Chapter Twenty-Five: Broken Ribs and A Sweet Mission

Evelyn:

Humming in the kitchen, I was preparing some food for the engagement party. The Beta wolf was just as important as the alpha, so a party was necessary. Hudson wrapped his arms around my waist, everyone was still on edge. The horror of my kidnapping broke me, the very thought of another wolf attacking me sending chills up my spine. My magic was still not there, the last couple of days breaking my limits. Exhaustion weighed on my eyelids, a yawn pouring from my lips. Of course it didn't help that a clicking noise echoed in my ears with each simple movement, sighing even proving difficult. My muscles still ached, ultimately proving to me that I was not up to my duties. No one needed to know, so why tell them. Why did I have to get downgraded to a normal werewolf? This sucked being a normal werewolf, his lips brushing against the nape of my neck. Snuggling my head into his neck, the light bounced off of my bouncing knife. There was simply no time for this, so much work was ahead of me. No rest for the wicked they say.

"How about we get out of here to go get the cake?" He whispered huskily, holding my bump. "Latia will finish up. You basically already finished." Rolling my eyes, he knew that wasn't true. Latia skipped in, shoving me out of the way, her gentle smile pissing me off for no reason. Perhaps it was the malicious intent behind her smile, or was it that she was taking the job entitled to me. Either way, my inner wolf was on edge today. Calm down girl, I told my wolf. Shaking her head, she refused to relax in the slightest bit. Grayson shooting me an apologetic glance, Hudson ushering me out. Spinning on my heels, a snarl curled on my lips. A fever burned my cheeks, his arms catching me. Why did I have to be so pathetic right now? Tears welled up in my eyes, a cry of raw pain wanting to escape my lips.

"I am taking you out so you don't have to do everything. Honestly, I just want to take care of you." Hudson explained calmly, clammy sweat soaking my skin. "You are seriously injured and should be taking it easy. Please do that for me. We all love you Evie." Gritting my teeth, the stubbornness of my wolf was yelling at me to get back to work. Pressing my forehead into his chest, he was right. What good would I be if I was put out of commission. Gripping his shirt, an electrical jolt of pain jolted my body. Twitching in his arms, something felt off. Why couldn't I pin the cause? The trouble wasn't here, but maybe where we were heading. Holding me tighter, silent tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Fine, let's go get the cake." I growled through gritted teeth, his grin growing wider. "You win." Scooping me into his arms, he carried me out to my car. The toasted looking hood taunted me, my fists clenching. When was I going to even have time to fix that damn hood, and paint it with the necessary level of perfection. Lightning, I hate lightning. Groaning in subdued agony, my list just kept getting longer and longer. I could just picture it now, the scroll never ending. Setting me down in the passenger's seat, my black sweater dress hugged my curves perfectly. His black t-shirt hugged his broad chest, his scent relaxing my tense muscles. For some reason his arms were slightly bigger, a bit of drool falling from the corner of my lips. Wiping it from my lips, his face beamed with pride. Guiding my hands to his muscles, my thighs rubbed together. Stop teasing me, you idiot. Keep it up, or you won't have any clothes on your body in a few minutes. Biting my lips, he leaned closer to me. His handsome face was inches from mine, his cock stiffening in his jeans. Reaching for his cock, a small gasp escaped his lips as I cupped him thick girth.

"I see you have noticed my muscles." He bragged hungrily, running his other hand up my thigh. "I figured I should get into shape for the next fight. I want to be able to protect my family and my you. God damn these desires, my wolf has been driving me insane for the past couple of days. I am sorry." Smiling tiredly to myself, my hands cupped his face. Pressing my lips against his sensually, his body pressed against mine. Both of our wolves were begging for it, an irritated Latia yelling at us from the porch. What a buzzkill! At least let us have a bit of fun. Rolling my eyes, Hudson straightened up. Whining sadly, a pout formed on my lips.

"Quit attempting to pork each other, and go get the stuff I told you to go get." She teased playfully, winking at us. "Seriously, get a move on. You only have until five to get it back to me." Saluting his sister, his trembling hand clicked my seat belt. A soft whine tumbled from my lips, the car shifting as he plopped down into the driver's seat. Sticking out his tongue, Latia waved her spoon around with frustration.

