"No! Maria you can't!"

"Brandon! Rose!" I just kept screaming as he dragged me farther and farther away from my friends. As we went deeper and deeper back into these terrible woods.

  "Maria! You can't go back there. There might be more delayed explosions." Jason said in my ear while struggling to hold me back.

  The others have just been leaving him to deal with me after all their efforts have been ineffective. Part of me understands why we can't go back.

  But the majority of me doesn't give a f*ck.

  I kicked and thrashed and fought and Wolfie just held strong.

  "Please, Maria," he whispered in my ear.

  I let out a strangled sound in frustration. He's not gonna listen to me.

  I felt the tears burn the backs of my eyes as I started to go limp.

  "Lemme go," I mumbled to him, my eyes shut tight to block out the world.

  "Maria —" he sighed.

  Stop saying my name like that!

  "Let me go Jason!" I yelled again.

  He slowly released my waist after I stayed still and silent, but kept a steady grip on my arm. I turned around to glare at him with teary eyes.

  He looked so hurt and tired, just like me.

  But how could he feel the same way I do? He didn't even like them.

  "You're not gonna go running off again are you?" He asked, his eyes tired but pleading.

  I took a shaking breath in, smelling the saltiness of my own tears. I swallowed the sobs trying to crawl up my throat and shook my head, falling to my knees.

  Wolfie's heart seemed to break even further.

  I looked up at everyone staring at me. "Why can't we go back for them?" I cried.

Everyone looked tense and uncomfortable. Happy and Stephan seemed solum, while Cali just looked awkward and lost.

Wolfie seemed almost as wrecked as me. But I suppose that's to be expected, considering he's my mate.

Happy went to respond to the question I already knew the answer to. He sighed, "Maria, if they survived the blast and the building collapse, then the hybrids did too."

"Exactly the reason we should be going back to help them." I punched the ground and watched my tears hit the dirt.

"No, that's the reason it's too dangerous to go anywhere near there," Stephan contradicted.

"But our comrades are there. My family is there! Do none of you believe in no man left behind?!" I hollered, not caring at the moment if hybrids heard me and came after us. It would take their attention away from Rose and Brandon, "Especially when there's a chance they're still alive."

Everyone looked away from me, refusing to meet my eyes.

I'm sure if Rose was here she'd be able to feel all their remorse.

But she's f*cking not.

And Brandon isn't here to talk sense into everyone in his idiotic and hilarious way that only he can be convincing with.

And I'm all alone.

Again.

Just like I was last time I was here, seven years ago.

Happy spoke up solemnly, "Not when the chances are higher that we all get killed by pissed off hybrids," he asserted sadly.

I yelled again and hit the ground with my fist, so upset with the world.

I'm sure I resemble a child throwing a tantrum, but I can't even bring myself to care.

I don't care about the risks.

They're my family. Some of the only people left that have always had my back.

I can't and won't leave them to either suffocate under debris or be killed by hybrids. I don't care if no one wants to help me.

"I'll go after them alone," I said after a moment of silence.

"The h3ll you will," Wolfie bellowed instantly.

"I will," I said, not daring to look up at him. I can't risk his tired eyes changing my mind.

I know how it feels to be the kind of tired a million nights of sleep can't even heal.

I wouldn't wish it on anyone, let alone my mate, but I can't let the possibility of it sway me in saving my family.

"No, Maria," he shot back immediately, "you're too weak, you can probably hardly walk," he growled.

What is he talking about?

I looked down to see the gashes on my chest reopened, along with plenty new wounds that leak dark red blood.

Hm, the cost of fighting hybrids, I suppose.

That also explains why I couldn't wiggle out if Wolfie's grasp, no matter how hard I tried.

I looked up to find everyone else with their fair share of injuries as well. "Wolfie, everyone was hurt."

Even you, love. My chest constricted at the title I subconsciously gave him along with the thought of his bleeding wounds.

  "I'm not any different," I finished.

  I put my hands on the ground to stand, but something stopped me. My body or my subconscious? I'm not sure.

  Hm, weird.

  My body does hurt quite a lot though doesn't it?

  I shook my head and swallowed the pain, moving to stand again.

  . . . And I'm very tired.

  Very, very, very tired.

