Cayden gently placed her under the spray that had warmed to a bearable temperature. Selena stood there in a daze as he stripped off his black tee and slacks, revealing his barely concealed package in black briefs. She would have been smitten by his perfect body in so little clothing if she weren't going crazy. However, she was going crazy, so she didn't experience anything sexual. He followed into the bathroom, where he supported her body with his. She rested her weary head on his shoulder, her eyes averted lest he revert to monster mode and punished her once more.
So exhausted, she could hardly move.
She felt him pressing closer to her, but there was nothing sexual in his touch. She relaxed, closing her eyes to take in the warmth from his body and the soothing sensation of the water. She heard the pop of the shampoo bottle, and then he reached for her hair and began a slow massage of her scalp. Trying to slow her racing heart, she inhaled the shampoo's rosy aroma. She was still burning, despite being under the shower. Her body burned.
"When did you first notice something wasn't right, little wolf? Four days ago?" In a low, grave voice, he inquired.
Her voice sounded exhausted as she mumbled, "Yes."
He reached up and removed the nozzle from the wall. After rinsing her hair off the shampoo, he rebooked it into his holder. After he finished with the shampoo, she sighed as he started over with the conditioner.
She gasped, "Cayden," as she clung to his body. "I feel weird. Please help me."
He looked back at her with seriousness in his eyes. He mumbled, "I will, baby," and she collapsed against him from exhaustion.
He gave her a quick bath with the aid of a loofah. They got out of the shower after a quick scrub and rinse, and he wrapped her in a towel. She was hot despite the shower, and it was challenging just to stand there and support herself. What was wrong with her?
She left the bathroom, but Cayden was already there to grab her. He carried her into the bedroom and gently set her down on the bed.
"You won't hurt me, will you?" She gasped and quickly closed her eyes to escape the horror before her.
"No," He asked her angrily, "Why would I punish you when you are sick? Stop looking at me like that."
As far as she was concerned, he wasn't upset. He was just worried about her. Strange, considering he detested her. Someone rapped on the door.
"Who's there?" Cayden barked.
Max's voice sounded urgently through the door, saying, "It's me. I have the healer," he continued when Cayden didn't immediately respond.
Behind Max, Selena spotted a woman she didn't recognise. She appeared to be quite young, as witches aged slowly. Her eyes, however, betrayed her age. The woman was ancient.
Cayden and Max were speaking in low tones, but the woman overheard them because she frowned. Cayden snarled silently to himself. Selena screamed as she felt something jabbing her in the neck.
Cayden and Max stopped dead in their tracks as the woman commanded them abruptly to get out.
"What's the matter with her?" Cayden enquired.
The healer put her hands on Selena's body, closed her eyes, and started humming a musical language as she muttered some words in a long-forgotten language. As a vibrant golden light poured from her hands and into her body, Selena watched in distressed awe. She ran her hands slowly up and down her body. She could feel the warmth of the light seeping under her skin and making its way down her spine.
When she reached for her collar, a jolt of electricity radiated through her. Selena hissed, "Ouch," almost simultaneously with the healer's startled expression. The healer jerked her hands away. The electric shock was instantly cut short. She mumbled something, and then shook her head, as if in disbelief.
"What is it? What the heck is going on?" Cayden voiced his question with ire.
"That collar is cursed; why didn't you call me earlier to remove it?" The woman asked gravely.
"Cursed?" Cayden questioned in disbelief. "At first, I just assumed it was to stop her from shifting. I did not know that it was dangerous."
The woman looked at him with disgust. "You have a collared wolf, and you didn't know that it was cursed? I don't interrupt in you people's…. dealings, but this is inhuman."
It was comical to see Cayden being rebuked by the older woman. In a different scenario, Selena would have laughed at his expression.
"Well, she was already collared when we found her. And she has worn it for 5 years. It was fine until now."
"It's designed magically to slowly poison her in certain situations. It's probably got a built-in trigger that went off in the last few days, and that's why she's been feeling sick. What happened in the last few days?" The healer asked.
"Well…," Cayden cleared his throat. " She was in heat….. and…she needed relief." His ears had turned red.
Selena couldn't have imagined that she would see him embarrassed like this, ever. He explained how Selena was collared by her former mate.
"Looks like her mate didn't trust her and it triggered if she slept with someone else during her heat." The healer said.
Selena's heart sank. Gerald had killed her, even from his grave. Cayden was seething in anger.
"That Bastard! is there anything you can do to help her?" Cayden consulted with the healer.
"Now that the curse has been set in motion, there is nothing I can do to stop it." The healer replied.
"How-how much time?" Croaking in pain, Selena realized that whatever was happening to her body was fatal.
"A week," the healer mumbled.
Selena found solace in that news; it meant she was nearing the end of her suffering. She looked over at Cayden, who had gone white and was staring at her in shock. With a feeble smile, Selena seemed to challenge him. "I will get away from you, after all."
Cayden was breathing hard. Patches of thick black fur appeared and disappeared in his arms, and the red glow in his eyes overpowered everything else.
"Please save her. I don't care what it takes, or how much it costs. Save her." An incoherent mumble escaped his lips as he addressed the Healer.
"I'll consult my coven head, and find out if there's anything in my books," the healer said before hurrying out of the room.
He looked down at the pale woman, writhing in pain.
"You're mine. Not even death can separate us now."
The beast in him resonated with his words.
"Why?" she whimpered. "Why do you want me? I don't know what my father did to you. All I can say is I am sorry for whatever happened to you. I wouldn't wish any kind of misery on even my worst enemy."
Listening in silence, Cayden saw the woman he was supposed to despise apologise to him for something that wasn't her fault. He didn't reply. He yelled orders at his betas and omegas. He went to his study and drank an entire bottle of scotch in one swig. His feelings were all over the place; he was angry, regretful, uneasy, hateful, and confused, and not even alcohol could calm him down. Why does everything he should hate, had come wrapped in something so beautiful and sweet, and how could he have been so cruel to begin with? His overwhelmingly disturbing actions were mirrored in his mind, which was a swirling chaos. The thought of abusing her made him sick to his stomach. Her helplessness aroused the sadist in him, bent on vengeance.
'I need to fucking pass out.' He thought, drinking his second bottle.
In his nightmares, he hated the man who tormented Selena with his brutal hands, pressing his cock into her soft body, hitting and kicking her, and making her life a living hell. He hated himself.