Running With Wolves

Lukas said nothing and Sage didn’t move. There was no sound other than the rough breathing that fell from her lips. Minutes passed and he couldn’t take the silence any more. He rose from where he sat on the edge of the bed and moved to the other side of the mattress so he could face her. Lukas was silent for a moment, wrestling with an internal battle; to do as she asked or do what was in her best interest.

“Listen to me,” he demanded determination flooding his voice. Decision set into his muscles and the tension in his jaw. “You are bleeding Sagemint and I’m not going to just leave you here to bleed to death.”

“Don’t be so over dramatic,” She croaked avoiding his gaze.

“I’m stitching that wound,” He informed. “Whether you want me to or not I don’t really care.” She had leaves in her hair, mud caking the tangled violent red locks together. “But first you’re getting a bath.

“Just let me sleep.”

“Yeah okay,” he grumbled completely ignoring the request.

He reached for the oak bark colored comforter, his rough calloused hand gripping a fist full of the soft material before he tossed it off her body roughly. In an instant Sage had gone from weak and bedridden to alarm filled eyes, an angry frown, and tense muscles as she sat upright. He could see it in the slight sway of her body that protested against the action.

“Just leave me be,” there was a pleading edge to Sage’s voice. “I just want to be left alone. I just want to sleep.”

“You can later.” He argued moving toward her. “let’s just get you into the bathe okay? It’ll make you feel better.”

She grumbled something unintelligible under her breath as Lukas wrapped his arm around her torso while the other hooked behind her knees, lifting her up off the bed. Her arms instantly went around his neck and her head rolled softly to the side against his shoulder. She wanted to say something to him, something along the lines of how even though she wanted to toss him out of the room for not leaving her alone she was still thankful that he was here. She couldn’t find words to explain how she wanted to curl against him and push him away all at once. Sage didn’t know what to say but she knew she was thankful that made sure she was never alone.

Lukas carried her carefully into the bathroom attached to his bedroom and slowly placed her in the cool porcelain tub. He knelt beside it as he turned on the warm water and watched it fill, the clear liquid turning brown and red. He could easily see that both sides of her ribs were severely bruised and Luke knew that at least two of them were broken.

Her knees drew close to her chest as her hands lay helplessly against them. She watched Lukas grab a green washcloth from the linen closet before he approached Sage and knelt beside her. There was nothing but the sound of running water for the moment and Lukas said nothing as the pair stared at one another; Lukas, with his stormy grey orbs shinning with determination and Sage’s emerald ones, empty and helpless as she gazed at him like a child that needed guidance.

The corner of his lips wanted to twitched up to say something to her but he didn’t know what. He didn’t know what to say and worn out words like ‘it’ll all be okay’ wouldn’t form on his lips. It was not because he didn’t believe it himself but because this was Sage and for the things that had transpired to crumble her so bad, the words would do nothing to her; they’d go in one ear and out the other as though she’d never heard them at all.

So Lukas said nothing as he dipped the cloth into the warm water and gently dabbed it against her skin. The green material brushed over her round cheeks, along the sharp line of her jaw, down along her bruised throat to the soft mound of her breasts and down her torso. She appeared as fragile as a china doll and he couldn’t help but treat her as such.
He murmured quiet words to her but if he were being honest Lukas wasn’t sure she even heard the words—or cared for that matter.

When he finished she rose obediently as she stood before him naked. Lukas closed his eyes and looked away, not to offer Sage privacy or out of politeness but the vulnerability of her in that moment had doubled more so right before his eyes. He grabbed a soft towel and wrapped her in and she leaned against him. Some part of her yearned for Lukas, knowing somewhere deep down that with him she was as safe and warm and content as she could be. But memories flashed back at her as sharp as a knife’s blade of hungry eyes and unforgiving hands and she couldn’t make herself be how she wanted to be with Lukas. His hand touched softly against her wet hair, brushing it out of her eyes. His hand wound around her and then as the other went behind her knees and he lifted her off her feet and returned her to the bed. He reached for one of his t-shirts in the nearby dresser and pulled it over her head. The material falling over her large and billowy.

“Just let me stitch that closed,” he murmured, “then I’ll promise to leave you alone, alright?”

He reached for the medical kit Grandfather had left and when her emerald eyes landed on the instruments she whimpered—more sharp things to pierce her skin. Lukas chose to ignore the sound, knowing that he absolutely had to close the wound even if brought tears to her eyes—he’d hate every moment but he had little choice.

