I stir and try to open my eyes but they are too heavy. So instead, I just lay there, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.

Slowly, the peacefulness beings to turn to pain as I continue to wake up from my slumber. Everything feels heavy. My ribs ache, my head hurts, and my insides feel numb. Nothing I haven't already come to expect though.

Maybe it was all a twisted dream?

However, my doubts quickly dissipate as I suddenly feel a presence in the room. It's the alpha. I can smell him. That same sickly sweet musk. There's someone else in the room too but he is all I can focus on.

He smells so heavenly, it's intoxicating.

Oh my god. What is wrong with me?

I quickly tuck away the thought as I know nothing good can come of it and instead turn my attention to the other presence in the room.

They don't smell as strongly as he does, but that same sweet smell is heavy in the air. Whoever they are, they seem busy. I can sense them moving around the room.

Where the hell am I?

I jump slightly as a faint beeping starts to ring in my ears. Clearly, this is a frequency I haven't completely lost yet. My mother used to tell me to think about my deafness as a range. Some things I might still be able to hear whilst others would be completely silent. She'd make up cute little stories to try and make me feel better about the whole thing as a child. Oh man, how I miss her.

I continue to lay there for a while until my eyes start to feel lighter but I choose to keep them closed because I know if I open them, I'll have to face the alpha and whoever else is in the room.

Suddenly, something touches me and my eyes shoot open and I shuffle backwards. The beeping in my ears becomes extraordinarily fast as a sharp stabbing pain shoots through my arm.

I look down and see I'm sitting in a hospital bed with a needle sticking out of my arm, connected to a bunch of wires and tubes. I follow the tubes and wires up to find them connected to clear bags of fluid and the machine making the angry beeping noise.

I panic and quickly rip the needle out of my arm in an effort to get the beeping to stop but all it does is make it worse. I scream out in pain as blood begins to leak from my arm.

Instantly, a woman is at my arm, applying pressure to the wound whilst tying something around my arm. I stay deathly still. I think she's trying to help. Best not to make it worse.

In an effort to try and calm myself down, I look around the room to avoid making eye contact with the woman touching me.

There's a lot of medical equipment similar to what Zane had so I can only assume this is a hospital. A very clean one at that. Unlike the one the rogues had.

I look to my right and see the Alpha sitting in a chair, watching me carefully while, who I can now assume is the pack doctor by the way she was dealing with my arm, stands next to me with a concerned look on her face. I feel tears start to roll down my cheeks without warning and I whimper.

The Alpha instantly moves to my side but I move away, shuffling as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the impact, but nothing comes.

Why hasn't he hit me yet? Zane would normally beat the shit out of me if I ended up in the hospital wing.

First I was kidnapped by rogues and now I've been taken by a wolf pack, just my luck.

I feel the Alpha move away from me and I slowly open my eyes, not daring to move in case it angers him again. I see the doctor move out of the corner of my eye and I turn my head to look at her, fear in my eyes, my heart racing.

She begins to talk but of course, I can't hear her. Panicked, I watch her lips to try and to read them and I can tell that she is asking me a question, something about feeling but that's all I can make out.

I think she is trying to help again. I mean, why else would I be here in this hospital bed?

She gives me an expectant look but I don't know what to do.

I used to be able to talk when I was younger and had my hearing aids. I was getting quite good at it too. I had a stutter but you could make out what I was saying well enough to hold a decent conversation.

But ever since I was kidnapped, I have never talked. I tried once when I was forced to but I think it only came out as weird sounds.

Maybe I should try again?

I open and close my mouth, trying to loosen my jaw. God, it's been years. I hardly remember how to talk or get my mouth to move in the way I need it to to make the sounds.

"I-I-I."

Oh no, my stutter. I think I'm just making weird noises again like the last time I had to try and talk.

I give it another go, trying to concentrate but I really can't tell what I'm saying. I know there is noise coming out of my mouth at this point as the doctor gives me a confused look.

I try again, but soon give up when I realise I'm getting nowhere.

Anger and defeat fill me as tears start to fall from my eyes again but I quickly wipe them away. Jesus, I'm such a screwup. The Alpha should have just killed me then and there. So should have Zane. I'm bloody useless.

