In the Alpha’s Arms

What the hell, Cole?

Lita cracked her sore, and puffy eyes open. She felt as if she'd been steam rolled. Soundlessly staring at the

familiar wood pattem of her ceiling beams, Lita regained consciousness sprawled onto her living room floor,

surrounded by dried blood and broken furniture. And for the briefest moment, she didn’t know how she got there.

The memories returned in a rush. For a blissful moment of awareness, she didn’t move or breathe, worried that

either of those things would kick-start the pain that was likely waiting in the wings.

Was Brian still in her apartment? As she moved her arms, Lita could hear the crinkle of caked blood on her dress.

Her body immediately rebelled, shooting pain from her shoulders to her ribs. The silent apartment wasn’t

reassuring, because Brian could still be hidden somewhere out of sight. Or he could be in the hallway outside her

door, or on his way back from somewhere to finish the job. So, she kept her pain quiet, carefully rolling herself up

onto her butt. Based on the radiating agony she felt with every breath, Lita was sure at least one or two bones

were bruised, but he could have easily done worse-had done worse before.

Looking down, she took the ruined dress as a good sign that at he hadn't taken anything she didn’t want to give.

And while she felt every ache elsewhere, that area between her legs felt untouched

She was not always so lucky, vividly remembering a twhen she woke up beside him in bed, sheets covered

in things she would never unsee. He'd been so gentle with her that day, apologizing profusely as he washed and

dressed her. How she ever thought that was love, Lita wasn’t sure. For a while, though, her mother and Brian had

convinced her that was how people showed their emotions. It’s not like she'd learned a better example from her

parents, two people who couldn’t have cared less about each other if they tried.

She carefully pushed up from the ground, trying not to move too fast in case any of her bones were broken. It

took an incredibly long tto get to her feet, moments that could have been hours between the deep breaths.

Lita was used to the calm that accompanied these moments. The utter silence of her mind. What was left to

think about? What was there left to feel? She'd experienced it all before. Ten times over. These moments were

always quiet and reactionary, her brain operating like a kind of triage. Check wounds. Get cleaned up. Drink

whatever she had. Dress any wounds. Pass out for the rest of the day.

If she approached it like a triage checklist, Lita found it easier. Canting her head to the side, Lita listened for any

errant sounds and heard nothing. Thankfully, Brian must have left sometwhile she was unconscious. She

moved her limbs and tested out her feet. When everything seemed to be in working order, Lita immediately

stumbled to the apartment door so she could drone the chain. That way, she could at least get a fair warning

before he burst back in.

When she turned back around, her feet stopped dead. She looked at the body shaped outline of blood and mess

on the floor and felt her heart fall. When was enough going to be enough? When the blood beccrscene

chalk? When she was finally six feet in the ground? Lita shook so violently, her teeth rattled. No, she was getting

out, if it was the last thing she did. Her being in this situation was the reason James was dead and the least she

could do to honor him was try to get out. She’d given up on honoring herself a long tago.

Lita hobbled into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of whatever her fingers touched first out of the fridge, and then

she limping to her bedroom mirror. She unscrewed the top of the bottle, gulping a few mouthfuls down. Grunting,

Lita embraced the vodka’s burn. It covered her other pains for a moment, distracting her from the wreckage of

her body. She ticked off every wound. A shiner under her eye, a bruised collarbone, a few scrapes over her face.

She pulled the dress off, wincing at the ache of her muscles. Bruised ribs, maybe a few more serious issues in

her elbow and femur, a welt on her hip the size of a shoe. She tumed to her back, examining a few more curved

welts from what appeared to be a belt. They crisscrossed over her already scarred skin, making it puffier than

usual. As much as she knew it hurt, all she felt inside was numbness. That deadly silence that swallowed her

mind. It was. that quiet echo in her chest that told her she’d becentirely too used to this series of events.

She at least needed to clean the cuts and welts, taking another few swigs from the bottle to work up the courage

to shower. Taking one last look at herself in the minor, Lita paused, inspecting herself a little more. She looked

awful, there was no arguing that. But the wounds and bruises weren't looking how they should have looked.

