I'm not going to lie, I feel downtrodden and kind of annoyed when no one votes or comments even though there's a lot of reads.

It would just be nice to get some good feedback or something . . . idk, I just wish some of you guys would leave some thoughts or critique ig, idk it makes me just not feel motivated to write more chapters, like it's pointless-ish.

not edited.

Carter's POV***

My eyes slightly opened into slits. Images were blurry, like I was underwater. A feeling of fire in my chest, made my loll my head back, but something held it up.

"Stay awake Carter!" Someone growled, but it sounded like gibberish, like someone yelling inside a cave.

I wasn't sure who's voice it was, but judging by the warmth palpitating into my body it had to have been Dalton. My head began to spin and pound all at once.

My eyes closed again, taking me into a dark and deep slumber.

-

My eyes opened once more, and I was now rocking back and forth. I tried to open my mouth, but my throat burned with dryness. The heavy feeling in my chest returned and I wanted nothing more than to fall unconscious again. Panic and exhaustion swept through me, causing me to close my heavy eyes again.

"Carter, don't you dare."

I forced them open and blinked. There was no warmth eminating from his touch. Two large unfamiliar arms wrapped around me.

"Ga . . G . ." I couldn't finish my words, it took too much.

"Hey, don't worry, everything will be okay, we've got the best doctors coming and-"

But his words turned into babbling and sleep began to flirt with me.

-

There was no fire; no electric bolts or nails ramming into my body. There were dull aches and a bad headache, but it was bearable.

"She's waking up."

"How long does she have before it starts again?"

"A couple days at maximum. Worst case scenario-"

"This is the worst case scenario."

Voices echoed around the room. My fingers lightly twitched. It was soft underneath me. Perhaps a bed? I didn't want to open my eyes yet. I was scared that if I would then the niceness of it all would vanish and I'd return to the dark place and continue to live in that world if terror.

"I have her chart, and her tests have returned-"

"What are they?"

"Well..."

"Don't even think about sugar coating it."

A man sighed before I could hear a faint whisper. I inhaled through my nose, and lightly forced my my right eye to open into a squint. A man in a suit stood next to Dalton and Gavin, who all had angry or worried looks on their faces.

I tried to say "Hey guys, I'm alive," but it came out as a raspy, old, woman wheeze.

Their eyes snapped to me in an instant, and Gavin immediately came to my side while the other two stood in their spot.

My gaze rested on Dalton's blank face.

"Water," Gavin ordered. I rested my eyes for another brief second before a bottle was shoved into my dry lips. I opened both of my eyes in shock, despite my drowsiness.

I parted my mouth, while Gavin tilted the bottle, allowing the water to cascade down the plastic and into my mouth. I swallowed, the liquid soothing my parched throat. I let out a breath of relief and opened my eyes all the way, looking around the room.

I lifted my hand, but paused. Wires and tubes were hooked up to both of my arms, creating streams. Confused, I looked to the side where a beeping monitor made slight noises, and the light creviced every second or so. A red and a clear bag hung from a hook that attached to the monitor. Outstretching my hand, I lightly pinched a tube, and followed it's attachment to my nose. Confused at more tubes that disappeared underneath these covers. I grabbed the hem of the covers, but Gavin's hand caught my thin wrist. Nervous, I dropped the covers and looked to him for an explanation.

"Carter, do you remember everything that happened?"

I nodded absentmindedly. I remembered it all. How does one forget everything that had happened? Kidnapped, tortured, starved. It almost seemed like a stupid question.

"You've been unconscious for 2 days now. When you were taken, you didn't eat which caused your body to shut down and start to feed on itself," Gavin explained. Despite this information, my eyes traveled to Dalton who was whispering with who I assumed was a doctor.

"I'm not 12." I rasped. Dalton and the doc turned to stare at me in surprise.

"Carter-"

"No more secrets," I replied, my voice thickening.

"Listen," Gavin started,"just before Dalton, Kaz and I were able to get you out, the man who kidnapped you - Vince - injected you with a syrum. It eats away at your nervous system and occasionally your cardiovascular system should your body be weak enough that it can't fight it."

"So what exactly . . . " I took a breath to keep talking ,"is wrong with me?"

Gavin looked behind him at Dalton, who's dark eyes stared at me with intensity.

"The syrum attacked your cardiovascular and nervous system, and while your brain fought to keep you awake and conscious, the syrum found a way to travel to its weak spot, latching on and deteriorating parts of your brain." Dalton's words never faultered.

Brain, attacking, cardiovascular, nervous system, syrum . . . all were scary words that made me afraid. I gulped, refusing to keep tears from pooling into the corners of my eyes.

"And with your healing process, if this virus continues to grow, you could die." Gavin finished.

My eyes raced around the room and I began to feel sick to my stomach.

"H-how long?" I asked, my eyes locking onto the side of the bed.

"A week, if not longer."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry. Vince did this to me. I hated him so much that I couldn't string enough words together into a sentence to describe it.

"So, I'm going to die," I muttered.

"Not if we find a way to cure it," Gavin continued. I sighed.

"Well, how the hell are you gonna do that?" I asked.

"Carter," Dalton's firm voice cut in, "this is Doctor Han," He pointed to the man standing beside him. Han had dark hair, beady eyes, and a narrowing widow's peak. He smiled warmly.

"S'up?" I regarded.

"It's a pleasure to be able to meet the one and only Carter. I've heard so much about you."

"Oh dear God, I can't promise that I'm not as bad as people must've told you," I replied, resting my eyes.

