Lone Wolf's Attack

by Bobbie Jo Hart

  At twenty, I threw up, choking on my own vomit. My head felt like it was going to explode. I had to do something. I couldn’t remember…

  Focusing on Dr. Aspen, he mouthed, “twenty.” Oh yeah. I had to count. Or this would all be for nothing.

  “Twenty,” I gasped out. “Twenty-one. Twenty-two.”

  More blows. Every inch of my back blazed with pain. Sticky with blood.

  The last count I remembered was twenty seven before blackness closed in and swallowed me.

  13

  Groaning, I tried to lift my head. Something had crawled into my mouth and died.

  My back split open and I froze, afraid to move. Gasping with pain. Did I even have any skin left?

  I was still chained in a puddle of congealed blood and vomit. It was dark and cold. Hours had passed and everybody was gone. Had I made it to fifty? I couldn’t remember.

  Slumped against the bricks, I started to weep. There was nothing else I could do. My entire body ached. Every breath, no matter how shallow, made the damaged wreck of my back pull and burn even more.

  I was all alone. No one had even bothered to unchain me, let alone bandage me up. They’d left me to die. Alone. Just like I’d left Mom.

  I tried to hold back, but the soft cries turned into full-blown sobs, that only made the pain worse. Guttural sounds tore out of my throat. I’d failed. I was going to die here alone in this horrible place.

  All I could do was scream and cry in my own filth as I shivered and coughed. Whatever scabbing my back had managed to do shredded open. Fresh blood dripped on the bricks. I don’t want to die like this.

  Hoarse and dangerously weak, I slumped forward, my cheek pressed to the dirty, cold patio. My legs spasmed beneath me from being folded under my body for so long, but even shifting slightly made flames lick up and down my back.

  I shouldn’t have ever come here. I wanted to go home. See Mom. Not frail and dying in the hospital, but at our old house. I wanted to go home to find her laughing, challenging me to another fight. Throwing lazy punches, easily dodging mine. Swearing as she screwed up dinner again. Smiling at me as I walked in from school.

  Before she got sick. Before I went off and got myself killed.

  I drifted off into exhaustion, but couldn’t fully sleep. Not chained. Not hurting so badly. Shivering in the cold. Weak from loss of blood and pain.

  When I woke for the fourth time, the moon had risen. Just a crescent moon, a silver slip in the sky. Not that a full moon would help me shift into the wolf.

  Even she was scared. If my human body failed, she’d die too. I’d never felt so alone in my entire life, and the emptiness terrified me.

  A soft hand touched my neck. I jerked away. Mistake. I cried out in pain and curled in on myself. I didn’t want to die. I couldn’t handle another whipping. Anything but another whipping. Anything.

  “Shhh,” Dr. Aspen whispered. “It’s me, Mel. You’re okay.”

  “Please, please don’t hurt me.” I didn’t even care that I begged. “Please.”

  “I’m going to get you out of here.” His voice was gentle and measured. “You did it, Mel. You made it to dawn. Don’t fight me, alright?”

  I went slack against the bricks, face down in my own blood, as he removed the cuffs. Even as the chains fell away, I couldn’t move. It hurt too badly. All I could do was lie there.

  His hands settled on me, gentle and sure, but as he lifted me, I cried out in agony. My arms flailed, striking out like I could fight down the pain and beat it into submission. Like the fucking whip had done to me.

  “I’ve got you.” Ignoring my desperate fight instinct, he cradled me in his arms. A low rumble rolled from his chest, and my wolf stilled. Safe. I was safe. At least for now.

  “Dr. Aspen?” Someone asked. I didn’t recognize his voice. I could hear several pairs of feet shuffling behind us.

  His step didn’t falter. “Morning run is dismissed. Clean up the arena and enjoy your morning off.”

  There was a murmur behind me as he carried me into the building, then silence. He was careful not to jostle me, but my heart raced. What was coming next? Was Jorak going to whip me again until he completed the fifty lashes? How much more pain could I endure before they killed me?

