From Eden.

My eyelids fluttered open as I looked around the room I was in, trying to determine where I was by my surroundings alone. White walls, white floors, bright fluorescent lights. I was in a hospital.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” A voice startled me. I looked over and gasped at what I saw. A midget wearing blue scrubs with a pair of triangle glasses was sitting next to my bed, a clipboard in her hand.

“Tell me your name.” She stated, clicking a pen.

“D-Delilah.” I told her, a sudden wave of pain hitting me. I felt as if I had been hit by a semi.

“Your full name, dear.” The woman said, her voice taking on an impatient tone.

“Delilah Faye Baybrook. Where am I? Why am I here?” I asked, not so sure I wanted to know the answer.

“You were attacked.” The lady answered matter-of-factly. “Werewolf attack. It’s common. You’re in St. Godric’s Hospital for Supernaturals. I’m Dr. Ludwig.”

“W-where’s Zacky?” I asked, suddenly feeling very afraid, and very small. I wanted him here.

“Mr. Baker is outside in the waiting room. No visitors yet.” Dr. Ludwig said as she wrote something down on her clipboard. She set it down and climbed up on the bed next to me. She made me sit up as she checked my heartbeat, my breathing, took my pulse and made me do a bunch of weird and downright silly things.

“Good to go!” She announced as she hopped down from the bed. She waddled to the door of my room and stuck her head out. “Baker! Haner! In here!” She barked. For her to be so tiny, so sure knew how to get people moving. Within thirty seconds, both Brian and Zacky were in my room.

“Do not stress her or cause her blood pressure to go up or so help me, you two will be sitting in the same bed!” Dr. Ludwig exclaimed, sticking a finger in Zacky’s chest - except it wasn’t his chest. Due to their height differences, it was more like his stomach. Brian and Zacky nodded, letting her know that they clearly understood her threat.

I felt my heart soar at the sight of my lover, but it stopped dead in his tracks. Zacky had blood on his face, his clothes, it was even matted in his hair. His eyes were still glowing that iridescent green, his body was tensed up. He looked like he was ready for a fight.

“W-what happened?” I asked, pulling the thin hospital blanket closer to me.

“We were attacked.” Zacky told me, dropping down into the plastic chair by my bedside. “Some of your father’s henchmen.”

My blood ran cold. No, no, no every voice in my head screamed. That couldn’t happen. He couldn’t know where I was.

“You can’t leave my house anymore Del,” Brian piped up. “Too much of a risk.”

“D-did you kill that other...wolf?” I asked Zacky, the memory coming back to me of him Turning into a Werewolf.

“Well, let’s just say that this blood all over me isn’t there in vain,” Zacky smirked, a dangerous gleam in his eye.
“You can be discharged. Brian’s going to sign your papers and take you back to his house, I’m going to run home and change.” Zacky told me, getting up from his chair to walk to my bedside. He leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead, gently brushing my hair back. Even though he was covered in someone’s else blood, he knew how to make my knees weak and my heart rate speed up.

I love you he thought to me, careful not to say it out loud around Brian. I flicked my eyes to glance at Brian’s face, making sure he hadn’t heard Zacky’s thought.

I love you too I told him as he pulled away from me. He said his goodbyes to Brian and walked out.

Dr. Ludwig came back in and shooed Brian out as she helped me out of the hospital bed. I was more than ready to leave and be back in my own bed at Brian’s house. Brian signed my discharge papers and gave me his sunglasses to wear as we walked outside. The sunlight made me winch, even with the glasses on. I had forgotten my makeup to cover up my Imprint mark. I was a walking target, and for all I knew, my father was lurking out there in the shadows, waiting for me to be alone so he could strike and kill me. He knew what I was, and he wanted the whole world to know it. I secretly wished the Council had some sort of witness protection to put me in so I wouldn’t be such a threat to those I loved. Deep down, I knew they were doing their best with what resources they had.

I just hoped it didn’t ultimately lead to my demise.

----

I hadn’t taken two steps into Brian’s house, with Brian behind me, before I was literally swept off my feet and into Zacky’s arms. I smiled slightly into his chest, trying to gain my breaths back, but I couldn’t do it thanks to Zacky’s death grip around my body. “I missed you.” he mumbled into my hair, only making my smile widen.

