Ya'll.. it's crazy to think that all the late 90's-2005 babies will be settling down in the next decade. Like.. we'll all have jobs and degrees and families. 

But you're not here to have a midlife crisis! So I'll get to typing.

Happy New Year, everybody.

ღღღღღღღ

Nova's POV

I really didn't want to wake up again. Even though I can hardly feel my injuries, nothing soothes the upset that resides and remains untouchable in my innermost depths.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Analissa beams at me.

"What time is it?" I yawn and rub my eyes.

"It is early, that's for sure. You slept for quite some time! I'm just about to clock out actually, but I had to come check on you," her response doesn't surprise me. It would take weeks to get my sleep schedule back to normal. 

I look around the room and do a double take when I see the vague silhouette of the brutish stranger sitting in the chair by my bed. 

"What is he doing here?" I whisper to her so not to alarm him.

"I'm sorry, he insisted on being in here all night. I can get him out if you'd like," she says apologetically as she goes to wake him.

He wakes up on his own just before she gets to touch him. His eyes dart immediately to me.

"No.. that's quite alright. But thank you." I try to tear my eyes off his and succeed when Ana comes back around to my other side.

"Oh! I promised I'd bring you food, didn't I?" She remembers and scrambles out of the room, turning a dim light on before she shuts the door. 

I chuckle as the door closes and look in his direction again. I so badly wanted to put a name to the voice that is forever etched into my memory. Still being the same bold, semi-assertive girl I worked to be, I asked.

"I don't know about you, but I find it funny that you know my whole life story.. and I don't even know your name," even in the dim light, I can see him smile.

"Myers. But you can call me Colt," he leans forward in the chair, making a portion of dark hair fall into his face.

"Colt.. like the gun?" I inquire back.

"Like the gun," he nods.

"Like a baby horse?" 

He chuckles, "like a baby horse."

"That's cool. I'm-" as I was about to introduce myself out of habit, I realize that he probably knows my middle name too. "Well.. you already know, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Nova.. like the word for the brightest burning stars in our galaxy?"

"That sounds right." I smile at him, wanting to laugh but stopping when I remember that I have literal holes in my ribs.

His voice softens, "like the things that have been a marvel to astronomers since the beginning of time?"

I have to look away before I start to blush. Thankfully, Analissa comes in with a plate of food to ease the tension just before I have to reply. 

Good thing too, because I'm starving.

She sets the plate down in front of me and removes the lid. I was hoping for something better than hospital food.. I guess not.

I still take a bite of everything as she talks, not liking anything, even almost gagging at the wilted vegetables and cold mystery-meat sausages. I hear tidbits of what Analissa is saying but am too focused on starving to death to want to listen. 

"Is that okay?" She asks a little louder after a long winded speech. When I look up, Colt is gone.

"What? Could you reiterate?" I push the tray away and devote my attention to her. 

"Of course. You're healing very well, but I want to do a final exam on you before we can say that you're recovered. Is that alright?" 

I consent and she observes my wounds, allowing me to see them for the first time as well. My body is more black and blue than skin colored. I have to look away as I notice that seeing the injuries makes the pain of the initial blows come back. 

She assures me that the bruising will go away but that there will be some scarring. I will make a full recovery, I'll just look like a medical experiment gone wrong when I take my shirt off.

I ask the question that has been plaguing me for a while now, "when will I be able to walk?"

"It's so good that you're thinking ahead. You can walk when you feel that you can. That could be today or-"

"Today. I want to get out of here." But then reality hits me and I think out loud, "what am I gonna do after this? I can't live in a pack.." I mutter. My mind has been too flooded with life things to think about life things that immediately apply to me.

"Well.. Alpha Hendrix would like you to stay in our pack until he can promise your safety. You can talk to him about that, but until then, I have an extra bedroom you could stay in until you decide what you want to do." 

"I couldn't do that.. I couldn't solicit your kindness like that." I was pleasantly surprised by her offer, but I'd feel horrible taking it.

"It isn't a big deal! Why don't you come over later and make a decision then? You could meet my mate, we could get your things and have a girl's night or something.. it'll be fun!" She seems excited about this, and being the pushover I am, I can't find it in myself to say no. 

"You know what? Think about it. I need to clock out. I'll be around later!" She says as she exits with a huge smile on her face.

Not five minutes later, Colt walks in and sits at the edge of the bed, closer to me this time. He takes the tray away and replaces it with a paper bag. I tilt my head looking at it and at him.

He opens the bag and pulls a bedside table close, unloading fries, a burger, three sandwiches, and various other goodies that make my mouth water at the smell of them. 

"I didn't know what you like.. so I got everything," he brings a fry to my mouth which I take and savor, almost moaning at how good it is compared to the crap I was just given. 

"Was my reaction that obvious?" I chuckle and take another fry from him.

"No, but I know you. I can feel your every emotion as if it were my own. We're connected," his voice manages to be deep without being scary. 