  I wasn’t sure where he was taking me. I didn’t know this part of the building. He shifted me in his arms so he could open a door, and I began to cry again. I couldn’t help it.

  He flicked on the light switch to reveal several twin-sized beds lined up with pristine white sheets. The infirmary. Carefully, he eased me down onto the nearest bed. But it was no use. I still sobbed as he placed me face down on the clean sheets. Panting, I tried to calm myself. But as I warmed up and woke up more fully, I realized exactly how badly my body had been damaged. How weak I still was. I couldn’t fight off a flea right now.

  If Jorak or one of the guys came at me right now...

  “The doctor’s on his way.” Dr. Aspen dropped down into a chair between the beds. “I’m so sorry, Mel. I tried to reason with Jorak, but he’s the headmaster here and the head alpha. Wolf politics among alphas is tricky at best. He had no right to treat you that way—”

  “Stop,” I whispered. Even broken and bloody, my anger still kept me warm. “Just stop. You stood there and let him whip me until… until…”

  “The only way I could have stopped him was to challenge him alpha to alpha, which would likely destroy everything we’ve managed to build here. If I kept arguing with him, he would’ve made your punishment worse just to spite me. He would have killed you to prove his authority in front of the pack.”

  “He almost did! I’m dying!” My voice cracked. At least now I won’t die alone.

  “I’m not going to let you die.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Someone should!”

  I turned my head enough to see him and repeated, “Why do you care?”

  “The fuck if I know.” He sighed heavily, but his eyes glinted with a hint of amusement. “Because I like the way you fight. You’re too angry to die.”

  “You don’t even know me!”

  He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “You’re so stubborn and aloof that it’s like talking to a wall. Why is it such a task for you to accept that maybe, just maybe, some people care about you?”

  “Because it’s bullshit! Great, you care about me! I’m all fixed! Hold my hand and skip into the sunset with me!” My back throbbed and tears overflowed again. God, it was so embarrassing to be crying again in front of him like this.

  “I’m not trying to fix you, Mel.”

  “Good.” The room spun, so I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the cool fabric beneath my cheek. Hopefully they’d be able to get all the blood out of those white sheets. I concentrated on breathing, grateful that I really was still alive. That I hadn’t died chained and alone. For that, I had to forgive him. Just a little. “You said challenge him. What is that?”

  Dr. Aspen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m alpha, but the pack is Jorak’s. He tolerates me near his pack because he needs me. When the head alpha is challenged, they fight to the death. The pack goes to the winner. The smallest challenge to his authority could escalate in a heartbeat to full blown challenge. Some alphas even take direct eye contact or a stare down as a challenge.”

  I connected the pieces in my head, realizing that I had stared down several of the men here, including Dr. Aspen. “Is that why Lykos won’t look at you?”

  “Yes. Most wolves here won’t meet our eyes out of fear of challenging us. It’s a sign of submission and respect to look away.”

  Fucking hell. I’d been throwing challenges left and right as soon as I’d stepped into this hellhole and I hadn’t even realized it. Then to compound my constant disrespect to all the alphas here, I’d refused to follow the simplest orders. No wonder they all wanted to kill me.

  Except him. Softly, I asked the question, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer. “
Why didn’t you kill me?”

  “You didn’t know. I’m alpha enough to realize you didn’t mean to challenge me. You’re like an arrogant little pup who just learned to howl. I have to admit that I didn’t think you’d have to be beaten into oblivion before you started understanding how pack works, though Jorak’s tactics certainly haven’t helped.”

  I didn’t say anything. I just felt so tired. I still had questions, so many questions, but I didn’t want to ask them. I didn’t want to fuck anything else up and get whipped again. I just wanted to go home.

  A knock at the door broke the silence, and Dr. Aspen stood up as the door opened to a ruffled and sleepy looking man.

  “Dr. Julien, thanks for coming in so early.”

  I noticed that he, too, did not meet Dr. Aspen’s eyes. “Alpha. I hear there was quite the show last night.” Then his gaze fell on me and he sucked air in through his teeth. “Why wasn’t she brought to me immediately?”

