Chapter 88

**Kataleya’s POV**

Darkness. I have been surrounded by darkness for what feels like eternity. Sometimes I can feel sparks. I feel the sparks travelling on what I am assuming is my skin.

Why are there sparks? What is causing them?

I pondered this for days. I feel like I am not whole, like I am missing something.

I am in a deep abyss with no way out. I am drowning. I have been walking for what feels like ever.

I have been passing these big, black doors and I had thought that they would be my way out. No, instead, I have learned that these doors lead me to my deepest, darkest nightmares and fears.

It was like I was drowning, fighting for air to breathe, but I was not able to reach anything. How do I get out of here? How do I figure out what I am missing?

There is a man that kept reappearing in some of what I am assuming are my fears. I can tell that he is someone that I don’t want to lose, but who? I don’t recognize him.

Days. Days I have been here, searching for some type of sanctuary in this never-ending abyss.

All of a sudden, I saw a bright, shining light appear ahead of me. I rushed towards it and came to a staggering halt when I realized that it was coming from a golden door that was not there before. The door was giant. At least seven feet tall. It had swirly designs done in a glittering silver. I am scared to open the door. Every other door that I have passed seems to lead me to a nightmare. What if this one is no different?

What is the worst that could happen?

What more memories can you haunt yourself with?

Come on, Kataleya, you can do it. Stop being a chicken shit.

Yes, I know, I suck at hyping myself up. Whatever works though, right?

I tok a deep breath and then opened the door…scared to see what was beyond that door.

I step inside the room and I am suddenly hit by all the memories that I was missing.

Justin.

Skye.

Oliver.

My parents.

My brothers.

My pack.

Everything hit me wave after wave. I was ecstatic! I remembered everyone.

The sparks must be from Justin. Suddenly I was sad, thinking about the hell he must be going through right now. I remembered when he was in the hospital and I thought I was losing him. I was out of my mind. I hope that he isn’t like that.

“Miss me?” I heard a voice call from deep inside the room. Skye! I ran to her voice and I found my wolf standing there in all her glory. She had the biggest wolfy grin on her face. I was ecstatic. I missed her. She was part of the missing piece…the other part, I can’t have yet. I sighed internally. I missed Justin.

I want out of here.

I want to go back to my mate.

“How do we leave here, Skye?” I whispered to her.

“Simple!” she exclaimed. “You allow me to do all the work. I promise, I will have us out of here in no time.”

Suddenly, she was gone. In place of Skye, though, I was beginning to hear voices. Voices that I thought I would never hear again.

Justin. Michael. Dr. Leigh.

I sat here and listened to them talk. Occasionally, I would have the need to move my fingers or toes, but the moment that I moved, sparks would immediately shoot up my arm. Oh, how I have missed these sparks. You never know what you are missing until you do not have it, or at least that is how I feel about my mate.

I never thought about how I truly felt without him until I nearly lost him. Now, I cannot imagine going on without him. I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him.

A light. There is a light shining. The light was too bright, so I closed my eyes, hoping that the brightness would go away or dim.

When I opened my eyes, I heard gasps from around the room. I blinked and realized that I was staring at the ceiling in the hospital. Someone rushes to my side and takes my head.

Sparks rush over my skin, creating a euphoric feeling. Goddess, I have missed this.

I looked over and saw Justin’s smiling face. He had tears in his eyes and I watched as the tears slowly started rolling down his cheeks.

I reached up and gently touched his face with my pointer finger, using it to swipe away his tears.

‘He missed you, Kat.’ Skye whispered in my head.

‘Skye! I have missed you. When you left, I thought I was imagining things. I was so lonely.'

‘I know. I am sorry that I had to leave you. I was trying to protect you from the pain that I was in when I took your pain, so that you would last longer against them. I did not want to leave you…you were so strong, Kataleya. I saw everything those bastards did to you and I was so incredibly proud of you. You stood your ground and you did not take your shit. You have changed so much from the young girl that you were when we first shifted. I am happy to call you my hooo-man!’ She finished and I watched as she wagged her tail at me. This girl is so silly sometimes, but I would not change her for the world.

