Apprehended Ch. 25

I grabbed a few pebbles from the ground and tossed them at his face. He made no move to shield himself. "Me?!" I nearly shouted. "You're the one who lied!"

"Lied?" he asked in bafflement.

I nodded curtly. "You're not even a wolf! You're a sham! A cat in disguise!"

He went quiet again, his eyes scanning my body as I went on and on. Then he glanced at my hands, which were moving rapidly. I was tossing insults, referring to him as an elephant, crow, rat, sheep and my all time favorite- a bison.

"Annie," he interrupted, his face paling even more. "What's that on your hands?"

I looked at my palms...and inhaled sharply. "You tied me up?!" I shrieked. "Why would you do that?! Am I your prisoner now?! I thought that you loved me!" I broke down into rapid, heart-wrenching sobs. Sobs that made my body tremble. Sobs that were so sudden, they even surprised me.

Ethan approached during my unexpected meltdown, grabbing my hands to examine them. "What's on your hands, Annie?"

I froze, blinking in confusion like a fool. "Wha-"

"Your hands," he repeated. "They're red."

I pulled away from him, giving him another shove. "Don't you touch me! You have no right to touch me! Not after leaving me for dead!"

"Alright. Take it easy. I'm sorry, alright. Now can you tell me why your hands are red? Are you bleeding?" There was fear in his eyes and voice. There was visible panic.

I had no idea why.

I showed him my fingers, catching sight of my engagement ring and getting distracted. "This is pretty," I said, lifting it to the bright overhead lights. It sparkled. "Where did she get it?

"Focus," he said, redirecting my wayward thoughts. "Tell me about the red on your hands."

I laughed and began licking my fingers, offering him some. "You want? It tastes like blood."

His eyes widened in horror before he made the conscious decision to move. His hands went everywhere, his body went everywhere. He went over every inch of my skin, examining me for...something.

Then he made the crucial mistake of lifting my shirt to check my bare stomach...and I screamed at the top of my lungs. I smacked his hands away and bolted, crying and pleading for help. "Noooooo!" I shrieked, stopping by the lip of the pool. "Get away from me!"

Ethan was breathing heavily, his eyes frantic and his body unsteady as he ran after me. "Annie," he said, his voice breaking. He looked behind me in fright and I briefly realized that I had never seen him so scared before. I wondered why. "Come to me," he said, lowering his voice soothingly.

I wrapped my arms around myself and took a step back, nearly slipping on something wet. I had no idea what. "No!" I spat, crying hysterically. "You're going to kill my babies!"

He lifted a hand to ease me, taking small steps forward that he assumed would go undetected. "Never. I would never hurt my babies."

"They're MY babies!" I corrected, taking another step away.

"No, no!" he cried, trying to reign in his emotions. He was failing terribly. Something had him spooked. "You stay right there, sweetheart. Stay right there. I'm coming to get you, okay?"

I shook my head. "I don't want you to. Leave me alone." He continued advancing as I cringed away, protecting my stomach. "Please don't do this," I begged. "I can't fight you off. You're too strong."

Before he could ease my fear and reassure me that everything was fine, he moved like the shifter that he was-impeccably fast. He was quiet, moving at the speed of light to urge me away from the lip of the pool.

I glanced back, oblivious to the fact that I was an inch away from drowning in the pool. I moved away from him and gave him a rather sinister smile. "You want to go swimming with me? Is that what you want?"

Ethan was on the verge of hyperventilating, going over my body again for any signs of injury. "You could've drowned!" he said, pulling me into a tight, warm hug.

I hugged him back...and bit his neck.

"Ow!" he hollered, jerking back with wide eyes. He looked at his hand, seeing blood. "You bit me!"

I pointed a firm finger at him. "That's to remind you who is really in charge here."

He simply stood there, staring at me like I lost my fucking marbles. Which...technically, I did.

"Tell me about your hands," he reminded me, his chest heaving. "Now!" He reached out to take my hands again but I slapped at his fingers. "No!" I cried, pulling away from his touch. "No, Ethan. Don't hurt me."

"I would never."

I moved away again, on the verge of another late night run. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me," I said, tearing up all over again. I was getting hysterical, abruptly afraid of those massive hands. Those hands that were capable of killing and maiming. Those hands that could crush me under its power and weight. Those hands that could tear me to pieces.

He muttered curses before lifting those very hands in mock surrender. "I would never hurt you. Ever." Without thinking, he took a step towards me, his eyes filled with so much pain, it made me cry more.

