Her Forever
Chapter 35

Sadie

My body felt heavier than cemented bricks in an old, ancient home. My body ached in places I never knew could possibly ache. I tried to lift my eyelids, but even they seemed to be too heavy to withstand the force gravity was pulling on them.

I could hear small whispers in the room speaking, but my voice seemed to be lost, as well as the rest of me.

“She will wake up soon, Alpha. She lost a lot of b***d between the vampire, and you were trying to get any sort of venom out,” the voice spoke with certainty. This must be the doctor. “It looks like he did not put forth any venom because she did not change, so there was no bond created. Our Luna is a fighter.”

“That she is,” I heard Seth speak. “It looks like she put up quite a fight. When will the bruises heal?” Bruises? It must be from the horrible struggle with Drago.

“In a few weeks time, Alpha. She’s human, so healing takes a bit longer; they are a bit more fragile.”

“She is far from fragile.” I could feel his hand stroke my arm, and I could instantly feel my body relax again. The aches and pains seem to lessen, and I light out a quiet sigh.

“Alpha, more time spent with her will help her heal and wake up. The b***d transfusion is complete, and she is just taking IV fluids for any dehydration. We can have her moved to your room in the pack house.” The doctor said as I heard the door shut.

I tried to wake up, to let Seth know I was OK, but I was stuck in between a dream and a conscious-like state. His breathing, his presence. I could feel it all, but I could not see his face or make my way to touch him. This was getting beyond frustrating as I tried to yell out for him. A small grunt left my throat. I couldn’t even open my mouth in protest.

“Sadie, Love, sleep. I’m here and not going anywhere.” Seth put his hand on my forehead as he kissed my cheek. My body automatically tried to lean into his hand, and I quickly fell asleep again.

***

I walked up to a small meadow, watching several children play. The sun was shining, and there were only a few clouds in the sky. The wind was gentle and blew my hair in front of my face. Slightly giggling to myself, I saw the children look at me with curious eyes. I waved slightly at them, and they beckoned me to follow.

I started walking towards them, and they only walked further away from me as if starting a game of chase. Running and skipping, I gained on them. There was a giant hill, and as they descended the other side, I could no longer see them. Reaching the top, I saw that the sun had set on this side of the meadow, and only the full moon was showing.

The lake below reflected the moon, only giving the surroundings a more ethereal glow as the fireflies flickered in the night. Not looking back, I descended the hill to the lake and stopped at the water’s edge. I dipped my bare feet into the water, only to replace it chilly. It felt good on my feet as I walked deeper into the clear pool.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” an an ethereal voice spoke behind me. I twisted around to look for the voice to replace a woman dressed in hunting gear of tight slacks with a white button-down shirt. The arrows and bow were placed upon her back, as well as a small dagger by her side. She also had baby’s breath adorned in her hair. She didn’t scare me; in fact, I felt comfortable in her presence.

“Yes, it is,” I murmured. “It is certainly peaceful.” I smiled.

“That it is.” she walked closer to me and entered the water to stand with me. She put her hand on my shoulder, and I could feel the warmth from her hand.

“You have been through a lot, Sabrina.” My head snapped up to her face. She truly was beautiful. Her hair was a chestnut brown, and her eyes were green as the grass of the meadow. She chuckled and spoke to me again. “Yes, your name truly is Sabrina, but I have a feeling you will keep Sadie as your name. It suits you better.”

My mouth was agape, and I wasn’t sure what to say. “May I ask, who are you?”

“I am Artemis, goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and wild animals,” she spoke angelically.

Frozen in my awe of the situation, I didn’t know if I should bow or beg at my feet for her mercy. Artemis started laughing and put her hand on my cheek.

“My dear, you worry too much.” She laughed. “I’m just here to check on you. Normally, my sister Selene visits with her paired mates in time of need, but you have certainly given her a few extra jobs.”

“Extra jobs? I don’t understand.”

“You helped Nathan, and you convinced your mate to spare his life so that he could replace his own mate. Nathan was never given a mate. Selene thought your mate would for sure kill him, but you certainly proved her wrong, which is hard to do, by the way.” She took her hands from my shoulder and pulled out her blade to play with it.

We walked out of the water and headed towards the forest to the north of the lake. As we walked, the children in the distance would wave, laugh, and giggle towards us. As we neared the forest, some children changed into small animals and hopped in the underbrush. Some turned into rabbits, squirrels, and even small chipmunks. They danced around logs and hid in small holes on the ground.

