Scum (Book 1)

37. Wolfless

Liam’s POV

I have no idea why Cheyenne wants me to open the door to Morgan so badly, but I still stop her when she tries to move around me.

“Chey… Jenna told me what happened; she can’t be trusted.” The way the girl looks at me is so disheartened that I have to search my mind, looking for what I said wrong. “I don’t mean that you can’t handle yourself, I just don’t want you to.”

“I’M LEAVING!” Morgan calls out, prompting me to crack open the door to appease Chey.

“What do you want?” I growl, angry because the woman is the reason Chey’s perfect body has been marred.

“How is she?” I’m not allowing Chey to look out the door, afraid that this may be a setup of some sort, but even injured she isn’t weak, and we’re fighting over how wide I allow it to open, which is kind of funny.

“Why do you care?” I’m still holding the door, and Chey’s beginning to whine like a spoiled child, but I manage to ignore her, despite how cute she sounds.

“I don’t like owing people favors,” the woman says, pushing a vial of a slightly glowing cloudy liquid into my hands.

Chey uses my distracted state to pull the door wide open, causing Morgan to gasp in horror.

“Oh, my goddess! Why are you standing?” I barely get to say anything as the woman pushes past me and guides Chey back toward the bed.

She’s been sleeping on a plastic shower liner to prevent staining the hotel linens, and Morgan is clearly unhappy about it. The worst part is that Chey is eating it up, pouting as though I’m actually treating her bad.

“You really don’t need to be with someone who won’t even buy a mattress cover for you.” I know that Chey isn’t really my girlfriend, but people constantly encouraging her to break up with me is very annoying.

However, Morgan is right, but I didn’t buy the shower liner, Jenna did, and since we’re going back home soon, there’s no reason for me to send her to get something better now.

Annoyed, I listen to the woman rant about why I’m not worth Chey’s time, and although Morgan isn’t after Chey the way Phoebe and Riker are, I’m starting to get jealous.

I can’t remember a time when so many people looked down on me, and it makes me wonder who they think is a better fit for Cheyenne.

Personally, I can’t think of anyone, but then again, maybe other males feel the same. I wonder how Chey feels about what Morgan is saying though, but before I can ask, Morgan starts bringing up my past.

I didn’t know that people paid so much attention to my personal conquests, and I would be flattered if Chey wasn’t frowning. I know that I can’t just sit back and say nothing, but at the same time, I don’t know what to say, so I mention the random vial in my hands.

“What is this?” I practically shout, interrupting Morgan mid-sentence.

“Oh, yeah. It’s a healing potion.” My eyes widen, shocked because I’ve only heard about healing potions, so I’ve never seen, let alone held one before.

For most werewolves, they are an unnecessary expense because we tend to heal quickly, but they do have their uses, and because of that, they’re ridiculously priced, assuming you can even find a place to buy a real one.

“How’d you get it?”

“There are a few wiccans in my pack. They make them for my brother and I, but I’m leaving tonight, so I doubt I’ll have use for it, and right now, Chey needs it more than me.” I go to speak, wanting to decline the overly generous offer because it’s suspicious, but Cheyenne beats me to it; for a completely different reason might I add.

“Morgan,” Chey says, holding the woman’s hand as she speaks. “I can’t afford a healing potion, and I certainly wouldn’t want the guilt of taking it from you should something happen.” I hadn’t even thought of that.

Morgan doesn’t just walk around with healing potions because she wants to. Something must have happened in the past to make it a normal occurrence, but instead of being sorry for the girl, my eyes are fixed on Chey who’s gamma nature is beginning to show itself more and more, only, the vibe she gives off is a little bit different from Kelvin or even Dallas.

“Chey, I never sell my healing potions, so don’t insult me that way. I’m giving it to you.”

“But why?” The mood in the room is becoming awkward because on one end, I feel like I should leave to give the girls some privacy, but on the other, I don’t want to leave Chey’s side.

“My father always taught me to show appreciation to those who are nice to you even when they have no reason to be. Giving you something that costs me nothing is just a small token to show you that I really appreciate what you said.” I’m trying hard to make myself invisible, not wanting to ruin the new mood in the room, but it’s extremely difficult for me.

“Your father sounds like an amazing alpha.”

“He is, but enough about my family. Chey, this wound…” Morgan looks at the injury in disgust, and truthfully, it is pretty nauseating to look at.

