Chapter 17

Time flew by, and Friday had arrived. The morning of that day was the first time I felt an excruciating pain. As soon as I woke up, I was gasping for air and trying to fight off the pain in my body. Beads of sweat broke out as I twisted my body around in the bed sheets. I tried to get up, but ended up tumbling into the carpet. A few seconds later, the door of my bedroom opened, and I felt someone lift me up on to the bed. A cool hand was placed on my forehead. I looked up through my bleary eyes to see Alex's concerned face.

"I'll be back," he said leaving the room.

I grunted in response. I had never felt this horrible before. Werewolves did not get sick as easily. We were pretty much immune to all diseases except infections and certain types of fever. The door of my bedroom opened again, and I cracked an eye to see that it was Andrew and Alex.

"Is she going to be okay?" Alex asked his father.

"Yes, but you know what you have to do tonight, son. If you don't, I'm afraid she's going to be suffering often. "

"What about not being allowed out with the pack tonight?" Alex asked.

"I'm allowing it this time, only because Ivy needs you. This should've have happened," Andrew spoke sternly.

"I set everything in the afternoon," Alex said.

"Alright, go get ready for school. I'll take care of Ivy," Andrew instructed.

"I'm not going. I'm staying with her," Alex replied stubbornly.

"You'll only make it worse by staying here," Andrew tried to reason with his son.

I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. I passed out from the pain. I felt like my soul was being ripped in half. In my dream, everything was dark. I was running in the forest again, but I looked happy. One moment I was happy with Alex running after me, and the next, I felt immense pain. The dream me turned around to see if Alex was following her, but she ended up seeing Alex follow Stephanie through a different pathway in the forest. I cried out for him to see me, but he kept going farther away. Suddenly, I jolted away. My heart was beating fast as I tried to get myself to calm down. A hand was rubbing my back in comfort.

"It was just a dream, Ivy. Relax," Riley soothed.

"It was a dream?" I asked deliriously.

"Yeah, it was just a dream. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. What time is it?"

"It's almost eight o'clock. I should be heading out soon since we're all going hunting together," Riley said looking at her watch.

I let out a loud moan as a sharp pain erupted inside my stomach. My fists clenched the bed sheet as I tried to ask Riley what I was supposed to do. "What…about…me?"

"We found a cure, but I'll let Alex explain it. He'll be here as soon as he's done setting up," Riley stated. "One last thing before I leave Ivy, don't be difficult with Alex. It's the only way to make your pain go away until you're ready to be with him mind, body, and soul."

"I'll try my best," I said quizzically.

Riley patted my head before leaving my room. I sighed and laid back on the bed. The pain was gone for now, I thought. After a bit of lying around, I decided to take a shower. I was sweaty and gross. As I trudged to the bathroom, I fell to my knees when another sharp pain erupted throughout by entire body. I took shallow breaths until the pain receded. Quickly, I took a shower even though it was difficult considering the pain every few minutes.

I was sitting on my bed when Alex came in to the room. There were bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept in days. His mouth was turned up into a frown, and he had a faraway look in his eyes. When he saw me, I saw a hint of warmth in his eyes before it disappeared. We stared at each other for a moment before I was hit with sharp pains again. Alex hurried to my side and lifted me in his arms.

"It's going to be ok. I just need to get you to the basement. I got some morphine for you," Alex explained.

"I don't understand. What's the morphine for?" I croaked out before digging my nails into Alex's arms as he walked downstairs.

"It's for you because you're going through a lot of pain. It's going to get a lot worse once the moon comes up," Alex told me.

"Why is this happening to me?" I asked as Alex set me on a bed in the basement.

"We haven't made our mating official yet. Dad says that we should have mated by now or else this would happen frequently until we do mate. It only just started because we have been getting close recently," Alex explained.

"So the morphine is supposed to ease the pain?"

"Most of it, but it would be better if we were to mate right now, not that I'm forcing you," Alex said nostalgically.

"If I had the energy to hit you, I would," I said through gritted teeth. Even when the moment was serious, he had to break it by acting horny.

"It was just a joke. If I really wanted you, I would have done it already and saved us the trouble right now," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Does this happen to anyone who doesn't mate?" I asked trying to keep my mind off of the pain.

"Yeah, but it rarely happens. I wish that there was anything I could do to help you," Alex said running his hands over his hair.

"Can you just give me the morphine right now?"

Alex went to the cupboard and took out a bottle and syringe. I lifted my sleeves up, and waited for him to give me the shot. I could feel the morphine running through my system and felt myself calming down.

