Devastation
FLASHBACK
Star walked into Max’s office dressed in a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a black turtleneck sweater which she paired with leather, ankle boots. Her mid-length red hair was straightened to perfection and tied into a high pony from which a few stray wisps escaped.
“Hey, are you ready to go?” She smiled up at Max, but it dropped when she saw the distressed look on his face, “What’s wrong?” Star stepped up to him and placed her hand on his arm, feeling his worry seeping through the bond.
“A fire just broke out at the Diner, I’m sorry Star, I know this meeting is important to you, but I have to make sure that things are okay here.”
Awakening the hellhoundRe-entering his office, Max found everyone working as they were before as if he never left. He knew the power was rolling off him in waves and he didn’t care to mask it, even though he knew it was affecting his pack members.“Landon, get Reece on the line.” His beta’s eyes widened but quickly followed through with the Alpha order.“Reece Lockwood.” His cousin’s stern voice broke through the line after the third ring. Being so far away meant he had little connection with the pack and Max only kept in contact with him about business matters.“Reece, it’s Max. I need your help.” There was a pregnant pause and some shuffling from th
Beyond enemy lines“I know what Star suspects, but do you think they’re stupid enough to keep her held here?” Ray frowned, looking through his binoculars at the gate to The Academy in the distance.“Maybe not, but I am damn sure they have a clue here as to where she is.” Mr. Pollock hummed along with Landon’s answer, they were told to hang back with the team scouted the area at closer range, their security was top notch and the last thing they needed was to set off a land mine before they even went in.“You think there’s really land mines?” Veronica whispered and Greg nodded.“Dean Atterman is a bastard straight from Hitler’s era of thinking, he though
The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemiesLandon’s heavy hand came down on Max’s shoulder, somehow stopping the rampage that was about to erupt from him.“They couldn’t have gotten far, we will find them.” Landon asserted and Max sucked in three deep breaths, willing his wild thoughts to calm down.“Let’s go.” He walked out the door and they found their way out of the building. When Max was satisfied that they were far away enough from the toxic air, he ripped the mask off and sniffed the air. He wanted nothing more than to get down on all fours and search for any trace of her scent, but he didn't have the luxury of that.
"It’s done"Max paced from end to end of the door to Star’s hospital cubicle, she was being treated for severe hypothermia and a host of other complications that came with being beaten half to death, an infection was setting in already and they had to pump her with fluids and antibiotics to stop the infection from spreading. Max didn’t know what many of the medical terms they used meant, but he kept his ears peeled for any sign of danger.“Max, your pacing is making me dizzy.” Donna sighed and Max stopped for a second to glare at her. When she found out that Star was rescued, she forced one of the warriors to bring her to the hospital to be there for her best friend.“Shouldn’t you be at home taking care of your baby?” Max snapp
Like drowning in the open airSuffocated. That’s what Star felt when she first opened her eyes, there was a heavyweight holding her down and she could feel the uncomfortable pinch of needles under her skin.Looking around, all she saw was darkness concealing the vague picture of a- hospital room? Star gasped, she refused to be another one of their test subjects. Thinking she was alone in the dark room, she struggled against the weight and felt relieved when she was able to move her arms and used her frail fingers to rip off the needles and wires attached to her, but before she could release herself from the weight holding her down, a pair of hands gripped hold of her.She didn’t feel anything above the panic, her mind was screaming at her to get out of there, but
Holding onNo matter how hard they all tried, Star couldn’t muster the smile they tried to garner from her. Seated on her hospital bed, she watched- almost as a bystander as her mate and friends told stories even though they seemed to be doing for her benefit.The psychologist that saw her earlier that morning easily pointed out that she was experiencing PTSD and that it would take a while and a lot of work to get over it and back to normal. As much as the woman persuaded her to not be harsh on herself for the way her mind reacted to her experience, Star couldn’t shake the feeling that she was wrong, the life she knew was a distant memory, nothing could or would be the same again.“Are you tired, do you want us to leave so you can rest?” Ray offered, h
The first bloom after the blizzard“How have you been sleeping, are the dreams still present?” Doctor Singh crossed one leg over the other, balancing the black notebook on her exposed knee.“The sleeping pills help me for a few hours, but by the early hours of the morning-” Star cut off, Dr. Singh knew the sequence of her dreams, they spend countless sessions recounting the events, trying to desensitize Star to the events that were more a memory than a piece of fiction from a dream.“Have you ever considered a pet? Often in cases of PTSD, we introduce support animals to help patients, studies have shown that being around animals reduces anxiety and provides a calming presence for humans to latch onto.” Star wanted to smile, but she feared t
Haunted by half-truthsShivering from the cold, Star could feel the burn of the lashes on her skin, but the blood that seeped from the wounds froze on her skin. In the dark room, all she could see were two hazel lifeless eyes staring down at her from where the man hung from chains, her heart and mind screamed at the sight, crying out for help, he was dying and she couldn’t even move a muscle to help him.“Max!!!” The cry escaped her chapped lips, but still, he didn’t move. She opened her mouth to scream for help, the violent shaking of her body pulled her from drowning in his eyes.“Star, wake up!” Max was straddling her, shaking her shoulders till her eyes cracked open and widened in the dimly lit room.