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“Okay, well, I guess you have had worse pain to compare to,” Doc sighs before taking off his glasses and cleaning them.

The corners of his mouth droop with an unmistakable sorrow.

His whole body seems to lose its vitality, as if drained of the energy and vibrancy he displayed only moments ago.

The air around him weighs heavily, saturated with a sadness impossible to ignore. It’s suffocating.

“Emily,” he sighs, and I hold my breath, anxiously awaiting his prognosis. “The severe break in your leg resulted in extensive muscle damage and a significant infection. You were also suffering from acute dehydration.”

I swallow down my fear as best I can. “Will I be okay? Will I run again?”

“We removed most of the damage during surgery, and antibiotics will help clear out any remaining infection. I also had to re-break the leg and pin it in place to resolve the way it had healed in a misaligned manner. How long ago did you break it?”

“It was a while ago. A few weeks, but I’m not sure exactly. I’ve been in my wolf form most of the time since.” Jackson takes a deep breath, and Doc shoots him a look that I don’t understand.

“I’ll take out the pins tomorrow. You should be able to run again within a week. Avoid shifting during that time to allow your wolf to heal, too. I’ve already treated your other injuries, which were mostly superficial. They should be healed by now.”

The tightness in my chest eases, allowing me to take a deep, calming breath. A small, relieved smile blooms on my face. This is so much better than what I was expecting, judging from his serious expression.

“I… I don’t know what to say. That’s amazing. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me.”

As the overwhelming sense of fear and tension lifts from my shoulders, my vision becomes blurred.

Tears trickle down my cheeks, carrying with them the weight of all the built-up stress, leaving me feeling lighter and freer.

Almost like the tears possess a healing power, soothing away the remnants of anxiety.

I made it.

I’m safe .

It might be only temporary until I’m healed enough to leave again. But I did it. I got away from Aidan and for the first time; it looks like I might be okay. I might really survive this.

“You’re very welcome, Emily,” Doc says softly before taking a deep, steadying breath. He glances at Jackson before continuing. His tone stays soft, but his eyes harden. “What I’m most concerned about is your other injuries. Scans showed… older injuries. A lot of them. Fractures. Lacerations. Burn.”

It’s hard to focus on his words as the deep-seated shame I’m all too familiar with envelops me. A low, guttural growl reverberates from Jackson’s chest, like a warning sign echoing through the room.

The tension in the air becomes palpable, and I sense the mounting anger radiating from him.

It dawns on me why Doc had asked if I was comfortable with Jackson’s presence while he talked to me.

This is not an ordinary anger; it’s an intense fury that seems to consume him from within.

I don’t understand it, but it makes me want to curl in on myself.

“The number of old injuries I discovered on your scans, Emily, I’ve only seen before in books; on torture victims. But I could also see evidence of previous surgeries to resolve extensive injuries. I’m curious, where did you sustain these?”

I flinch when I hear Jackson’s thunderous growl beside me as he jumps to his feet. Is he angry at me?

“Who hurt you?” he asks. His voice is a ferocious snarl, directed at me. I flinch as fear coils around my chest like a venomous serpent, stealing my breath.

“Oh, uh, you know, here and there, it’s not a big deal,” I squeak.

I shrink down, uncomfortable under Jackson’s intense glare.

So similar to Aidan, right before he would let loose on me.

As I observe Jackson, the air intensifies with ominous energy.

His eyes flicker a golden amber color with a fiery ferocity, hinting at the monster lurking within. Not the wolf, it's the man I fear.

The metallic scent of my fear infuses the air, and I’m trapped with my leg in a cage. It’s not like I can walk out anymore. Oh Goddess, I’m stuck here surrounded by males I don’t know, as Aidan’s words ring in my head.

See, this is what you do, Emily. You make me angry. It’s your fault. You bring it on yourself. You force me to hurt you, it's the only way you'll learn.

My wolf purrs, trying to soothe me. She doesn’t seem afraid at all, but perhaps her intuition doesn’t work.

She also thought Aidan would be a good match for me at first. She believed him when he said we would be mates.

And she might not be afraid now, but I’m petrified.

My heart thunders in my chest. I’m cold and sweating and it’s getting harder to breathe.

My body is shutting down as I wait for the blows I’ve come to expect.

Because, as awful as things were with Aidan, I had learned to keep him happy more often than not.

I knew what set him off and how to act so that I wouldn’t make him mad.

I knew what made him worse when he was angry.

Don’t cry. Don’t beg. Accept the punishment and never, never try to fight back or run.

But Jackson is a complete unknown. I have no idea what will make things better or worse.

“Okay, okay, Emily, I need you to focus on my voice,” Doc says.

His voice low and deliberate. He moves his head to find my eye line rather than touching me.

“We’re going to take a slow breath in as we count to four.

That’s it, in two, three, four. Let’s hold it and now slowly let it out, two, three, four. ”

A few more rounds and I feel like I can breathe normally again.

“You don’t have to talk until you’re ready,” he soothes. His face is soft and at least he tries to mask his pity.

Jackson snarls, “You don’t have to answer now, but you need to start talking soon.” He strides towards the door, leaving and slamming it behind him. I wince, shrinking into myself. I couldn’t talk right now, even if I wanted to.

“You’re safe here, Emily,” Doc says, his tone calming yet resolute. “No one will hurt you.”

My brow furrows as I stare at him. “I… I’m pretty sure Jackson feels differently.” I know that anger well; the way his eyes darkened and he clenched his fists as fur sprouted from his arms. He was barely hanging on to his wolf.

“He’s not angry with you, Emily; he’s angry for you,” Doc explains in that soothing tone of his.

“Jack is the Delta. His role in the pack is to protect and defend, especially those who need it most. He takes his role very seriously.” I don’t know what to think.

The Delta in Blood Moon never spoke to me or even glanced at me.

He certainly never offered me protection, but at least he didn’t leer, I guess.

There’s that low bar again.

“Can I be alone, please? If it’s not too much trouble?”

“Of course, you rest. I’ll send in some food and a nurse will check in on you every couple of hours after that. There’s an alarm here; you can ring if you need anything,” he says, showing me the bell. “We won’t be far away. ”

I nod. Right now, I’m finding it difficult to even make eye contact. The soft thud of his retreating steps fades into the distance as he gently shuts the door behind him.

I’m so confused.

I thought Jackson seemed different from Aidan. The way he shielded my body and brought me for medical help. His actions made me feel like I wasn’t in danger here. Like maybe I could catch my breath and recover. But now I’m not so sure and I know I can’t afford to take any chances.

Damn it, I’m such an idiot.

I got taken in by his deep brown eyes and the way his strong arms held me as they carried me. And the way he stayed with me and helped me. Stupid, stupid Emily.

I need to be smarter than this. I can’t get caught up in far-fetched ideas about being rescued by handsome knights in furry armor.

I’m on my own, exactly like I always have been.