Shift

Chapter 14

I apologize for not getting this out early, but I had to rewrite most of this chapter. I didn't really like the direction that it went the first time. I will have chapter 15 posted by Sunday evening. Thank you for reading!

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I couldn't move, my arms and legs were strapped down. The blinding light above me made it nearly impossible to see anything other than the silhouette of a person standing over me. The glinting metal poised above my chest made it clear as to who the person was.

The pain in my jaw and fingers made me cry out, but as the pressure on my chest increased, I snarled. My claws sunk into skin and the warmth that spilled around my fingers filled me with satisfaction. A hand touched my face. Crazy Pants must not have learned from the last time. My head snapped towards the hand, and I sank my teeth in. Perhaps instead of fingers, I'd take the whole hand this time.

"Sang," a familiar bellow echoed through the room.

North.

I glanced around, trying to find him but I couldn't see anything. I also wasn't willing to let the hand go, so my field of vision was limited.

"Goddamnit, Sang. Let go!" Let go? But I didn't have a hold of him.

My eyes jolted open as something hard hit me in the nose making my eyes water. I blinked a few times, taking in North and Axel as they hovered over me. My claws were in North's arm as I held onto it. I quickly released him. My tongue flicked over skin as a smoky tang filled mouth. I had Axel's hand trapped between my teeth.

His other hand was in front of my face, prepared to flick me in the nose again. Glancing up at him, he raised his brow at me. Axel wiggled his fingers, giving me an expectant look. I didn't really want to let go of his hand though.

The thudding of feet alerted me to the others entering the room. Corey looked shocked while Brandon looked amused. Raven grinned and patted me on the head like I did a good job. Marc was laughing. North was cursing as his arms healed before my eyes.

"Sang," a rumble came from Axel's chest. "Are you going to let go?"

I blinked at him. Oh, right. I was still biting him. I was still biting him. I unhinged my jaw and let his hand fall from my mouth. I swiped at the drool that had gathered around my mouth. My hand came back with spots of blood. I looked at Axel's hand, bleeding and covered in my saliva.

Grimacing, I said, "I'm sorry."

"What did we just witness?" Marc asked while snickering.

Pressing my lip to my teeth, I looked at Axel. He was staring at the bite on his hand. When Marc cleared his throat, he dropped his good hand to my shoulder and looked at the guys. "Sang had a nightmare. North and I tried to wake her, but I believe we scared her."

I shook my head. "You didn't scare me. I was, uh, attacking the man at the lab." Looking down, I shrugged. "At least I didn't take your hand like I wanted to take his in my dream."

"In your dream?" North asked. "Who was the man and what did he do?"

North sounded furious. I wasn't mentally prepared for this conversation and I was also emotionally drained. I needed more sleep. Preferably a dreamless sleep. I wasn't sure what to say exactly. Thankfully, Axel took pity on me.

"I think that's something to talk about tomorrow when the others are around to hear it." He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I appreciate the heads up, North. You're welcome to stay in Corey's room since Sang has claimed the couch as that is where she feels more comfortable."

"Thanks." North's eyes were still locked on me.

Everyone parted ways with simple goodnights, leaving North and I standing in the living room. When the room fell quiet, North had me wrapped up in his arms. He buried his face into my hair.

"I was so worried about you, Sang Baby."

"I'm sorry," I pulled back from him, grabbing his hands so that I could see his arms. "Are you okay?"

He dragged me back into his chest. "I'm fine Sang Baby. Are you okay?"

I nodded into his chest. We stood in there in the silence for what felt like hours. I breathed in his musky scent. I felt protected in his presence, and it was something that I really needed to feel at the moment.

"I almost killed him." North's voice had deepened and there was a bit of a growl to it. "When he told us what he did to you, I was going to kill him. Luke would have as well; assuming we would have beat Mr. Blackbourne to it."

At first, I didn't realize who he was talking about, but it didn't take me long. Kota. Luke must have said something. I wondered what all Kota told them, or if he even told them the truth. Would they see me as he did? North didn't seem to. He was hugging me after all.

"Owen knows?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, he knows." North gave me a little squeeze before tilting my head back so I could see his dark eyes. "He's pretty mad about it too."

My stomach sank. I licked my lips, "d-does he hate me?"

North reared back as I had smacked him. "No, absolutely not, Sang." His warm hands cupped my face. "He's worried about you, sure. He's not angry with you, though. He absolutely does not hate you. Kota is walking on shaky ground right now."

Hearing his words made me feel a little better, but I needed to hear them from Owen. That would have to wait until tomorrow. North gave me one last hug before telling me to go to sleep. He strode off towards the left side of the apartment, where Corey's room must have been.

I laid down on the couch, but I couldn't get comfortable. There was only one place that I wanted to be at the moment, and it wasn't on the couch. There was a constant tugging in my chest as if something was trying to urge me to move. After a few minutes, I gave up. The urge had become too strong and I was nearly on the verge of tears; which confused me. I stood making my way through the dark house stopping when I reached a door.

My manners seemed to have completely left me as I didn't even knock before I opened the door. The room was completely dark save for the illuminated fish tanks. The dim light was bright enough for me to see the silhouette of a man laying on the bed, but not enough for me to make out his features.

"Sang?" Axel rasped with his smoky voice.

I stepped in and closed the door. Axel lifted half the comforter and I didn't even hesitate in climbing into his bed. I snuggled right into his side, against his naked torso. His skin felt hot against mine, and it was surprisingly soft.

I sighed contently. Laying beside him, I felt relief and comfort. I also felt happiness. It was a bit too much for me to process. I had just met Axel while did I feel so comfortable with him already?

"What's wrong? Is the couch not comfortable?" The concern in his voice made me want to weep.

"Why do I feel like this?" My voice shook as I forced the words out.

He sat up, leaning over me with his face close to mine. His breath was warm against my face and smelled like minty toothpaste. "Feel like what Sang?"

"Like I want to be near you. No. That's not quite right." I closed my eyes and said what I was really feeling. "I feel like I need to be near you. And when I am, I feel happy and relieved. I was lying out there on the couch, and there was this tugging in my chest. I didn't know why it was there, but I knew that if I followed it that it would lead me to you."

"I'm glad that you do feel that way, but I can't say definitively why it's happening. It could be that you just need comfort because of what you have all been through. You shouldn't worry about it right now though. Try to sleep." He pressed a warm kiss to my forehead and relaxed back on the pillows.

Laying my head on his chest, with his arm wrapped around me, I listened to the steady beat of his heart. So far, I hadn't found a place where I felt more comfortable. I breathed in the scent of him allowing myself to drift off to sleep.