“Just leave it,” she whispered, her eyes on the kit. If Sage were honest this whole scenario aside she wasn’t very fond of needless, much less ones that resembled a fisherman’s hook.

“I can’t.”

“You’re not coming near me with that needle.” She declared but the forcefulness she wished for wasn’t there. Her voice was weak if anything, her words wavering.

“I am,”

Her eyes hardened as she watched him pull the sharp piece of silver from the kit. “You’re bleeding Sage,” he informed matter-of-factly. “and badly at that. Would you seriously rather bleed to death?”

“I’ll be fine.” She snapped. “I just want to be left alone! I don’t want to be touched anymore.” Her voice wavered at the end and for a moment so did Lukas’s determination.

“You can rest for days afterward but you have to let me stitch it.”

“Who put you in charge?” She growled defensively, her eyes growing dark in frustration. “I don’t want you to do it Lukas so don’t.”

Lukas shook his head in frustration, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. In a flash he pinned Sage to the bed, a surprise yelp leaving her lips at the action.

“Get off me Lukas.” She snarled, her hands gripping his biceps in an attempt to knock him free.

“No,” the determination and authoritative tone momentarily caused Sage to falter. “You’re not the only one with an Alpha lineage around here sweetheart.”

Her nose flared in anger and her lips pulled back over her teeth; She wouldn’t submit to anyone—not even Lukas. She suddenly resembled more of an injured wild animal than a hurt human girl.

“You are sorely mistaken if you believe you can command me Lukas Canis.”

“And you are sorely mistaken if you believe I’m going to just leave you to slowly bleed to death because you’re being stupid!” he tossed back. “Loving you, hunny, means doing what is in your best interest even if you don’t agree.”

He pinned her arms to the bed and she screamed out at him in frustration, her eyes wild and her heart racing with adrenaline.

“Just leave me alone!” she screamed. “I don’t want to be touched anymore! Not by you, not by anyone!” Her words broke off leaving her hoarse, her throat already bruised from the angry hands that had clamped around her throat earlier. “I just want to be left alone,” She whispered, her body falling limp as the fight in her extinguished.

Lukas stared down at her for a moment, his heart broke at the sight of her. The last thing he wanted was to upset her further, the last thing he wanted was to stress her out more after everything she’d been through. Her words, albeit weak, were as strong as the alpha that she was but right now she was weak and Lukas had handled her like the Alpha Sage and not the victim Sage.

His hands released her and her head turned away from him, no longer looking at him as shameless tears slipped from her eyes and down her porcelain cheeks in rivers.

He swallowed hard yet the protrusion in his throat would not budge. “I’m sorry,” he whispered gently placing a kiss to her temple. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed as he reached for the first aid kid and shuffled around the contents until he found the cotton balls, the rest of the suture supplies, and antibacterial wipes.

He stared down at her helpless body, all the fight and all the fire within her extinguished, as she lay limp and helpless before him. He hated imagining her looking the way she did now when greedy eyes and filthy hands bruised her with their touch. He promised himself he would do whatever it took to make her feel safe again but for now he had to stop the bleeding.

He swallowed hard, “I’d never harm you Sagemint,” He murmured. He knew that this was something she already knew but something within him felt better saying the words all the same. “I’m only trying to help you.”

She didn’t respond to his words and he sighed, knowing that time was ticking—if the knife wounds went unattended for much longer it would become life threatening. Hesitantly he moved the shirt aside minimally to reveal the stab wound, though freshly clean it was already bleeding again.

The wound in her abdomen was a bloody mess that was running like a small steady stream down her side. His blood went cold at the sight of it and he prayed, for both of their peace of mind, that it wouldn’t require a doctor’s care. He reached for the suture scissors, the hook-like needle clamped between its ends.

“I’ll be as quick as I can be.”

“Just do it.” He saw the clench of her jaw, the tension in her body that braced for the sharp metal.

His left hand came down gently on the curve of her hip, holding her gently with one hand. Goosebumps spread across her torso at his touch and in that moment he wasn’t sure if the reaction was a good thing or a bad thing.

The hooked needle hovered above the violent wound before it dug into the skin and with a careful hand Lukas began to close the wound that black hearts had caused; he prayed as hard as Sage did that it would all be over soon.