"How long is it going to last?" I questioned.

"I have to give you the morphine every hour, but that's only based on what others who have gone through the same thing told us. That's basically about eight to nine bottles of morphine."

"You don't have to stay with me you know. I can give the shots to myself," I pointed out.

"Did you forget that I'm not allowed to run with the pack tonight?" Alex said raising an eyebrow.

"You could go alone," I offered.

"No, it's my responsibility to take care of you, and I will," Alex stated.

"I can take care of myself," I said irritated.

"I'm well aware of that, but it doesn't mean that you have to go through the pain all alone," Alex said softly.

My mind froze when he said that, and I had an epiphany. Despite how much we argued and fought, we had one thing in common: we both liked to deal with pain alone. Why didn't I see it sooner? He's been suffering all this time. The way he acts was just a façade he hid behind, a mask just like mine.

"Explain why this is only happening to me and not to you?" I tried changing the subject.

Alex let out a bark of laughter that startled me so bad that I fell off the bed.

"You have no idea the pain I've been going through since the night of the run," Alex admitted as he helped me back on the bed.

"You've been having the same pains as me and you're standing there as if it's nothing?" I asked astonished.

"Not the kind you've been having. This one is a bit different."

"How? I don't understand," I said confused.

"Let's not talk about that," Alex said with a tint of red on his cheeks.

"No, I want to know. I want to help you like you helped me," I persisted.

"Ivy, stop pestering me. You're not ready for that yet," Alex hinted.

I stared at him confused. Alex sighed and pointed down to his pants. I just raised an eyebrow at him. What? I mouthed.

Alex rolled his eyes and walked over to me. He grabbed my hand and brought it down to his pants. My eyes widened in realization when I felt something jump. I squealed and jumped away from Alex, blushing cherry red.

"Now do you get it or should I use more drastic measures?" Alex blushed.

"Does it hurt that bad?" I asked curiously.

"Let's not talk about this unless you plan to make it better," he smirked.

"This is why we never have a serious conversation," I pouted.

"We can talk serious tomorrow. Right now focus on keeping the pain away," Alex commanded.

"I can feel the morphine burning off in my system. How long do you think before I'll need another dose," I asked lying down on the bed.

"Maybe in another forty minutes. Dad also said that despite the morphine you will feel some of the pain, but I can ease it if you let me," Alex told me.

"How can you ease it without you know?" I said uncertainly.

Alex moved to sit on the bed next to me and whispered "Like this," in my ear. He kissed my forehead and held my hand. The heat from his lips seemed to cool the burning in my stomach. I smiled lightly at him and closed my eyes.

"Hmmm…I don't even feel the slightest pain anymore. Thanks," I smiled at him.

A light blush formed on his cheeks and caused me to laugh. "You're blushing."

"No I'm not. It's just a bit too stuffy in here," Alex lied poorly.

"Sure it is," I smirked.

"If you don't shut up, it'll get even more hot in here," Alex demonstrated by caressing my arms and neck.

"Okay, just stop doing that," I pleaded.

"Who's the one blushing now?" Alex grinned.

"Nobody is, so can I get something to eat? I'm starving," I told Alex.

"Go get something to eat quickly while I go take a quick shower," Alex said urgently.

"Are you ok? You're shaking, maybe you should shift," I suggested.

"I don't need to shift," he growled before stalking back upstairs.

He's acting strange again. Even though werewolves didn't have to shift during a full moon, it was recommended because it was easier to control our wolves if we gave them some freedom. Usually back home, we would have a pack run and a huge picnic all day long. Thinking about them made me sad. I shook my head clear of any thoughts of my family and searched through the kitchen for some chips. Eventually, I found a bag of Lays potato chips and headed back to the basement. On the last step, my body started shaking badly. Taking deep breaths, I made my way to the bed and tore at the chips. Alex, eventually, came downstairs to see me devouring the bag of chips. He cleared his throat until he got my attention.

"Sorry about before. Why don't I go make you something to eat?" Alex said going back up the stairs. I was going to tell him it was okay, but he disappeared. Why am I so hungry? I would ask Alex when he came back. I looked around the basement since I was too distracted before. It was like a hospital room except it had a regular queen sized bed. There was also a cabinet. I could smell metal and silver in there, most likely some guns. Though silver didn't affect us much, it hurt if it went into our bloodstream. No one knows the reason for it. For precautions sake, only the Alpha could give the permission to use it. It was a while before Alex came back with some pasta.

"Why am I so hungry?" I asked taking a bite out of the pasta.

"You haven't eaten all day so you're starving right now and your body is using energy to fight the morphine," Alex explained.

