Chapter 10 Shades of Chaos

I frowned, my eyes flicking between the two of them. What was that about? I was tempted to ask but as the door clicked shut behind Becca, my mom spoke. "The doctor says you'll be here for two more days," she said as she moved closer to my bed, her expression softening as she focused on me. I wanted to press her for an answer, but something about the way she avoided my eyes made me hesitate. I hummed. "When do you think I'll be able to return to school?" I bit her bait, continuing the conversation. Whatever it was, I was sure it wouldn't be that much of a problem. Blissful Ignorance.

"Your dad was thinking, maybe in about a week? Exams are approaching and we don't want you falling behind," She reached to adjust my blanket, moving around my bed. I didn't want to go back. Not just yet. In fact, not at all. I'd gotten a full month break away from Higan and the terrors that came with him and despite not being aware at the moment, I was hoping to enjoy the break a little longer. "Mom?" I gently placed my hand on hers. "Can I finish the semester from home? Please? My grades are perfectly intact, and I'd show up for my papers, but I just think I'd rather stay home for my last semester." I rushed out, my voice shaky. My mom finally passed her movement before shifting to sit on the side of my bed. "You know," she grabbed both my hands and held them softly. "I'd guessed you asked me this," she offered a warm smile. My nerves were hammering each other as I awaited her reply. I wasn't scared of an answer, I was scared she'd ask why. I didn't want my parents to know I'd been suffering in the new pack they'd moved us to. "Your dad and I had agreed we'd let you if you asked," She exhaled with a nod. "Yes, you can stay home for the rest of the semester." She finally let out. The relief I felt from my mom's answer was immediate yet oddly short-lived. I smiled at her, genuinely grateful, but the tightness in my chest refused to fully ease. Perhaps because I knew deep down, there was little I could do to truly escape Higan and the bond between us I'd been cursed with as his mate. "Thank you," I said softly, trying not to let my voice betray the pensiveness washing over me. She squeezed my hands lightly before letting go. "You need to rest now, sweetheart. No stressing about school or anything else. Just focus on getting better." I nodded, watching as she rose and walked over to the bedside table. She picked up her handbag that had been lying there since morning and to my surprise, pulled out my phone. She handed the device to me. "You've had a lot of people trying to reach you. Maybe catch up on some messages to kill time," she said, offering me another warm smile before heading toward the door. "I'll check on you later." "Okay," I murmured, clutching the phone in my hand. As the door closed behind her, I exhaled slowly, my grip tightening on the device. I hadn't thought much about my phone-or anyone trying to contact me-since waking up. A part of me didn't want to see the messages. But curiosity won out. I unlocked the screen and scrolled through the flood of notifications. Most were from classmates, acquaintances, and random pack members. Some were generic well-wishes, others nosy questions about my condition. As expected, I wasn't particularly close to anyone. I was not expecting much anyway. I didn't get any messages from unknown numbers. I was hoping Khalid would have found a way to reach me. I ignored them all. Then, my thumb paused. A message from him. Higan. The name alone was enough to send a jolt through my chest. He'd never messaged me before. Ever. He'd made sure of that, even after saving his number in my phone without my consent. My heart raced as I opened the chat. 'I'll kill whoever you let do that to you.' The words hit me like a blade in my gut. My hands trembled as I read the second message that followed: 'I'll kill the man that touched you.' Chills ran down my spine, cold and sharp as the air around me thickened. My breathing quickened and my chest grew heavy as the implications of Higan's texts sank in. My mind spun in every direction, trying to piece together what he was accusing me of. Touch me? A man touched me?