I thought that with my break from college that I would have even more caught up with posting, but such is not the case... I'm sorry guys. Here you are!

25

Emma

"Ew, are they supposed to be a puke looking color?" I grimaced at the color of the pills.

"Unfortunately, yes," The doctor put them in their container and handed them to me. "Remember, once a day. Preferably in the morning."

I nodded. "Yes, Doc. I'll be sure to take them." I opened the lid and gagged. "Oh god, that won't taste good going down." I quickly put the lid back on.

"Couldn't fix that, either." The doctor said. "You'll just have to deal with it. So, don't take one tonight. Take it after you get up tomorrow. Trust me; you don't want to take it now."

I nodded. "Understood."

"Good night, and good luck Emma. Soran," He nodded to Soran. Soran nodded back and took me back to my room. We were silent the entire way back. As we walked, I was thinking. Should I let him in my room tonight? I'm not taking one of the pills, so maybe not.

But what if he wants to, just in case? Hell, I don't know. Should I let him? Should I not? Crap, crap, crap. We're getting closer to my room; I think. Think, Emma, think! Yes or no.

"I'll let you sleep alone tonight." I blinked at what he said as he let me into my room. "You aren't taking the pills yet, so I don't see a reason for me to be here yet."

"O-oh, um, okay." I cleared my throat. "But I'm guessing tomorrow you'll be at my side all day?"

"That's the plan." He nodded.

I sighed. "Alright. That's fine, I guess. See you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Emma. Sleep well." With that, he shut the door to my room. I sighed again and went to lay on my bed. I held the bottle of pills up and stared at the ten pills, each one waiting for me to take them. My little chances of death that could heal me from what's keeping me from doing anything. My cure wrapped in possible death.

Sounds like the prescriptions humans get sometimes: "Reduces your chances of strokes! WARNING! Side effects may include strokes, heart attacks, loss of appetite, suicidal thoughts or actions, or death." Just what are they putting into those things?!

