Tainted Romance

by Simone Elise

  Her thoughts were jumbled. She wasn't making sense. All I knew was she was in pain, which brought me to this moment of time, me banging on dad's door.

  "Son, what are you doing?" Dad was half asleep when he opened his bedroom door. "You woke your mother."

  "It's Allie."

  "What about her?"

  "Something’s wrong and I can't…" Ok, I hadn't admitted to dad I had a connection with Allie.

  "You can't what?"

  I gritted my teeth. Do I admit it? Do I say it out loud? I had formed a connection with my mate which meant there was no turning back. Allie was going to be my partner, but that didn't mean I was ready to face it.

  "I can't reach out to her," I finally said.

  Dad's eyes widened. "Please tell me, son, you didn't do what I think you did…"

  "Yes, we bonded."

  "Christ sake, son! What were you thinking? We discussed this. Keep a distance from her. She can't lead beside you. The pack will NEVER look up to her, not with her history. We spoke about this, Zane. You were to keep your distance, not bond with the woman!"

  I knew all of this. I knew more than anyone being with Allie was wrong. I knew she wasn't right to be a pack leader. I knew all this! Still, the only thought on my mind was Allie. What was wrong with her, and, more importantly, I needed to see she was ok.

  My brain was saying one thing.

  But my heart was pumping another.

  Wasn't this the whole point of having a mate? Things didn't make sense when it came to your mate. That you doubted every move.

  "Dad, I'm telling you something is wrong with her so can you spare me the lecture and help…"

  "Hold on a minute, my phone is ringing." Dad stopped me mid-sentence.

  I couldn't stop the glare from forming on my face. Couldn't he just once, just once, put me first, instead of the pack?

  He said an ok, followed by an I'm on my way.

  Then he looked at me with disappointment and disapproval.

  "You were right. She is in trouble." His voice was sharp, and he grabbed a shirt from the floor. "That was her mother. She's been in a car accident. They are taking her to the hospital. Her mother said she took the car without permission. Looks like she was driving home after a night out."

  "How bad was the accident?" A tight knot formed in my stomach and it twisted and turned. So, my fears were confirmed. She was in trouble. She was hurt. The headache I had got worse, and I knew it wasn't my pain, it was hers.

  "Just stay here." Dad closed the bedroom door, walking out into the hallway.

  "Like hell, I will!" I shouted, not even caring about everyone sleeping since it was after five in the morning.

  "You seeing her will just…"

  "I don't care. I'm coming. I don't need your permission to see my mate." Did I just say that? My mate. Was this me accepting what was happening between Allie and me? That there was something between us. That we were connected, and I couldn't fight it or deny it.

  "Fine, but don't get upset."

  "Why would I get upset?"

  "She had been drinking, but it seems the driver of the other car went through a stop sign."

  Went. Through. A. Stop. Sign. It was an automatic reaction, my teeth clamped shut, my fingers curled into tight fists, and my jaw clenched.

  I don't know what had her out drinking at this time of night, but I would bet everything on it that it had something to do with me. I hated myself at that moment for that, but, right now, I just needed to know she was ok, especially because this 'headache' was getting worse.

  She was hurt, and I needed to see her. Now.

  Chapter Fifty-six

  We had driven past the accident. Allie’s mother's car was on its roof and crushed between a car and a pole. I knew as soon as I saw it, she wasn't walking from it unharmed.

  I didn't know what was worse, her pain I had been feeling, or when I felt nothing at all. Her clouded jumbled mind disappeared. The pain she was putting me in was gone. I wanted answers as soon as we got to the hospital, but all we got was her mother in the waiting room telling us she had been taken into surgery with internal bleeding and a head injury. That was all we knew. The doctors had rushed her into surgery as soon as she got here.

  We were at the private hospital which dealt only with werewolves. Humans thought it was a private and exclusive hospital, and they were right, but all you needed was our DNA to get in.

  I was pacing the waiting room.

  Just when I thought the night, well, day, now couldn’t get any worse, in walked the Falcon brothers and Ebony.

  Chase and Blake went straight to Allie’s mom, hugging her and reassuring her. I hated how they had such a good relationship with Allie and her mom.

  “Hey, Zane?”

  My head snapped to Ebony, who was looking very nervous.

  “What?” I didn’t mean to snap at her, but, right now, I was under a lot of stress, and my whole life was in a fucking surgery bay. Allie didn’t know how I felt about her, cause being the dick I was, I had pushed her away.

  When she said she wasn’t fighting it anymore, I panicked. Now I was facing the reality I might never get to tell her I wanted to be with her. Fuck, all I ever wanted was her.

  “Sorry about Allie. I’m sure she will be ok.” Ebony’s hand ran down my arm. I didn’t want her touching me. The only person I wanted touching me was Allie.

  I pulled away from her. “Why are you even here? You hate her.”

  She looked sheepish. “I’ve, um, well, been meaning to talk to her.”

  “Well, she won’t be up for a fucking conversation.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been meaning to thank her for something she did for Blake and me. She, well, made him see reason when I did something stupid.”

  I knew if the situation had been different and I had gone to Ebony to blow off steam about Allie, Ebony wouldn’t have done what Allie had. That was how much Ebony hated her.

