I groaned as I felt the light trickle in the room. I could feel it flutter across my eyelids, it was nothing but irritating. Did no one know what curtains were? My throat felt dry as I pushed my hands to reach my neck. I could feel that the skin was tender and sore. I felt an ache tighten across my neck as my fingers skimmed the skin of my throat.
What the fuck happened? My mind flicked through the events of the last few days and all I could think about was the unnecessary drama that was following. It was then that I remembered my sister had successfully attacked me and almost killed me by strangulation. I shook my head at her behaviour and peeled my eyes open.
The light was blinding, the sun was this warm orange colour that lit up the room. Although it was beautiful I couldn't help but feel the pain of a headache brace my forehead. I sighed deeply and inhaled the overwhelming scent of disinfectant mixed with strawberries. I turned my head following the intoxicating scent when a sudden cry escaped my lips. The pain was unfathomable.
"Louise your awake." Jacob cried out. It wasn't until I looked down he was clasping my hand like I was going to float away into thin air. "Don't move, please. I don't want you to hurt yourself." He whispers as he pulls me upright in the bed. My head was facing forward and it wasn't until he pulled me upright that he was stood in front of me.
His eyes were bloodshot, his dark circles were even darker than before. His face was drenched in  sweat. A quick sniff could see that he hadn't showered in days. He looked unkempt, worried and troubled. For the first time, I didn't see the arrogant, demanding Alpha. I saw a boy who was frightened and terrified. He looked out of his depth.
"Yeah I'm awake? What time is it? How long have I been out for?" I croaked out. My voice was nothing but horse and dry. I was soon coughing which caused me to wince in pain. Jacob was quick on his feet, he grabbed a glass which held a straw. He quickly brought the straw to my chapped lips and soon I was sucking the cool liquid down my throat.
"Little sips." He whispered.
My eyes widened at his words, my face held shock at his care. Never had I seen this side to Jacob before. Whenever he was with my sister, he always seemed to play a part, it didn't feel genuine. It felt like he was trying to punish me, hurt me. The time I was in hospital, he was desperate, he was begging for my help with ulterior motives to suck me back into a home I didn't recognise. This time, his actions felt nothing but genuine. I couldn't see guilt or pain, all I saw was a man who was worried and broken.
"He cares about us, no matter what you say. He can't change who his mate is and neither can you. A mate is for life, there are no second chances." My wolf whispered in the back of my mind.
A part of me wanted to argue with her but truthfully I was worn out, I was tired. I was fighting against a bond which I had no chance of survival. I didn't accept him and I wouldn't be with him, but fate has a funny way of chasing you to the ends of earth. Without my ring it was useless to hide, especially now that he recognise my face. I was a celebrity, a public figure that had paparazzi following me to the ends of the earth. No matter where I went or where I hid, I could now be found.
I finished drinking and lifted my eyes without moving my neck. It felt like I had whiplash, I couldn't physically bring myself to move. Jacob's eyes caught mine and I could see in the corners that there were unwept tears.
"It's about five in the morning and you've been out for two days, I can't tell you how good it is to see you open your eyes." He sighed in relief. "Me and your family have been worried about you."
At the mention of family all I wanted to do was scoff but I was restricted because of the sharp pain that slithered across my neck. I hoped that my disgust was clear on my face when he mentioned my family, I hoped it conveyed my message that I was unhappy at what had happened.
"You know, in the last years I haven't had the slightest cold, but since you entered my life again I've had two hospital admissions." I informed him with the weak tremble of my voice.
Jacob closed his eyes tightly and turned his face away from mine. I could see that my words affected him. I knew he felt responsible, if it wasn't for him blackmailing me to return none of this would have happened. I would have continued to live my life freely. If only he never waltzed into my office that day.
"You're right, I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have let you come back. At least I should have never left you alone with Leanne. Everything you are going through, everything that has happened to you. It's my fault. There are no words to describe how truly sorry I am." He hung his head.
As I listened to his words, there was nothing practiced, nothing fake about what he shared. It felt genuine, his declaration was absolute. There was no waver of guilt, he was just apologetic for what had happened. For the first time in years, I saw a man who had potential to be worthy of an Alpha title.
I remember watching him from my bedroom, never once did he interact with the omegas, if anyone questioned him he became hostile and aggressive. He never apologised for his mistakes, he never learned to be responsible. For the first time in years it felt like he was being accountable for his actions. There was no blame on me for running away, no blame for me pushing my parents to the side. There was just a man stood in front of me, unable to look me in the eye as he finally realised the severity of his decisions.
"Thank you for your apology." I quietly replied with a nod of the head. "What happened to Leanne?" I asked.
