Wolf or Love

Someone who was also going to ensure that he learned how to have ‘fun’, whether he liked it or not. She would bet he had never set foot in a bowling alley or a cinema. Well he would soon. And he would grumble the entire journey there, yes, she knew that.

Shit! Abruptly she felt a sharp tug on her ankle and suddenly she lost her footing, hit the ground hard, and struck the right side of her forehead on

the stone step. Motherfucker. Then it was as if she was floating as spots began to dance before her eyes and there was a deafening, high pitched

ringing in her ears. Everything was suddenly so distant and foggy, and it felt as though she was falling into a dream. She might have completely fallen into it right that second if there hadn’t been a sensation of two hands grabbing her ankles from behind and beginning to drag her down the stairs.

She wanted to fight that against that unseen force, she wanted to gain some purchase with her hands, but it was as if her body was disconnected

from her somehow, like her limbs weren’t there at all. Her vision had gone blurry, everything seemed to be spinning, and she felt as though she was

slipping away. Distantly she realized that there was a voice shouting something – her name? Abruptly her ankles were released and there was the sound of footsteps running away from her. There was more shouting and she recognised the voice. Gio, it was Gio. She tried calling his name but although her mouth formed the word, no sound came out at all. The shouting was nearer now, but she couldn’t focus on the words, couldn’t make out what they were – she was slipping away again. Her wolf was howling, panicky and scared, and urging Danica to fight that dreamy state. She tried, she really, really did, but things just became foggier and foggier. Then the blackness. came.

Gio reached Danica just before her body turned limp. He’d felt it the second she’d hit her head, felt just a hint of the pain, and he’d sensed it as the

dizziness rushed over her and almost took her under. Instinctively he had rocketed through the forest and took the steps three at a time to get to her. Panic had speared him as he called her name over and over but received no response.

“What happened?” asked Duda as he rushed over with the enforcers, apparently having sensed his anxiety and Danica’s pain through the pack link.

“I don’t know. Looks like she fell, hit her head, and passed out.”

“Is she breathing?” asked Donny.

Gio placed an ear to her lips. “Yeah, she’s breathing.”

“Nothing’s blocking her airway?”

He swept his finger into her mouth and shook his head. “No.”

“Good. Everyone move so he can take her inside.”

Duda winced. “Going by that bump on her head, she smacked the ground damn hard.”

Chris pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “But did she pass out, hit the ground then bump her head, or did the crack to the head cause her to pass out?”

Gio shrugged. “How the hell would I know? I wasn’t here.” He’d walked off toward the security shack and left her to make her way back to the caves by herself. The rational part of his brain told him that it wouldn’t have made any difference if he had been there. If she was going to fall then she

was going to fall and that was that. But all he could think was that his mate was hurt and he hadn’t been with her. At the door of the living area was a frantic Michey. “Lay her down and use something to elevate her legs so they’re above the level of her heart. It’ll help restore blood flow to the brain.”

With Chris’ help, Gio carefully placed her on her back on the rug and then gently rested her legs on the sofa. Ignoring Ray’s suggestion that he slap her to wake her up, Gio stroked a hand through her hair, willing her to wake. His wolf was growling and pacing, just as anxious and fretful as Gio was. If she had been anyone else he would said it was only a bump, calm the fuck down. But this was his mate, and bumps and black outs were just

unacceptable where she was concerned.

Quickly Michey came into the room with a bottle of spring water. “Dab some of that onto her lips.” Then she handed him an ice pack. “And place that over that ugly bump on her head.”

“It’s bruising already,” commented Andrew. “She’s gonna be pissed, walking round with that egg on her head.”

“Is she alright?” asked Lindy. She shrugged when all eyes widened and focused on her. “Not that I care. I’m just wondering.”

“Hi there gorgeous, you’re awake,” crooned Donny. Instantly everyone crowded around the sofa.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Too distracted by the realization that Danica had come round, Gio didn’t even shoot his enforcer a scowl for using an endearment with his mate.

“Hey, baby, you okay? You scared twenty years off my life.”

