BITE {Discontinued}
Relive, Shutdown, Revive

Guadalupe wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

After she was driven back to Nox’s pack and her stab wound was treated, Guadalupe joined Aiko and shut down completely.

She couldn’t stop living through it; she couldn’t get out of that infinite loop no matter how hard she, her mates, or her friends tried.

-,-

Guadalupe gave no resistance, despite wanting to. Her newfound strength with Aiko was more than enough to overpower Mateo, but he not-so-subtly exposed his gun.

“A parting gift from my father.” He said as he showed the gun off, making a show to point it at Guadalupe’s head. “Oddly enough, the only bullets I could replace were silver ones. No importa. A bullet is a bullet.”

He grinned wickedly at her then, and Denise chuckled as she shifted gears.

Aiko whimpered, and Guadalupe could feel anxiety rising within her. “Silver bullets could kill me, Lupe.” She whined, and Guadalupe swallowed, but gave no response.

They were following a familiar route, and it didn’t take Guadalupe a second to know that they were going to the abandoned primary school; just like last time.

And if they were really going to kill her, it would take the stench of her decomposing body to raise an alarm.

She followed along silently as they stopped the car and yanked her out. Only the sound of their shoes against the worn out tiles and the wildlife who made their home echoed through the halls of the abandoned school.

With the barrel of the gun pressed against her back, Mateo nudged her into the bathroom at the end of the hall. Guadalupe didn’t even bother to question their choice of room.

Mateo stood with his back facing the door, and Denise stood on her other side with her usual sneer on her face, leaving Guadalupe’s only free spots the bathroom stalls and the sinks. They would easily be able to block her though.

The gun cocked.

Guadalupe faced Mateo and stared at him, her face blank despite how terrified she felt.

“Let’s get this over with, yeah? We have somewhere to be.” Mateo flashed a flirty grin at Denise, who no doubt fluttered her eyelashes like a horny schoolgirl.

Her eyes zoned in on his trigger finger, and the second it moved, Guadalupe ducked.

A shot rang out, and Denise screamed.

Crouched low, Guadalupe ran towards Mateo, shoving her body against his and sending his back into the door. Another shot rang out, and the sound of a body hitting tile reached her ears.

Mateo screamed. Guadalupe tried to shove past him, but he turned murderous eyes on her. His free hand wrapped around her throat, and he placed the searing hot barrel against her temple.

He spoke no words. Just screamed. The maelstrom of anger and anguish on her face rendered Guadalupe dumb, making it easier for Mateo to overpower her and shove her to the ground.

Once Guadalupe realized his intentions, she began to struggle, and he backhanded her with the gun.

“You know,” he began, his voice low and thick, “I was always understanding with you. You didn’t want to give me what I wanted, and I went for it elsewhere. But now... now I’m going to just take it.”

With a strength she didn’t know he had, he ripped her leggings and her underwear off. Guadalupe began to struggle even more and gave into her tears.

Mateo wasn’t having any of it. He cocked the gun and pressed the barrel against her forehead, with the ugliest snare on his face. “Shut the fuck up!” Mateo screamed, and Guadalupe stiffened in fear.

Then he broke her, and snatched her innocence away.

Guadalupe wanted to scream; she wanted to cry; she wanted to fight. But the sheer rage painted on his face and the gun full of silver bullets rendered her stiff.

Aiko roared her anguish in her mind, and Guadalupe wished so badly that she could comfort her. But that was hard to do when your ex was forcing himself on you in the most brutal way.

Her torture was over before she realized.

Her brain was cynical. ‘For a man who boasts about his libido, he sure does come quick.’

The moment his weight lifted off her, Guadalupe curled in on herself and mourned.

-,-

“Baby, come back to me.” The pained voice of one of her mates reached her ears. She only had strength to open her eyes and focus them on him.

Nox looked worn and broken, and Guadalupe only had herself to blame. Not only did he have a pack to run, but his mate had shut down and refused to speak, move, or eat.

His hand was warm against her cheek, and she couldn’t stop the tears that rushed out of her eyes. Her body began to shake once everything crashed over her again.

She was kidnapped by her ex, with the intention of murder and body harvesting.

She unintentionally killed one of the people she once thought of as a friend.

She was raped by her ex.

And her wolf had completely closed herself off, and Guadalupe was scared because she couldn’t feel her anymore.

Nox engulfed her in his warmth, holding her close to his chest as she wept bitterly. His hands clenched into fists, and Zev howled in sorrow.

‘I want to bring him back to life just so I could kill him again.’ He thought angrily as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Just then, Hades entered the room, a steaming mug in hand. “I want to try again.” He simply stated, and Nox sighed, but nodded.