Even when the people from the G.A. were here, they kept stealing glances at it, and I’m sure the men who came were mind-linking about it.

Chey is an absolutely stunning girl, so even though her lips are dry as f*ck, her hair is a mess of tangled curls, and her skin is pale from blood loss, she’s still very pretty. Bottom line, it’s a shame that her leg is as clawed as it is, but it’s also a testament to her strength to have been able to fight and continue fighting with such a serious injury.

“I’m the one who outed your status, so I feel guilty. Even with the healing potion, a wound like this may still scar, but the wiccan who made it said that the sooner it’s taken, the better the result. Can you just accept it so that I can sleep at night?” Chey looks up at me expectantly, but I don’t want to give her the potion.

There must have been some sort of meaning behind Morgan’s words, but I don’t trust her enough to take the chance, however, it seems as though Chey is willing to take the risk.

“Chey… I don’t feel comfortable about this. Can we just wait until we get home and we’re closer to a doctor who will actually treat you?”

“Alpha Liam, you’re right here. If Morgan is lying, and something bad happens, kill her.” I flinch, absolutely taken aback by the slightest hint of a command that rolled off Chey’s tongue, but Morgan is just chuckling at Chey’s ruthlessness.

Acting against my better judgment, I open the bottle and hand it Chey. She says a quick prayer to the moon goddess, asking for her mate to be given a second chance if she dies, and for some reason, my heart feels stuffy.

I’ve forgotten the feeling of hopefulness that comes from waiting for a fated partner, but Chey is still young and naïve. She hasn’t experienced the longing, the pining, nor the heartbreak of realizing that not everyone is blessed with a soul mate, and for her sake, I hope that she never has to.

I watch Chey down the contents of the bottle, and for a second, there’s nothing until the girl's face contorts and her body spasms.

“What the f*ck did you do?” I grab Morgan by the throat, simultaneously mind-linking for Jenna and Royce who have a key to the room for emergency purposes.

“Alpha Liam, I swear it’s just a healing potion. I don’t-…” I squeeze the woman’s neck tighter, not allowing her to finish speaking, but Chey tugs on my clothes, letting me know that she needs me more than Morgan needs to die.

“I’m here. I’m here.” When my sister and beta finally come, they aren’t alone; Riker is with them, and so is Phoebe.

“What did you do?” Jenna shouts, moving toward Morgan as though she can actually fight the woman and win, but her mate stops her because Chey seems to be trying to say something to us.

“I swear to you guys. That was just a healing potion. She must have other more serious internal injuries. I never said it wouldn’t hurt; I’ve just never seen this kind of reaction before.”

“My father is coming,” Riker says, ignoring Morgan who I would be shredding to pieces if it weren’t for the vice grip Chey has on my wrist.

The man grabs Phoebe by the waist and pulls her into an enduring hug, and before she can protest, he reminds her of their arrangement.

The woman grunts and folds, so when Alpha Tyler walks into the room, the first thing he sees is his son lovingly holding a strong alpha female, which seems to soften his approach when it comes to Chey.

“Someone needs to tell me something.” We all start to talk at the same time, but the man simply shushes us, and points to me as the speaker for the group.

“Morgan gave my girlfriend a healing potion. We don’t know what’s happening.” I can barely contain the panic I feel, but Alpha Tyler doesn’t seem worried at all.

Chey’s POV

Healing potions are magical, but my skin didn’t lace back together in an instant. Instead, my entire insides were on fire as the liquid made its way through my body, healing injuries that I probably didn’t even know I had.

I’m covered in sweat, panting as I struggle with holding back my screams, and I feel like I can’t breathe.

I know there’s a commotion in the room, but I’m able to stop Liam from killing Morgan, and I hold him still while other people join us, uncomfortably staring at me as I squirm in bed.

“Someone needs to tell me something,” a strange voice shouts, but when he’s met with several voices, he gently quiets them, realizing that everyone is in a state of panic.

Eventually, Liam tells the man what’s happening, and with a sign, he comes to check on me, looking into my eyes and mouth.

“Your friend is healing from the inside out. She’s still wolfless, so it’s probably painful. Next time you kids want to play with magic, figure out how it works first.” The man has a point, and feeling a bit embarrassed, I allow myself to pass out.