Damn that light was bright. Danica groaned as sharp, icy pains began shooting rhythmically through her head. Oh God, she wasn’t going to throw up, was she? She sure felt like it. Confused and dazed, she peered around her to see the entire pack hovering.

Michey pushed her way through the enforcers. “How’re you feeling?”

Carefully, Gio scooped her up and held her against his chest. Begrudgingly he allowed the stubborn woman to take over holding the ice

pack to her head. “You really fucking scared me.”

“Do you feel dizzy, honey? Disorientated?” asked Michey, biting her lower lip.

Was she kidding? “I blacked out, of course I do.”

“What about headaches. Do you have one? These are all signs of concussion.”

“A headache?” Gio pointed to the bump on her head. “What do you think?”

Michey rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. Keep that ice pack on that bump.”

“Can’t you heal it?” asked Andrew.

Danica shook her head. “Healers can’t heal themselves.”

“That’s okay,” said Michey. “I know a remedy that’ll clear that right up.

Ice, egg whites, and chocolate.”

“Huh?”

“I told you, chocolate is the answer, no matter the question.”

Ray frowned. “I thought that was sex.”

Duda bumped Michey aside, startling a hmph sound from her. She kicked him in the shin and then left the room – presumably heading to the

kitchen to mix up her weird concoction. Duda didn’t even flinch at the kick.

“So what happened? Did you fall?”

She frowned. Now that the haze had begun to clear, a very important detail struck her. “Someone…”

“Someone what?” pressed Gio, breezing his thumb along her jaw.

“It felt like someone grabbed my ankle.”

“There was no one there when I got there.”

“Someone grabbed my ankle,” she said with more conviction. “They grabbed it, and they pulled it to make me fall. Then I was being dragged down the steps.” She lifted her hands and stared at the burning abrasions on her palms. If the same burning and tingling coming from her elbows and

knees were anything to go by, she had similar abrasions there.

“That’s probably just from when you placed your hands out to break your fall.”

Duda took a closer look and shook his head. “No, those are scrapes… You can see where the skin was peeling like her hands were dragging along

the floor.”

“Okay, well maybe she slipped down a few steps.”

“I didn’t slip.”

Not liking what this could mean, Gio shook his head. He didn’t want to believe it. “Baby…No one here would hurt you.”

Her brow arched. “Oh really?”

“Spray painting your car is one thing -”

“What about LJ?”

“Who?”

“The raven. Someone killed him and hung him upside down outside my window. That someone is not balanced.”

Duda winced. “Yeah, that was some sick shit.”

He kissed the uninjured side of her forehead and scanned the room for Jeremy, intending to tell him to go ask Michey to make Danica a coffee. That

was when he noticed Hudson. “Hudson, what’re doing over here? Have you left the gate unguarded?”

He frowned. “I’m not on guard duty this morning.”

“You’re not?”

“No.”

“Chris is the one on duty,” Andrew informed him.

Gio’s frown now matched Hudson’s. “Gary said you’ve been trying to call me from the security shack.”

“I haven’t tried calling you at all.”

An uneasy feeling came over Gio. “Where’s Gary?” Looking confused and defensive, the guy stepped forward. “Why did you say Hudson

wanted to talk to me?”

Gary double-blinked. “I didn’t. I haven’t spoken to you all morning.”

“But you sent a message to my cell phone.”

“No.”

“Where is it?” demanded Duda. “Where’s your cell?”

Gary dug his hand into his empty pockets and shrugged. “I must have left it in my room or in the kitchen.”

“Well that’s convenient.” Duda marched out of the room with Donny and Andrew on his heels.

Gio switched his attention back to Danica. Suspicion was written all over her face. “They pledged their loyalty to you,” he reminded her, or

maybe himself.

“Not all of them.”

She was right, and he knew Theresa and Max disliked her enough to hurt her, he just didn’t believe for one minute that they had the guts to do it. Not only would they be very much aware that there was a strong chance Danica would kick their ass, but they would then be branded traitors and exiled. Theresa and Max didn’t have the nerve to take that kind of risk – which was partly why they acted so big and bad. As for Cindy…he suspected that the only reason she hadn’t offered her loyalty to Danica was because she was following Theresa’s lead, just like always.