The Heart of The Pack

chapter 17

Alexander pov

We spent all day putting the book cases together and placing them around the walls. The couches and fluffy rug arrive tomorrow, we didn’t stop for lunch as we were kept busy. We do stop for dinner, and for the first time we talk like the world isn’t falling around us. We even laugh over the fact that I kept hitting my thumbs with the hammer, Ash found it hilarious.

That’s when my ears start ringing, my vision blurs and my heart pounds so loud it’s all I can hear. I see a blurry Ash scream and fall to the floor holding her chest. I sway but fall to the floor to be with her, what the hell is going on. That’s when we hear it, a scream but it’s not ours, it sounds like Amara. I look around and she’s not here, seriously what the hell is going on. Ash and I hold onto each other when sudden waves of nausea wash over me, I get up and puke in the kitchen sink. Ash runs to our bathroom doing the same, we don’t stop for at least an hour. I stumble to the bathroom flicking the shower on and dragging Ash inside, we sit on the floor in silence. After a while the ringing disappears and my vision clears, “what the hell was that?” I ask not expecting an answer.

“did you hear it, the scream. I swear it sounded like...”

“Amara” I say cutting off ash, our eyes link and I can feel her fear and worry.

“Somethings happened Zan, my heart hurts and I’m scared” tears in her eyes I pull her into my arms, both of us covered in dripping wet clothes. “I want Amara to come home,” ash cries into me and I feel it too.

‘go get mate’ Alexi demands.

‘We don’t know where she is’ I tell him. He just growls and paces in my mind, I feel on edge with his behaviour and the idea that Amara is hurt. I strip ash and myself and we fall into bed, no longer able to fight the fatigue from whatever happened. I dream Amara was sitting in the corner of a room crying and when I tried to get closer she screamed at me to stay away. Feeling frustrated with the day and my dreams I get up making us hot chocolates. I know ash will wake up soon, she was tossing and turning in her sleep too.

Ashley Pov

I watch zans eyes go funny, like distant and his face scrunches. A sudden ripping through my heart knocks the wind out of me and I fall to the floor gasping. I feel Zan near me, but a ringing in my ears and the tearing at my heart prevented me from acknowledging him. A scream breaks through the ringing and I know in my heart, it’s Amara. It sets the hairs all over my body on edge, Ally itching to come out and fight off the attacker. I push her back as I know we’re safe and there’s no one here hurting us, but is someone hurting Amara, I’m sure of it. The moon goddess wouldn’t take her just to put her in harms way, would she? I get the urge to empty my stomach and I run to the bathroom, leaning over the toilet. It feels like this will never end, but as I have nothing left to expel, I’m left panting on the floor. My heart aching, Zan comes through pulling me into the shower, we both agree the scream sounded like Amara. I’m scared for her and I know Zan is on edge too, we go to bed and I dream of her. She’s lays in a bed, blood covering one side of her neck I get closer and reach out for her. But the moment our skin touches she cries out, dragging herself away from me to the floor and backed in a corner. Waking up startled Zan walks in with two mugs, smelling strong of chocolate.

“she’s hurt Zan, I feel it and I dreamt it. She was covered in blood and when I tried to get close she cried and ran away.” I say looking down onto the swirling chocolate.

“I know I feel it too and I had a similar dream, I want to go and get her,” he does the same as me staring in his mug. We sit silent for a while, finishing our cups.

“do you think that was our bond with her, telling us something is wrong? I want so badly to believe she is ok and that the moon goddess wouldn’t take her from us, just to put her in harms way.” Blurting out all my worries.

“it has to be our bond, I’d hate to think she is actually hurt and crying somewhere. Alexi also wants to go get her, but we don’t even know where she is.” He runs his hands through his hair frustrated, we sit up all night cuddling. Fear of seeing Amara hurt again prevents us from sleeping, Mel comes up early with Becca and loads of boxes full of books. When she sees our tired appearance, we explain last night. She’s fuming mad and a few times through the talk I saw hair, sprout on her arms. Indicating her wolf is pissed and wants to get loose, it’s comforting to know she cares so much for Amara.