  He hurried across the room and started opening drawers and gathering equipment. “Even wolves need treatment when they’ve been injured this badly. She’s lost way too much blood, which makes her vulnerable to infection.”

  “Jorak ordered that she be left there overnight. If she was alive in the morning, then she’d be released from punishment.”

  “That’s a death sentence,” Julien growled under his breath as he returned with a rolling cart.

  I pressed my face into the sheets of the infirmary bed, wishing for it all to be over. I felt so exhausted and it all hurt so much. I just wanted to escape into sleep.

  “You need to stay awake, young lady.” Julien’s voice echoed with concern, and it sounded like it was right in my ear.

  I didn’t want to listen to him. I just wanted to sleep.

  “Get the rest of the staff here ASAP.!” His hands were on my face, shaking my chin gently to get me to open my eyes.

  “Mel, do not fall asleep. That’s an order,” Dr. Aspen barked out.

  I forced my eyes open. Order. I had to obey. I didn’t want to be whipped again. Though after talking with him, I didn’t think he’d ever order such a punishment.

  I just felt so cold and tired. My back didn’t even hurt too bad anymore. If I could just rest for a moment, maybe then I would feel better.

  “Mel!” Aspen’s voice was harsh, but I couldn’t listen. The fatigue suddenly outweighed all of my fear. I gave way to the darkness.

  14

  When I awoke again, I was still in the infirmary, face down on the bed. Braced for pain, I blinked my eyes, afraid to move. But the pain was hardly there. I lifted my head slightly, relieved that it didn’t throb like it was going to explode or just fall off my body completely.

  Dr. Julien entered the room. “Mel! It’s nice to see your pretty eyes!”

  As he neared, I started to tremble, embarrassingly afraid of him touching me or hurting me.

  He paused, noticing my sudden fear. “I’m not here to hurt you. You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you while you’re under my care.”

  “Okay,” I whispered. “I just…” I just what? What was I supposed to say? I was so fucking tired of everybody kicking my ass because I fucking existed.

  His face softened. “Would you like to talk about it?”

  “I…” Not really. I didn’t want to talk shit, get whipped.

  “Here, I’ll start, and if you feel comfortable, you can jump in. If it’s not helping, let me know, and I will stop.” Slowly, he came closer and sat in the chair beside the bed. “I know that you came here to learn how to control your wolf. That was very brave of you. A lot of men here are stuck in tradition. When I first came to Wolf Point, I was really afraid of the monster inside me too. I witnessed what it did to my mother after my father left us. I bet you’re really scared too.”

  He paused, and I felt his hands gently on my back, checking the bandages. “You’re going to have a ton of scars, but I think you’ll heal up nicely. You also have two cracked ribs, though your entire chest is heavily bruised. We set your nose and you have a hairline fracture in your ankle, but it’ll heal on its own with a day or two of rest. Wolves heal quickly, though your back is going to be sore for up to a week, I’d guess. You were fairly banged up. We had to give you a blood transfusion, and you’ve been out cold for two days.”

  Two whole days. I wasn’t surprised. I figured I’d be out for good, so two days wasn’t really that bad. I swallowed. “Thank you. I… I didn’t think I’d make it.”

  The bandages lifted away, the air making the healing skin sting. Though he was careful not to hurt me. “Neither did I. I thought you’d die before we could stop the bleeding. It’s a wonder that you survived the night without treatment. You must have a very strong wolf.”

  “You think so?” I didn’t know much about my wolf. I just knew she’d probably be the one to kill me. Like Mom.

  “I know so. If your wolf was any weaker, you would have died. Fifty lashes delivered by an alpha of Jorak’s strength was a death sentence. Leaving you out there afterwards though…” He didn’t have to say it; the distaste in his tone said enough. If he’d ever respected the headmaster, he’d lost that respect after this.

  “Do you know what happened to that guy I sparred with? Lykos?”

  He started laying down fresh gauze on my wounds. “Ah, Lykos. He’s just fine. We reset his nose. He’ll have some bruises, but nothing lasting. You did give him quite the bite, though.”

