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I stared at the dead pup in my lap, fur matted with blood, eyes blank. I screamed loud, dropping it fast. My hands shook so bad I wiped them on my jeans over and over. I backed up against the post and raked my fingers through my hair hard. My chest heaved. I couldn’t breathe right.
Footsteps thundered toward me from everywhere. Damien burst into the court first, eyes scanning quick. Rafe, Elias, Theo, and Alice came right after, all stopping short when they saw me.
Damien dropped to his knees in front of me. “Sienna! What happened? What’s wrong?”
I pointed at the pup on the ground, tears streaming down my face. “The pup. It’s dead. I found it. I didn’t do anything.”
Everyone looked down. Rafe furrowed his eyebrows and crouched next to it. “Holy shit. Where did you find this?”
I shook my head fast. “I don’t know. It just… it was in my hands. I was practicing and then everything went weird.”
Alice crossed her arms. “Weird how? Did you see anyone?”
I gasped for air. My vision blurred. I grabbed my chest like that would help.
Linda ran up last, out of breath. “Sienna? What the hell?”
Damien stood up and looked at Rafe. “Check the area. Find out where this came from. Elias, get the scouts. Theo, take the pup for examination. Now.”
Rafe nodded and picked up the pup gentle. “On it.”
Elias and Theo took off running. Alice looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. “You okay?”
I couldn’t answer. My breaths came too fast. I slid down the post to the ground, knees to my chest. Tears kept coming. “I can’t breathe. Damien, I can’t breathe.”
Damien grabbed my arms and pulled me up. He scooped me into his arms. “I’ve got you. Let’s go.”
He carried me back inside fast. Everyone stared as we passed but he didn’t stop. He kicked the bedroom door open and set me on the bed. He knelt in front of me and grabbed my hands.
“Breathe slow,” he said. “In and out. Look at me.”
I tried. I gasped and squeezed hi Successfully unlocked! f I did it? What if I killed the pup?”
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He shook his head. “Calm down first. Tell me what happened.”
I wiped my face with my sleeve. My breathing slowed a little. “I was practicing the moves you taught me. Waiting for you to come back. Then the ground felt like quicksand. I was sinking and scraping for help. When I came back to reality the pup was in my hands, dead.”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “Sinking? Like a hallucination?”
I nodded quick. “Yeah. It felt real. Like before. But this time the pup was there after. Damien, what if it wasn’t a hallucination? What if I did something?”
He cupped my cheeks with both hands. “It’s okay. I’m here. You’ll get through this.”
I looked at him, tears still falling. “Did I kill the pup? What if I did?”
He shook his head. “No. You didn’t. Just rest instead.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “How can I? There’s a dead pup and I was holding it. I can’t just sleep.”
He looked straight at me. “Alpha’s orders.”
For some reason I couldn’t fight it. My eyes felt heavy right away. I tried to keep them open but they closed. I fell back on the pillow and sleep hit me hard.
*
I woke up with a start and sat up in bed. The clock on the wall said midnight. I raked my fingers through my hair and looked around the dark room. Everything felt fuzzy. The last thing I remembered was Damien cupping my cheeks and telling me to rest. Now the house was quiet. Too quiet.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up slow. My knees felt weak. I wondered what happened while I was out. Did they find out more about the pup? Did Damien go back to the fight? I was too afraid to go downstairs. What if everyone was staring at me? What if they thought I did something to that pup?
I sighed and whispered his name. “Damien…”
The door opened right away. Damien walked in like he’d been waiting outside. He closed the door behind him and looked at me.
I furrowed my eyebrows and stepped back. “How did you… you heard me?”
He nodded once. “Yeah. Your thoughts were loud.”
I raked my fingers through my hair hard. “I really need to find a way to shut you out. This is not fair. You can’t just listen in whenever you want.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “It’s the bond. Gets stronger with
the pup. Can’t help it.”
I shifted on my feet and crossed my arms too. “Well it sucks. I feel like I have no privacy.”
He shrugged. “You get used to it.”
I looked at him for a second. My chest felt tight. “What happened? With the pup. I keep
seeing it in my hands.”
Damien walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “Don’t be sorry. The child was one that died in the previous attack. Body couldn’t be found until now. You probably just found it. That’s all.”
I sat down next to him and furrowed my eyebrows. “Really? I didn’t… I didn’t hurt it?”
He shook his head. “No. The parents are grateful too. They thought they’d never get to bury their kid properly. You helped them find closure.”
I let out a shaky breath and rubbed my hands on my thighs. “Okay. That makes me feel a little better. I was so scared I did something bad.”
He looked at me. “You didn’t. It was just bad timing.”
I nodded slow. “Thanks for telling me. I feel stupid for freaking out so much.”
He stood up and held out his hand. “Come downstairs. Greet everyone. They’re all still up. Waiting to see you.”
I took his hand and stood up. “They’re not mad at me?”
He shook his head. “No. They’re worried about you.”
I followed him to the door. My heart still felt heavy but lighter than before. “Okay. Let’s
go.”
He opened the door and we walked down the stairs together. The main room was lit up with a few lamps. People sat around talking quiet. When they saw me they all
turned.
Linda smiled first. “Sienna! You’re awake.”
I waved small. “Hey. Sorry I crashed so hard.”
Alice stood up from the couch. “You okay now?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Damien told me about the pup. I’m glad the parents got some peace.”
Rafe grinned from the table. “Good. We were all worried about you.”
Elias raised his cup. “Come sit. We saved you some food.”
I sat down next to Damien and felt my shoulders relax a little. Everyone talked normal
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again. No one looked at me weird. I raked my fingers through my hair and smiled small
Damien leaned closer. “See? They’re fine.”
I nodded and squeezed his hand under the table. “Yeah. Thanks.”
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