hadn't happened. "I needed to run." Was his short reply. I knew there was more to him just wanting to run, but I didn't feel like pushing it.

"Okay, so can we go back to the palace now?" He takes a breath as he stares at me and runs his eyes over my body, making me shiver under his intense gaze.

"No." I frowned, averting my eyes from his defined abdomen.

"Why not?"

"Your wolf-"

"I'm sure she's just resting somewhere in my mind, and if anything, she'll be back maybe tomorrow." I look away and keep myself busy by brushing off the non-existent dust on my lap.

"Red-"

"I mean she has always been doing this lately. She hides but she does pop back out sometimes-"

"Red listen."

"No really-" Vos grasps both my shoulders and cups my face so I would be forced to look at him straight in the eyes. I resist but his hold stays firm and gentle all the same.

"I need you to listen to me." I pursued my lower lip and stared at his collar bone, now panicking at his tone, but the huskiness of his voice wasn't lost on me, it made me feel things I didn't want to entertain. I'm just a big mess at this moment. "Red, look at me."

I breathe in, wishing I had my wolf to at least help me get through this, but obviously, she's asleep. Right?

I finally locked my gaze on his concerned ones, so different from his intense stare when we were in my room with Kelly. He was genuinely worried about me, but why?

"When you passed out, you shifted." I nodded my head slowly. Okay, nothing is wrong with shifting while unconscious, right? His hands travel from my chin and slide down to my shoulder, making something inside of me clench.

"Then?"

"It was a force shift." I frowned. A force shift only happens when something the human can't take- my eyes widen as I get the implication of his words.

"No. No it can't be." I try to pull away but he roots me in place with his hands. "I- no he couldn't have marked her again." A werewolf is forced to shift if to the stronger more animalistic side when the human can't take the pain— any pain, from death of a mate to even infidelity of a mate; in my case only Abe could have done this to me, there was no one else after all. "Vos, why am I here?" I ask just now realising he could have easily carried me back to the palace. My head was a mess. I didn't know what to think of at first.

"Look down." I gasped for the first time as I saw my legs were covered in my fur and what once were human feet are now paws.

"When you shifted, your human resisted and you're stuck in between." I looked away and tried to check my breathing as I blinked rapidly, refusing my tears to fall. "I couldn't bring you back to the palace looking this way, before I found you, only your head was human, you slowly shifted back but I had to take you farther from the palace." He sounds angry and his grip on me tightens. "I had to take you farther away from him."

"So my wolf..." I asked now, back to staring at my paws. "Is my wolf gone?"

I looked at his expression and a deep feeling of anger settled in the pit of my stomach. This was all Abe's fault. He marked her again. He did it despite knowing me. He disregarded and disrespected me the worst way he could. He didn't think of me. He never did.

I jumped slightly when I felt Vos' thumb wipe the tears that had unconsciously broken free from my eyes; I locked eyes with him and couldn't help when my lips slanted downwards and my eyes leaked more tears. My heart hurt so much, my chest felt so heavy, I wanted to scream but I couldn't. I couldn't be strong anymore. I am mad and sad and frustrated. I am hurt. I am broken and the glue that kept me together, my wolf was gone.

So I did the only thing I could. I bent down as I cried for everything. I finally allowed myself to cry and feel bad for myself. I cried even as Vos took me into his chest and held me tightly to him. He allowed me to cry and to grieve. He allowed me to be totally bare and vulnerable.

             •     •     •

"This is awkward." I sniffled and laughed a little laugh. I was still in Vos' embrace and I didn't want to move.

He didn't reply, instead he pulled me closer and leaned against the cave walls. Just shortly after my breakdown, the rain started to fall so we had to change our location. Vos found a cave not too far away and carried me and all his things hurriedly into this empty, rock-ridden cave.

"Vos, how'd you know it was my mate?" My heart still hurt but I was so exhausted; I couldn't cry for him anymore.

"Because I've experienced the same thing." Just as I was about to sit up to question him, he pulls me back to his chest and grunts.

"I'll tell you that story another time, Red."

Despite my urgent curiosity and the weight on my chest, I smiled at his words. "Does that mean we're friends?" I looked up at his face only to find him already looking at me. He smirks and turns my head down as he cups the back of my neck.

"We can't be friends, Red." I frowned, feeling all sorts of rejected.

"Why not?"

"Because we're more." I frowned at his words, as my heart started to beat uncomfortably faster. His does too, but that could be because of the long hike towards this cave.

"I already have a best friend, Link." He laughs out loud and runs his hand soothingly against my back.

"Sleep, Red. We'll talk about this another time." I nodded as I yawned and settled into his warm arms.

I don't know what I'm doing with someone I barely know, but right now, anywhere is better than the palace, and from experience, people who take me away from the palace end up being close to me. So I'll just enjoy this. If Vos so happens to kill me, at least he'd rid me of the pain from my mate's stupidity.