Page 113 of A Wolf's Wound
“I can’t help it!”I say.“Since when did you begin trusting me?”
“I just did,” Hannah says, not meeting my eyes.
“No, seriously,” I insist.
“I don’t know!Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”
“Hannah, this is a huge deal.Not just that you trust me but that you somehow knew I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Are you kidding me?”I ask in surprise.“You, more than anyone, should have known better.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you’ve had years of training about exactly how disease and poison can affect rational thought and actions.You could probably teach a graduate-level course in the subject!”
“Yeah, probably.”
“So you know all this, and you still jump in front of me when my mind is actively being fucked up by that scent.How did you know you would be okay?How did you know I wouldn’t hurt you?”
“Because,” Hannah says and shrugs.
“No way, that’s not good enough.Look,” I say, struggling to sit up, “I might be bleeding all over my body and in so much pain I can’t see straight, but I can still tell when something’s not adding up.”
“Maybe you’re confused because you have a concussion,” Hannah says, placing her hands on my chest to stop me from moving.“Lie back down, please.”
I resume my position on the ground as she places a gauze bandage on my forehead.“Even if I do have a concussion, you’re still not making any sense.”
Hannah sits back and looks at me.“I think your other facial cuts just need bandages, not stitches.Your legs might have some cuts that need stitches but I’d like to get you somewhere with better light to determine that.You stay here and I’ll see if Evan or your mom can take you to the hospital.”She glances around and frowns.“The one time I could use someone to help me, and everyone’s disappeared.”
“I guess they’re busy,” I say.
“That’s an understatement,” Hannah replies.I grin at her.“Wait here, I’ll get someone to help us.”
“Hold on.”I reach up and grab her hand.“You can get someone else in a minute, but please stay with me.”
Hannah crouches back down.“Are you okay?”
“I need to know, Hannah,” I say softly.“How did you know that I wasn’t going to hurt you?What made you get in between me and Shadow?”
Hannah shrugs again and looks away.“Because I love you, Ryder.”
Chapter 64
Hannah
Ifeellikeacoward for turning away.But I can’t look at Ryder when I tell him I love him.
I don’t know why I can’t face him.After everything else that’s happened today,nowis when I lose my courage?Compared to all the horrible things I’ve heard and seen over the past several hours, telling someone I love him should be even more simple than it otherwise would be.
But maybe it makes sense.Because when it comes to Ryder, my feelings have never been simple.
He reaches his hand out, wincing slightly from the movement.I make a mental note to order several X-rays of his shoulders and back when he’s at the hospital.Ryder cups my chin with his hand, gently forcing me to look at him.
“Hannah,” he says again, his voice still so quiet.I wait for him to tell me he doesn’t feel the same way.That even though I might be his mate, he just doesn’t love me.That this is all a huge misunderstanding.
Instead, he says, “I love you too.”
