Big Bad Wolfie

•••Jason's POV•••

"AH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as Maria suddenly broke free of her friend's hold and lurched forward into a sitting position. Fantastic forest green eyes darted in every direction, wide in fear, confusion, and panic. I probably mirrored her, along with everyone else in the room.

My heart was in my throat, but her's seemed unnaturally slow in its beats, even for someone not waking up from the apparent nightmare of the century. I was perplexed, but everything went from zero to one hundred so quickly I could barely keep up, let alone question the slow rate of her heart.

The second she darted up, her friends jumped to restrain her. But she fought. Hard.

I didn't understand why at first, but when I caught sight of her gaze, realization washed over me. Her forests weren't deep and something you want to run arms open into, like usual. They were shallow. And what was happening right behind the tree line — right behind her eyes — wasn't pretty. In fact, it was terrifying. And tragic. The expression on her face painted all of this for the world to see. We couldn't witness what she was, but we could see the pain in her eyes.

It made an intense feeling spread through my chest and crawl to my stomach. I couldn't identify it if I wanted to. Butterflies wouldn't be the right analogy. It's more like a family of wasps panging at my insides.

I don't know why, but time took this time to slow down in my head. And everything went sort of muffled in my ears.

It couldn't have done it while everything was quiet and calm?

  But my subconscious chose now to let everything hit me. Not while I was staring at her lay helpless, but while I was watching her suffer a tragedy mixed with a horror right in front of my eyes. The worst part is that it's all behind her glassy gaze, in her head, and none of us can do anything about it.

I had told Malaki not to let me think too deeply about any of this, and I had done the same for him. All because I didn't want either of us to truly see her.

  We're mates for crying out loud. It would make me week in the knees and probably make the aspect of stopping all this and just begging for her forgiveness all too appealing.

  But here we are.

  Finally seeing her.

  And d@mn, she's the most magnificent thing I've ever seen. Even in her pain.

  And what'd you know, everything everyone spoke about her, warned me about, was true so far.

She's not just a master's kid who's had everything handed to her. She can't be naïve because, the movie that's playing in her head right now, it can't be anything innocent and kind.

  Deep deep deep deep deep down, I saw this before. Of course I did. How could I not? She's my other half.

  But I was really hoping to avoid being able to feel this until she submitted. The feeling I get when I think about how amazing she is.

  She caught me off guard. Ki and I had our walls down, and she sneak attacked us with her beautiful truth and forced it down our throats. Her beautiful, painful truth.

  So much for denial.

  So much for getting through this easily.

  I thought I could be passive enough not to let this happen. . . But it did.

  'And now we're screwed,' Ki budded in.

  'No!'

  If I mess up this deal it puts us all in danger. Even her.

  'We have to follow through. We'll go through with your plan.'

  'I don't know if I

and you will,' I cut

'. . . Besides, you gonna let her

He let out a

  'No. I'M

That's

'And yes, we are,'

back in on what's around

seeing her is like

  HOLY CRAP.

it in time to

So one 20th of a second later, I took a

  "Fu#k!"

hard. The tears started building in my eyes from the blow to my

"Oh my crap!

***Maria's POV***

punched mate in the

Wait.

I'm not," I scowled and gave him a kick to his side

puffed out a grunt of air at the

  I rolled

Wait. . .

  He's shirtless.

. . . Right in front of

And oh my

I

my fist

even my first time seeing an absolutely ripped

because I literally fight for a living and, not to mention, go to the gym and

is. . . This is a

goddess

OKAY! Enough! I

  Before

of

we will be returning

it, but I still didn't mean to punch him

my dream, like most times, I was a little girl again. Scared

. . I was a little bad @ss, but no match

nine year old body, staring up at him. Fighting with everything

in my dream switched from chains to his people holding me down. It

face I saw after all the terrible memories of him

for most of my nightmares — I get this rush of power. I'm not my 9 year old self anymore, and I can kick butt like

time the bystander wasn't innocent,

stood from his doubled over

Oh my

That smells