Amara pov

Waking up in a field of flowers I look around and notice Selene pacing. When she sees me up, she rushes towards me and I can’t help the tears that flow out of me. “oh my love, this wasn’t meant to happen. The future I saw for the two of you was different then this, I’m so sorry love.” she holds onto me burying me into her chest and rocking me like a child. I let out all my pain into her, my hard sobs eventually stopping when I hear a whimper. I hadn’t realised Arabella was here too, her head in my lap and whimpering with her own pain and sadness. Both Selene and I stroke her fur to calm her, and she slowly relaxes like I did.

“he forced his mark on us, it hurt and I just want to go home, back to Alexander and Ashley. I can’t though can I, he has marked me as his now, I can’t leave.” Another wave of tears crush me as I realise I may never see my mates again.

“hush its ok, if I’m right about you, then there may be a way. But only time will tell, once this wound heals and reveals itself, but it will be painful. Once healed it will show me the truth of you and perhaps then we can get you home. He was always meant to be this way but your bond it was meant to help him see the truth if his ways.” Selene has tears in her eyes and I can’t help but soothe her, rubbing her cheeks tenderly. She smiles at me kissing my cheeks and laying us down together, I curl into her like I would with my mother as a pup. “sleep love, you need to rest and heal.”

“I don’t want to sleep, I don’t want to go back there, please let me stay a little longer?” she kisses my forehead humming to me.

“You will sleep here love and I won’t leave you, it won’t hurt here. But when you do wake, it will be to your world not mine, that greats you.” She keeps humming, Arabella curls around my back trapping me in a warm bundle, between her and Selene. I sleep extremely well, a lot like when I’m in bed with my mates and I know, I don’t want to wake up back in that horrible place. I don’t want to be back there, I just want to stay with Selene.

But fate had other ideas, my door bursts open and I sit up startled. I expected Mason but it’s his mother instead, when her eyes fall on my neck, I know I’m a mess. I don’t even know how I got up here, tears sting and I feel disgusting. “oh Amara, I thought I raised him better. Come let’s get you cleaned up.”

Standing in front of the mirror, dried blood coats my shoulder and down the front of my shirt. My hair on that side no longer strawberry blonde but red and black. I shower and it stings, I can’t help but cry out at the pain, but I wash anyway. I dress quickly wearing something off the shoulder, so nothing sticks to my wet oozing wound and put my hair into a pony tail keeping it from the wound too.

I walk downstairs to find mason eating lunch, he doesn’t even look at me. I sit opposite him where my plate is full, But I’m not really hungry. He gets up ready to leave, walking around getting rid of his plate. I don’t bother to follow his movements until something touches my neck. I flinch away landing on the floor, dragging myself away from him. Looking up, I see a first aid kit in Mason’s hand and a wet cloth in the other. I put my head on my knees and wrap my arms around myself. Mason huffs and walks out, leaving the first aid kit at my feet. His bite won’t heal, mates hurting each other is forbidden and any wounds we leave will heal like a human. I don’t care, kicking it away I take an apple and go back to bed.

I wake up feeling hot, and my body aches, I look out the window and see the sun rising. Wait rising! last I remember is lunch and then a nap, I get up and slowly but painfully making my way down to the kitchen. I manage to get to the kitchen island, I sit down puffing. Mason’s mum turns and gasps at me, I must look like hell. She comes over looking at my shoulder, then touching my forehead. She runs off and I don’t care where, all I know is pain. Slumping forward on the counter, I feel strong arms pick me up. The tingles wrapping around me “Alexander, I missed you. Take me home please its torture here, id rather die then stay another day.” Blackness sucks me into it’s dark shade, sucking away my pain. But my luck wouldn’t let me stay, I feel poking and prodding, someone touching me. Alexander he was here I felt him, “Alexander, Ashley!” I call out sitting upright.