I stopped my internal conversation with my wolf to look at Justin, who still had tears streaming down his face.

He leaned down, placing his forehead against mine. “I love you, my queen. Thank you for returning to me,” he whispered, his voice cracking at the end.

“I love you, my king. Thank you for waiting for me. Can you promise me that we will stop doing this to each other? I don’t know if I will be able to handle it if you die or nearly die again.”\

“Deal, but only if you agree not to do it to me again. This past week has been hell for me…waiting for you to wake up and return to me.”

Instead of responding, I pulled his neck back down and brought my lips to his. I moaned when his lips touched mine. I enjoyed the feel of his soft, plump lips against mine. Our lips moved against each other in a song that was as old as time. He wrapped his arm under me and pulled me into a sitting position and gently lowered himself to sit next to me. His tongue brushed against me, requesting entry. Once I allowed him entry, our tongues danced with each other, both fighting for dominance.

Someone cleared their throat from behind Justin. Fuck, I forgot that we were not alone. We slowly broke apart, both of us breathing heavily. He relaxed on the bed, pulling me against him. His arm wrapped around me and was gently stroking my arm.

I looked at the other two people that were in the room and I felt my face turning red.

Michael started laughing at my red face.

“Fucking asshole,” I mumbled under my breath. “I can’t wait for you to find your mate. Just remember karma is a fucking bitch and it is going to come for your ass.” I huffed, which only made him laugh harder.

Fucking bastard.

“Anyway,” Dr. Leigh began with a smile in her voice, “How are you feeling, Kataleya?”

I tested out the movement in my joints and realized how still I am. I moved my right arm and I heard the crack as my bone popped. I cringed a little, hating the sound of my bones popping.

“I am alright, I guess. My joints hurt and it hurts to move certain parts of my body.”

She nodded her head, as if she was expecting that answer. “That is to be expected. You have been out for a week and then, before that, when you were being held captive. I cannot imagine that you were moving a lot then either. A few rules until you have completely healed. Your heat has still not been completed. We have been constantly giving you heat suppression pills. When your next heat comes, it will be a bitch, pardon my French, but you will have to go through it. Unfortunately, we have given you the last pill that I feel comfortable giving you. Those pills can have negative effects, including affecting the reproductive system. However, you cannot have any form of sexual activity for the next 12 hours while your body rests. The unfortunate part is, I do not know if the heat will hold off for 12 hours. I did give you a double dosage about five minutes before you woke up, so hopefully that does us some good and keeps it at bay. I am sure your mate is tired of fighting instincts and fighting the other males and some females that are currently in the hospital. I must say, the smell of your heat is highly potent. At one point, we boarded some of the hospitals because it was reaching warriors and other passing pack members. Poor Justin had to take care of them. Luckily, Michael and Elijah were able to help him. Next, no other extracurricular activities, including torture. I know you are eager to deal with some of the rogues that were captured, but you are not doing it in your state. It would probably be best if they waited until you were no longer in heat. Lastly, please force your mate to eat something and take care of himself. He has barely eaten, only showers when forced, has not left this room since you have been here, and he does not sleep. He has been driving us crazy with his asshole-ish attitude.”

I chuckled at the last part. I glanced up at Justin and whispered, “Have you been a little bit of an asshole?”

He looks down, slightly embarrassed, and rubs a hand on the back of his neck. “Maybe just a tad bit. Mom told me I was being a douche-bag. I am pretty sure that was the nicer of the names that she called me.”

Dr. Leigh interjected again, “Now, I am going to do a quick check-up on you, then we will allow the two of you time alone. Remember what I said. No sex. Sex is bad for you at the moment.” She paused, before deciding to add something more as an after—thought, “Don’t forget to contact both of your families and your friends. They have been worried sick about you. Every day they have been asking me about you and what your prognosis was. Go ahead and put them out of their misery.”

That was how the next thirty minutes went. Dr. Leigh was hovering over me, doing her checks and Justin refusing to budge. The only bright side was that she had removed the IV and the other various wires that were attached to me.