BELLA
A sharp twinge in my lower abdomen caused me to jolt up from the bed. My lips opened in a gasp as I fell back on the bed, groaning as an intense pain shot right through me. Wincing, I heaved as I stared up at the ceiling, blinking when I noticed where I was. There was no doubt about it. I had stayed in the room for months now, not knowing where I was.
“Blue?” I whispered, looking towards the door hoping one of them might be near. “Fred? Are you guys out there?” I called out.
There was no response at first, and I thought they might have left to get some things. It wasn’t until I called out for the second time that the door opened, and Fred rushed in, followed by Blue.
“You are awake,” Blue whispered as he got to my side. “How are you feeling?” He lay his right palm on my forehead, looking worried. “Are you feeling any pain? Any sort of discomfort?”
“Just a minor pain in my abdomen. Aside from that, I’m good.” I tried to sit up on the bed once more, only to fall back on it, wincing from shock.
“Don’t stress yourself,” Fred cautioned as he put his hand on my back to help me lie back. “Are you thirsty?”
“Yeah.”
It was all Blue needed to hear. Before I could blink, he had gotten a cup of water.
“Here, have a sip.” He placed the straw on my lips. “Be careful. Don’t choke on it,” he urged when I started sipping the water.
“Let’s help her sit up first,” Fred said as he put his hand on my back and helped me up, propping pillows to help me sit up. “How do you feel now?” He asked, looking down at me. “Are you still feeling the sharp pain?”
“Not at all.” I smiled at him as I took a sip of the drink until my mouth didn’t feel parched anymore. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” Blue placed the cup back on the bedside table and sat on the bed with me. He took my right hand in his whole Fred took the left. They didn’t say a word as they watched me, their gazes intense, like they were thinking of something.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah. It’s great.” Blue nodded as he shared glances with Fred. “We are good, right?”
“Yeah. We are good.”
I frowned at them, noticing how odd they were acting. “Is there anything you are not telling me?”
“No, it’s nothing.” Smiling, Blue got up from the bed. “Are you hungry? Do you need something to eat?”
“How did you find me?” I asked, looking between them.
“Imelda gave us the address,” Fred answered as he, too, got up from the bed, grinning. “What do you want to eat? Blue is eager to make something for you.”
“Where is Imelda?” I looked suspiciously at them. The way they were acting made me realize something was up with them. It was more like they were hiding things from me.
“We… Do you need to have a drink? I got a smoothie for you. Fred thought -”
“What are you guys hiding from me? Where’s Imelda?”
“Imelda?” They exchanged looks once more before Blue leaned down to place a kiss on my forehead. “You are tired, darling. Rest and eat. We will speak of her later, okay?”
Somehow, he didn’t sound like he wanted me to argue, more like he was compelling me to follow his words. I frowned, looking up at him with a puzzled expression on my face. “Are you trying to hypnotize me?”
“It didn’t work?” He stepped back, stunned, as he gaped at me. “It was supposed to work!” He looked towards Fred, who walked to his side.
Fred bent and fixed his eyes on me. “You are tired, and need your rest. Close your eyes and forget everything that has happened.”
I tilted my head to the side as I watched him, wondering if they had gone nuts. “What are you talking about? What are you guys doing?”
“Impossible!” Fred muttered as he peered down at me, perplexed. “How can you resist us?”
“Because I felt nothing.” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “Now that we have gotten past that, can you tell me where Imelda is and why you are trying to make me forget?”
“It’s…” Blue trailed off, glancing towards Fred for help. “We just want to… You don’t need to worry about that, darling. What we need to be concerned about is your health. We will discuss Imelda when you are strong enough, okay?”
“How did you manage to fight against our compulsion?” Fred demanded, peering at me like I had more than a head.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think….” Blue shook his head, murmuring ‘impossible’ over and over again. You would have thought he was having an “impossible” rehearsal.
“Why didn’t it affect you?” Fred asked again, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. “No one had ever fought against our compulsion. Not even the strongest werewolf. Could it be….”
“The bond?”
“Which bond?” I looked between the two of them. “What’s going on here? Not only are you keeping information about Imelda a secret, but you freaking kept talking about coercion.”
Blue sat back on the bed. They didn’t utter a word as they stared at each other. Without being told, I knew they were conversing, since they told me they communicate with their minds.
“There’s something we need to tell you,” Fred said, clearing his throat. He looked as if he didn’t want to say a word, but he had to. He must have known I wasn’t ready to let things drop until they told me what they were talking about.
“What’s it?” I prompted, eager to know what it was he was keeping from me. It sounded like something huge, it made them look like I forced them to eat shit.
“You are our mate,” Blue whispered, dropping the bombshell.