Page 34 of Ruined Wolf

I nodded, a cold feeling settling in my heart. “I can do that, but for now, you need to rest. I was told to find someone when you woke up. They’ll need to check you over, and I’ll bring the guys back later, okay?”

She nodded, settling back against the pillow, but the resigned look on her face worried me. I couldn’t think of anything she could keep from me that could be bigger than her pregnancy. I walked out of her room, more confused than I had been when I walked in.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

NOVA

My eyes fluttered open as I shifted in my bed. I’d tried to take Doctor Callahan’s advice and get some sleep before the guys came back, but I’d struggled, my mind whirling as I tried to deal with everything that had happened that day. Eventually, the doctor had returned and given me a sedative that had helped me drift off to sleep, but my dreams had been tense, and I didn’t feel as though the sleep had done me much good. The pain killers were clearly wearing off, and although my wolfish healing ability was clearing up the surface wounds, it was taking a little longer on the inside, and I still felt... well, like I’d been hit by a truck.

I gazed around the room, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and wondered if I should call a nurse as my head throbbed in pain.

The light that filtered through the hospital blinds was more golden than it had been before, and I guessed it was nearing late afternoon. Nerves roiled in my stomach as I thought about the guys returning. It was time to tell them everything. Maverick had been unbelievable that afternoon, and for a moment, I’d let myself believe that I could stay, and that I could somehow keep the rest to myself and just live with it, but I’d known it couldn’t happen. There was no way I could live my life day in and day out knowing what had happened to their brother without telling them or giving them any sort of closure. It would have made me as bad as Ethan. I hadn’t believed Maverick would be so understanding about the baby, and I’d been desperate to hold onto him, but even he could only take so much.

I shifted on the bed, feeling restless. I wasn’t looking forward to revealing everything I’d kept from them, but at the same time, the wait was unbearable. I just wanted to get it out in the open and deal with whatever came my way. The door opened, and I sat up, adrenaline racing through me, but when a nurse popped her head around the door and smiled at me, I sank back against the sheets.

“Ready for something to eat?” she asked.

Not really, but I’d need something to keep my strength up, and the baby would need sustenance too. I nodded, and she smiled again, ducking back out into the corridor. She reappeared with a tray of something, chatting the whole time, but her words washed over me. I just tried to nod and smile in the right places.

“...and Doctor Callahan has finished his shift, so Doctor Kell will be along shortly just to check on you, but don’t worry, she’s lovely.”

I nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Not at all, my love. You just look after yourself and that little one.”

She left me alone, and I forced myself to eat a few bites of dinner. I could only manage half, because I was still wound up with nerves, and I jumped again when the door opened a second time. I thought it was the nurse returning for the plates, but instead, two men in scrubs, facemasks, and matching caps walked into the room. All I could make out were their eyes.

“Hi,” I said to the first one. “Are you Doctor Kell?” I was sure the nurse had said Doctor Kell was a woman, but I hadn’t really been paying attention. Maybe I was wrong.

The guy shook his head, and then they moved to my bedside, pushing buttons on the machine and disconnecting some of the wires without saying anything. I felt my pulse quickening, worried that maybe something was wrong. I tried to keep my voice steady.

“What’s happened? Where’s Doctor Kell?”

“Doctor Kell is busy,” he snapped. “You’ll be moved as soon as we’ve secured you in the ambulance.”

“I think there’s been some kind of a mix-up,” I replied. “I’m not moving anywhere.”

“Yes, you are,” he stated. “Now keep quiet.”

“No, I’m sorry. I want to see Doctor Kell,” I said, my voice getting louder. Something didn’t feel right. I tried to move, swinging my legs up out of the bed, but the room swayed around me and my vision blurred, and I panicked, realising I could easily pass out. The silent guy grabbed me, pushing me down onto the bed, while the other man leaned over me with a syringe in his hand.

“I told you to be quiet.”

“No, wait... Please, wait!” I gasped as he plunged it into my arm, the numbness of the sedative sweeping through my body.

He stepped back and watched as the medication took hold. It was faster than last time, stronger, I realised, and I hoped to the moon it wouldn’t affect the baby. That was my last thought before everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on the back seat of a car, covered with a blanket. The car was moving at speed, travelling down bumpy roads. I tried to sit up, but I realised with a jolt that my hands and ankles were tied, and I was gagged. Fear rose inside me, as did nausea as we veered around sharp corners. I tried to struggle against my bonds, but I was bound tightly, and my body felt like lead. I couldn’t muster up any energy to do anything more than lie there helplessly. The men were obviously in a rush. They took tight bends and made several sudden stops, causing me to roll back and forth in the seat, and once, I nearly fell into the footwell.

I concentrated on not being sick. With both of them in the front seat, neither of them would notice if I threw up from the motion or the effect of the drug, and with the gag in place, I could easily choke on my own vomit and be dead before they thought to check on me. I focused on calming myself and breathing slowly. It helped me focus as well, though my mind still felt fuzzy from the drug they’d used to knock me out.

When I felt a little calmer and less sick, I tried to work out what was going on. The two men came into my hospital room for me. They must be working for Ethan. A sick thought occurred to me. Had the accident with the truck been deliberate? Maverick hadn’t mentioned the other driver when he’d come to my room, though I supposed we’d both been rather distracted at the time. Had Ethan tried to have me killed? It certainly would have fixed his problems, especially if he’d worked out what I had taken from his house.

Dimly, I remembered the men searching my room. Had they found the papers I’d stolen? If so, I was screwed. They were my only proof, the only thing I had to show the guys to try and start making amends for everything I’d kept from them. A thread of hope remained that if I could bring Ethan’s deeds to their attention, then they might not think so badly of me, but now I would have nothing to show them. I almost laughed at myself. Here I was, bound and gagged in the back of a car, heading who knew where, and I was worried about what the guys were going to think of me lying to them.

I had no idea where these guys were taking me. If the truck had been an attempt on my life, then it was more than likely that they were going to kill me and dump my body in the sea.

Panic filled me at the thought, and I began to struggle again, thrashing back and forth on the seat.