Esme Talks Sense Into RichardRichard’s POV:I shut the last file on my desk, and then brought my hand up to rub my eyes. The sun had already gone down. It had been a long time since I had this much time to work in peace - Darren’s absence could be like that sometimes. Now that he was on the mission - this was the second day now - I had no one to talk to, so I was able to focus more on my work and get everything done. The upside of this was that I would probably manage to get a full night’s sleep.Slowly standing up, I felt blood rush to my legs, and I raised my hands above my head. The sound of my joints popping as I stretched, brought a wave of relief to my body. I had been sitting down almost the entire day, and had not even gotten up since 12pm.I had forgotten to even eat, as I was so busy with the work leftover from the previous day. It had been a busy day for me, which I could not be so upset by.Shaking my head at the
The Rescue Team ReturnsRichard’s POV:It was a new day, and the sun was just rising when I finally got up from bed. Since I had gotten up at a ‘healthy time’ as Darren would call it, I decided to go for a run through the forest, to clear my head and as my usual form of exercise.Therefore, I put on my sweatpants and hoodie, and my most used pair of trainers, to go outside. The scent of the outside at the peak of dawn was always the most interesting, and I took in a deep breath before beginning my morning run outside.The run through the forest was exhilarating, and I deeply enjoyed it. My senses were alert as I rushed through with a speed most people would not be able to match, past the large and tall trees, deeper and deeper into the forest where most people would not be. I did not want to be seen that very moment, only to see where the run would take me. When I stopped, I was able to take in deep breaths to calm my racing hear
Leon Confronts Ethan (Day 2 begins)Leon’s POV:What in the hell had I just done?I looked down at my naked body with the unmistakable feeling of disgust running through me. I had just woken up, right as the dawn broke. Today was day 2 of Arielle’s permitted stay here, and what was I doing, but making a waste out of everything?Meera breathed deeply in her sleep, and I scoffed at her, shaking my head and willing myself to not go and wake her up roughly. I took in deep breaths to calm her, and looked away, prowling to my bathroom in the dim light of the sun just rising through my windows. I needed to wash up quickly and get Meera’s filth off of me.Without any further delays, I entered the bathroom, hopping right under the shower. I turned the water up to a high heat until it was scalding and felt like it was bruning my flesh, before I picked up my soap and body sponge to wish myself of the events of the previous night.As I did
Arielle's DecisionArielle’s POV:I did not want to hear whatever he had just said to Ethan, but it was hard not to listen in.Being a doctor has taught me many things, after all. And in my few years of practice, I have been able to find that it was a common way for doctors and nurses to keep their senses alert in order to be aware of what their patients might be doing in the next room or something. Unfortunately, while I had developed my senses as a wolf to serve my medical responsibilities to my patients, it also left me with a strange inability to stop myself from picking out certain things, like private conversions held within a radius of where I was.So, when I heard Ethan leave, my mind was wandering as I thought.What had Leon told Ethan to do that he had disobeyed? Or is it that Leon was simply acting out as usual? I did not know what to think, but to me, one thing was definitely certain and that was that Leon had overreac
Arielle’s POV:The silence stretched on for more than I could bear to understand, and when I found that Leon still was not speaking, I decided to call it, and turned away to walk back to my allocated room.But then, Leon stopped me in my tracks.“Where are you going?” he asked me, and i heard his footsteps behind me.Stopping my movements and sighing under my breath, I turned to look at him over my shoulder.“I’m going to rest. It’s been a day, and my work here is almost finished,” pausing to gauge his still stony expression, i then continued, “Besides, I do have to pack my things since I will be leaving after tomorrow.”Immediately after I said that, he shot back, “Not yet, Arielle. Not until after we talk this out.”Oh great moon goddess. I threw my hands up in frustration, because now I certainly had it with Leon.Now I was not willing to believe that this infuriating man was that dumb as to not understand every word of what I had just said. No, instead of addressing it like a norm
Arielle’s POV:I gaped at him after he growled out those words. Immediately after astonishment, I felt more anger than I have ever felt in my life at his statement.Take it back? Take my words back because he doesn’t like to hear the truth? Take my words back because it suits him and not me?Because he thinks that he should get a second chance, he dares to threaten me like this?“Who the hell Do you think you are?” I fired back at him, my wolf tearing its head within me. I felt the urge to slap him, hard. “Who the hell gave you the right to talk to me that way? And what makes you think your words even matter to me?” I raised a finger at him, pointing at his face. “I swear to you, Leon. Don’t you even dare to try me, or-““Or what? You’ll leave?!” He snarled back at me, and I blinked at him in shock as he began to chuckle. “Spoiler alert, love. You’re not going anywhere.”I was about to ask him what he meant by that, when all of a sudden he grabbed my arm, firmly, and pulled me.“What?
Richard’s POV:I opened my eyes and sat up simultaneously with a jolt.I don’t know what shocked me awake. But now I was staring at the wall of my bedroom, wondering what had happened. I wondered who had called my name, which I heard clear as day.It was the next day after Darren returned to the pack with the rest of the rescue team, save for Arielle. I could not stop thinking about her, and I had been restless since he gave me the horrible news that the Rogues now had her in their custody.After all, how could we trust that the Rogues, the same ones who captured and injured some members of my pac, would not do the same thing to Arielle?I had no reason to trust them, especially not the one who Darren called the leader - the one who had insisted on Arielle leaving with them in the first place.So I had worked throughout the night, unable to sleep, unable to eat dinner.I had, without myself even knowing, effectively starved myself because I was unable to stop thinking about Arielle an
Arielle’s POV:Day 3 dawned on me with the feeling of pain blooming in my chest, deeper than I had experienced it before.I hissed, opening my blearily eyes to the room that was now filled with sunlight streaming in from the windows. The room was nowhere unwitting prison, and an accomplice in Leon’s acts.I had not been able to sleep well, and I knew without looking in the mirror that my eyes were likely swollen and that the whites of my eyes were very red. I sniffled helplessly, raising myself from the carpeted floor where I had curled up on a fetal position to rest.The pack bond was hurting now more than ever, and I placed my hand over my chest, wishing that I could somehow find a way to ease the pain.It was too much. Everything - from Leon locking me up in here in a guise to keep me, to the loss I felt from not being around my pack, and the pack bond that hurt so damn much. I felt like I was unable to do anything, and the feeling of hopelessness was welled up inside of me.I had