I peek at the Alpha and he gives me a strange look. Nerves consume me and I quickly turn my head away, the flutter from when I was in the forest returning to my stomach. I look back at the doctor who is back to watching me carefully.

Maybe I can somehow show her that I'm deaf.

I point to my ears and frown.

The doctor gives me a look of confusion and I make a writing motion with my hands. Instantly, her face lights up and she rushes out of the room. I stifle another glance at the Alpha who is still watching me.

The doctor quickly runs back in holding a small whiteboard and whiteboard marker. She hands me them and I give her a small smile.

I start to write and cringe at how awful it looks. At least it's better than my speaking.

I write down 'I'm deaf' on the board before turning it around to show her.

Suddenly, a huge smile spreads across her face and I know she understands now. But what she does next surprises me. She signs to me.

"I'm sorry" she signs.

"It's okay" I sign back with a small smile.

"You can sign?"

"Yeah love, I've worked with hearing-impaired people before. Do you wear hearing aids?".

"Yes but the ones I had got broken".

"Okay. I will order you some more but for now, just sign or use the whiteboard."

"Okay" I reply with a small smile. I lean back in my bed and begin to relax a little. The doctor looks over at the Alpha before looking back at me.

"So how are you feeling?" she signs, a frown tugging at her lips.

"I've been worse." I sign back meekly.

"Dear god. Well, I'm genuinely surprised you're not dead."

"Honestly, me too."

"You're so thin dear, your body covered in wounds and bruises. You also have a couple of broken ribs but nothing that isn't fixable. You're in good hands now."

"Thank you" I sign back with a small smile.

I sigh and rub my hands over my eyes, still trying to avoid acknowledging the Alpha.

"Who is he?" I sign to her, too scared to look at him.

"That's Alpha Grayson Hays of the Scarlet Moon pack" she signs back with a smile.

Oh fuck.

I think I've heard of the Hays family before. I believe I used to overhear my father talking about them when I was little. Trust me to end up in the territory of the most feared Alphas ever.

Their family has a history of violence and death, not to mention cold-heartedness, money and power. However, my father used to always have a soft spot for them. I believe he had some kind of treaty with them. Who knows whether that still exists anymore though?

She turns and says something to him and they have a brief conversation before turning her attention back to me.

"He said he wants to talk to you," she says grinning.

Shit. I guess I can't avoid it any longer.

"How?" I sign back.

"He can sign too. His grandma was deaf and a few other pack members were also so he learnt to sign at a young age."

Oh god. Trust him to know sign language. Just my luck.

"I'll leave you to it" she signs as she goes to leave but I jump out of my bed and run to her. I quickly lose my balance and come to a crashing heap on the floor.

"Don't go!" I sign in fear, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"Okay, okay. I'll stay. Let's just get you back into bed child. You're extremely underweight and very very weak" she signs before helping me up off the floor and walking me back over to the bed.

I get back in, pulling the covers up to my chest as she sits down next to me. I can trust her, but I can't trust him. Not yet. She nods in his direction and I slowly turn to look at him.

He moves closer and I whimper again and move away, shuffling over towards the doctor. He gives me a sad look and doesn't move any closer.

Suddenly, I feel horrible for making him sad and I don't know why. I slowly move a little closer back towards him and he perks up slightly.

He smiles and says something to the doctor before turning back to me. He studies me for a moment, which makes me nervous.

I'm scared that I'm going to get beaten at some point so I can't trust him.

What if he's exactly like the rogues?

I watch as he shifts in his chair nervously and I play with my fingers.

"Hello" he signs slowly, giving me a small smile.

"Hi" I sign back, the nerves kicking in badly.

This is going to be hard. Really hard.

_________________________

Hey Guys,

I hope you enjoyed this newly edited chapter!! This is technically a new chapter to the book, however, it is actually a continuation of what was originally in the previous chapter.

Thanks, for sticking by me through all this and feel free to leave me a comment below letting me know whether you liked this chapter!!

If you feel so inclined, go follow me on my Instagram account @allamy_duffell for a look into my life outside of writing!

Love,

Allamy xx