  “So, you came here out of guilt?” I looked at her.

  “I came because my mate is currently freaking out, blaming himself because he didn’t go out with her, and you, my best friend, would be thinking the worst, so I’m here to support both of you.” Ebony reached out for me. “Now, do you want something?”

  Yeah, I wanted to turn back time and not be a selfish prick to Allie. “Yeah, I need Allie to wake up, so I can tell her the fucking truth.”

  The truth that I loved her. The truth that I wasn’t going to fight the pull or need to be with her anymore. The truth was I had been selfish and a dick. Now that I was realizing it, all I wanted was for her to be ok so I could tell her how much of a wonderful leader she was going to be beside me because Allie was kind, sweet, and had a fire in her when anyone threatened something that was hers.

  She had proved that to me repeatedly when she thought her relationship with me had been threatened, but, really, the only one threatening our relationship had been me and my stupid limited thinking.

  Something else that bothered me was my parents telling me how wrong she was for me. Knowing that, yet also knowing how wrong they were, because Allie was going to be the perfect leader.

  And I was going to make sure it was by my side.

  “She knows you love her, even though you have been ignoring her.” Ebony's words were kind, but she was downplaying it.

  “I ignored her completely, Ebony. She put her heart on the line, and instead of accepting her and accepting how I felt. I ignored it. I ignored her!”

  “You weren’t that hard on her.”

  I scoffed.

  “Ok, maybe you were.” Ebony frowned. “But she would know you have feelings for her.”

  “I doubt that. Not how I’ve been treating her. Playing her hot and cold, like she was just any other girl. Not the girl.”

  “You never treated Allie like any of the other women you’ve been with. Hear me when I say that, Zane. Never have you treated Allie like one of t
he many.” Ebony was saying all the right things, but it wasn’t helping.

  “Harris.” Blake stood behind Ebony and linked his arms around her. “You know this is your fault, right?” His words were coated in anger. “Allie wouldn't have been out drinking if you had just accepted her and stopped playing fucking games with her!”

  I kept my mouth shut. I was assuming Allie had been out drinking trying to forget her problems. Well, one problem. Me.

  “You're a dick, Harris, and if I had it my way, I'd make sure she had nothing to do with you.” Blake let go of Ebony and stepped in front of her, looking like he would like nothing better than to punch me one.

  Didn't he get that nothing he could do would even make a scratch on how I was feeling, knowing Allie was hurt and there was nothing I could do? Worse, it was my fault she was in surgery right now.

  “She loves you! She even told you! Still, that wasn't good enough for you! So, you know what, Harris. When she comes to, I'm going to personally tell her to cut ties with you. I'd rather my friend mateless and happy than with you miserable.”

  My pain went to anger within a second of him threatening to take Allie away from me. “Allie is mine.”

  “No, she’s not. You know her and Chase have always been close. Maybe I should encourage that.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Falcon.”

  “I'm just starting. You won’t admit you want her. She always deserved someone better than you. She fucking deserves a man that is going to worship her. I would have been that man if it wasn’t for Ebony.”

  The look on Ebony’s face right now wasn’t even close to how pissed off I was feeling hearing this shit, which is exactly what it was, shit, coming out of his mouth.

  “For Winters.”

  My head snapped up, looking around Blake at the doctor. Suddenly, I couldn’t care what he had to say, and the anger I was feeling disappeared as soon as I thought I was going to hear how she was. Finally. It had been hours. Maybe five hours. Finally, news.

  I immediately walked around Ebony and Blake.

  “I’m her mother.” Allie’s mom got up. “Please tell me she is ok?”

  “It would seem your daughter wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. If she were human, she wouldn’t have survived the blow through the windshield. She has swelling of the brain, which should subside, but it was her internal injuries that were concerning.” The doctor looked down at his case notes. “We are still unsure if she will have brain damage from the blow. Like I said, she wouldn’t have survived if she was human. We noted something about her being disconnected with her wolf, because she currently isn’t healing.”

  “She’s reconnected, so there shouldn’t be a reason why she isn’t healing.” Her mom looked at my dad for answers. Answers he didn’t have.

  “Well, is there any reason why she would not want to heal? This wouldn’t be the first case where a werewolf has decided not to heal,” the doctor said and every pair of eyes apart from his in the room went to me.

  Even dad was looking at me disappointed.

  I stepped forward. Time for me to man up. “Her and I were having problems,” I said to the doctor. If admitting Allie and I were having problems would help her get better, I would.

  The doctor frowned. “You’re Zane Harris, right?”

  I nodded my head.

  “The next Alpha.” He frowned. “What are you, her friend or something?”

  “Her mate.” It was the second time today I was saying that out loud.

  Other people in the waiting room looked at me with wide eyes. Yeah, I had just said that. The pack was going to have a new female leader, and she was it.

  She hadn’t been trained to lead. She hadn’t been brought up with it in her blood, but I still knew she could do it because I was going to help her.

  The doctor looked at me shocked, and then looked at dad. “You never mentioned your son had mated.”

  “Well I have, does it really matter if it was common knowledge or not?” I snapped, not liking how he ignored me and spoke to dad as if I was lying.

