LIFELESS BODY

Zeke's Pov

"Jannie?" Zeke cried out silently, holding her lifeless body in his arms. The blood was seeping out from her wounded neck, and he couldn't believe what he had just done. Zeke lost control and made a mistake that changed everything. He marked her.

"Please wake up!" Zeke whispered, but she did not respond.

He felt a pulse on her wrist and carried her into the bathroom. He wiped her neck before applying a bandage.

Zeke's thoughts raced as fear gripped him. He needed his Father to know what to do; he had to bring her home.

Zeke dressed both himself and Jannie before carrying her out to his car. Thankfully, the darkness and the empty street made it easier for them to remain unnoticed.

What would happen to her now? Had he condemned her to a cursed life as a half-wolf? Would his actions break them apart?

As he drove home, thoughts kept swirling in Zeke's mind. Upon arriving, he called his Father, giving him a vague explanation.

Zeke parked the car next to the house, and his Father, Yuri, hurried over to help him get Jannie inside.

"Take her down to the cellar," Yuri said. Zeke paused and replied, "The cellar?" His Father nodded in response.

"She's changing and will be out of control when she wakes up!" Yuri warned in a low voice. Zeke's heart pounded painfully against his chest.

"No, this can't be happening!" Zeke muttered as he carried Jannie down the stairs to the cellar. He gently placed her on the bed in one of the rooms where they used to confine young pups during their first shift, and he couldn't believe what was happening.

"It's okay, son. Everything will be alright. Remember, you have alpha blood; your mark will make her stronger than other half-wolves. However, she will need your blood to complete the change," his Father said, and Zeke gasped.

"What? I've never heard of that!" he exclaimed, and his Father sighed in response.

"After our conversation, I looked into all our options and found a reliable source. Normally, when humans are bitten by a werewolf, they undergo physical changes, including enhanced hearing, smell, and sight. Their bodies enter a rapid, heated state due to the venom, burning from the inside until they make their first transformation. Most half-wolves are compelled to shift during a full moon, losing all self-control and blacking out, unaware of their actions when they wake up. However, this can be managed. Jannie can learn to control her shifts if she drinks some of your blood during the change."

Zeke glanced at his Father and then over at Jannie. If there was any way he could make this easier for her, he had to try.

Zeke walked over to Jannie's side and bit his wrist, blood seeping out.

He pressed it against Jannie's half-open lips, ensuring she got it down her throat.

"Come on, there's no reason for you to stay down here with Jannie. She'll be too out of it!"

"No, Dad, I'm not leaving her alone; she needs me!" Zeke replied, and Yuri sighed.

"You can't help her ease the pain, son. She will scream and cry, and it can be too difficult to stand by and not be able to do anything!" He continued in a warning tone, but Zeke shook his head. "I'm staying!"

Jannie's Pov

A day later

The pain was the first thing Jannie felt when she regained consciousness. The sensation of burning up was unbearable. She opened her eyes, unsure where she was or how she ended up there. Jannie collapsed onto the bed, panting as another wave of heat washed over her. What was happening to her? Jannie groaned loudly, unable to control her body.

"Make it stop!" she screamed in complete agony, slipping in and out of consciousness, drenched in her own sweat.

"Jannie?" someone called to her from a distance, but she couldn't focus; her vision was blurry, and the pain consumed her.

"Make it stop!" Jannie cried out again, too weak to fight what was happening to her.

"Jannie?" She heard her name called again, but it felt too distant for her to grasp. She struggled to get air into her lungs.

Jannie screamed, lost consciousness, and then was jolted awake by her own screams, all while burning with fever.

She couldn't move from the bed, paralyzed by pain and unable to control the shakes that came and went. Was she in hell? Was this her eternal punishment?

"I can't take this anymore!" Jannie screamed, "Please!" she cried out, overwhelmed by the burning pain and engulfed by exhaustion.

Zeke's Pov

Zeke sat on the floor in the corner of the cell, watching Jannie writhe in pain, unable to look away. He had done this to her. Because of him, she was going through this, and it was his punishment to sit there and watch.

Tears streamed down his face as he cried with her, trying to call out to let her know he was there, but she was too far gone.

"Come on, Zeke, get out of here. Stop tormenting yourself!" Hazel said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Zeke hadn't heard her come in, but he wasn't going anywhere.

"No, this is my fault. I need to be here for Jannie, okay? I can't let her suffer alone," he replied, his voice shaking.

Hazel sighed. "She doesn't even know you're here, Zeke. She's gone and won't return until after the full moon." She tried to pull him up, but he resisted.

"No, get the fuck out!" Zeke shouted, and Hazel left the room, leaving him alone.

As Jannie began to scream again, Zeke couldn't take it anymore. He walked over, gathered her into his arms, and laid them down together.

"I'm here, Jannie. Can you hear me?" he whispered, desperately trying to break through to her.