Wounded Kiss (To Be Claimed 1)

I raise my hands to show her that I don’t mean her any harm. “You all right, little one?” I keep my voice as reassuring as I can, trying to calm her. She doesn’t answer. Her eyes dart to my hands then back to my face. The sound of her heart beating chaotically fills the small room it’s so damn loud, but she remains rigid and tense. Something about her expression has changed, though. She’s no longer a wounded animal; the hint of silver in her eyes sparks in a way that makes me aware she’s waiting to strike. She wants to fight me. As much as that thought makes my dick hard, this isn’t her challenging my worthiness as a mate. I wish that were the case. I’d pin her ass down so fast and fuck her ruthlessly till she had no doubt who she belonged to. But that’s not what this is. The smell of fear, not arousal, permeating the air is so strong it’s practically suffocating.

“Liz, you fell asleep in the tub, baby; we were just going to move you so you would be more comfortable.” Caleb slowly steps out of the tub as he talks to her, but Liz’s eyes don’t leave mine. She shows no sign that she’s heard him. I part my lips to say something, but I don’t know what the hell to say. She’s obviously scared out of her mind. She’s looking at me like I’m her worst enemy. What the hell did I do to put her on edge?

“Lizzie, you okay?” Still no response. If I could just touch her, then I could calm her down. I know I could. I could make her feel this connection, this electric pull between us. My thoughts give me the push I need to move toward her. Swallowing thickly, I slowly reach down with the intention of stroking her arm, but she silently rears back and scrambles to get away from me. I pull back and put my hands up again, showing her that I won’t reach out to her. The comforter restricts her movement as she struggles to get up. Her feet slip, caught up in the blanket and I’m too damn slow to stop her from bashing the back of her head against the spout.

She winces as both of her hands shoot up to cradle the wound on her head. The distinct smell of blood reaches me instantly. I reach down for her again, wanting to help her, needing to help her. I know that had to hurt. But as my large hand palms her chin she screams, kicking furiously against the comforter as her nails dig into my forearm and her teeth sink into the flesh of my hand.

“Fuck!” I pull back before her teeth release me, spilling more blood than necessary. Blood seeps from the two large scratches she left on my arm. I stare at them in surprise before turning my eyes back to her. My blood glistens on her lips and her sharp blue eyes stare back at me full of hate. My gut drops and I swallow the lump forming in my throat, which feels too tight to breathe. I can only hope that the look on my face conveys how torn up I am.

“Hey now, baby girl, you’re all right.” Caleb moves in front of me to catch Lizzie’s eye. She ignores him, continuing to stare at me with utter hatred. “Dom’s just trying to help you, baby.” He kneels on the tub without reaching for her. “It’s okay. I promise we aren’t going to hurt you.”

Her small voice hisses her words dripping with venom. “Don’t let him touch me.”

At her statement, I feel my soul shatter into jagged pieces as my wolf howls in agony. And then I hear something I shouldn’t. It takes me a moment in my despair to realize that it came from my mate. Caleb looks at me with disbelief, giving me confirmation that he heard it as well. I stare into those icy blue eyes and will her to speak again. She doesn’t, though. Her wolf is silent. But I know I heard her whine in pain.

Our mate’s a werewolf.

I scent the air, but I can’t smell her wolf at all. If Caleb hadn’t heard her also, I would be doubting my sanity.

I push Caleb to the side to stand in front of our mate. He doesn’t resist at all. He’s looking at her with a look of pure confusion. “Where’d your wolf go?”

A look of dread crosses her face. I see her swallow as she pushes her body as far away from us as the tub will allow. All traces of anger have dispersed, leaving only fear.

Staggered breaths leave her parted lips, and tears well in her eyes.

“Why are you so scared, little one?” I hold up my arm for her to see. “It’s okay. I’m not mad.” Her shoulders start rising and falling as her breathing becomes erratic.