  “Well, how connected are you two? Can you explain to me what she has been like the last few weeks? Are you able to feel her feelings, hear her thoughts?”

  “We’ve bonded, yes. She’s been withdrawn, angry, upset, and mainly distant.” Disappointed was another word to describe what she had been feeling the last few weeks, and pissed off as soon as she knew I knew what she was feeling. “Last night she was upset and crying. I don’t know what about.”

  Blake scoffed behind me.

  “Might have something to do with me,” I added. Knowing everyone in the room was thinking it.

  The doctor nodded his head and sighed. “In that case, I am going to recommend you don’t see her.”

  “WHAT?!”

  “You could be the reason why she isn’t healing. If she feels you, it could make her withdraw more. I think it is best for the time being for her family and close friends to be with her.”

  “You have to be fucking kidding me.” I usually had a grip over my temper, but it was gone as soon as I heard I couldn’t see her. “I’M HER MATE!”

  “And the reason she isn’t healing.”

  “Dad.” I looked at him. “Make him let me see her.” Dad could order the doctor to let me see her. Hell, I could order him to let me see her if I was in charge.

  Dad shook his head. “We have to think of what is best for Allie. Let her heal, and when she wakes up, she can decide whether she wants to see you or not. She will wake up, correct?” Dad looked at the doctor.

  “If she heals. Yes.”

  “I want to see her. Now.” Blake shouldered past me and snuck a glance over his shoulder looking smug. “I’m her best friend.”

  “So am I.” Chase got up.

  “Well, you two are welcome to go see her.”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening.

  “How long until she wakes up?” I snapped at the doctor. Feeling impatient, it was going to be a long wait. I had a feeling about that.

  “Hours, days, weeks. I don’t know,” the doctor answered. “Like I said, it is up to her. Now I’ll show her family and friends where she is.” He held the door open for Allie’s mom and her so-called friends.

  I slumped down in a chair. I wasn’t leaving; not until she woke up. I didn’t care if I had to live here. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  “That was rough,” Ebony said, taking a seat next to me. “Well, at least you know she is in good hands.”

  I looked at her dryly. “Yeah, your mate’s hands.”

  “Keyword being in that sentence. Mate. So, Blake is no threat.” She might be saying that, but we both knew it wasn’t the case. Blake loved Allie. His connection with Ebony was still new, but his feelings for Allie ran deep. Deep enough to be considered a real threat.

  ***

  I was sitting in the waiting room, where I had been all week. I hadn’t eaten anything that hadn’t come out of a vending machine, and I knew for a fact I was only meters away from Allie.

  She hadn’t woken up, but she was dreaming and right now I was focusing on it. Taking comfort in her dreams.

  “Ayo, I walk in the room like '60 is here! I keep on saying it until somebody gives me a beer.” She was rapping to the radio looking at Blake while he was driving.

  Blake looked at her, grinning. “Yeah, I walk in the room like PEZ is in the room. Make the most of it people, I'll be exiting it soon.” He rapped back to her.

  She was laughing.

  “You two are awful rappers,” Chase said from the backseat. “My ears are bleeding.”

  Allie reached for Blake’s hand, linking her fingers with his free hand. “Why are you coming, Chase?” She turned to look in the back seat at him. “Anyone tell you, you are a third wheel.”

  “Since when did you two go on a date to begin with?” Chase looked between both of them. “You could have told me you two were taking this relationship to the next lev
el.”

  “We aren’t,” Blake and Allie said together.

  “Holding hands, rapping together. Finishing each other sentences. Sure, you two aren’t taking your relationship to the next level.” Chase grumbled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Like this song said, you two are stuck in denial.”

  “You’re getting jealous, brother,” Blake grunted.

  “All I’m saying is if I was with Allie, I would be making it official. This on and off thing you two have isn’t healthy. What are you going to do when you two find mates?”

  “Simple. Keep fucking Allie.” Blake said, and Allie whacked his leg, causing him to groan. “What I’ve already told you that is what we are going to do. Just because we will have to be with our mates, doesn’t mean what we have will stop.”

  “I’m darn sure once you find your mate, you will want nothing to do with me,” Allie scoffed and kept her eyes on Blake.

  His face tightened. “Trust me. I will. Nothing is going to stop how I feel for you.”

  “What about when I’m all loved up for my mate?”

  Blake took his eyes off the road and looked at her. “Even then, I’ll still want you, and you will want me.” He smirked. “Because I know you better than anyone else.”

  “My mate should know me well,” she challenged him.

  “You saying you will do better than me?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, you’re right, Falcon. I won’t be doing better than you.”

  He nodded his head. “So, we have an agreement. We both find mates, and we still stay together?”

  “Can you two hear yourselves? You aren’t even dating right now!” Chase said from the backseat.

  “You won’t want me once you find her, but if you really want to hear it, you are the first one to have my heart, Falcon. So yes, I will always want you.” Allie tightened her grip on his hand. “Plus, I don’t think sex can get any better.”

  Chase groaned from the backseat. “You two are doing it again, being a couple.”

  “We aren’t a couple,” they said at the same time.