Her Protective Mate

Eight

Everyone is silent inside of the house, and I immediately rush to my room, feeling the panic creep up on me.  The howl pierces the air again, and I close my door as quietly as I can, sliding down the wall.  My breathing becomes short, and I stick my head between my legs to try and even it out.  Something thumps against the house, and I let out a small cry.
    As my panic grows, someone taps on the door, and I hear them kneel down. "Princessa," Jonah whispers, pulling me towards him.
    My body trembles, and I grip his shoulders tightly, hiding my face in his chest.  Neither of us say anything as my panic subsides, my breathing evens, and the rapid beat of my heart starts to settle down.
    As he rubs my back, I brush my eyes with the back of my hands, and he pulls me to face him. "Wanna come play some video games with us?" he asks, his voice innocent and childlike.  Slowly, I nod, standing up.
    "Let me change, and clean up a bit," I murmur, and he ruffles my hair.
    "Definitely," he teases. "You smell like dirty French boys."
    I laugh, and it brings a large smile on his face.  As Jonah closes the door, I peel off the dirty clothes and throw them in the hamper, sliding on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top.
    Knocking on Jonah's door, I step in, and he turns to look at me. "It's about time you don't smell like that guy," he jokes, and I take a seat next to him.  Cole shoots me a look but doesn't say anything, tapping rapidly on the controller.
    "We got it, we got it," he breathes, then curses loudly. "What the hell!"
    I giggle a little, watching the character fall down a hole and land in a pit of spikes. "Do you laugh at death?" Evan says, shooting me a funny look.
    Shaking my head, I look at the game. "I remember this game.  I watched a bunch of American boys play it once in the diner I worked at.  It's funny because they reacted a lot worse than Cole did."
    At the mention of his name, he shoots a glare at me and scoffs. "Bet I could beat their ass," he mutters.
    Shrugging, I smile politely to him. "You already have.  Their score was already so much lower than yours."
    He seems to perk up at that and snickers to himself.  Settling against the bed, I take a piece out of their popcorn and pop it in my mouth, stretching my legs out.  Jonah looks down, then traces the scar along my thigh.
    "Where'd you get this from, Sofia?" he asks, and I look away.
    "It happened the night my parents died," I murmur, pulling my leg away.
    "Would you care to tell me?"
    I shake my head and smile at him. "Maybe another time, Jonah."
    Defeated, he nods, turning his attention back towards the game.  When Cole dies again, he snatches the controller. "My turn!"
    For the next hour, I watch them in amusement, actually getting along with Cole for once.  We all poke jokes at one another towards the end of the night, and I find myself squealing as Jonah throws me over his shoulder, all of us going outside.  The panic bursts in my chest again, and I smack his back.
    "Put me down!" I snap, and he chuckles to himself.
    "Is someone afraid of the dark?" he teases, and Evan switches the light on out back.  I'm quick to look around for the wolf, and my panic eases when nothing appears.  I hear something touch the water, and then Evan laughs.
    "Pretty damn cold, Jonah.  I don't think you should throw her in."
    Immediately, I start to beat at his lower back, hissing profanities.  Jonah laughs and grabs my waist, holding me above the water.  I let out a squeal, looking down at the rocking water, and glare at him.
    "I will never be your friend," I threaten, and he shrugs.
    "Worth it," he teases, before tossing me in.
    The moment my body hits the water, I feel the air escape me.  Silence surrounds me, and my body sinks to the bottom.  The boys are looking down, I notice, but I stare at my hand, the scars silver underneath the water.
    Turning my head, I see the black spots, and little bubbles rise from my lips, popping at the surface.  My head spins, and the silence becomes suffocating.  I feel myself thrash on the inside, wanting to reach the surface, but my body does not move.  My feet touch the bottom of the pool, and I stare up, seeing someone dive in.
    Warm arms wrap around my waist, pulling me up, and my head breaks the divide between the eternal silence and reality.
    Gasping for air, I push myself away and cough the water up from my lungs.  Someone is rubbing my back, helping me out of the pool, and my teeth clash together.
    "Oh, god, Sofia!" it's a woman's voice, and I look up to see my aunt, rushing over to me. "Get inside!"
    She isn't looking at me as she says that, and I cough up more water, my fingers blue.
    "Mom, I didn't know that would have happened," Jonah pleads, and my chest constricts at the sound of his voice.  Weak and scared.
    I try to look over at him, but my aunt keeps my head straight, staring directly into her chest.  I focus my attention on her necklace, the same one that my mother had, and I absent mindedly touch it, twirling the moon in my hand.
    "She almost died!" she yells, and I flinch back, leaning over to cough up more water. "All of you are in trouble.  Go upstairs, and that means separate rooms."
    She rubs my back again, and as the ache vanishes, I wipe the water off of my face. "Thanks," I gasp, coughing at the scratch in my throat.
    "Let's get you into some warm clothes, sweetheart."
    I barely feel it as she helps me stand and calls down Leah, needing clothes.  I feel the fabric in my hands, my aunt helping me towards the guest bathroom.  Shakingly, I pull off the soaked clothes and toss them into the tub, coughing.  I slip on the warm clothes and tie my hair up in a bun, my fingers chilled.
    As I leave, my aunt helps me sit on the couch, handing me a bowl of soup. "Eat it, Sofia."
    I don't argue, drinking the soup as quickly as possible.  The warmth soothes my throat, and I pull my feet up underneath me, leaning against my aunt.  She rubs my arm slowly, soothingly, and kisses my forehead.
    "Your mother would be so proud of you, Sofia."
    My eyes flutter close, and I yawn, warming up.  She smiles down at me, pulling my head in her lap as she brushes her hand through my damp hair.  With another yawn, she begins to sing me the lullaby my mother did, and I dream of summers where my parents are smiling at me.