"How do you figure?" Even though a normal girl would find this creepy and stalker-y, it intrigued me; piqued my interest. There was no denying a connection, especially when he touched me but I did not think that it was as strong as he made it out to be. That, and I was not normal.

I reach around him to try to grab a burger which he hands to me when I can't reach all the way, even unwrapping it for me.

I start to eat as he starts to talk.

"I sensed you from twenty miles away, Nova. I couldn't stay away from you even if I wanted to try." His voice deepens until it is at a low growl. His words make me stop eating.

Despite my reaction, he continues.

"Let's just say that I've been through dozens of females, but never have I met one that has the effect on me that you do," he growls into my ear. His breath on my neck makes me almost shiver.

And then, for the first time since the accident she kicks in and takes over for me, using my voice.

"What effect is that?" She purrs through my lips, not that I objected.

He releases a deep chuckle and whispers, "you have no idea." With heightened senses, I could smell the delightful aroma he gave off and feel body heat radiating off him. 

When he gets a little too excited, his hand moves over a tender area forcing me to wince and jerk away from him, and the mood is destroyed. He is immediately apologetic and backs away as if the past interlude didn't just happen.

As the jabbing pain puts me off my appetite, I set the burger with three bites in it down and pull the blanket off my legs, trying to pull my left leg out of its set nook in the bed, followed by my right.

"What do you think you're doing, missie?" He stands up to ensure that I don't seriously injure myself in this endeavor. 

"I am going to walk." I struggle to hoist myself up off the bed. "I wouldn't mind some help."

I offer him my hands which he takes and pulls me up gently; remarkable for a guy his size.

Upon feeling my weight on my legs, they buckle and give out. His arms were a pleasant change from the hard floor I expected to crash into. He slowly eases me up with an arm still around me to guarantee my balance. 

"I'm fine, Colt. Thank you," I try to balance without his steady grasp. When I can stand up straight, even with his help I notice just how much taller he is. He must be two heads higher than me or more. The top of my head reaches around where one of his lower ribs would be.

"I think your legs would disagree," he chuckles and sweeps me up into his arms effortlessly. "You're a tiny little thing, aren't you?"

"Next to you, even Alpha Hendrix looks small," I mutter and admire his features that I hadn't had a chance to see before. He had these prominent, deep set green eyes. The rest of his face was simply godlike. His jawline looks to have been carved by Michelangelo himself. I'm sure that whatever wonders lie under his clothing are also worthy of an art museum.

"What're you looking at, beautiful?" He smirks as we go outside.

"Uh.. the mountains," I quickly divert my attention from him to the first sliver of sun that creeps up over the mountains. 

"Mhmmm.." he rumbles and sets me down on a bench, sitting next to me with his arm around me.

"Do you have anyone to stay with after you get discharged?" He asks and looks at me.

"Not yet, but I-"

"Perfect! You can stay with me then." He says definitively.

"Analissa already offered me her spare bedroom and I intend to accept. I don't know anything about pack mechanics, but I would imagine that two unmated individuals living together would be frowned upon at the very least."

"I am the only one I trust to keep you safe. If you insist on living somewhere else, I'll be sleeping at the foot of your bed every night anyway," he shrugs and looks away.

"I can take care of myself, Colt. Or did you not get that memo when you found me surrounded by bodies?" I start to get a little frustrated. He is underestimating me.

"Not like this, you can't. When you can do everyday things without pain, I might be more convinced." His tone is so certain.

"I think," I push myself up, out of his grasp, "I'll leave that up to the nurse." I find a way to limp that doesn't hurt as bad and trudge back towards the hospital to discharge myself.

He gets up to follow me inside and tries to hold me up. I have to squirm away from him.

"You'll be better off with me. You know that."

"Yeah? Well I disagree." I anchor myself to the reception desk and tell the nurse there that I'm signing out. She obliges my request promptly. I smile and turn to leave, he holds the door open for me.

Even though I wouldn't have been able to open it on my own without some serious pain, I wish he'd back off.

"Why do you insist on fighting this?" He remains surprisingly calm.

"Because I refuse to bend to your every whim like all those other dozens of girls just because you have a pretty face and a sexy voice, alright?" He looks genuinely surprised.

That was true, but I also needed to finish what I started before I decide what I want to do next. I can't let anybody distract me from this.

He sighs and picks me up again. 

"Hey! What-?" 

"I'm taking you to Ana's since you insist on being so stubborn. You'll get lost trying to find her on your own." He mutters. He isn't happy with me per se but it was never my intent to make him happy.

~~~

He sets me down on the porch and knocks on the door. She opens it and greets me, inviting me inside. I thank Colt, who kisses my hand ever so delicately before I go inside. He whispers something intimidating to Analissa that I can't hear. 

I can feel his eyes on me until she shuts the door. I look back and meet his eyes once more before the door slams closed.

"So, are you hungry?" She asks excitedly.

"Starving."

ღღღღღღღ

I meant to publish early this morning, but I hit a weird writer's block.. 

Happy 2020!