I cowered away in absolute fear. "No!" I screamed, stuffily wiping the snots away from my nose. "No, you stay there! You're...you're..."

There was a beat of silence.

"I'm what, sweetheart? Tell me what's wrong. Tell me where you're hurt," he pleaded.

"You're big," I said. "And scary."

He went momentarily mute.

I cried more.

"Alright, alright," he said, soothingly. "Calm down. Easy." He lifted his hands again, using a finger to gesture to my palms. "Can you tell me what's on your hands, honey?"

I frowned...my hands?

I glanced down, seeing red.

"I'm hungry," I mumbled, my fingers shaking of their own accord. I sniffled again and brushed away more stray tears. The red reminded me of strawberries.

"Annie," Ethan said, interrupting my thoughts yet again. "What's on your hands?"

I smiled and lifted my palms to show him, splaying my fingers wide. "I was hungry."

He processed that...and inhaled sharply, his features laced with absolute terror. "Annie, I need to know. Did you eat anything out here?"

I froze...

Then laughed giddily. "Berries."

"Show me!" he demanded, his voice harsh and cold. I began crying again at the mere tone, cringing away in fright. "No, no," he cooed, altering his entire face to express nothing but affection. "Relax, sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

I sniffled once more and looked at him. "You promise, promise?"

He crossed his heart. "I promise, mon amour."

I leaned in to whisper in case anyone heard us. "What about the babies?"

He shook his head, unable to hide the hurt that flitted across his face. "I will never hurt my babies either. None of my babies. That includes you."

That seemed to placate me...for now.

I grabbed his hand and pulled, leading him to the back of the estate yet again. I skipped, laughing and asking him if he wanted to skip with me. "Just show me where you got the berries," he urged lightly. "Please."

When we arrived, I pointed to the shrub. "There."

He led me to them and kept a close eye on me as he examined them. I hummed quietly, waiting for the big man to finish doing...whatever.

When he was done, I grabbed a fistful of his long hair and yanked it roughly, watching him wince in delight. "Stop that," he snapped, grabbing my hands and holding them in one of his own. "Tell me how many you ate."

My brows wrinkled and I looked around, leaning in to whisper again. "The monster might take some. We should leave." I made a move to go, but Ethan tightened his hold.

"No, Annie. Tell me how many berries you had. I need to know."

I pulled out of his grip, rubbing my fingers as my eyes blurred again in tears. "You hurt me."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and resembled a man not only petrified, but at his wits end. "I'm sorry, ma cherie. I didn't mean to. Can you forgive me?"

I considered that. He was soooooo big.

"You're big," I said again.

He nodded in agreement. "I am, love. But I'm big like this to protect you. Just like I am now. You see those delicious berries over there?" He pointed to the shrub.

I nodded. "Yes."

"They're hallucinogens," he said. "If taken in high doses, you can die." His wild eyes immediately zeroed in on my stomach. "I want to make sure that you and my babies are safe. Okay?"

I looked over his body again, taking a step away. "They're my babies," I repeated, putting a hand on my stomach and rubbing.

"They are," he established. "But they're mine too. You're also mine. Did you know that I take care of what's mine?"

I shook my head. "No. You're scary."

"I am. But I'm not scary when I'm with you. You know why?"

Again, I said, "no."

He offered me a hand. "Because I love you. You're my everything."

I felt myself blush and shied away. "You love me? I'm your everything?"

He smiled, glancing at the mansion quickly before refocusing. "Absolutely. Will you take my hand? I want to make sure you're okay if you let me. The doctor will see you."

My eyes widened. "Doctor?" I shook my head violently, peeling off my coat in the frigid air, feeling hot and itchy. "No! I don't want a shot!"

His eyes widened and he grabbed my hand anyway, placing the coat over my shoulders quickly. "It's cold out here. Don't take off your coat again. And you're not getting a shot," he said, leading me to the front of the estate in a rush. "The doctor just wants to make sure you didn't eat too many berries."

I inhaled sharply, nearly tripping on the gravel. "But the monster will eat them all!" I exclaimed. "We need to save them!" I glanced behind us as we walked, stumbling and muttering.

Ethan cursed and picked me up, all but running the rest of the way. I squealed in delight, bouncing around and clapping. Once inside, he screamed for Baldridge and we were soon headed to the sublevel where Ethan barged into the med bay in desperation.

