17 Learning

James returned feeling numb from the alcohol and his parents' words. It had clearly been a mistake to go to their house for refuge. They never cared for him, they only looked out for the Pack.

He stumbled through the front door and caught himself on the door handle. With shaking hands he shut the door and walked up the stairs. When he arrived at the library he caught the sharp scent of blood.

He surveyed his body but he knew that something was off with the scent. It wasn't a Lycan's blood, it was a human's. He walked slowly down the hallway to his right and his ears picked up a faint whimpering sound.

He wanted to shrug it off but the strong odour of blood made him change his mind. What if that Shapeshifter had come back and tried to kill her?

He didn't knock and instead clumsily opened the door. He heard her breathing and heart rate increase and he saw her small form on the bed.

He turned on the light and blinked at the intense brightness that enveloped him so suddenly. He walked over to the bed and ducked down. Her eyes were tightly closed and her teeth gritted as light whimpers left her shut lips.

"What's wrong now?" He asked tiredly and he watched her open her mouth to speak but instead a cry erupted from her and her fists clenched. He was reminded of the metallic scent of blood and he ripped off the sheets and blankets. After searching for a few seconds he saw no blood on her torso or legs.

He shifted his gaze down and then he saw a dark stain beneath her back. He flipped her and she yelled in pain. She curled herself into a ball only to draw more blood from the wound. Tearing her blue shirt that had been drenched by blood he saw a grisly sight.

Her small back was torn with long claw marks revealing her spine and torn muscles, not a Lycan's claws but another animal's. He could smell no other scent in the room and so he guessed it to be an old wound. The blood was fresh and not clotting, instead it dripped into the sheets in a steady pace.

It wasn't that he'd never seen blood or torn skin and ligaments before, his mate had been the head healer, he'd seen many compound fractures and the like. But it was the fact that this small human had such a wound. It was wrong, he realized. And in his slowed mind he noticed that because humans were so weak they needed to be protected.

With his thoughts distracted he'd forgotten about the current situation. The human was shaking and he could see that the blood flow had not ceased. He uncurled her limbs to which loud, pained objections were uttered.

He scratched his beard as he thought of what to do next. The blood was everywhere, cleaning it would be a disaster.

'Cleaning.' He thought, 'Cleaning wounds was what Lilla always did for Lycans so they could heal faster.' He watched the human for a few seconds. How fast would she heal?

He blew out a breath of unease and walked to the bathroom. He came back with a cold, damp cloth.

"I'm just gonna clean your wound." He said impatiently. He expected her to whine or complain in some way. He placed the cloth on her flayed back to which she hissed and whimpered weakly.

He sighed in agitation, "Stay still." He muttered as he held her by the waist. He then noticed how severely thin she was, there was almost no muscle or fat to her waist. He grimaced but redirected his thoughts to cleaning her back.

After a few moments of trying to dab away the blood he'd had enough, "You can't be so tense." He growled, pinning her waist down forcefully.

She stilled and though she didn't relax she let him finish in his attempt to clean her back.

Once her back was free of blood and stains there were only thin, jagged gashes remaining. He dropped the cloth in the bathroom sink and was about to head out of the room. But his nose picked up that bloody smell again.

He looked back at the small, shaking form of the human. Next to where she was lying on her stomach was a large patch of damp blood. He sighed and trudged over to the bed.

The effects of the alcohol were wearing off. Being a Lycan it was difficult to get drunk and stay drunk. All he wanted was to block out the memories and emotions.

He picked up the human and brought her out of the room. He carefully carried her in a way that her back was protected. She seemed to be still conscious but falling asleep. He brought her to one of the other rooms and set her down on the bed, on her stomach.

Massaging his forehead he walked back to his room and collapsed on his bed. Waiting till morning.

~~~~~~~~~~

I shifted beneath the sheets, it was freezing. I inhaled sharply as I attempted to wake myself up. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room. Panic surged in me when I saw unfamiliar rose coloured walls.

My hands clenched into fists as I began to search for an answer as to why I was here. My breath hitched with each inhale and more panic grew in me; if I couldn't breathe than getting out of here would be difficult.

I crawled out of the sheets, my feet fumbling to stay steady on the grey laminate flooring.

"Okay…" I breathed but I jumped out of my skin when I heard the door open. I turned quickly which made my head spin. I braced myself against a chest of drawers next to me. I swallowed and looked up to see a tall, dark, blurry figure in the doorway.

'El-kor…?'