"I look forward to finding a cure. If you'll excuse me," he said, gently baring his neck to me and Gavin, then to his alpha.

He left the room without another word, leaving the three of us in a daunting silence.

"You," I rasped, pointing my finger at Dalton. His fiery eyes met mine.

"As much as you dislike me, it's time to spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag or whatever, and tell me who the hell took me and why," I demanded, feeling out of breath by the end of my sentence.

This virus was really taking a lot of me. I hoped talking with the Valerio brothers would take my mind off the fact that I was basically a ticking time bomb.

"It's complicated, you should rest for now," Gavin answered. I glared at him, causing him to clench his jaw.

"I was talking to the other Valerio, thank you very much."

Gavin looked at Dalton who lightly nodded. Gavin sighed, returning his gaze to mine. I looked down as he got up, just now noticing his hand interlaced in mine. As he got up to leave, my hand limply fell from his and onto my sides. I nervously glanced at Dalton who's eyes followed his brother's frame out of the door.

As it shut, I came to realize it was just me and Dalton. His dark hair limply fell down his forehead, and his jaw was clenched. He crossed his arms and slowly began to walk to my side.

"Who was that?" I asked, referring to the man who kidnapped me in the middle of nowhere.

"His name is Vince, and he's my cousin," Dalton revealed as he sat down on the bed. I held my breath, scared that if I breathed too hard he'd blow away and go back to ignoring my existence as he did before.

"Okay and why did he want to kidnap me?" I asked. Dalton sighed and looked down over his crossed arms. I couldn't help but notice a small red mark on the back of his neck where his black long tee just ended on his back.

"He doesn't really fancy me as you might've guessed," He said, his tone becoming bitter and nostalgic. I frowned, trying to sit up, but the tubes and wires made it nearly impossible.

"That is the biggest understatement I've heard in my life," I told him with my arms crossed over the wires. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he shook his head, yet it was gone just as fast as it appeared, making me wander if it was really there in the first place.

"We never got along, and he took you as a sort of a revenge plot. I don't feel like going deeper into the situation," He said, beginning to shut me out. Frantic to keep him talking, I reached my hand out and pulled his shirt back. The movement made my chest burn.

"Ow!" I shrieked, retracting my hand.

Dalton's orbs widened in shock as he stared at me.

"Maybe if you'd stop squirming and moving all about it wouldn't hurt," he growled.

"Maybe if you'd just talk to me, I wouldn't have to squirm and move all about," I retorted.

He let out a sigh, lolling his head back, as if trying to calm himself down.

"Why," he said, dragging out the 'y', "Do you always have to be so annoying?"

"Why," I copied him, "do you have to be such a booger to me? Dalton," I changed my tone, making him stare at me. "I've done nothing to you," I whispered, staring at my fingers.

"Do you like Vince, or feel a family love towards him?" I asked out of the blues.

"Is that even a question? Of course not," He growled at me. As usual.

"Well guess what, you two are exactly alike," I replied.

"And how is that?" Dalton grunted, glaring daggers at me.

"You both took me away. Just simply took me without reason, and when I get here, I'm simply tortured and tormented without any idea as to what I did wrong!" I raised my voice as it thickened. I refused to cry in front of Dalton. I was not going to let him see me weak.

"Carter, it's not you-"

"Oh lemme guess, it's not you, it's me, right?"

No reply.

"Right!?" I shouted at him. He closed his eyes, his vein on his forehead beginning to bulge.

"You are testing my patience."

"Does it bother you?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Good, then I'll keep doing it then! Why did you take me here, why!?" My voice was hoarse and I felt nauseas the more I fought.

"Because I had to! Carter Blake, I don't expect you to understand-"

"Then tell me! This is the most we've talked in weeks and it's you yelling and refusing to tell me anything about you or why I'm here! I'm sick of it! And now I'm dying!" I paused, the words sinking in. "I'm dying," I repeated slowly.

"Oh God," I whispered, covering my mouth with my hand as tears pooled in the corners of my eyes.

"You're not going to die." He said, his eyes hardening as he turned to face me, placing one arm on the other side of my covered legs. I leaned back into the pillow and placed my arm on top of my face.

"Please, let's not act like my death would even mean a thing to you. Why did you even bring me back from that man? I was almost better off there than I was here," I replied in exhaustion. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. I squeezed my eyes shut. I was dying. I was going to die. Dead. Death. Die. Dying. All the words made me anxious knowing I was already well associated with them.

"Carter, I brought you here because I've made many, many enemies." He spoke, but I kept my eyes covered. "I know I'm not easy, okay? I'm an Alpha with the responsibility to watch over an entire pack, and that's been my priority for years. I know I'm not an open book, okay? I know that. A long time ago I made a decision that nearly destroyed this pack, and yes, Vince was involved. That's about as much as I can share with you."

I stayed silent, thinking about what to say back. Afterall, he was dancing around most of my questions, as usual. A tear rolled down my cheek, landing on my arm.

"It's not enough," I whimpered. I knew what I did and didn't deserve. I was at least that strong. I never asked for a mate, and neither did he I'll give him that. But I was here now and there's not much I can do about it. I tried to run away. I tried to annoy him to no end. I mean, I was kidnapped; did that mean nothing to him? Nothing at all?

"I know that, but it has to be for now. You'll understand everything soon, but right now isn't the time for me to just share my life with you."

"Whatever, just get out, walk away and leave me alone. It's what your best at anyway."

With another deep sigh, a weight lifted off the bed, a presence left the room, and a tear slid off my cheek.

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