"You should be a cook," I commented after finishing the pasta.

"Hn," he answered getting up and getting another dose of morphine for me.

"I can give the shot to myself you know," I opened my palm up for him to give me the morphine.

"I thought we went over this already," he sighed.

I looked at him thoughtfully. He looked tired with dark circles around his eyes. I should cut him some slack. He was just trying to help me, but it's so hard. All my life everyone has protected me. I never got the chance to do things myself.

"I will allow you to help me, but it doesn't mean that you have to help me with everything," I insisted.

"Hn," Alex said giving me the shot. Then, he had the audacity to pet my hair.

I growled at him which amused him. "I'm not some pet you can pet."

"Hn," he smirked.

"Stop hning before I slap you," I swatted his hand away.

"Hn."

"I'm serious," I grounded out.

"Go to sleep, Ivy. I'll be back in an hour to give you another dose," Alex abruptly ordered, and then I was left confused. What the heck just happened? I'll ask him later. Yawning, I stretched my muscles and laid back down on the bed. How am I supposed to sleep when I'm still in some pain even though it was not as much as before?

I didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep when I felt a cool touch on my arm, and then a small prick startled me awake. Shooting up in bed, I unconsciously shoved Alex back.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Alex muttered before straightening up.

"Where were you?" I questioned.

"I had to go run for a bit, and don't even ask why because you don't want to know yet. Ask me in a couple of months," Alex stated.

"Fine," I pouted. "What time is it?"

"It's four fifteen."

"Really? I thought I you were going to wake me up in an hour to give me my shot," I shot Alex a questioning gaze.

"I did give you your shots. I just didn't wake you up because you looked too peaceful," Alex commented.

"Can I go to my room now or do I need to stay down here?"

"You can go," Alex dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

I got out of bed and stopped at the steps. Alex was cleaning the basement up. I heard him sigh and saw him rub his forehead. I had the sudden urge to hug him. He'd been so patient with me and helped me all day; it was the least I could do.

I quietly walked behind Alex and gave him a hug. I felt him stiffen before relaxing. I breathed in his scent which calmed me down instantly. After a few minutes of hugging him with my face pressed up against his back, I let go. I knew I had to hurry up the stairs before he saw my red face. Later in bed, I realized that Alex was growing on me. I was starting to trust him. With a smile on my face, I fell asleep.

A loud racket woke me up from my sleep. I heard giggling and whispers. Eyebrows scrunched up, I opened my eyes and nearly screamed when I saw three little boys standing before me. Isaac and his friends were grinning at each other. I was about to ask what they were doing in my room when they pulled out their water guns and sprayed.

Now, wide awake, my eyes narrowed, and I tried tackling them but failed. I ended up sprawled on the ground. I got up and chased the boys downstairs to the backyard. The whole time I was chasing them and teaching them a lesson I didn't notice Alex standing behind me amused. When I turned to go inside, I froze startled.

"It's not funny," I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"I told them not to wake you up, but they wouldn't listen," Alex told me while handing me a towel to dry myself.

"Thanks for the warning," I said dryly.

After that little stunt, the rest of weekend flew by with me spending most of the time alternating between Riley and some of her friends, Isaac and his friends, Andrew who was quite funny to talk to, and shockingly Alex. Alex had taken me on a hike around the woods and had brought a picnic basket with him. We didn't talk much; we just enjoyed the comfortable silence between us. You could even say we were friends now.

The friendliness between Alex and I continued the rest of the week, but there was still the tension between Alex and Lucas. I couldn't help them if they wouldn't talk to me about it. Luckily, they acted civilized when I was around them. I would occasionally sit with Alex, but most of the time I sat with Lucas. Lucas had become my best friend here. Whenever I felt depressed, he would make me laugh, especially when I talked about my life with the triplets, but one thing was certain, I never talked to him about my parents. Lucas seemed to know that that topic was off limits after the time Pete asked me about them. I had paled and not talked the rest of the day because my nightmares seemed to come back with me thinking about them. Though at night, I seemed to stop having nightmares.

At home, Alex and I spent time together, but it wasn't as close as Lucas and I. There was something holding Alex back from talking to me. He treated me more of an acquaintance. It wasn't Alex's fault fully either. Something was holding me back too. I just didn't know what it was.

