The Resurrection

Ryleigh

Ryleigh’s eyes of gold fire stared at the ceiling above her. Pain tore through her body, paralyzing her as it healed itself. Her body attempt to move, but the movement immediately dissipated into more pain. The last thing she remembered was Kristopher’s hands around her throat, the air being torn from her body, as he squeezed so tight her vertebrae snapped and separated from her spine.

She gasped as a bolt of pain shot from the base of neck down her spine and to her tailbone. Noises and sounds penetrated her ears, from crickets to hushed voices to heartbeats. She heard everything. Water dripping from a loose faucet in the distance, paws padding against dirt ever so lightly, it was as if the animal was tip-toeing, and breathing so heavy she wasn’t sure if it was hers or someone else’s. She felt pressure tighten around her waist and wrists as the breathing grew heavier, and she attempted to break the pain paralysis.

Ryleigh thrashed against whomever was holding her down. She groaned as her gums split open, blinding pain spreading throughout her body, ceasing any escape attempt. She winced as something sliced across her lips and chin, closing her eyes as her body vibrated with agony and discomfort. She was in so much pain she wondered if this was hell and Naomi had found her there, delivering painful blow after painful for taking the Karizma blood to her grave.

A gentle purr forced Ryleigh’s eyes open curiously, the gentleness contrasting with the pain comforting. She was breathing heavily as her eyes finally landed on Lukas’ shirtless body above hers, his grip tight. His gold eyes were bright as he stared into hers, and the depth of that brightness calmed her.

Her breathing steadied, but the pain remained. Just focusing on his eyes and allowing herself to get lost in that gold fire calmed her. And that smell. A groan passed her lips as the most delicious smell of pine and cedar flooded her nose. She inhaled deeply, allowing the scent to wash over her and soothe her while his gold eyes kept her attention fixated on him.

In that moment, drowning in pine and cedar, while gold fire calmed her, she felt no pain. She felt light static skitter along her wrists, as if soothing her skin. What the hell is this? She turned her head to look at her wrists, but as she broke the spell of gold fire, she realized Lukas’ chest was stained with blood. Something happened. She gasped and became frantic as she tried to sit up, her eyes searching the room. She couldn’t see Kristopher or her sister anywhere. “Where are they?” she cried hoarsely.

“Resting,” Lukas said gently, his grip tightening, almost bruising. “Bailey used most of her strength to bring you back. Kristopher took her to get some rest, but I couldn’t leave you by yourself as you transitioned.”

“It hurts,” Ryleigh whimpered as pain consumed her once again. As soon as she broke the trance of gold and pine, the pain came rushing back. She felt like she was being torn and stretched and sewn together all at once. “What happened?” she asked.

“Naomi did quite the number on your corpse, love,” Lukas sighed. “Your lycanthropy is resolving to heal it. I’m assuming the shock of lycanthropy healing your neck first pulled you out of your unresponsiveness. All the pain you’re feeling is your newfound wolf healing you.”

“Lycanthropy. I’m not dead?” Ryleigh asked.

“You’re not dead. You’re safe,” Lukas soothed. “Kristopher brought you to me, and Bailey and I did the rest.”

“It hurts,”Ryleigh whimpered as her back arched against the bed, her skin twisting and knotting ruthlessly to repair itself. Even her magic didn’t hurt as bad as the lycanthropy did. As if on cue, her magic coaxed her gently, reminding her she was going to be okay. Her magic laced with the lycanthropy to ease the pain, but it only generated more. Her magic alone was lava; mixed with lycanthropy, her blood felt like acid trying to melt away the skin of the woman she once was, making room for the wolf she became.

“I know, but that’s why I can’t let you up,” Lukas said softly. “I’m sorry, but I can’t have a terrified wolf in pain running around my pack. You need to calm yourself first. Kristopher and Bailey are safe,” he added. “I give you my word they are. I hope that brings you some peace.” His words did the opposite as the skin of her fingernails ripped. She cried out and Lukas’ grasp on her wrists tightened. She attempted to sit up to look at herself, but Lukas’ pelvis tightened against hers and forced her to remain lying down.

“Not yet,” he said lowly. “You aren’t ready to see her yet. Allow her to heal you, but you need to calm down before her fur bursts through and she tries to run. I promise you, if I need to catch her, we’ll fight. I can’t risk her among our people right now. Calm. Yourself. Down,” he ordered, the last word laced with a deep growl.

Ryleigh bit her lip and winced as her canine cut into it. Part of her liked the growl and the promise of his threat, but she bit her lip to control herself. She had an overwhelming urge to piss off the Alpha before her, and she had no idea why. She inhaled slowly, deeply, closing her eyes as she attempted to control her breathing, that hypnotizing pine and cedar scent aiding her self control.