“Nathan will have a mate now?” I said excitedly.

“Yes, he will. Selene had fun pairing him up with someone else you helped save.” She laughed as she stepped over a log.

I thought a moment to think of who else I could have helped, and then it came to me like a wave crashing the shoreline. “Diana?” I whispered. Artemis laughed.

“Yes, they will make quite a pair. Be prepared to help them along their journey. They are certainly going to need it.” Artemis flipped the blade in her hand and threw it and hit a tree 10 yards away.

“Why would they need help? The bond will help them, won’t it?”

“A bond is a bond. It helps them be attracted and want to be together. That doesn’t make their problems go away, however,” Artemis spoke bluntly. “Nathan’s poor choices will come back to haunt him, as well as Diana’s loyalty to her new family will cause the pack some trouble. I think you will help manage it, though.”

I kicked a few stones in front of my path and sighed. “I’ll do anything to help them be happy,” I said with a smile. “They deserve it.” I bent down and picked up the small chipmunk that hopped over to me and sat on my foot.

“Will I ever get my memories back?” I looked at Artemis’ tall figure. The thing that puzzled me the most was my memories. Were my parents alive and looking for me? Will I remember them at all? How was this all going to play out?

“Afraid not, Little Fox,” she nudged me while I laughed. “You will learn the truth in time. New memories will be made.” Artemis put her hand on my shoulder, and we both stopped walking.

“It’s time for you to go back. Just know you are special, and others are watching over you. You were never alone, and you will never be alone ever again,” speaking with sincerity.

“Thank you, Artemis.”

Just as quickly as she came, she was gone, and the moon dimmed as I felt myself coming back into the light of the conscious world.

****

I quickly blinked my eyes to help adjust to the light beaming into the darkroom. The sun must have just risen because I could hear the faint sound of birds tweeting outside the window. Fall was here, and the wind blowing and tapping on the window helped me stir from my long slumber.

My body still felt heavy, but I could move my limbs, but when I sat up, I felt a colossal weight across my waist. I turned my head to see Seth’s head in the crook of my neck, breathing softly while nuzzling me absentmindedly. Feeling my face warm at sight, I turned my body, so my front was flushed with his.

He didn’t have a shirt on, and I could take a moment to admire his tattoos once again. I don’t know why I found them so fascinating, but I couldn’t help but trace his tribal tattoos around his arms. Minor bumps erupted across his skin, and I smiled. Feeling a deep rumble within his chest, I looked up at him, expecting to see his eyes open. They were still closed, and I giggled when he tightened his hold on me.

“Seth, I need to use the lady’s room,” I said, using my sing-song voice in a whispered tone. He just grunted and held me closer. “Easy Wolfie, I have some bruises still,” I winced. Seth’s eyes widened, and he took his hand to brush the hair out of my face.

“Sorry, Love. Let me help you to the bathroom. You’ve been out for a while.”

“How long?”

“Two days,” he sighed with frustration. He quickly picked me up with one arm through my legs and another behind my back and walked me to the bathroom. He set me down on the toilet and stared at me like he was expecting something.

“You can’t stay here, and I’ll be fine! I need some privacy!” I laughed.

“I’m not having you out of my sight, and I told you that.” He crossed his arms and stood his ground with a slight smile on his face. I stared him down and folded my arms, showing him I would not budge either. After a few minutes, he gave up and left the door cracked.

“Thank you!” I squealed. Once I had done my business, I figured it was best for me to take a shower and clean up. I’m sure I stunk and needed a good brushing of hair and teeth. As soon as I turned on the shower, Seth barged into the bathroom, looking upset.

“You can’t take a shower on your own; you could slip and fall,” he stated. I looked at him blankly, like he lost his mind. “I’ll shower with you.” He took off his pants, but the only thing I could think of were the bruises that may lie underneath my clothes. With memories rushing back to me of that terrible night where Drago touched me, I couldn’t help but have a few tears fall down my face.

I wanted to wash the grime and dirtiness of it all down the drain. I didn’t want Seth to see me like that. Feeling Drago’s fingerprints on places that should have been held private and sacred between two people in love made me ashamed. I felt like I didn’t do enough. I didn’t fight hard enough. Would Seth still care about me knowing some other man touched me like that?

With Seth still in his boxers, he rushed to me and grabbed hold of my arms. “What’s wrong, Baby? Do you not want me to?” I nodded my head as a few tears fell from my cheeks. “Talk to me.” He held me close to his bare chest, and I cried painfully into his toned chest.