Hades sat near Guadalupe’s feet, his dead heart aching at her cries. He could easily breech her mind, and erase all of those memories that plagued her; but she was his iubit.

He loved her; respected her. And without her permission, it would be invasion of privacy; something he learned was very important to the female specie.

It took almost an hour for her cries to stop, and they were almost certain she had fallen asleep again. The liquid had already gone cold, but no matter its temperature, its effects would be the same.

It was a concoction Hades had the mages of his kingdom create. It would strengthen her and the wolf and pull them out of their depressive state.

James and Keon had told them the words Guadalupe sputtered out as they tried to stop her bleeding. Both Hades and Nox were enraged, even setting fire to the building. Of course, Hades made sure that damage control was done.

Knowing what they knew, Hades and Nox were sure that the loss of her virtue was one of the reasons their mate shut down.

As much as they wished one or the other were to do the honors, it was something that they couldn’t change; something that they would have to live with.

It didn’t make them want her any less, but it seemed that that was what hurt her the most.

Guadalupe sneezed and let out a low groan, and they knew she was still awake. Hades moved up to her other side, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.

“Draga mea,” Guadalupe hummed softly, and Hades turned her gently to face him, holding out the mug. “Please?” He whispered, and Guadalupe glanced between him and the mug, looking uncertain and distraught.

Hades was going to break his promise to himself; he was going to beguile her, but her shaky hand emerged from under the sheets and gripped the handle.

Nox and Hades were quick to help her into a seating position, and support her as she drank. The more she drained the mug, the less she shook; she looked stronger once she drank everything.

“Do you have more?” Guadalupe asked in a small voice, and they sighed with relief. Hades smiled and kissed her forehead. “Yes I do, draga mea. I’ll go get it for you.”

Guadalupe wound up drinking four cups.

She got out of bed on her own for the first time in nearly three weeks. She showered, went outside, and sat on the grass.

She still hadn’t heard from Aiko, but she could feel her now, and that was good enough for her.

They both needed time to heal; to come to terms with what happened.

Guadalupe sat there, staring at nothing in particular, relishing the sun and breeze and the scents around her.

A hand wrapped around her shoulder and she instantly knew who it was; she leaned into them, rubbing her cheek against their shirt.

“I’m sorry.” Guadalupe whispered, and Jamie tightened his arm around her. “Don’t ever be.”

They sat in silence for what felt like an hour, and each minute that passed brought Guadalupe closer to tears, until she gave into them. Jamie was quick to fully embrace her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“They don’t want me anymore!” Guadalupe sobbed, and she was pulled away. “You and I both know that’s far from true, Ada.” Jamie said calmly, already sensing the approach of her mates.

Guadalupe shook her head wildly. “It is! Why would they? I couldn’t even fight him! And he was just a human. What if this happened with a werewolf? Or a vampire?”

Jamie had nothing to say; he didn’t expect her to argue that. “See? I’m right.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that we do still want you.” Guadalupe turned at the sound of Nox’s voice. “Or the fact that we failed to protect you in the first place.” Hades said, coming to stand next to him.

“If anyone should be upset, it should be us. We failed you, bella.” Nox crouched to her level, a sad look on his face. Guadalupe shook her head.

“No you didn’t. You saved me.”

Hades scoffed. “Not from everything.”

Guadalupe pursed her lips. It was true; but she didn’t blame them. And she voiced her thoughts. It was met with a shake of the head and a kiss on both cheeks.

Nox and Jamie went off together, and Hades remained with her.

“You know draga mea,” Hades began after a few minutes of silence, “I could erase your memories.” Her head snapped towards him, and he shrugged. “If you want.”

Guadalupe’s thoughts began to race. She could be rid of it; could be rid of any memory she no longer wanted.

“No.” She finally whispered, and met his eyes. “I’ll live with it.”

Hades’ eyes softened, and he reached out, brushing a thumb against her cheek. “You don’t deserve the pain it brings you, dragostea mea."

"I guess I don't, but," she sighed, weaving her fingers through the blades of grass and tugging upward. "It reminds me that I'm alive. And pain is a part of life."

Hades smiled fondly, but Guadalupe didn't notice. "I guess you're right, dragostea mea."

Her mouth opened, but she snapped it shut. "What is it?" Hades asked, and Guadalupe twirled the uprooted grass in her hands.

"C-could you try to reach Aiko?" she asked in a small voice, and Hades tilted his head. "Is that your wolf's name?" Guadalupe nodded at his question, and Hades smiled.

"I'll try my best. May I?" Guadalupe scooted closer, and his cold fingers pressed against her temples.

~This chapter title feels stupid, but I couldn't think of anything else... :3~