---

I wake up in my bed, overly warm and stiff.  I yawn, stretching my arms above my head, and then everything from yesterday begins to crash back.  Hurriedly, I strip the clothing off and throw on a pair of shorts and a simple tee shirt.  The moment I throw the door open, Jonah is standing there, dark circles under his eyes.
    "Sofia," he whispers, and I throw my arms around him in a hug.  He hugs me back, his body giving light trembles. "I thought you were mad at me."
    Shaking my head, I try to laugh, but it erupts into a fit of coughing.  Jonah rubs my back slowly before wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
    "I need water," I mutter, both of us walking down the steps.  My aunt is standing at the bottom, her eyes dark and her hands on her hips as she stares directly at her son.  Jonah flinches and drops his arm, pulling out a chair for me.
    "Sit, Sofia.  I'll get you whatever you want."
    Aunt May walks over as Jonah fiddles around in the kitchen, her wrist against my forehead. "You have a fever, sweetheart.  I'll take you to the doctor today."
    Trying to shake my head no, I begin to cough and dizziness swarms my head.  She smiles sadly at me before helping with the water.
    "Really, aunt May," I chime, forcing the cough back. "I'm okay."
    She smiles warmly at me before sighing. "I'm going to get William today.  Are you sure you're okay here with them?"
    I nod, eager to meet my uncle, and take a large drink of the water. "Go!"
    She laughs, grabbing her purse from the couch. "Alright, alright.  Jonah, you will behave.  Do you understand me?"
    He bows his head towards his mother and nods, placing a bowl of steaming soup in front of me. "Eat, princessa," he murmurs, tapping my head.
    I sip on it slowly, pulling out my phone to play a game as I wait.  I stare at the seven missed calls before opening them up, all from Sebastian.  I groan, quickly locking my phone, and look over at Jonah as he sits next to me.
    "I am not upset with you," I tell him, letting out a small cough.  He only nods, his eyes staring at the countertop.  I push at his side lightly, frowning. "Jonah."
    He looks over at me, and there are tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sofia.  I honestly didn't mean to hurt you.  You're one of the few that we have left in this family and just the thought of knowing I could have killed you has been haunting me all night."
    I throw my arms around him in a hug, his arm wrapping around me.  I hold back a cough, rubbing his back slowly as I begin to massage small circles into his shoulders. "Don't be upset with yourself, Jonah.  I am not upset with you."
    There's a chorus of footsteps, and he pulls away from me, rubbing his eyes.  I take advantage and cover my mouth to cough, the ache in my chest coming back.  The twins look at me, their eyes growing wide, and I feel them poke at the bags underneath my eyes.
    "Not sleep well?" Leah asks.
    I shake my head, giving her a weak smile. "It was a long night." I cough. "Did you guys hear the wolf last night?"
    They give me a confused look, before it seems to dawn on Rebecca. "I know what you're talking about.  Unfortunately, they show up a lot.  You're not bothered by them, are you?"
    I shrug and finish off the soup. "I'm going to go take a shower," I mutter, standing up.
    Everything is silent upstairs, and I lock the door behind me.  I stare at my reflection in the mirror, taking a brush through my hair to tame it.  I smile to myself, seeing how my face pulls up, and then give a low sigh.
    Turning the water on, I wait until it steams to plug the bottom of the tub.  It fills up, and I add the bubbles, the lavender aroma wafting through the bathroom.  I strip the clothing off, letting my hair brush my back before throwing it over my shoulder.  Dipping a toe in, I submerge myself fully in the water, closing my eyes.
    Memories of last night come to mind, and I grip the edge of the tub to keep myself calm, reminding myself that it was over.  Fynn plagues my mind, his smile at the arcade and the way he held me.  I lean over the tub, gasping for breath, and then a wave of pain crashes against me.
    My head spins, and I slip out of the tub, landing on my knees above the toilet.  Everything in my stomach washes out, and I feel myself start to sway.  A knock on the door snaps my attention, and I give a weak cry.
    "Someone, call Fynn."
    Another knock. "Sofia?"
    I puke again, shivering in my skin.  My stomach flips, waves of pain shooting from my toes to my stomach.  I let out a cry of pain, and the door is slammed open.
    "Wrap her up.  Has anyone seen Fynn?"
    Something warm is draped around me, and I start to dry heave into the toilet, salty tears dripping off of my cheek.
    "What's wrong with her?" It was Cole's voice.
    Someone is whispering, and I can't catch onto what they're saying.  My head spins again, and someone pulls me up.  I stare into Jonah's eyes, my lips parting, before I feel myself succumb to sleep.

---
Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was working a late shift.  I did want to let you guys know that I will probably not be updating Wednesday's and Thursday's. Since those are my days off, I want to spend it getting caught up in the story so if something happens I have a chapter to shoot out even if I didn't write anything that day.
As always, enjoy ❤️