Destined for Disaster ✔️

Chapter 28

Ryleigh wanted to shoot upright, but Austin still kept her immobile on the forest floor.

"What..." She looked around her. Then her eyes found Austin, who was hovering above her, a bruise forming around his right eye. "What happened?" she asked, clenching her eyes shut with a gasp as pain shot through her arm.

His eyes narrowed. "You don't remember?"

Ryleigh shrugged, forgetting for the moment that every movement made discomfort travel through her poor limb. She flinched and shook her head. "I remember waking up." Her eyes flitted to his hand still firmly on her shoulder. "Would you let go of me already? I'm not going anywhere, clearly. How by the Goddess did I dislocate my shoulder?"

"You fell." He drew back, though he kept kneeling beside her, ready for anything.

She struggled into a seated position, careful not to move her arm. "Well, that's lame. Did I do that?" She looked at his black eye and reached for him. He pulled away, wincing. She clacked her tongue and let her hand drop back to her side. "So what, I punched you?"

"Yes."

She pulled her mouth into a pout, nodding. "Did you deserve it?"

"No."

"I'm not so sure. Help me up, would you?" She extended him her good arm. He got up, took her hand and pulled her up. When he released her, she moved her hand back to her injured limb, holding onto herself with a pained expression.

"You really don't remember?"

"No. I guess my wolf took over again. I remember her wanting to, but I fought it, and then I don't know anything until I came back to my senses here."

"This is getting out of hand, Ryleigh."

Ryleigh couldn't deny it, but wouldn't admit it. Nor would she admit that her heart burned like a funeral pyre every time he spoke her name. There was just something about that husky voice pronouncing the combination of syllables most personal to her that had her feeling a little weak in the knees. But of course she blamed it on the fact she had just run like a maniac through the woods in the middle of the night, in her grievous state, with a dislocated shoulder.

She stole a glance at his face. Even though she had no recollection of her punching him and couldn't verify whether it had been justified, she regretted it. His face was a work of art and no one had the right to damage it.

He caught her looking and she turned her gaze down towards herself, brushing some twigs off her body. The both of them were still stark naked – but of course neither of them would admit the attraction they felt for each other. Denial was easier.

"We should go back," Ryleigh said. She only took a few paces before turning back around. "I don't remember how I got here."

Austin rolled his eyes and took the lead. "Ridge needs to set your shoulder."

"It can wait."

"Are you crazy? Of course it can't wait."

"He's probably sleeping. It's the middle of the night, in case you didn't notice."

"We'll wake him up. You can't walk around with a dislocated shoulder, Ryleigh."

"Then I'll set it myself." She inspected her injured shoulder, prodding it cautiously with her right hand, grimacing.

"Have you ever set a shoulder before?"

"No, but how hard can it be?"

She didn't need to look at him to know he was staring at her like she was insane, though he was rather late to the party if he was only realising that now.