She winced slightly as the skin of her nails twisted themselves and her gums split to seal themselves shut. The acid in her veins raged vigorously, but her external reaction with the claws and teeth receded. She’d be a threat to herself and no one else. Resurrected a wolf or not, she was still a Karizma, and she endured her fair share of pain before today. She would be damned if she lost to this. Even if it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt.

The weight on the bed shifted, and Ryleigh opened her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as Lukas’ face was inches from hers, his eyes pools ofgold firebrightening as he stared into hers. The beauty and power behind his eyes alone were breathtaking, and she suddenly had the urge to touch his face.

She bit her lip to force a groan back down her throat; the scent of pine and cedar was him, and with him this close, she was drowning in so much of it she was lightheaded. But I need more. She attempted to move her hand, but Lukas’ grasp on her wrists remained, as well as his body pinning hers beneath him. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Studying you,” he murmured. “It’s been a long time since we created a Lycan. Lycans are primarily born. You’re magnificent, Ryleigh.”

“You aren’t so bad yourself,” she responded playfully.

“And you’re already getting back to your old self,” Lukas grinned. “Thank the moon goddess above.”

“That’s a thing?” Ryleigh asked. “I don’t believe in god.”

“There’s so much more to our world than the human one,” Lukas whispered, his eyes raking over her face. “I can’t wait to show you.”

“But a moon goddess?”

“She protects us, allows our wolves to co-exist within us without succumbing to a lifetime of being only our wolves. Without her, we would all be the animal within,” Lukas said, then cocked his head suddenly as his eyes met hers again. His jaw clenched, and the muscles of his chest tightened against her body.

“Lukas?” Ryleigh asked softly, her eyes widening. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He was defensive, as if ready for a fight she was unaware of. She tensed her body as well, and her magic stretched around them. Lukas’ head jerked up suddenly as he felt her magic and instinctively searched the room, then looked down at her in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Preparing for whatever the hell has you on edge,” she snapped.”

“It’s nothing,” Lukas sighed suddenly. “Lower your guard, love. I’m sorry. It’s just…my wolf needs attention, and I can’t give it to him. There’s no fight here. We’re safe.”

“You sure? Because you’re not acting like we are.”

“Ryleigh,” Lukas chuckled and rose into a sitting position. “Even if there was a fight coming, I sure as hell wouldn’t allow you in it. You need to rest and adjust to lycanthropy today. You can try to be a warrior again tomorrow.”

“Go, tend to your beast within. I’ll be okay,” Ryleigh smiled gently. It hurt her and infuriated her he was denying a part of himself because he needed to babysit her. I’m better than that. He has other matters to attend to than to make sure the baby wolf doesn’t rogue out.

Lukas hesitated, gazing down at her. “Ryleigh—”

“Lukas, I appreciate it, but I think I’ll be okay. You have enough to worry about today than my well-being, like explaining to your pack about your newest member.”

“Right,” Lukas muttered as his jaw ticked, and Ryleigh looked at him curiously. The tick appeared to be out of anger, and it made her slightly uneasy. Does he regret my resurrection? He could’ve said no, but then he wouldn’t know about the war. Her eyes widened as she realized she never voiced knowledge of the war because she was too dead to tell anyone. “Lukas, we need to talk—”

“Rest, please,” Lukas whispered. His demeanor shifted from anger to compassion so fast Ryleigh was blindsided by it. “We’ll talk after you rest, I promise. Like you said, I need to tend to my pack and my wolf. I’ll send Kristopher in to keep an eye on you. I know you two need each other right now.”

Lukas slowly rose off Ryleigh, his eyes locked on to hers as he searched for a sign she was going to fight her way free. Ryleigh remained in the bed, proof she would remain submissive. Lukas was right; she needed to rest. The acid in her veins had dulled, but only slightly. Her magic and lycanthropy were learning how to move in sync, learning a new dance through their host to benefit rather than harm.

Ryleigh’s eyes snapped down to her body suddenly and realized she was nude. Her paralysis dissolved, and she wrapped a blanket around her body as she sat up. She shot a glare at Lukas, only to realize his eyes never faltered and remained on her eyes and her eyes alone.

She opened the blanket slightly to see what Naomi had done to her, but she found her skin completely smooth. Not even a scratch. Kristopher’s marks were gone. Of course they would be. Naomi captured and killed me within a few days after Kristopher’s marks. My body didn’t have time to heal them, but my wolf did. She shuddered at the recollection of Lukas saying Naomi did a number on her body. With the amount of pain I woke up to, maybe it was a good thing he didn’t release me until I had fully healed.

She flicked her eyes back to Lukas and found his eyes trained on her face, no sign they ever ventured south. She cocked her head as her curiosity for this Lycan grew. She had been restrained underneath him, completely naked, and not once did he even try to look. Before she could attempt to decipher why, a burst of air rushed toward her, and Kristopher scooped her into his arms.