At this point, I was stripping, kicking off the boots with a flourish and twirling. My coat followed. The clothes directly after. Which was when Ethan intervened and covered me with a hospital gown. "Stop stripping," he said, tying a knot at my waist.

I smacked his hands away and grabbed Baldridge, clinging to his shoulder and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "You have to help me!" I snapped, moving away from an exasperated Ethan. "He's going to hurt my babies!"

Baldrige lightly patted my hand, shooting Ethan a sympathetic look. "I highly doubt that, my dear. Why don't you have a seat?"

I stared at the gurney in trepidation, flicking my gaze between the white sheets and Ethan, who was watching me like a bomb was about to go off. I took a deep breath and asked, "if I go on the bed, you're not going to light it on fire, right?"

I began to sweat.

Ethan's brows shot up. "Of course not, my petal. I don't have a lighter."

I looked at his hands. "But you have magical powers!"

He gritted out another curse, running a hand over his face in frustration. "I do. But I prefer to use them on monsters. Like the one outside."

I gasped. "You saw it too?!"

He nodded. "I did. And I'll protect you from it. But first, how about we get you seated?" He gestured to the gurney.

I took a step forward just as the entire mattress exploded in the center. I screamed as spiders of all shapes and sizes crawled out of its depths, spreading onto the sheets. They moved fast and in unison, scattering along the floor in a wave of terror.

I turned and bolted for the door, hell-bent on escaping. The entire room was being consumed. Big spiders. Small spiders. Spiders with big eyes. Spiders with little eyes.

"Oh, no you don't." Ethan reached out and grabbed my gown, pulling me back.

I fought, elbowing him in the ribs. He cursed again and continued to struggle as he urged me on the gurney with care. "No!" I hollered. "You're a spider too! You're working against me!"

Ethan finally just gave up and picked me up again-kicking and screaming. He placed me on the gurney as gently as possible. "Stay," he warned.

I gripped the collar of my gown...and tore it off in one clean swipe. They were trying to get into my bra!

Warm hands covered and stilled my own. A pair of beautiful golden, sparkling eyes entered my line of sight and I found myself momentarily stunned by the magnificence of them. By the power and affection they held. "That's it. Better?" He covered my naked chest with a blanket. "No spiders, love. See?"

I followed his gaze, surprised that the bugs were inexplicably gone. I gasped. "How did you do that?! Did you use your magic?!"

He laughed softly despite the evident fear on his face. "I did. I also need you to stay still for me, okay? The doc here needs some blood."

I stared at him in open shock before scowling at his traitorous behavior. "You lied to me," I said, my voice dangerously low. "You're a traitor to your people."

He sighed wearily, turning his attention to Baldridge. "How long does this last?"

Baldridge snapped on a pair of gloves. "It depends on how many she consumed. Did she happen to tell you?"

"No. She was convinced I was going to harm her."

"You are!" I gritted out. "You promised me that you wouldn't hurt me!"

He ran his fingers through my hair. "I did promise, honey. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. That includes me. Now, do you think you can do something for me?"

I smacked his hand away roughly. "Don't touch me, you peasant!"

Baldridge coughed, sputtering at my insult.

Ethan tossed a glare over his shoulder but continued to barrage me with questions. "I'll keep my hands to myself, alright?" He shoved his hands into his pockets. "See? No hands."

I inhaled sharply and sat upright, trying to find his missing hands. "Where did they go?!" I asked in astonishment. "Now what will you use when you need to fight the monster?!"

"Don't worry about that," he said evenly. "What I need you to do is tell me how many berries you ate."

I bolted off the bed and Ethan barked out a curse as I ran to the door. "Why? You want some? I'll go get you some! You'll love them!"

Ethan caught me around the middle, being cautious of my bump. "No, no, no. I don't want any. Come back to bed." He picked me up again and settled me back on the mattress, looking tired and defeated. "Can you tell me how many you had?"

I finally complied, lifting five fingers into the air and counting each one off, using my other hand to count two more.

"You had seven, baby?"

I nodded in excitement. "Yes! You have to try some, Dom!"

He looked at me oddly. "Dom?"

I was already preoccupied with a tray of medical equipment to the side of the gurney, lifting a scalpel and smiling evilly. Ethan plucked it from my grasp, chiding me with a glare. "Don't you dare," he snapped, taking away all dangerous objects within reach.

My lower lip quivered and my eyes grew glassy with unshed tears.