  “Dr. Aspen ordered him to kill me. I didn’t have a choice.”

  “Did he, now? After carrying you here for treatment?” Dr. Julien sat back. “If he wanted you dead, then I don’t think he would’ve been so worried when he rushed you in here and practically throttled me when you lost consciousness.”

  “Why else would he have ordered Lykos to kill me?”

  Julien hummed. “That’s something you should ask him.”

  I was silent for a moment, thinking, as he continued to bandage my back. “So your mom… she was a wolf?”

  Julien’s hands paused, then he continued his work. “Yes. She died when I was seventeen, and I came here shortly after. I left for medical school but came back when Jorak offered me a spot. How about you?”

  I bit my lip. I didn’t really talk about Mom.

  There was a knock at the door, and Aspen let himself in. “She’s awake! Why didn’t you call me?”

  “She’s only been alert a few minutes. As soon as I finished checking on her, I had planned to call you.” Julien’s fingers moved up to my neck, checking the bite. I hoped it didn’t look like a giant hickey.

  Dr. Aspen pulled another chair closer and sat down. “How do you feel?”

  I huffed, suddenly overwhelmed with all the attention. “I’m alive, so that’s a start, right?”

  He grinned at me. “Yes, that’s a start.”

  When he shifted in his seat, I flinched, involuntarily bracing for an attack. Dr. Julien’s hands paused on my neck. Dr. Aspen’s gaze darted up to him and then back to me. He didn’t say anything, but I could see his wolf push forward in his eyes.

  I cleared my throat, needing to clear the air and get an answer to a question I’d tried to keep out of my mind. “Dr. Aspen, are you… are you going to whip me for disobeying your order?”

  I hated the quiver in my voice. But if he had plans of picking up that whip…

  “I didn’t see you disobey an order. Did you, Dr. Julien?” His voice was dismissive, but he winked at me to show that he wasn’t worried about it.

  “No, Alpha, I didn’t see a thing,” Julien replied, his fingers soothing my hair back over the new bandage.

  “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that never happens to you again,” Dr. Aspen whispered. My lips trembled with relief, he cleared his throat. “So what’s the verdict, Dr. Julien?”

  “Even with the help of her wolf, I recommend bed rest for two more days and no strenuous activities such as sparring or running for another full week. I’d like to keep her here until
the end of her bed rest for observation and additional medical assistance. If you approve, Alpha?”

  Aspen nodded. “Yes, that’s probably best. I don’t want those hooligans harassing her until she can bite back.”

  I frowned at him and his joke. “You’d think they’d learn.”

  He chucked. “After the assbeating you gave Lykos, some of them might have second thoughts about taking you on again. But hey, if it’s any consolation, you won’t have to carry my bag for a while.”

  I groaned. “Don’t even remind me.”

  Both of the men laughed, and Dr. Julien stepped back from me, satisfied with his checkup. “I’ll get you some more medication for your pain, and I’ll have someone bring some food for you both. Do you need anything else, Mel?”

  I shook my head, already feeling a little better. “Nope, thanks Dr. Julien.”

  “Of course!” He turned to Aspen. “Alpha.”

  Aspen nodded at him, and Dr. Julien left the room. He sat back in the chair with a sigh, then scrubbed at his face with his palm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I had a class to teach, and I wasn’t sure how much longer you’d be out.”

  I examined his face, confused. “Why? You don’t owe me anything.”

  This time, his sigh was exasperated. “God, Mel, you almost died. Could you drop the tough guy act for two seconds?”

  I might have almost died, but my anger bubbled up again. “What do you want from me, Dr. Aspen? Do you want me to cry or something? Or how about shower you with hugs and praises for being such a nice guy? There are no friends in this place. Everyone made that super clear.”

  Aspen’s eyes glowed as he leaned closer to me. I almost cowered away. Almost. “I don’t know, Mel! You’re acting like you’re fucking terrified of me.”

  “Well, yeah! I was just whipped because I didn’t follow your orders—”