Running her mind back over what happened, Lita knew for a fact Brian hadn’t taken it easy on her. She should

have been... worse.

Her body shuddered. Considering the blood across her living room floor and the severity of how many wounds

she had, Lita was sure they shouldn't have looked like this.

For instance, her shiner was yellowish brown, a sign that it was in the later stages of healing. Her welts were all

clotted and marbled in purples and blues. They weren't red and bleeding. They weren't open and meaty like

hours-old wounds should have been. The scrapes on her face and arms weren't discolored at all, only thin brown

scabs as proof they even existed. Even her aching body felt strange. Too easy to move. Too stable. She should

have been stiff and, at the very least, crying involuntary tears from the pain. That's how it had always been

before, so what had changed?

She cleared her throat, taking another big swallow to the head as she turned for the bathroom. Maybe the gym

was making her body healthier? Stronger? Lita stood in the back of the hot shower, trying to work up the nerve

to put water on her skin. Scabs or not, Lita knew the hot water would burn. Steam rolled around her, puckering

her skin. Lita thought she heard a soft knock somewhere, but she dismissed it, focusing on making herself take

that first step. She gulped at the alcohol once more and set the bottle on the shower shelf, taking a deep breath.

She just needed to stop stalling.

What the hell, Cole

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

The water hit her legs first, scalding the scrapes on her knees. Was someone calling her name? Lita couldn't stop

walking forward until the water was at her hips. Then her breasts. Her shoulders. Her face. Blowing several

breaths in quick succession, Lita turned around to spray her welted back. She whined and gasped as she with

each new trickle. Her body seared from neck to waist. She couldn’t keep the scream in as her whole back burst

into Dames.

That was when she heard the door burst open and heavy booted footsteps coming her way.

He'd cback to finish her. Lita trembled, her extremities turning cold under the hot water. For a moment, her

heart stopped. She knew he was supposed to leave for a trip hthis morning, because he couldn't stop

talking about it at dinner. So, if the heavy steps weren't him, who was it? She panicked, knowing there was

nothing in the shower or bathroom to use for self-defense. She cut off the water, snatching up her razor and

back scrubber like they would help her. Lita took a quick step out onto the bathmat and wobbled out of the

shower, ready to fight whoever it was in her birthday suit if necessary. Even as she knew she'd lose.

“Lita?” a husky voice called from somewhere beyond her bathroom door. “Are you okay?” She couldn't readily

place the person, her mind a jumble of things that made no sense. Before she could even think, someone was

pushing open the bathroom door. She didn’t wait to see the face, throwing the wooden scrubber straight into the

first nose she could see. That sudden movement shot pain through every muscle in her arms, but she didn’t

mind. Unfortunately, the body didn’t even flinch, weathering the sudden blow with ease. As she pulled back arm,

hissing as she did, Lita was shocked to see Cole's dark eyes staring back at her.

“Shit, ow-sorry-wait, Cole?” Lita’s brain froze. It would not process how ridiculous it was to see him standing in

her bathroom doorway. His hair was wild and unkempt, looking as if he hadn't slept at all last night. Those

intense eyes were wild and red rimmed, as if he’d been rubbing them nonstop She couldn't comprehend

anything. How he knew where she lived or why he felt he needed to break into her apartment. Why was he here?

“Is my apartment door in one piece?” Lita asked, more confused and shocked than anything else.

“What the happened to you?” he snapped, cutting her off with a look that seared the flesh from her body. His

furious expression only darkened. further, turning pale as if he'd just been punched in the gut. His gaze trailed

from her Esce to her neck, her arms to her hips. It was like he didn’t even notice she was naked, staring solely at

where she was injured. He grabbed her arms, his eyes twitching with harsh emotion. She cried out at the

contact. “That hurts!” Lita hissed, pulling away.

“Fuck, sorry” Cole shook his head and released. “Who did this to you?”