Ethan noticed and tossed the medical equipment in the sink before approaching me immediately. "Oh no...no, no. Don't cry, my precious female. Please don't cry. I'm sorry." He wiped away my tears. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

Baldridge cleared his throat, smiling despite the chaos unfolding before him. "She was lucky, Alpha. Had it been a few more, she wouldn't be conscious right now."

Ethan kept his eyes on me, carefully consoling me as I wept. "What needs to be done? Will the young be affected?"

"Well, thankfully-because she didn't consume a high quantity-the effects should wear off in six to seven hours."

Ethan's straightened, his face etched in alarm. "SEVEN HOURS!" he shouted. "What the fuck am I supposed to do for seven hours?"

I bawled, cringing away from him due to his sudden outburst.

"No, no, no, not you, mon amour. Shhhhhh." He sat at the lip of the gurney, continuously running his fingers through my hair again. "And the young?"

"I'd like to check right now, if possible. You think you can assist in keeping her still long enough?"

At that point, my hysterics escalated to loud snorts. I tried to get off the gurney with the sole purpose of retaining the scalpel from the sink. Ethan managed to stop me yet again, saving me from either murder or suicide by blade. Eventually, he managed to hold me down long enough for a sonogram. Baldridge suggested tying me to the gurney rails but Ethan's glower was enough to rattle the poor male; the idea getting shot down fast.

I'm not sure how long it took, but once the doc confirmed that the babies were safe and sleeping, Ethan was more than glad to get me out of there. Especially when I began hallucinating that the entire medical room was in flames.

Ethan carried me to our room, where we spent over five hours in a state of pandemonium. During hour three, I was completely naked, fully convinced that the clothes I was wearing were peeling off my skin. I saw several gruesome monsters-all of which were too scary to fathom. Ethan had managed to lock all doors and windows, hiding anything sharp or dangerous to my health. When hour five dragged by, the television was sporting a new crack, unable to turn on and was tilted at a peculiar angle, clearly on the verge of crashing to the floor.

My weeping episodes did the most damage. Ethan consoled me each time, looking worse as time went on; as if he too were suffering the same delusions and pain I was afflicted with. At hour six, I forgot I was pregnant and started wailing, thinking I was artificially inseminated in my sleep by aliens. During hour seven, I ran into the bathroom, turned on the bathtub, shower, hot tub and sink simultaneously, attempting to drown out the moaning screeches of the dead that were haunting me. I screamed and covered my ears, begging Ethan to make it stop. The minute he turned the knobs and the water stopped, I acted as if nothing happened...then went straight for the cabinet underneath the sink, taking a heaping bite out of a toilet paper roll...extra soft.

At hour eight, Ethan was so exhausted, he could barely stand. All of his stress-induced adrenaline had faded, leaving him an empty, drained shell. He rested on the bed, dozing a few times only to be startled awake by another hallucination. I was also convinced he was out to kill me, causing me to run away in absolute fear. Each time, he proved that he meant no harm, the pain in his eyes evident. Somehow, I managed to lock myself in the closet for over twenty minutes. Ethan pounded on the door frantically-fearing for my safety- until I eventually heard someone whisper my name inside the closet and I allowed him in. I had destroyed my makeup, smearing tons of products on my body to, "camouflage," from the monsters hiding in the clothing racks.

At hour nine, I started getting fatigued, my body thoroughly spent. I was covered in glitter, sweat, boogers, tears, stickers, tape, toilet paper, makeup and toothpaste. As hour ten rolled by, I groaned on the floor, unable to stand. I lost all sense of time. Thankfully, Ethan was on it even though he was beyond tired. He carried me to the bathroom and cleaned off the filth in a warm bath. He was a little hesitant to toss in a bath bomb when I asked, but-thankfully- I was lucid enough not to think it was going to literally explode.

When he finished, he carried me to bed naked and settled beside me, blacking out and snoring so loud, the mattress rumbled. I followed shortly thereafter...

Dreaming of monsters.

***

I awoke the next morning with what felt like the world's worst hangover. I groaned, turning in a state of semi-consciousness and nearly rolling off the bed. Ethan caught me, pulling me back onto the mattress and wrapping an arm around my waist. He splayed his hand across my stomach, snuggling into my neck.

"I saved your life again," he murmured into my tangled hair.

I groaned again in pain. My head was pounding and every square inch of my body ached. "I'm never eating berries again!" I exclaimed.