06

It was too much. The pain.

I couldn’t handle it.

I felt someone rubbing my forehead, it was warm, it made me want to lean into to. But I could still feel the pain. And it was worse than ever.

I was too hot.

Breathing in deeply, I tried to make the pain better, but it got worse as it had already spread through my body completely.

I only opened my eyes slightly, but the image was blurry. All I could see were colours everywhere.

The pain seemed to go on for what felt like hours before it finished, but not before my whole head cracked and formed into a new shape, with felt like the worse pain ever.

Pain. That’s all I felt.

I was engulfed in darkness, yet I could hear people shuffling around and moving about. I tried to pry my eyes open, but they felt as though they were glued shut.

I felt a warm hand take mine in and I gripped it back in return.

« Mom, she’s awake, hurry mom, » I heard someone shout, which caused me to wince slightly as my head was pounding.

I heard someone run in and and listen to my heartbeat using a stethoscope.

« Sophia, Sophia, can you hear me ? If you can squeeze my hand again, » I heard another voice say.

Using the smallest amount of strength left I had in me, I squeezed their hand to indicate that I could hear them. I tried to speak, but my throat felt dried as though I hadn’t drank anything for days.

« She’s awake ! Ok, Sophia, I want you to open your eyes very, very carefully, ok ? » that same deep voice asked again.

Slowly, I tried to open my eyes, with as much effort as I could. As soon as my eyes opened, I was always blinded by the lights. Lifting my weak hand, I placed in on top of my eyes.

« Hold on, let me turn the lights off, » the man spoke again.

Few seconds later, I felt them sit next to me again as the bed dipped.That voice seemed familiar, their scent seemed familiar too.

I removed my hands from my eyes and took him in, it was Alpha. He looked at me, worried but relieved when he saw me looking at him. I looked around and noticed an IV machine on my right and plently on tubes sticking out from my arm.

« Oh thank God you’re ok Soph ! » he said.

I tried to say something, but my voice was too dried. He must’ve noticed this because he put a glass of cool water and allowed me to sip it. After nearly finshing the whole glass of water, I nodded, telling him that it was enough.

« W-what happened to me ? » my voice sounded raspy, like I hadn’t spoken it days.

« You shifted, but because you didn’t have your mate, it was more painful and because you are too weak, you fell in coma until you were healed enough to wake up, » he explained.

I tried to sit up but winced when I felt like one of my bones in my arm was on the verge of breaking off and laid back.

« Careful, you’re still weak ! » he scolded. « And I need to get my mom and Emma, she’s waiting to meet you because she wanted to appologise. »

He blanked out for a minute and looked like he was mind-linking someone. Moments later, the door flung opened and Emma walked in with sorrow and guilt clear on her face. She looked too pale and skinnier than last time, with red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. I was confused, why was she feeling guilty ?

She ran to my bed and kneeled down beside me and sobbed, « Sophia, I’m so, so, so, so sorry that I asked you about your mate. If I hadn’t then maybe you wouldn’t have gone through such a painful shift ! »

I was shocked, why was she blaming herself. She really was a stupid girl sometimes.

Even though my arms, or any part of my body, protested in pain, I lifted my arm and gently rubbed her arm. « Shhh, hey, it’s not your fault, ok ? Don’t ever blame yourself. I was bound to shift sooner or later and it’s not your fault my mate isn’t here, so it was going to be painful anyways, » I soothed her.

Her sobs quitened down a little, but she still kneeled in front of me, with tears streaming down her face and looking at the floor like a five-year-old child, who was being punished, while hiccupping very loudly that it filled the whole room.

« So you’re not angry with me ? » she whispered, scared of what I was going to say next.

« No ! What ?! Of course not ! » I exclaimed.

She nodded and sighed in relief. She sat up on my bed and I took my hand back. Alpha wasn’t here anymore, so he must’ve gone out during Emma’s little outburst.

« So, how long was I out for ? » I asked.

« Two weeks and today would’ve been the sixth day, » she replied.

« Wow, » I muttered, not knowing what to say.

« The doctors thought you weren’t going to make it because you were way too weak to shift, even with your mate next to you, » she frowned.

I teared up and flinched when she said ‘mate’. I knew my mate would never be next to me, but he would probably be marking someone like Nicole. He would never love me ; never be mine. I was too ugly, too weak and too stupid for him. He derserved someone better, someone who’d be the perfect Luna, someone like Nicole.

« Oh, » I muttered, not knowing what to say once again.

« The doctors say you need to put on more weight and then start excersising regularly, » she explained.

I nodded. I always knew I was underweight, probably because I wasn’t allowed to eat because my dear brother would say that I was too fat to eat and that I should starve myself to lose some weight so that I could just be a tiny bit prettier- that alone was enough for me to stop eating properly, so he didn’t even had to restrict the amount the of food I ate, but he did anyways.

« Yep, we need to get you to a normal weight, then, we need to get to go shopping and have a make-over, because you obviously want to start your life from the beginning, » she grinned, looking a child on Christmas Day.

« Yep, » I nodded, agreeing with her with a small smile on my face. I needed a new make-over because I was going to turn a new leaf over and start my life fresh as a brand new person.

« Oh my gosh, I’m so excited, but you seriously have to get healthy super fast, okay ? Promise me ? » she asked, holding out her pinky finger.

Rolling my eyes, I smiled and hooked my pinky finger with hers as well. « Yes, I promise for the hundredth time ! » I huffed.

She grinned, bouncing up and down, all signs of sorrow gone now. She started then telling me about her friends at school and how kind they were and how they’d love me. I was excited to go back to school, because now, I’d actually have a friend, who’s not scared to stick up for who she cares for.