  I looked down at the dark blood pouring out of me.

  Hm.

That's not good is it?

I blinked.

  Oh no, now the fuzziness.

  No, I can't do this right now, Brandon and Rose could be dying.

I need to move.

  I tried to look up in determination, but my head suddenly became so heavy that I couldn't raise it.

No! Why right now?!

I was just stuck gazing at my bleeding stomach and chest and arms and legs and and and. . .

Hm, my head is so fuzzy.

I was just left trying to strain my neck to move my head, but even that because too hard.

That sure is a lot of blood.

Don't I need that?

"Maria?" Wolfie spoke softly, probably noticing my lack of movement.

I love his voice.

"Mari?" He repeated.

Why are you saying my name? Brandon and Rose. . . Um. . .

. . . They Need help.

"Sh*t," I heard his voice say, but now it was fuzzy too.

Aw man.

"Maria!" He yelled, closer to me now.

"Rose. . . Brandon. . ." Was all I could think to say before everything went dark.

I couldn't see but there was still some muffled sound.

A voice. His voice. The only voice I can even think about hearing at the moment.

What is he saying?

Don't sow two sheep?

He said it again.

Ohhhhhh, don't go to sleep!

Too late for that.

Then even his voice disappeared.

••• Jason's POV •••

Maria just sat looking down, unmoving. I called her name softly, trying not to upset her even more.

She didn't respond. Didn't even move a muscle.

'Something is wrong with mate,' Malaki grumbled.

I know.

"Mari?" I called again, growing even more concerned.

She started swaying slightly and leaned forward.

"Sh*t," I said as I fell to my knees in front of her to catch her before she face planted into the dirt.

"Maria!" I yelled.

"Rose. . . Brandon. . ." She mumbled with her eyes closed.

"No! Stay awake! Don't go to sleep!"

Never thought that was something I'd ever be trying to convince her of.

"Don't go to sleep!!" I repeated, but she was out cold.

Ki let out a loud growl that resonated through my chest.

I looked down at the blood pouring out of her and pooling where she was kneeling, the cause of her passing out, no doubt.

"F*CK!" I hollered, "help me help her," I looked to Cali frantically, knowing another vampire would know what to do.

She sighed and kneeled next to me. "Who brought the bandages?" She looked over her shoulder.

". . . Brandon did. . ." Zach mumbled quietly.

"Sh*t," Cali cursed, "none of you brought any extra?"

"We used it all when we were attacked the first time," Stephan shook his head, "and for when. . ." He looked at my neck and trailed off.

My hand shot to the wrap covering her mark, ready to rip it off and give it to her without question.

Cali's hands on my arm stopped me, "Don't do that, it won't be nearly enough to do anything for her, then you'll both just be bleeding, and quite frankly, I can't stand the smell of anymore werewolf blood," she said seriously.

The two behind me tensed. "You're not hungry are you?" Stephan asked skeptically.

Cali scoffed, "For you? Ha! No. Werewolf blood is freaking disgusting. Only the most desperate drink it."

Their brows scrunched up in confusion, and in all honesty, mine did a little bit too.

"The only reason Maria freaked out is because she was clearly starving, for some reason, and Jason is her mate." She rolled her eyes after seeing our confusion . "Not all of us are out of control monsters."

"She IS NOT an out of control monster!" Ki and I jumped to defend our unconscious mate with fury running through my veins.

Cali flinched and leaned away a bit, actually seeming a little guilty after. "You're right, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. . ." She said, "I know she's not," she explained quietly.

I stayed glaring at her, not really understanding her at all.

We've met before this and she never acted this way.

But that's not what's important right now. "Just tell me what to do to help her," I looked back down at my girl. I couldn't really help the slight alpha command tacked on with it, but she didn't seem to mind.

"No extra gauze or anything?" She hurriedly looked back to Zach and Stephan.

They both shook their heads.

She sighed, "Well that's just great."

I glared at her.

"What? She needs blood. Your blood would probably be best —"

"Then she can have it —" I started to look for a way to make myself bleed.

"But we need to stop the bleeding in her abdomen," Cali stopped me again, "or else the new blood will follow the same course as the old and end up on the ground, obviously. The rest of her injuries should be fine if they're left open," she said, looking over Maria, "but her abdomen needs to be taken care of, and fast, or else she may go into a coma."

