Page 5 of Forcing Fate (Wildheart Pack #1)

Nora

I’m trapped somewhere between sleep and waking up, but I’m not mad at it. I want to stay here forever. I feel safe in this limbo, warm and protected. My wolf is oddly content too.

For a long time, I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way, and I don’t care either. All I know is that I’m surrounded by this all-consuming scent. I suck in another deep breath, wanting more of it in my lungs. It soothes something inside of me.

I wish I could stay here forever, but something is tugging at the back of my mind. Something that tells me this is all a lie. I’m not really safe here; no one protects me. I only have myself. That’s how it’s been for the last eight years, and that’s how it always will be.

Convincing myself something is wrong, I force my eyes to open. I blink a few times, taking in the unfamiliar ceiling I’m looking at. Panicked that I’m somewhere I’m not supposed to be, I sit up quickly. Pain shoots across my torso, but I ignore it .

Frantically, I scan the room, my eyes immediately landing on the person sitting in a chair next to the bed I’m lying in. Cole.

Oh god . A different kind of pain slices through me as I remember what happened last night. Cole and I… no . I don’t want to believe it, but when I rub my legs together, I can still feel him there.

I stare at him, fully expecting him to say something hurtful or mean, because that’s all I’m used to.

He doesn’t say anything, but his usual cold stare is replaced with something else completely.

Guilt. He looks at me with rueful eyes, asking for my forgiveness without saying a word.

I almost laugh. How could I ever forgive him for what he did to me?

Turning my face away from him, I reach for the aching spot on my neck. Before my fingers ever touch the mark he left, I realize I’m naked. Grabbing the blanket, I clutch it to my exposed chest.

“Why am I naked?” I blurt out.

“I just cleaned you up and tended your injuries,” he explains, as if that would make it any better.

“You had no right,” I say, anger and pain lacing my voice. We both know I’m talking about more than taking off my nightgown.

“I know I hurt you, and I can never take back what I did to you, but, Nora, we are mates. That changes everything.”

“Maybe for you,” I snap, clutching onto the comforter like it can protect me. “It doesn’t change the past, and it never will.”

“You won’t hate me forever,” Cole says hopefully.

“Are you sure about that?” He winces at my words .

“Nora… we’re soulmates. We’re bonded. I know you can feel it too.”

Ugh, Of course I can feel it. I feel it with everything inside of me.

The pull toward him is strong; my wolf wants to be near him, even closer than we already are.

The little distance between us feels wrong—we should be even closer.

I force those feelings down and remember all the pain he caused me.

All the times he hurt me and made me feel terrible about myself.

It helps, but it’s not enough to erase the longing for my mate, the pull that constantly tugs on my chest. Having him so close and not touching him is torture. I need to get away, far away from him.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I announce, desperate to put some distance between us.

Cole points toward the door behind him. “Do you need help?” He asks when I don’t get up right away.

“No, but I want something to wear.” There is no way I’m strutting around here naked. It’s bad enough he’s already seen me exposed.

Cole gets up from his chair and takes a step toward me. My whole body reacts. I sit up straighter. My heart beats faster, my skin tingles, and warmth pools in my core.

My reaction to him only intensifies when he reaches for the hem of his shirt and pulls it off his body. My eyes rake over his bare torso, taking in the scratches I left on his skin.

“Here, put this on.” He hands me his shirt, and I snatch it from him .

I know he is only giving me his worn shirt because he wants his scent all over me, but right now, I don’t care. I just don’t want to be naked anymore. Quickly, I pull the shirt over my head and let it slide down my body. The still-warm fabric engulfs me, and I almost moan. It feels so good.

Kicking the blanket off, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, noticing bandages on my feet. I stand up carefully. The bottoms of my feet hurt slightly, but the bandages protect them enough for me to walk to the bathroom with minimal discomfort.

I close the door behind me and immediately miss Cole’s presence. I curse the bond under my breath as I quickly use the toilet. When I’m done, I wash my hands and splash some water on my face.

Avoiding looking at my reflection in the mirror, I take in the bathroom instead. It’s bigger than my room. My eyes are drawn to the big claw tub right away. I would love to take a bath in it, but that would mean washing Cole’s scent off me, and my wolf is not ready for that yet.

I step back into the bedroom, and he is standing next to the chair, facing me. I straighten my spine.

“I want to leave,” I say firmly, even though the words feel wrong.

Cole frowns. “You know I can’t let you go.”

“So I’m your prisoner?” I snap.

“No. Of course not. If you want to go somewhere, I’ll take you,” Cole offers before asking, “Is there somewhere you want to go?”

The question catches me off guard. No one ever asks me what I want, and I haven’t had a choice in anything in so long I don’t even know what to think. Where would I go? I don’t want to go back home, but there is really nowhere else I can go.

Before I can come up with an answer, a knock on the door interrupts us. Cole crosses the room to open the door. Feeling exposed, I scurry back to the bed and take my spot under the blanket.

Cole closes the door and turns toward me, holding a tray in his hands. Only when he comes closer do I realize it’s food. My stomach growls in response. I’m starving. I barely got to eat any dinner last night. He brings the tray to me and places it on my lap.

My eyes go wide when I take in what’s in front of me. A big stack of pancakes, covered in syrup, is in the center of the tray, with a glass of orange juice on the side, but that’s not what I’m so shocked about. It’s the cupcake with a lit candle that has me stumped.

“I figured you turned eighteen today,” Cole says, as he takes the chair once more. “Happy birthday, Nora.”

I stare at the stupid cupcake, remembering the last time someone celebrated my birthday. It was my mom. She was the last person who wished me a happy birthday. My throat clogs up with emotions, and I have to blink some tears away.

“Thanks,” I murmur, before picking up the cupcake. I blow out the candle without making a wish, because I stopped believing in that a long time ago.

I peel the wrapper off the cupcake and take a big bite. It tastes even better than it looks. Sweet vanilla buttercream melts on my tongue as I chew slowly, wanting to savor the flavor.

Ignoring how Cole watches my every move, I finish the cupcake before picking up the silverware to eat the pancakes. They taste almost as good as the frosting. Despite being full about halfway through, I empty my plate. Who knows when I’m going to get my next meal.

When I’m done, I place the silverware on the plate. Cole takes the tray from my lap and places it on the bedside table. He settles back into the chair, and his eyes remain glued to me.

“I need you to tell me who put those bruises on you,” Cole demands.

I shouldn’t be surprised by his question.

I know mates are fiercely protective of each other.

Still, it’s hard to accept that he actually cares all of a sudden.

I think about lying or not telling him at all, but I’m pretty sure he won’t let this go.

Plus, I have no reason to hide the truth from him.

“My brother… mostly,” I reveal, trying not to recall how I got every single bruise on me. “Sometimes, it’s my sister and my parents.”

Cole takes a deep breath, as if he is trying to calm himself before he speaks again. “Your whole family has been hurting you.”

Nodding, I confirm his statement. He shifts in his seat, his hands are balled up in fists so tightly his knuckles are white.

“Six years ago, why did you really run into the forest?”

“I didn’t run,” I explain. “My father took me there.”