"At least I get some." He called lewdly out his window, a triumphant grin brightening his face. "Unlike you. I never hear Grayson and you going at it." My eyes widened at his insult, sliding down into my seat. Covering my eyes, he peeled out of the driveway before her verbal counterattack reached us. A sense of freedom washed over him, the trees flashing by our window. A thump in back alarmed us, Grappy sitting in the back. Reading a book on pregnancy, he glanced up at me. Embarrassment burned his cheeks, tucking the book underneath his leg. The nervous grin on his face told me that he did not expect to be there, a sense of relief washing over me. His energy gave the car a calming sensation, but not all of us felt like that.

"Sorry, my magic is out of whack since the fight from my brother, and I was just wondering if you were okay. I guess I brought myself to you." He laughed nervously, Hudson looking seconds from ripping his head off. "I was just reading the only werewolf pregnancy book in the whole house, and it says your wounds won't heal as fast the further along you are. Could you stop injuring yourself? I really like you, my friend. Also please listen to me, I am your guardian angel after all." Confusion dawned on my face, wondering why he was reading up on that subject. Smiling to myself, the action of him reading was either he was bored or actually cared for me. Wait, weren't his wings still broken, my face paling. Bloodsworths was going to kill me, today was Grappy's day off. The image of his fangs ripping out my throat scared the shit out of me, my fingers playing with the hem of my dress.

"Okay, thanks." I uttered simply, touching Hudson to calm him down. "Could you like zap back now, so your boyfriend doesn't kill me?" Shaking his head, guilt dimmed his eyes. Clearing his throat, he was thinking of what to say. Hudson's hand gripped mine tighter, his strength seconds from crushing from my hands. If this was going to continue my hand would be a bag of shattered bones, Grappy ready to break his arms for me. A dark cloud hung over the boys, my mind wondering how to fix the problem.

"I kind of have no powers for another day." He stammered nervously, Hudson's grip only getting tighter. "Sorry. But let's have some fun." Crying out in pain, Hudson released my hand. Black and blue covered my hand, guilt softening his face. Pulling my sleeve over my hand, my attention turned back to Grappy. Smiling warmly in his direction, vulnerability hid behind his confident smile. A lump formed in my throat, the distant look on Hudson's face scaring me. Awkward silence sat between us, relief washing over us once we reached the bakery. A heavy oppressiveness weighed down my chest, a migraine beginning to throb. Something was wrong, my wolf told me to run away. Ignoring her, the disappointed look on Latia's face made it impossible for me to listen to her. The pink walls and white accents made me want to throw up, the bell ringing as we walked in. Something was off, the inside completely destroyed. Scanning the floor for blood, none was to be found. The disgusting scent of stray dogs wafted up my nose, terror widening my eyes. There were three different scents with us, my lips parting to speak. Pots and pans clanged in the kitchen, drawers dropping to the ground. Sprinting back towards the door, the lock turned on its own. Growls rumbled in the kitchen, three rogue werewolves charging at us. Tossing a chair at the one closest to me, the wooden chair shattering on his muscular chest. Bones cracked all three of them transforming into white wolves. My wolf wouldn't transform, a white paw smashing into my broken ribs. The crack of my bones shattering broke the chaos, a scream bursting from my lips. Collapsing to the floor, my eyes scanned the room for silver. Hudson and Grappy fended off the wolves, silver cake cutters glistening on the counter. Crawling over to the counter, claws tore my back up. Ignoring the blood soaking my back, my fingers wrapped around the handle. There was no way this was my way out, breathing getting harder by the second. The smell of burning skin nauseated me, slamming the server into the wolf's brain. Ripping it out, blood covered my face. Brain matter dropped to the floor, my breakfast ten seconds from visiting me once more. The large wolf dropped to the ground, my wrist flicking it towards the wolf about to eat Hudson's face. Thanks dad for teaching me to hunt, forming a cross on my chest. Everyone stared back at me, my bloody hand print smearing the glass as I struggled to stand. Horror widened my eyes, the cake server quivering from its forehead. A single stream of blood poured from the wound, the only white wolf smashing into me. Raising my arms in defense, its claws tearing them up. Blood pooled underneath me, blood coating my face. Crawling away, shards of wood sat inches from me. A large white paw smacked my arms away, slamming its paw into my shattered ribs. As if they could take anymore damage, the pieces probably floating around veins at this point. Ignoring the pain, I had to get that fucking piece of wood. You are a hunter! You are a werewolf, I told myself in an attempt to end this situation. Reaching for the wood, Hudson leapt into the air above him. Wrapping his arms around its neck, the crack caused me to cringe. Laying still on the floor, my body refused to let me move. Everything hit me at once, a broken groan escaping my lips. The light turned on, a blonde woman screaming and dropping her keys. Scooping me up, they ran out of the store before the police showed up. The engine roared to life, our tires screaming away from the scene. Red and blue lights flashed by us, a sigh of relief pouring from all of our lips. The brakes screamed to a halt at the entrance of a small town. The afternoon sun blinded me, Hudson fussing over me as he took me out of the car. Setting me down on a rough stump, tears welled up in his eyes. Taking off his t-shirt, Hudson wrapped it around my arms. Grappy snapped his fingers, nothing happened. The two of them attempted to stop the bleeding, a shiver running up my spine. Blood soaked my dress, my fingers pointing to the grocery store down the street. Disbelief dawned on their faces, the two of them facepalming themselves.