It was Friday, the last day of school before winter break. There was a lot of excitement floating around the school. People were wearing a lot of green and red and had gifts in their hands. I, on the other hand, was wearing black. You could say I was the Christmas Grinch. It's not that I hated Christmas; it was just the fact that it reminded me of what I could have had. Even living with the triplets, I took off during Christmas day. Usually, I would be spending my Christmas in my parents' house. First, I would visit their graves, and then, spend my whole day in the house. This Christmas would be different. I wouldn't be able to go to my parents' house.

The whole day passed with students and teachers wishing each other Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Despite not wanting to celebrate Christmas, I bought gifts for my friends and family. Alex was the hardest to shop for. Riley was no help when I asked her for help so I observed him to see what he needed. Alex seemed to be happier now. He smiled more often instead of the occasional smiles gave his family. Lucas and I decided that we would give each other's gifts during Christmas afternoon when the pack gathered.

I sighed out of boredom and stared out into the night sky. I could smell the temperature changing and soon the snow would be falling. Snow brought memories of the times when the triplets, Fiona, and I would have a snowball fight. I missed them. It had been a while since I last talked to them.

The house was too quiet. Alex was out with Mike. Riley was out helping some of the pack members prepare for Christmas. Isaac was at his friend's house. Andrew was too busy dealing with werewolf problems. I'd heard him talking to someone on the phone about how there were more attacks on other packs and that many of the females were taken. Things were getting more serious by the day. I could tell from looking at Andrew, when I did see him, he looked extremely tired.

All of a sudden, I saw a shadow move in the forest. I had chills running down my body, as if someone was watching me. Curious, I grabbed my coat and put my shoes on and leapt out into the ground. I walked into the forest and headed towards where I last the figure. I closed my eyes and concentrated on all the distinctive smells to see if I could match the scent with anyone I knew, but I couldn't because the harsh wind had already carried the smell away. I knew someone was watching me from afar, but they were too far to actually pinpoint their location and scent. I decided to head back to the house, and when I turned to head back in the direction of the house, I bumped into a hard body. I raised my head to see that it was just Alex.

"Oh God, you scared me!" I screamed putting a hand to my chest.

"What are you doing out here?" he questioned.

"The least you could do was apologize for scaring me to death," I muttered.

"I apologize, now care to explain why you're out here?" he asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

"I was just looking out the window when I saw a shadow of someone out here, so I decided to explore," I confessed.

"Sometimes you really are stupid," Alex commented.

"Hey, don't call me stupid!" I yelled angrily and punched him on the shoulder.

"Who in the right mind would go out without any weapons or even call for help? What if it was a rogue? What would you have done? Do you think these things through before you make a hasty decision?" Alex ranted angrily.

"You don't under—," Alex cut me off by punching a tree.

"Sometimes, I really want to lock you up in your room. You draw too much danger. What would have happened if I hadn't come home until tomorrow?"

"Alex, calm down. Let's talk inside." I said soothingly so that he would calm down enough to notice that we were being watched. I gently touched his cheek and made him look me in the eye so he could understand what I was trying to them him. I silently mouthed out: we are being watched. Alex got the hint and pulled me along by hand towards the house. Right as I was about to step onto the patio, a snowflake landed on my nose. This caused me to pause and jerk Alex to a stop.

"It's snowing," I said staring into the sky. Snow was falling quickly and increasing in size. I didn't realize Alex was staring at me while I was spinning around in a circle in the backyard, smiling. It was amazing. I loved how the forest looked when it snowed. I could see the snow starting to stick. I looked back at Alex only to be startled by the display of emotions in his eyes. There was snow sticking all around him and in his hair. His nose would crinkle every time the snow would land on it. He looked adorable.

Like some sort of gravitational pull, we walked towards each other. When I got to where he was standing, he reached out to me like a child and pulled me closer to him. There was conflict in his eyes so I took his hands in mine. This seemed to clear any conflicting thoughts in his mind. He tilted my head up and kissed me softly. His lips were warm against my frozen ones. I couldn't help but to respond, and what felt like an eternity but only a few seconds, he pulled back. Something about him and I changed in that moment. I felt more at peace than I had ever been. We both smiled at each other and headed inside.

"I'll make us some hot chocolate. Go start the fire in the living room. Wait on second thought, stay away from the fire," Alex grinned.

"Very funny, but I think I know how to properly start the fire," I scowled.

"Alright, but try not to burn down the place, and don't think I've forgotten what happened earlier. We need to talk about it."

While I started the fire, Alex went into the kitchen to make us some hot chocolate. Eventually, Alex and I talked and came to an agreement. I was to never go out alone like that, not because I couldn't handle it, but because I didn't know how to defend myself. That's how we came to an arrangement. He would teach me how defend myself at least until help came for me. We would start the lessons after Christmas.

17