Bitten (Once Bitten, Twice Shy #1)(101)

Then he seemed to realize that she was sitting up.

“What are you doing?” Bastian demanded sharply, a definite note of panic in his voice as he rushed towards her. “You’re supposed to be resting. Didn’t Caleb tell you that?”

Despite the harshness of his tone, Bastian’s hands were gentle as he pushed her back down onto the bed – rearranging her body so that her head was once again lying on soft pillows and she was covered to her chin in thick covers.

A bit irritated at being manhandled – even if he was being incredibly tender with her – Katherine yanked her quilt off once more.

“Katherine!”

“I’ll rest as soon as I talk to you! It’s about your parents and it’s important.”

Bastian’s eyes softened. “I already know.”

Katherine furrowed her brow. “I really don’t think you do,” she insisted. “Cain told me… well, he said that…” she trailed off, desperately searching her mind for a considerate way to tell him that his uncle had essentially murdered his mom and dad.

“He told you that he was responsible for my parents’ deaths, I know,” Bastian finished for her, shocking Katherine into momentary silence. “Your friend Melanie came forward,” he explained, his blue irises darkening. “She even confessed to the part she played in Cain’s plot. She’ll pay for what she did to you, Katherine. I can promise you that.”

Katherine bit her bottom lip, surprised at how worried that statement made her for the girl even after everything Melanie had done. “Bastian, I don’t know how fair that is,” she said, the words spilling from her mouth before she could think twice about it. “It was obvious to me – even as everything was happening – that she didn’t know what Cain’s true plans were when she agreed to drag me out into the woods.”

Katherine eyed Bastian nervously as his face turned an angry fuchsia.

“I don’t care,” he barked. “How can you defend her after she used your friendship with her to manipulate you? Whether she knew what Cain truly intended or not, her actions almost got you killed. She needs to be punished.”

“You’re right,” Katherine quickly agreed, seeing how upset the man was getting. “But her punishment has to fit her crime. Melanie just wanted to be recruited into a decent pack. Despite how questionable her decision to get involved with Cain was, I really don’t think she intended for me to get hurt. So punish her as you deem fit, but just… don’t hurt her, okay?”

The way Bastian’s hands curled into fists at his sides made his displeasure at the notion of going easy on Melanie clear. And if it didn’t, the way the vein on the side of his forehead bulged and his jaw muscles tensed certainly got the message across. Katherine thought for sure that he was about to deny her request – yell at her for even suggesting it – but he didn’t. Instead, his bottom lip began to tremble and she watched in alarm as he abruptly fell to his knees, burying his face into the quilt that sat crumpled on her lap.

Katherine was flabbergasted. “Bastian?” she asked nervously.

“You just don’t get it!” he exploded, revealing his face, tears in his eyes as he stared her down. “I almost lost you!”

The small brunette floundered for something to say, shocked by the usually stoic man’s emotional outburst. “I didn’t know you cared so much,” she finally said. “I mean, you’ve been avoiding me since… well, since that kiss we shared… what? A week ago?”

“That was three weeks ago,” Bastian muttered weakly.

Three weeks ago! But that would mean… “I’ve been unconscious for the past two weeks?”

Bastian nodded numbly. “Nearly – today would’ve been the twelfth day. You lost a lot of blood and somehow managed to catch pneumonia – the first case Haven Falls has seen of it in twenty years.”

Katherine wet her dry lips. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“And Sophie? Is she okay?”

Bastian mustered up a halfhearted smile. “She’s fine, thanks to you. She did suffer two fractured ribs, but they’ve healed nicely. She said it would’ve been much worse if you hadn’t intervened – transformed and engaged Cain the way you did.”

“She saved me first,” Katherine insisted. “She protected me as best as she could until you and Caleb got there. I couldn’t have just left her for dead against that brute.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip as it occurred to her that she still hadn’t asked after the man. “Speaking of Cain, is he… did you… I mean, what happened to him?”

“He’s dead.”

Bastian didn’t even twitch as the callous words shot out of his mouth and Katherine wasn’t stupid – she could read between the lines. He had killed Cain. She couldn’t find it in herself to feel sorry for the man. Not after all he’d done to her – to Sophie and Bastian. Instead, the news of Cain’s death merely brought relief.

And curiosity.

“If Cain’s dead,” she asked, “then who’s going to take over as head alpha? The council – Haven Falls itself – needs a leader, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does. But for now, the community is still reeling over Cain’s betrayal.”