I shook my head and set the pill bottle on the night stand and picked up my book once more. I have to make sure I tell my family that my treatment will take longer than we thought. I'll do that in the morning.

~~~~

I shuddered as I held up the pill, my glass of water in my other hand. "Oh, ew, ew, ew, ew... So gross... I don't wanna do this... but I can't back down now... I gotta do it... Maybe if I..." I poured some water in my mouth, tipped my head back, then quickly popped in the pill and chased it down with more water.

I nearly puked. "Oh- oh god! Oh, ew so gross! I think I'm gonna be sick!" I coughed and sputtered, but forced myself to keep everything back and to not get sick.

Soran was at my side in a second. "Emma! What's wrong?! Breathe! Tell me what's going on!"

I coughed and pushed him back. "Give me space..." I dry heaved, but kept it back. "Get me something with a strong flavor." He ran from the room to get what I asked for. I fell to my knees on the floor and chugged my water, hoping to get the taste out.

Oh my god, this stuff tastes so vile... I hate it...

"Here!" Soran raced back into my room with a tall glass of dark red liquid. "It's the strongest flavor we have right now."

I took a sip. "Hm. Pure cranberry juice. Don't like cranberries, but I would prefer this over the pills any day." I drank the rest of the juice and placed the empty glass on the floor beside me.

"I never want to do that again..." I reached my hand out to try and grab something to help me stand. Soran took my hand and he got me on my feet.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through with this," His voice was heavy and full of sorrow. "If that stupid machine was working-"

"I still wouldn't use it." I cut him off. "It just didn't seem right to me. I didn't want to use that thing. I'd basically be dying the exact same time I'm being brought back to life. That scares me. I don't want to go through that given how weak I am at this moment. What I really hate is how they gave me that damn silver and put it in my system. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't be going through this right now. It's Victoria's fault- er, was her fault."

"I understand," Soran sighed. "Well, it's all behind us now. Want some breakfast?"

I held my stomach. "Blegh... breakfast now? I think I'll hold off for a while."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged. "Well, I'm fairly certain you don't want to stay cooped up in here all day, so how about I show you the game room?"

My eyes widened. "That would be amazing." He gave a soft smile then gently began to lead me to the game room. It was on the second floor at the far left side of the hall.

And holy hell did I love it. TVs for every game console, and every game imaginable. Kids were playing Mine Craft at one of the end room, teens playing COD, and a few of the adults were playing either Foosball or Billiards.

That left three TVs unattended and turned off.

I rubbed my hands together. "If you'll excuse me, I will be spending the rest of my time here." I raced over to a TV and turned on the console. I logged myself in, chose a game, then began playing, losing myself to the virtual game.

I absolutely love these gaming chairs. The speakers are right next to the head and the bass is superb. I had the volume up high enough to where I couldn't hear anyone around me; just the game. I don't know how long I stayed there, but I enjoyed every second of it.

After I think two hours of playing, my stomach began to rumble. I ignored it, since I was in the middle of a huge boss fight. The rumbling continued and it began to get very uncomfortable. I seriously hope it's just gas or something...

My face began to sweat and I started to get really hot. All the while, my stomach felt like it was flipping around inside me. I swallowed hard, finding that my mouth was extremely dry.

Oh god, please don't let me get sick. I began to swallow over and over, hoping I could keep it down. But no matter how much I tried to salivate, my mouth was as dry as the desert. I'm gonna be sick at any second; I just know it. Please no. I'm almost done! Just a little bit farther with this guy's health and-

I heard a muted voice behind me shout something just as hot liquid flew up from my stomach. Almost instantly, a large bucket was positioned right in front of me. The contents in my stomach spewed out of my throat, burning my mouth, and my nose. I coughed and sputtered as people around me groaned and grimaced.

When did the game get paused?

I had that thought for half a second, for just then, round two made itself known. People were patting my back and holding my hair out of the way. My whole body shook as people told me I was going to be okay and that Soran was on his way.

I swear that doctor is trying to kill me...

"Alright, everyone back!" Soon, new hands were touching me. "Emma, you alright?"

"Oh yeah, perfectly fine." I said sarcastically as I spat a chunk of something into the bin. "Gross... When did I have that?"

"What happened?" He asked as he rubbed my back and stuck my hair into a ponytail.

"It's just like the doc said." I took in a deep breath and sat back. "That pill could end up making me sick."

"Damn it, Emma..." He sighed heavily and trailed a hand over my back, sending chills up my spine. "Everyone resume what you were doing prior to this. I am requesting privacy with my mate." Almost instantly, Soran and I were alone.

"Tell me everything that happened before this moment." He knelt down beside me.

I tipped my head back and wiped a hand across my mouth. "Well, I was just playing the game, getting real far and whatnot, fighting the boss, when all of a sudden, my stomach started to feel weird. I tried to ignore it, but it kept persisting to the point I started to sweat, everything got hot, and my mouth got extremely dry. Next thing I knew, I was puking into a bucket and the game was paused."

"Come on," Soran stood and held a hand out. "Let's get you cleaned up and have the doctor look at you."

"Yeah, fine," I stood by myself and nearly fell. I forgot I get real shaky and weak after getting sick.

"Alright, I'm carrying you." I didn't get a chance to protest as he scooped me off my feet and took me back to my room.

He set me down in the bathroom. "How's your ankle?" He suddenly asked out of the blue as he pulled out a towel for me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Not sure. I haven't checked in a while."

He nodded. "We'll have to have the doc look at that as well." I remained silent as he found some clean clothes for me. "If you need anything, just call and I'll send someone."

"Alright," With that, he left me in the bathroom to shower. I turned the water on and stripped out of my puke covered clothes.

That was so gross and so embarrassing. I hadn't realized that many people were watching me. And they all saw me spew up whatever I've eaten in the past few days. Gross...

Once the water was ready, I stepped in and cleaned myself of the evidence that I had gotten sick. I made it a quick shower, not wanting to stay in too long.

After I got out and dried off, I looked at the clothes Soran laid out. It's one of my pajama sets. At least he didn't get any of my under clothes. I wrapped my towel around me and grabbed what I needed before heading into the bathroom to dress myself in the clean clothes.

Once I was dressed, I brushed out my hair and stuck it in a ponytail, just in case something like that happened again. I stared in the mirror as I set my brush down. My eyes were a bit swollen and my nose was extremely red. I sniffed and grabbed some tissues. I must've blown my nose for at least five minutes trying to get everything out.