He swallowed loudly, looking away. “I don’t mean to scare you... I'll just...” The man was at war with something.

Himself or her, Lita wasn’t entirely sure as she curled her arms over herself, ignoring how the action tugged at

her wounds. “I walt out there.” He motioned to the bedroom. Cole looked her over one more tbefore leaving,

and she didn’t know what to do about it.

Alone in the bathroom once more, Lita started panicking, Cole had seen her hody. Her normal pattern was to stay

locked in her apartment for a few days until her body healed enough to hide.

That homecoming party with her brother had been an exception to the rule, and she paid dearly for it. How could

she salvage this? It wasn't as if Lita wanted to protect Brian, but she didn’t want anyone else’s blood on her

hands. She didn’t want her plans disrupted before they could fully take root, either. She grabbed a towel to hide

more of the injuries. There was no longer a point in protecting her modesty, Lita rushed back into her bedroom.

Already, she could feel the warmth of the liquor covering her pain and she clung to that false peace, hoping it

would be enough to weather whatever was about to happen.

Cole sat on the edge of her bed; his expression so full of rage it scared her more than Brian, which was shocking.

He looked prepared to kill someone, and she hoped it wasn't her.

*Why the hell are you here?” Lita asked, her voice wobbling a little. managing Again, she wondered why she

could challenge the men from the gym but could never challenge Brian? Sure, Cole didn’t seem food of her and

yea, he was a fighter, and more than capable of hurting her if he wanted to. But Lita always felt safe with him,

even when she didn’t know why.

She glanced through her bedroom doorway to see her apartment door hanging off the hinges and swallowed.

Maybe she was just a shitty judge of character when it cto men. “What the hell did you do to my door?!”

She didn’t give a shit about her security deposit, but she cared about her privacy. And having her neighbors look

in to see blood and mess everywhere? God almighty, what would they think of her? She’d never be able to show

her face again

“Who did that to you?!” Cole said in a voice so dark she felt it down her spine. His quiet words filled the entire

space between them, electrified the air with the promise of wrath. She was definitely a poor judge of violent

tendencies. Pulling at his hair, Cole jumped up and paced, looking like he was barely in control of himself. The

veins hulging around his muscled arms should have concerned her at least, especially after the night she'd had

with Brian, but they didn’t.

Again, Lita’s stupid heart insisted she was completely safe with him, as if the last thing Cole would ever do was

hurt her.

What the Cola?

“It’s not important- she tried to say before he dismissed that response.

“Is this why you didn’t cto the gym yesterday?” His face pinched as if he was in physical pain every the

looked at her. Lita hadn't realized anyour would want her to cback after she'd acted so crazy over imaginary

wolves.

“No...not really... | was embarrassed,” Lita grudgingly admitted, clearing her throat until it drew a groan. She

cupped a hand around her neck at the smoment that Cole stepped forward, “I was embarrassed about how |

acted. | mean, I've never had something like that happen before,” Lita sighed, gingerly walking into her closet.

“The, you know, hallucinations. I've got to figure out my medicine situation, | guess.”

“How you acted?” he asked incredulously. It sounded like he'd taken a few steps closer to her closet. “I don’t

understand how you could blyourself for any of that.”

“It's nice of you to try to makefeel better, but | know it was weird to run away screaming about wolves that

aren't real. Apparently, I'm overedicated. It's never happened before, but it’s not unheard of. And | didn’t feel like

having that conversation with strangers, but here we are...” She dropped the towel, opting for a loose tee and

sweats with nothing underneath. The last thing she needed was a bra that aggravated her welts or underwear

that dug into her bruises.

She rubbed her temples. How did they end up having a conversation about the wolf hallucination when he'd just

burst into her apartment? This wasn’t a normal reaction, was it? Surely, she should have been screaming or

forcing him outside. Surely, she shouldn't have been calmly getting dressed in the closet as if it were a normal

Friday. It must have been the shock, Lita told herself. Her body and mind couldn't handle what was happening, so

she numbed it.

