The Alpha's Ballerina (#Wattys2016)

I Have Died Every Day Waiting For You

We were waiting for some blood results to come back. Everywhere I turned people stared at me. It was bad enough that some were staring because I was their Luna. Others stared because of the scars and bruises. It wasn't like I could hide them.

The doctor came in and had something in her hands. "The wolfsbane is almost out of her system which is good. It's the weight loss I would be worried about. It is clear that she wasn't fed much. That combined with the torture contributed to the weight loss. She seems to be well hydrated though." Yeah, don't need to worry about a hydrated wolf running from you as long as you spike the water with wolfs bane.

"Why isn't she talking?" The doctor's eyes met mine. She seemed to see it. "She isn't ready to yet. Give her some time to adjust to bring back. She will talk when she is ready. In the meantime, don't force her to eat much at first. Gradually get her back into normal eating habits. That should help." I could see Theo nodding in the corner of my eye.

"What about dancing? How long until she can do that." For the first time in a year a half smile started to form. How did I deserve a mate who cares enough about me to ask about my hobbies for me? "I don't see why she can't dance right away once she is comfortable." She directed a pointed look at me. "Just take it easy. If you have trouble sleeping don't hesitate to come back. I can give you something to help." Slowly I nodded as she wrote something down. "You can take her back now alpha."

"Thank you first seeing us on short notice." The sweet smile she gave Theo did two things. The first was give him an understanding of going on. The second was get under my skin. Maybe I was just over reacting because I hadn't been with him for a year. "It was no problem." Theo held out his hand and I grabbed it. His hand felt rough but warm in mine.

We got back to the pack house Theo made me a sandwich. Honestly the minuet I saw that sandwich I wanted to throw up. Just the idea of putting it in my mouth was unsettling to say the least. "Abbie, just eat half." Half of the sandwich didn't seem as impossible for me to force down.

The first bite was the hardest. My gag reflex was horrible after a year of in consistent eating. The sandwich was also on the dry side. Who would have thought a man who made such a delicious Alfredo would make a dry sandwich. It took half an hour to force the half sandwich down. Even then I wanted to throw it all back up.

It took me an extra few minutes to get back to Theo's room then it normally did. It took another five minutes to find what I was looking for. The pink satin was as bright as the last time I had worn them. I had gotten this pair of pointe shoes just a week before I found Theo. Dad bought them for me. The last time I wore this pair was the day before that important day in the woods.

Once I put the gel pads on and got my feet into the shoes I laced them up. Even though I had worn them for about six hours they still weren't broken in. Dad had bought me a more expensive pair this year. Said he wanted them to last longer than the last pair. A soft glow of light danced across my shoes as Theo walked in.

Vaguely I was aware of his thumb wiping a tear from my cheek. "They killed him." It was barley a whisper, but I was able to force the words past my throat. It was enough for Theo though. "Who did they kill?" The way his voice stayed steady told me that he already had an idea of who. "My father. He is dead because of me."

"No Abbie." Theo knelt down in front of me and grabbed both of my hands in his. They completely enveloped mine. "His death wasn't caused by you Abbie. He died protecting you and your future." That didn't make me feel any better. "They cut his head off in front of me Theo. Eventually that wasn't the worse pain I felt."

"You don't need to talk about it right now Abbie." The space between us gained heat. Very gently I leaned forward to give him a kiss. His soft lips captured mine. A stirring built up in my chest. I didn't know what it was. It felt warm, and welcomed. I wanted more of that kiss. Slowly he broke the kiss without satisfying that feeling in my chest.

"I love you." He greeted me with that half smile I missed so much while I was gone. "And I love you Abbie. I've loved you and your wolf for a thousand years. I will love you for one thousand more years."