"Nothing's wrong mom, I'm fine … just tired, been a long day." I say pulling the blankets tighter over me.
"You forget that I'm a wolf I can sense when you're lying to me and you're lying! Tell me what happened Angel so I can help you." she says getting louder sounding like a strict mother, it makes me a little happy inside that she cares so much to actually want to know what's going on with me.
"You can't help me … no one can." I whisper to myself as a tear falls down and soaks into my pillow. I forget about her hearing.
"What? What does that mean? Talk to me please? Why are you so … closed off?" she says sounding sad she tries to turn me over but I shrug her off and pull my hoodie more over my head so it covers my face completely.
"I'm fine … just tired, please just leave me alone." I say quietly trying to make my voice not sound muffled from the tears that are soaking my pillow.
I hear her sigh then get off the bed and walk out the room but she doesn't close the door and I can hear her as she calls someone on the phone in the passage. My guess? Johnny …
I don't know why they don't use their pack link to talk to each other but I've got a feeling Alex wants me to hear her calling Johnny, she's acting like a real mother and I like it even though I got a feeling Johnny will be visiting me shortly.
"Johnny, you need to come home!" Alex says in an unnerved voice.
"Well I couldn't get through to you or the twins? Just listen to me Johnny, something is wrong with Angel, she's not herself and she seems distant. I don't know what to do … " she says panicking. There's another pause.
"I've asked her, she's lying to me. There's something wrong. I think she's hurt, but I don't know where and she doesn't want to talk to me." Alex sounds sad and it hurts me to hear her that way.
"See you soon … I love you." She says abruptly and I hear her walk into the room.
She doesn't say anything but sits on the bed behind me gently rubbing my back. I really wanted to tell her not to touch me, I just can't bare anyone's hands on me but I knew she was just trying to help so I ignore the pain and let her attempt to comfort me.
An hour and a half goes by and she continues to sit there without saying a word. She probably thinks I'm sleeping but she continues to gently rub my back not knowing how much pain I am in at the moment by her hand continuingly running over the cuts that hide under my shirt.
I hear a car outside, as the lights from the car flash through the windows on to the walls of my dark room. I hear doors opening and slam close then I hear the front door open and hurried heavy footsteps up the stairs in my direction.
I hear the loud footsteps as they entered my room and the light is switched on. I hold my the hoodie over my head as Johnny comes and sits on the bed in front of my stomach, he lifts his hands and I flinch.
"Baby girl … talk to me." he simply says and although he's not ordering me and I'm not a wolf yet that would bend to his Alpha command, I really want to tell him … but I cant.
"Angel, please, tells us what's wrong?" Talon says as he bends down in front of me, I can't see his whole body but I can see his chest through the gap I'm peeking through under the material covering my face.
I watch him lift his hand and I recoil as he places it on my wrist over my sleeve trying to move my hand from my face.
"Why did you do that? Talk to me!" Johnny shouts and I whimper.
"Please just leave me alone … I just want to be left alone." I beg them.
"Just tell us why you are acting this way!" I hear Tyler yell and it scares me hearing that coming from him.
"Please just - everyone get out!" I yell but I don't hear any of them moving.
"Angel, please." I hear Talon say softly close to me as he bends closer and pulls his face into my neck wrapping his large arms around me over the blanket that covers me. I flinch when he touches me and he senses it. I try to pull the blanket more but he grabs my wrist. I hear growls and Alex gasp from behind me.
"What is this? Who did this?" he grabs my wrist where the skin is still raw and looks at my bruised knuckles too.
"Oh my god!" Alex gasps behind me.
"Did you do this?" Johnny says pulling my blanket off my face, I squint as my eyes adjust to the bright overhead light in the room and try cover them with my hands but Talon grips my arms.
"ANGEL! What happened? Who hurt you like this?" Johnny yells making me recoil away from them.
Tyler comes running over, looking at my face and my hands, he pulls the blankets off me and lifts my shirt but I stop him before he can see anything.
"Tyler! Stop!" I yell. He places his hands on either side of my face as he looks my face over and whispers, "Who did this to you?"
"I … I don't want to talk about it … please." If they really knew what Drake did they would kill him. They most probably know I'm lying but they give each other a look and don't ask questions.
"Please just leave me alone, I'm exhausted, I just want to be alone to sleep please." I beg as tears fall down my face. Alex and Tyler have sad looks on their faces while Talon and my father are trembling with anger.
"Okay all of you out … NOW!" Alex shouts at the boys when they won't move. Eventually Tyler gets up and kisses my cheek as he leaves, my father gives me a gentle hug not saying a word but I can sense he is still angry. Talon approaches me and holds me in his arms gently and whispers against my ear, "I'm going to find who did this to you my Angel … .and I'm going to kill them." He kisses my cheek then says softly, "I love you." Before he walks out.
I roll over again and face the window not realizing Alex is still in the room.
"Why didn't you tell me? You should've told me honey, I would have helped you." she says dejectedly as she sits on the bed in front of me looking down moving the hair out of my face.
"I'm sorry." I say wiping away the last few tears.
"No. I'm sorry Angel, I should have protected you. I knew something was wrong when you walked in here the way you did but I didn't do anything!" she says blaming herself.
"Don't blame yourself; you didn't do this to me." I reach out and place my hand over hers.
"Where do you hurt sweetie? What did they do to you? Tell me so I can help you." She says pulling the blanket away from me.
"Mom … It hurts everywhere." I tell her as she lifts my shirt gently and takes a closer look at the bruising on my ribs. She helps me pull the jacket off and takes another look at the large footprint on my one side, there's blood on the back of my shirt where she was rubbing my back earlier. Obviously she opened the wounds unknowingly. She frowns as she moves to look at my back. She gasps and covers her mouth.
‘No … .no … Angel … please tell me they didn't … no." she says shaking her head in disbelief as she looks down at the strips of blood that have soaked through my cotton shirt.
I can't lie about this … the memory of how he violently whipped me is too fresh and the tears start falling from my eyes as I stare at her blankly. She takes this as my reply and she grasps and covers her mouth and she screams out loud "No … no...no!" then she kneels on the floor covering her face as she cries out hard rocking her body back and forth.
Johnny comes rushing in and runs to her side, I attempt to lift my battered body off the bed to get to her. I cry out as I eventually sit up straight and I notice the twins stepping into the room looking panicked just standing there frozen.
"What happened Alex?" Johnny asks her as he pulls her into his arms on the floor.
I pull myself off the bed but fall to my knees due to my body being too weak, I crawl to Alex before the twins can get to me.
She pulls me into her on top of Johnny's lap, he wraps his arms around both of us and Alex holds me close as she continues to cry. I touch Alex's shoulder gently as I tell her, "Please don't cry. I'm okay … please … stop crying." She is an emotional woman but I've never seen her cry this hard.
"Yeah Angel is fine, look at her … we need to be thankful she's still alive. Stop crying my love." Johnny tells her gently.
"Fine? No you are not! You are broken and I can see it in your eyes and I can hear it … your heartbeat doesn't beat as fast and lively as it used to … you all can hear that too, don't deny it!" She shouts at the twins and Johnny. "It's like you're not fighting anymore … you're giving up! How can someone destroy you like that? Whip you like an animal." She says covering her face crying again.
"Whip?" Johnny asks tensing, I watch as his eyes grow darker and it scares the living shit out of me. I slowly back away till I feel the base of the bed against my back.