After having just endured with Brian, Lita wasn’t entirely sure she was in the right frof mind to be around

others anyway.

“You... hallucinated?” Cole asked himself quietly. “That's what you think? That you imagined the wolves?”

“Hmmm?” Lita called out, “I can’t hear you too well from in here. Say it louder.”

“What meds?” he asked instead, rubbing his jaw and then his neck.

“It’s just something for my nerves. | have bad emotional triggers. Sometimes | can’t... control myself” Grimacing

at her description, Lita was sure she sounded demented. No one in their right mind would call her normal with an

admission like that and zero context.

Lita pulled her hair up into a wet bun and looked into her closet mirror. She needed to cover up that black eye.

“It’s not really my nerves. More like my anger. The meds push all that shit down so | can breathe a little easier.

But other emotions can trigger meltdowns too.” She groaned again. Why couldn’t she stop opening her mouth?

“That was too much info, sorry.”

Cole didn’t need to know any of this. He just needed to fix her door and get out. As if to further that point, Lita

yelled back, “You still haven't explained yourself, though. Why the hell are you standing in my apartment,

unannounced, after breaking down my door to get in? You can’t think that’s normal.”

«

| cto check on you when you

. ) »

didn’t cto the gym yesterday,” he

said, as if it was obvious. After my

wolf tried to mark you, Cole thought

q “ 9

to himself. “And | was knocking, but

: )

you didn’t ere E eed heard

7

ygu scréariing, so | broke down the

” f

door..." Cole clenched his eyes

closed, shaking out his fists. It

q ] on Q q

sounded insane, didn't it? Lita was

going to think about it for all of two

seconds and accuse him of stalking

her. , he could hardly hold his wolf in,

his natural protective instincts flaring.

The scent of her blood. The sight of

her beaten body. Cole inhaled slowly

and exhaled the breath. How long

could he go before he needed to run

this off? The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

*So0, you looked up my address and just... showed up?” Lita asked, sounding like she didn’t believe him.

p q

Cole couldn't deny that it was

2 f cq g

embarrassing when he'd said it out

Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm

2 )

loud like that. The truth was that he'd

caught the scent of her blood from

outside the door and there was

nothing he could do. His instincts

overrode every angie bi ofthis dood

i

5 5

sense. And-damn if his heart hadn't

stopped when he burst through the

door to see that dried pool in the

middle of the room. His wolf had

almost shoved free of this body, and

it took years of careful control to stay

human. But whatever the reason for

the intrusion, he was ultimately

happy he did it. Otherwise, he

P

wouldn't have seen what happened

to her. And if there was one thing he

knew without a doubt, he was going

to kill whoever did that to his mate.

Whether they were going to complete

the bond or reject it, had no bearing

on this. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

“I was worried, Lita. And apparently | was right to be worried.”

He was a lot of things, Cole knew. For

instance, he was an asshole most of

the twith a difficult exterior and

trust issues. He had baggage and a

2 3 9 3 ,

five- foot—nine girlfriend that wouldn't

like this recent devel pryvent oné Bit.

; p LC

pce tient it [anning on

getting involved in anything with Lita.

, q 3

He'd seen the bruises that first day.

But Alex had been right about

steering clear if he would do nothing

: )

about it. He wasn't perfect by a long

. )

shot. He still wouldn't be able to turn

a 0,4 9

a blind eye to what he'd just seen. So,

he was going to get Lita to open up

to him. And then Cole was going to

dismember whoever hurt her like

that. His woll, Midnight growled, the

two of them finally on the spage

about Lita. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

X

chapter there! ,

p Like RICH

WOMEN?

Cole stepped around the threshold of her closet, watching as Lita started patting her shiner with powder. She Fo a 4

gasped at his reflection in the mirror These women

desperately want

What the hell, Cole? 8jmaturs men!

“Don’t cover it up,” he said calmly, his eyes having turned back to a softer shape, “You need to tellwho did

that, Lita. And | promise you, I'll give it back times ten.” rn Sai