A knock sounded at the door as I tossed the used tissue away. I slowly walked over to it and opened it to see a worried Soran waiting there. "How you feeling?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

I chuckled. "Believe it or not, I'm super hungry and very thirsty."

"Shall we head to the kitchen?" I nodded and followed him to the kitchen, not even bothering to understand where we were going.

I was thankful that there was no one in the kitchen when we got there. I went right for the fridge and pulled out all the fixings I would need for a ham sandwich. I felt eyes watching me as I made my food and searched for chips and a cup to pour myself some lemonade.

Once my food was made, Soran followed me out of the kitchen to one of the dining tables. I took a seat and began eating.

I got maybe two bites into my meal when he suddenly stood. "Emma, stay here."

"What, why?" I started to stand.

He held me down in the chair. "Please, just trust me. Stay right here." With that, he left without another word.

I pouted in my seat, poking a chip at my sandwich. I wonder what's going on. If it's a fight, I want to be a part of it. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. My fight with Victoria should be proof enough!

Then again... I thought back to when I got sick. I don't think I would be much help if I suddenly got sick in the middle of the fight. I stuck my lower lip out farther as I picked at my food. I hate this... I can't believe this happened to me of all people!

Soran's been gone for almost a half hour now. I finished the rest of my lemonade and stood to put my plate in a sick. As I was coming back to sit at the table once more, the dining room doors opened. "Finally! You've been gone forever and-"

Not Soran. A Rogue stood confidently in nothing but his birthday suit before me, a sly smirk on his lips. "Well, what do we have here?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, what do you have down there?"

"You checking me out?" He asked cockily.

"No, I'm talking about your legs." His grin fell. "I mean, look at them! It's a forest of hair and the rest of your body is smooth with no hair!"

"Shut up!" He snarled at me. "Enough of this! I didn't come all the way here to talk about my hair! I came here to get Soran's mate!"

"And you think it's me?" I leaned against the door leading to the kitchen.

"Well, his scent is all over the place in here!" He growled. "And it's stronger in here than other places."

"Well, that's not reason to think I'm his mate." I looked at my nails. "I could have just gotten here."

"W-well-" He cut himself off. "Alpha's never let their Luna's fight! You're the only one not fighting!"

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Who says I'm not fighting? I'm fighting the urge to fight you. Look, I just ate. I don't feel well enough to get into a huge squabble with you. I'd rather sit and let my stomach settle."

"How can a human be so calm around a Rogue?!"

Something ticked in my mind. "Human? Human?! Did you just call me a human?! Buddy, I am far from being a human! Call me that again and I will be back with two butcher knives to skin you alive!"

He crossed his arms. "I'd like to see you move two steps without me getting to you in two bounds."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's not a challenge." He bared his teeth at me. "It's a threat."

"Alright." I adjusted my stance. "Bring it." The exact second he took a step, I spun around and locked myself in the kitchen. Two seconds later, I was grabbing every knife in sight just as he busted the door down.

Half a second later, a boning knife was flying in the air. My aim was off and it embedded itself in his left bicep. The Rogue howled in pain as he grabbed the handle of the knife, trying to pull it out.

I let another knife sail through the air, this one hitting his leg. "You bitch!" He ripped both knives from his body and shifted mid stride. I grabbed the two butcher knives I had laying beside me and scraped them against each other.

Sadly, I couldn't do any real damage to him. A large Wolf raced into the kitchen and caught the Rogue flying at me by his back flank, throwing him off balance and sending him into a cabinet. The Wolf stood protectively in front of me and growled. I'm guessing this is Soran, given how much power he's giving off.

The Rogue stood shakily to his feet and curled his lips over his teeth. Soran didn't back down. The hair on his back bristled as he snapped at the Rogue. The Rogue flinched but surprisingly held his ground.

That is, until three more of Soran's pack members entered the kitchen and surrounded the Rogue. His shoulders sagged, knowing he was outnumbered. He gave up. Just like that.

Well, that was anti-climatic.

The Rogue was quickly knocked out and dragged out of the kitchen to who knows where. Probably out back to be killed. Maybe to the dungeon.

The Wolf protecting me slowly turned around and sighed heavily. His eyes glanced at the two knives I held and he shook his head. "What? I told him I would use these if he tried anything!"

The Wolf simply huffed and trotted off out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, Soran returned with a pair of shorts on. "Emma, out the knives down."

I set them on the counter. "Oh, come on! I was perfectly fine by myself! I had already injured him before you even came to find me!"

"Injured him with what?" He asked as he picked up the knives from the counter to set in the sink.

I walked past him and grabbed the two boning knives from the ground, each soiled with the Rogue's blood. "These. As you can see, I had a ready arsenal of weapons to hurl at him if the butcher knives failed."

Soran looked to where I was standing before I moved and saw the pile of various knives right where I had been. "Damn, Emma. How did you gather these so fast?"

"I have no clue." I stuck the knives I held into the sink and turned on the hot water. "But however I did it, it saved my life. I mean, look at this! I was able to pull every knife from each of the four cutting boards before he even had time to break down the door to get to me!"

"Emma, I told you-"

"To stay put." I crossed my arms. "Had I not stayed put, I could be either injured, dead, or kidnapped again." He winced at that.

"So I think it was justified that I moved to put my things in the sink and then fight for myself. Soran I know how to take care of myself! That back there was nothing! I once took down four Rogues on my own! I took down Victoria with just a knife! I know how to defend myself! We're not taught to sit around and hope the guys get back safely. Do you know where I learned to fight with weapons? Hunters."

"Hunters?" Soran turned to face me.

"Yes," I nodded. "Rorie isn't a Wolf. He's human and he's a Hunter. He's a family friend. He taught me how to fight if in the event I couldn't shift. I have a feeling I already told you this, but we have a treaty with the Hunters. They agreed to not hunt us and we don't do anything to warrant being hunted. They agreed to fight for us if in the event we went to war or needed extra hands in a fight. We also agreed to fight with them if something happened. In return, we taught them different styles of how Wolves fight and they taught us how to use weapons."

"Well..." He was at a loss for words. "Just... just please try to be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."

I rolled my eyes. "I promise to try and be careful."

He sighed but accepted it. "Come on. I seem to remember that you have a boss to fight." With that, he led me back to the game room.

I just know that he'll never leave me alone now.

Joy...