That’s No Angel

Amani woke up to bright lights overhead, too intense for her unadjusted vision. She raised her hand to her face, tracing her fingertips along her bandaged eye. Confusion swept over her as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, panic bubbling up inside her. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, attempting to get out of the bed, but someone immediately held her down, preventing her from moving at all.

“No… please, let me go…” she pleaded, struggling against the unseen force.

“She’s awake again! Bring her another sedative!” A deep voice demanded.

The mention of a sedative sent Amani into a full-blown panic. Why would anyone want to sedate her? Feeling increasingly unsafe, her only objective now was to escape. She needed to find her pack, or what was left of them. As memories of the attack on Bloodmoon flooded her mind, she felt her heart sink. How long had it been since that night? How long had she been a prisoner in this unfamiliar place?”

“Let me go… please,” Amani pleaded as she struggled against her captor’s grip. “What do you want from me?”

“Hurry up! She’s going to tear open her stitches again!” The voice shouted, a mixture of urgency and frustration dripping from his tone.

Amani’s screams echoed in the room as she thrashed about wildly, attempting to break free from the man’s restraining hold. Despite her efforts, she found herself overpowered, her strength no match for his. Fueled by desperation, she sank her teeth into his arm, eliciting a growl of pain from deep within his chest.

He didn’t release his grip on her, not even slightly, despite her teeth embedding into his flesh. It had to have pained him, but he barely even flinched. She sank her teeth even deeper, feeling the muscles in his arm contract in response.

“That’s enough!” He snapped. “I’m only trying to help you.”

Amani wasn’t sure why, but she felt sincerity in his words. Though she didn’t know this man, she didn’t believe he wanted to hurt her. Reluctantly, she released her teeth from his arm and stopped fighting him altogether. Settling back into the pillow, she tried to get a better look at the mystery man. However, he remained facing away from her, his muscular shoulders tense. He maintained his hold on her, leaving her with the impression that he wasn’t willing to take any chances on her attempting to escape.

As she glanced around the room, the realization dawned upon her: she was in a medical facility. It finally struck her that nobody was trying to harm her; they were, in fact, trying to help her. Memories of her vicious wolf attack flooded her mind, causing her body to tense at the mere thought, as if she were reliving it all over again.

Surprisingly, she felt no pain, attributing it to her strong alpha blood or perhaps the effect of the heavy medication—or maybe both. Now, a sense of embarrassment washed over her as she recalled sinking her teeth into the poor man’s arm, as though she were some kind of rabid dog.

She wondered if she had made it to the Rogue Lands and if it was a rogue who had saved her and brought her here. Would her parents come rushing through that door any moment now, wrapping her in their warm embrace, assuring her everything would be okay?

And what about Beta Darius and his family? Were they safe too? She had so many questions, and just as she was about to open her mouth and ask, the mystery man finally turned and looked at her.

Her breath momentarily caught in her throat the second she saw his face. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, resembling an angel bathed in the glow of the bright lights behind him.

She took in his features one by one, from his silky, raven-black hair that swept to the side, to his flawless complexion, mostly shaven with just a bit of stubble tracing his strong masculine jawline. But the most noticeable feature of all were his eyes… those strikingly beautiful blue eyes.

She knew those eyes… it was him who had saved her life. She couldn’t look away, falling deeper and deeper into the gaze that would forever be engraved in her mind. She could happily drown in them as if they were the deep blue sea itself.

He looked at her longingly, as if he were trying to embed himself into her soul, desperately seeking his way home—a home that only she could offer. He leaned in closer, cupping her cheek with his hand, and it was the most soothing feeling in the world to her. She felt the surge of electricity ignite between them the second he touched her.

She didn’t understand what she was feeling or what exactly was happening between them; she only knew that she craved more of it. He traced his thumb along her cheek until it caressed her plump bottom lip, and ever so slowly, he began to lean in closer, causing Amani to stiffen slightly.

The moment hung between them like a charged current, crackling with anticipation. Was he about to kiss her? Amani’s heart raced as conflicting emotions battled within her. She didn’t know this man, but the magnetic pull between them was undeniable. Instinct screamed for her to push him away, yet something deeper urged her to lean in, to taste the forbidden.

Just as she began to surrender to the unexpected possibility of her first kiss, a jarring interruption shattered their private moment of temporary euphoria.

“Ahem…” The physician’s voice sliced through the air like a blade, pulling them back to reality. “Prince Malakai? I have the sedative you ordered for your mate.”

Amani’s heart sank like a stone. Did that woman just say Mate? And Prince? The Prince of Blackclaw? The enemy? “No…” she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of horror and disdain. “No!!”

He watched her intently as she cycled through a range of emotions right before his eyes: from fright and shock to disappointment, and finally, pure and raw hatred.

Amani’s heart pounded like a war drum as she catapulted herself off the bed, sending a tray of medical supplies flying in a frenzied explosion of chaos. Malakai lunged forward to quickly restrain her, his muscles bulging with added effort. Her primal screams filled the room, echoing off the walls as she fought with every ounce of strength she possessed.

Blood seeped through her bandages, staining her medical gown crimson as she tore her stitches open in her frantic struggle. But Amani cared little for the pain, her mind consumed by a single, all-consuming thought: escape.

“What the hell are you waiting for?!” Malakai directed his fury towards the physician. “Give her the damn shot already!”

As Malakai’s command rang out, the doctor jolted in surprise, snapping out of her momentary stupor. She swiftly moved towards Amani with a needle in hand and placed her hand on Amani’s thigh, intending to still her frenzied movements.

But Amani, consumed by panic and desperation, began kicking wildly at the physician, her feet connecting with her chest, sending her stumbling back, her startled expression morphing into one of shock and alarm.

Malakai swiftly pulled Amani into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, securing her arms against her body, while using his legs to immobilize her kicking limbs. Amani fought against his hold, but his strength proved unyielding as he held her firmly in place, refusing to let her escape.

“Let me go, you monster! You fucking monster! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you all!” As Amani’s outburst reached its peak, the doctor swiftly injected the sedative into her thigh. Amani’s screams began to fade into agonized gasps as the sedative took effect, her struggles weakening until she fell limp in Malakai’s arms, enveloped by complete darkness once again.