The Alpha's Ballerina (#Wattys2016)

Keep Your Eyes Open

Even though Theo had dimmed the lights it still seemed too bright. Oh good! You're not dead! Theo's wolf didn't believe me but hey, I was right. For once I was thankful that Evey was talking. I've heard stories of wolfs who were lost after a traumatic event. Usually that didn't happen though. It happened once in my pack, but that was nearly 100 years ago.

"Hey Abbie." Theo said as he flashed me a crooked smile. Light from the window highlighted his face as it skimmed across. How long has it been since he slept? The bags under his eyes had me worried. "Hi." I croaked out. My throat felt like sandpaper was embedded into it. Theo handed me some water that made most of the ache go away.

"What happened?" My throat was still dry and sore but I had been out for three weeks. What else was I supposed to expect? "Some hunters found us on the way back from your fathers. You took the brunt of the impact. Honestly the only reason you are alive is because of the werewolf gene." Well thank the Moon Goddess for that! "Are you okay?"

A deep chuckle rose from him. "Abbie, you took the brunt of the crash and ended up in a coma for three weeks, and you're asking if I'm okay?" Alright, I get it was a stupid question, but he was my mate. Of course I'm going to worry. "I'm fine though. I was released two weeks ago." At least he was okay.

"How did they find us?" Hunters were not something new to us. For centuries they have tried to kill us. Normally, hunters were in families. One generation to the next of hunters. There were the few odd cases of course. Those seeking revenge for a werewolf killing a loved one. "I don't know. They must have been following us."

I nodded as a spasm of pain raced through my body. Theo must have noticed because he put a hand on my head as he taped the blue button by my side. "If you're in pain Abbie just press this." Almost automatically my fingers pressed the button. A numbness went through me as the medicine coursed through my veins. "Thank you." I whispered to Theo with a smile.

He bent down and brushed those soft, tender lips over my forehead. "I'm going to go see when I can take you home. The pack is anxious to meet their Luna." He left and I sighed. That's right. I'm the Luna of this pack. How could I have forgotten? Oh yeah. I was in a coma for three weeks.

Theo came back with a few doctors who came and poked around me. By no means was it comfortable either. "Good news is that there is no permanent damage. Bad news is that you're going to be sore for a few days Luna."

"Please, just Abigail." I said in a whisper. The doctor just nodded. "Alright. You can take her home tomorrow Alpha." He said as he turned to Theo. Once he walked out Theo came by me. "Your brother stopped by earlier. He ditched school to see you." Oh I was going to kick his ass later.

"What about my dad?" Theo sighed and sat next to me. "He doesn't come. He suddenly had a stack pile of Beta  duties." At least that made sense.

Over the next few hours we kind of just caught up with each other. Apparently he had been working here waiting for me to wake up. He couldn't find the hunters yet but he would. "I just want to make sure you are safe Abbie."

"I know. Just don't put yourself in danger because of it." He flashed a smile my way. All that time in a coma had hardened me. That smile was all it took to soften me up again. "It's my duty to you to protect you. I can't promise I'll stay out of danger to protect you. I can promise you however that I'll come home in one piece." Even though that wasn't what I wanted to hear it helped.

It was close to midnight when I realized what time it was. "I should probably get some sleep. Three weeks of being in a coma doesn't exactly enable me to dance in the real world. I'm seriously slacking on my dance training." Theo smiled and laughed a bit. He came and kissed my forehead. As he pulled away I grabbed his arm. "Stay with me?"

He nodded and climbed into the bed with me. Carefully he pulled the blankets over us and wrapped his arms around me. The strong heartbeat radiating from his chest was comforting after three weeks. As I closed my eyes my body instinctively snuggled up to him. Just as the depths of sleep threatened to pull me under I heard Theo whisper gently in my ear.

"Always."