"I need you to go in there and get a cake with this written on it." I wheezed, coughing up the most blood in my life. "Latia will kill us if we don't succeed. Besides, I am not going to die. Jesus Christ." The two boys began to protest, my death glare sending them in. Stumbling to my car, my trembling hands barely opened the door. Laying on my seat, a knock alerted me. Theros waved at me, holding a medical bag. The umbrella barely covered him, a white doctor's coat over his black dress shirt and dress pants. Opening the door, he passed me a piece of leather. A large stitching needle sat in his palm with medical grade wire. Lifting up the back of my dress, the piece of leather dropped onto my lap. Screams of pain exploded from my lips, his nimble fingers stitching my gashes shut. Teardrops flooded from my lips, him passing me a brand new black dress.

"You may wear that once we get you all cleaned up." Wiping down my back, he moved onto my arms. "I promise to take care of you as I live. Try to calm down, you are in public after all." Narrowing my eyes, I snatched the needle from him. Who was he to tell me to calm down, the fucking bastard. Placing the leather in my mouth, my trembling fingers struggled to stitch my wounds on my arms. Shaking his head, Theros took over. Refusing to look at him, he finished up real quick. The stitches burned, the pain not even comparing how my body felt. Wiping me off my arms, he turned his back so I could get dressed. Tossing the black lace Victorian dress, the hem of the dress floating by my knees. The long sleeves covered my stitches, my shattered ribs clicking with every movement. Passing me a toothbrush with a dot of toothpaste, his stern gaze made sure I brushed my teeth. Blood mixed with the toothpaste on the ground, Hudson nearly dropped the cake at the sight of Theros tending to me. Waving at them, Grappy looked rather displeased. Why couldn't the two of them not get along? Cupping the sides of my head, today was going to last forever. Alone, I wanted to be alone.

"Hello, Theros." Grappy choked out in an agonizing tone, wanting to be my hero all of the time. " I see you cleaned her up." Smiling weakly at them, my hands waved around. A lump formed in my throat, not wanting to see them fight. Wait a minute, did they let him go in there without a shirt. Focus, I yelled at myself. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, this passive aggressive behavior was not going to fly.

"I am allowed to have more than one brother figure in my life. Besides, don't I look pretty considering what happened. My ribs are shattered so that's fun." I joked lightly, Theros baring his fangs towards Grappy. "Simmer down, fangboy." His face softened, Hudson setting the cake down in the back. Hudson fist bumped Theros, Hudson and him were almost like brothers themselves at this point. Offering my hand to Grappy, he ruffled the top of my head. Leaning on the top of my head, he waved over at Theros. The two of them stiffened, my vision blurring once more.

"I love you all in your own special ways. I am just happy to have friends." I continued sweetly, all of them relaxing. "Theros, I will see you in a couple days for playtime with Miss Ruby. You will get your own time then. This jealousy needs to stop, it is pissing me off. All of you know how scary I can be when I am mad. So shut up and just let me suffer silently." Embracing Theros one last time, my lips mouthed the words thank you. Scooting over to the passenger seat, the detail cleaner was going to have a hell of a time cleaning my poor car. Grappy hopped into the back, holding the cake icily. Climbing out of the passenger seat, a weak grin met my face as I sat down next to him. Hudson rolled his eyes, my head resting on his shoulder.

"You don't have to keep worrying about us fighting anymore." He sighed tiredly, his outfit all torn up. "Theros and I will work it out. I don't want you to hurt anymore. Maybe when I am at full battery I can heal your ribs, but until then take some bed rest. I will strap you to the bed if I have to." Chuckling to myself, he really was a handful.

"Okay, dad." I joked happily, coughing up a bit of blood. His face flushed red, every laugh just about breaking my ribs. Hudson smiled back at me, his hand reaching for mine. Taking his hand, this felt amazing. At least for the first time in my life I had too many friends fighting over me, and the best husband in the world. My father would really love everyone, and my heart ached for him.