Not this again.

Ki whimpered.

"Okay well, what do I do?!" I growled, not meaning to get angry, but needing Maria to be alright.

"Listen, I don't know everything about this stuff, I'm a warrior, not a medic." Cali grumbled, also seeming to be trying not to get angry. "What I do know is that we need to stop the bleeding and get her your blood."

Ki and I growled again while I looked around.

Then I glanced down at my shirt.

Without a second thought, I tore it off and held it out to Cali, not caring whatsoever about the cold the setting sun is promising.

  "Will this do?" I asked, making her look up at me.

  Her eyes caught my bare chest though, and she swallowed, taking her good old time staring.

  I held back the growl crawling up my throat and gripped my shirt I'm holding out to her tighter.

  My mate is laying unconscious in my lap and she has the nerve to stare?

  'If she doesn't stop soon I'm not responsible for what I do,' Ki grumbled angrily.

  "Cali," I snapped.

  Her eyes finally snapped up to meet my glare, and the vampire's cheeks actually turned a light red color.

  'What a great reminder she's sitting here ogling with blood in her veins while our Maria is laying unconscious without.'

  I took deep breaths through my nose.

  The overwhelming smell of her spilled blood not helping, though.

  "Sorry," Cali muttered after seeing my irritation.

  She quickly took the shirt from my hand and tended to Maria with it. I don't really know how, I'm too busy looking at Maria's sweet face and hoping like a fool her eyes will open to pay attention. My gaze flickered down to her hand and I took it in my own, interlacing her cold fingers with mine and rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb.

  I sighed, why are your hands always so cold, my love?

  Cali grunted, and I peeled my eyes off Maria to look over to her.

  "Alright, this is the best I can do," she reported as I looked down to find my shirt wrapped around Maria's waist, soaking with blood, but it's not pouring out of her any more, so I suppose it's progress.

  I immediately bit into my wrist with my canines and put it to her slightly opened mouth without prompting from Cali.

  "I can take it from here," I told Cali as her cue to go with the others, while I tried to figure out how to carry Maria with only one arm.

  It took a little time, but I figured it out and started walking slowly with the others. The weight of Brandon and Rose's absence weighing down on me as much as it is them, I'm sure. I looked down at my Maria to take my mind off of it.

  I felt Ki stirring, and there was something mischievous that came with his presence.

  . . . What is it, Ki? I questioned skeptically.

  He gave his wolffish chuckle, 'Of course your shirt wraps all the way around her tiny little waist,' he smirked.

  Really? That's what you're thinking about right now?

  'Sue me for trying to look on the bright side. I just love how her waist is all small but then her hips and —'

  Yes Ki, she's gorgeous, but you act like we'd know the difference if she didn't have a slim waist or thick thighs.

  'Of course we wouldn't know the difference. Even if she was thicker than a snicker or skinnier than a toothpick I'd still wanna stick my —'

  Ki, I sighed. I wish I had a hand to rub away the headache he's bringing on.

  'What?' I heard his animalistic laugh. 'Now you've got me imagining Maria all filled out and squishy and squeezable and ugh,' he groaned in appreciation.

  I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the right side of my mouth quirking up when I looked down at her.

  No, should not be thinking about this right now.

  He laughed evilly again, 'or all skinny and small and pint sized and everything just fits in the palm of your hand perfectly.' His toothy grin flashed in front of me along with both images of her. I groaned and looked down to get the painfully beautiful images out of my head but was only confronted with the actual her.

  Well that didn't help my problem.

  Ki seems all too satisfied with how riled up he got me.

  I rolled my eyes once more. I hate you, Ki.

  'Love you too, bud,' he grinned.

~~~~~~~~~
(A/N)

  Hi! This was a pretty long one, lol. Hopefully no one got too bored:)

  Now, all there's left to worry about is how Maria will be able to go back for Brandon and Rose when she's so weak from her injuries. . . Or will she even be able to? Dun dun dunnnn.

  But on another note, how's everyone's lives going? Hope quarantine is treating you well:)

  Thank you for reading!

  **And for 12k reads<3 it means so much to know people actually read my book.**

~ The Awkward Athlete