“It’s only been a few hours.” I murmured into his chest that was covered by a shirt, that was thankfully not covered in blood. He lifted my head up to look at him, the smirk apparent in his face as he claimed my lips in a kiss.

“God you two, get a room!” Brian said as he passed by us, shutting the front door and locking it.

“We’ll use your guest room.” Zacky joked, giving my waist a squeeze. I wanted to stay in his arms forever. It was my safe haven where nothing could hurt me.

I heard Brian sigh, and I assumed he rolled his eyes. “Whatever, just remember that I have to go to work in the morning, so please don’t keep me up tonight with your ‘alone time’.” I knew he was smirking, and I felt Zacky’s arms tighten around my shoulders.

“You can join us!” Zacky called out as Brian walked into the kitchen. I felt my cheeks burning from the memory of when Brian thought that we were doing something else, when I was really having a nightmare. I felt my hands being taken by Zacky’s as he dragged me down the hallway, leaving Brian to sigh and shake his head in his kitchen. I knew Brian wasn’t annoyed with our antics; he just cared and didn’t want me to get hurt. I bit my lower lip as Zacky closed the door after I was all the way in the room and he had just walked in. I sat down on my bed, slipping off my shoes and sitting criss-crossed.

“Are you okay?” Zacky asked, sitting beside me. He gingerly touched the back of my head, where I had been hit with whatever my father’s henchmen had on them.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” I whispered, lying through my teeth. Zacky knew I was, but he didn’t push the issue.

“Have I told you I loved you?” Zacky asked in a low voice. I nodded as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling me into his embrace. “Well, I’m saying it again. I love you.” the way he whispered it caused shivers to run through my entire body as I felt myself being drawn closer to him.

“I love you, too.” I whispered to him, attaching my lips to his. I craved his attention. I wanted to be comforted by him. I needed him to be near. He made me feel safe, he made me feel loved. I smiled against his lips that attached themselves to mine, and my hands immediately held the sides of his neck, pulling him closer to me. I felt Zacky pressing against me, and before I knew it, I found my back pressed against my bed with Zacky on top of me.

“Fuck Delilah, I want you so bad.” He whispered into my ear as my breathing became uneven.

“Then take me.” I smirked, giving him my most seductive look.

“You have a fucking concussion.” Zacky mumbled as he removed himself from on top of me.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want you.” I told him as we shifted on the bed. My eyes immediately locked with his, and I was more than grateful at the fact that I could possibly be lucky enough to have someone like the god wanting me as his. He turned over onto his side, holding his arms open as I cuddled up against his chest. His shirt sleeve had moved up and I saw the Imprint tattoo. A circle with three horizontal lines. The same one was etched into my skin. We were bound for life. I traced the marking with my fingertip, feeling Zacky shudder against me.

“Del,” Zacky muttered, catching my attention. “I love you, and I want you to be mine.” He said as plain as day.“Will you be my girlfriend?”

“So the whole Imprinting thing is bullshit?” I asked, giggling as I pressed my lips against his nose. “Of course I will, silly.”

“No, it’s true,” he said, closing his eyes as his fingertips began to trace my tattoo on my back. “But a lot of couples end up hating each other. I don’t want that to be us.” My eyes widened at his words as my heart stopped beating. Everything I’ve ever wanted to do with him was happening.

A smile crept on his lips, his eyes lit up with joy as he squeezed his arms that were wrapped around my waist. This hug was a little too tight, but I didn’t care as I wrapped my arms around his neck. We were breaking the rules. A Hybrid and a Were weren’t supposed to be together. They sure as shit weren’t supposed to fall in love, but we proved them wrong. We had each other in every way possible now, and there were no regrets.

“Do you want to keep it our secret, just until things cool down?” Zacky asked. I knew what he was talking about, with the attack and my father lurking somewhere out there, we couldn’t even let the council know of our courtship now. I shook my head from side to side, not wanting to keep it a secret, but knowing we had to.

“How about we just tell Brian?” Zacky asked, and this time I nodded, a smile splitting my face wide open. “Then I guess we should go tell him, huh?” he chuckled, lacing all ten of his fingers with mine as he lifted me to my feet, not letting his grip around my fingers loose as we walked out of my room, an official couple.

Notes