I could see from the corner of my eye his fist clench. I sniffed the air and I could faintly smell his disgust but the smell of anger and rage penetrated between us. "She's in the cells. She won't bother you again." He stated as a matter of face.
"Can I ask why she is still here after everything she has done? I thought she would at least been made rouge?" I pondered.
Jacob sighed. "It was my first thought when her secrets were revealed, but after speaking with the elders we felt she was far too dangerous to be let free. She's mates to a rouge and we were worried about her seeking him out. Elders believe that she would have been more of threat out there than as an omega in the pack. We don't know how far her connections go across the rouge community. We still haven't been able to identify her mate."
"Have you asked her about him before?" I croaked.
"Yes both me and her parents have asked her for answers" he said as he sunk into the chair at the side of my bed. I raised my eyebrow and picked my hand up for him to continue speaking. He took a deep inhale of breath. "Your sister gave nothing away, she just laughed manically. Saying she would have her revenge. Your sister is crazy, god knows what shit she was spewing." He should his head.
I couldn't help but let a small chuckle out, even though I winced in pain. "What does that make you, if you mated that crazy?"
"A bloody fool." He sighed.
"Well at least we found our first topic of agreement." I replied with a small smile.
"Did you always know your sister was like this?" Jacob asked. The curiosity lingered in his voice.
I pondered his question, trying to think of the memories I had with my sister and family. I truly didn't know how to answer him. The teenager in me, was still trying to protect her, even after she tried to kill me, I was still wanting to repeat the same mistakes. Despite my sister hating me, I couldn't help but love her. I remember when I was young, I would always chant to myself that I had enough love to give for the both of us. I was so naive to think that I could change my sister for the better. My sister couldn't even change her ways for her mate, it was futile.
"In a way yes... You heard my father yesterday, I used to be close to him when I was a child. I would love watching him train and sometimes I would join him on his runs. When my little legs couldn't catch up, he would swing me on his back and continue with his morning jog." A small smile graced my lips. "My sister on the other hand was very close to my mother, it wasn't until we got to our teenage years that I was extremely smart, getting impeccable grades. It was then that mother started to show me some of the affection she was giving Leanne."
"Leanne was always very sociable, she loved being around people, being the centre of attention. I didn't want to take that away from her, I was quite happy to sit in the corner and read a book. I was shy and meek at that age. It wasn't until we were about thirteen or fourteen years old that I would watch my sister climb from her window out into the forest." I explained.
"I always thought that she was going for a run in her wolf form or she wanted a break from my parents nagging her about her schoolwork. A couple of weeks later, things had changed, rumours were sprouting about me engaging in underage sex, warriors would often catcall me and my father couldn't even look me in the eye."
I chuckled with a croak. "One day I entered my room and all I could smell was sex, it was disgusting, it smelt sweaty and rancid. I remember wrinkling my nose in disgust. Unfortunately my mother soon arrived home, she followed the scent and found me in my room and it was then that she first slapped me. She called me a stupid whore and told me to stop being a slut. I was bringing shame to the family name."
"Leanne was stood in the hallway, smirking like a Cheshire Cat who got the cream. Her eyes were twinkling with delight of what she had done. For I knew I was still a virgin but my mother was too caught up in emotions to seek the truth. She dragged me by my hair and pulled me downstairs to where my father was sitting." A small tear escaped my eye.
"My father had tears in his eyes, his face was red. It was the first time he looked at me in disgust and in anger. He gave me that look until the day I left the pack. Of course, Leanne continued to associate with Rouges, how my parent's never caught whiff of the scent I'll never know. All I can say is they were terrible Beta's. I tried to warn them, only for my mother to tell me to stop being jealous, to stop trying to bring my sister down to my level of trash." I sighed.
"No matter what I said or do, all Leanne would do was let out some crocodile tears and my parents would be putty in her hands, she would fake the sympathy card with me, telling them to not be too hard on me. All while she wore that smirk on her face." I tried to shake my head but stopped myself, not wanting to cause myself anymore harm.
"When you announced your mating, all she did was taunt me for days, she had dug me a big enough grave that no one would ever believe. She reminded me every single day. Then when she announced she was expecting her first child and it was with my mate. Well I still have beliefs on whether she was celebrating the new life or the fact that she had been successful in ruining my life." I finished.
Jacob was quiet through my explanation and observations of my sister. I could he was shocked at what I had shared. I knew he understood that my sister was deceitful but I truly believe he didn't comprehend the depth of her deceit and betrayal. Jacob was staring into space unable to make sense of what I revealed. "I really had no idea...Why does she hate you so much?" He whispered to himself.
"My sister is diabolical as for why she hates me so much, I am still asking myself that same question each day. Still, I have no answer."