The heel of her shoe pounds into my face cutting me off mid scream. Rolling to my uninjured side in an attempt to protect my self I wipe the blood from my lips.

"Rose!" The voice was closer. Foxy began to panic, pacing back and forth with her nails between her lips. Biting them nervously. Without warning she yanks the bottle from my side. Ripping through the soft flesh and letting the blood pour making me scream and grip my side trying to stem the flow of blood. "Help!" I manage to cry out rewarding me with another blow to the cheek with Foxy's shoe. The handle to the room rattles above my head and I desperately reach out to the lock. My own blood coating my finger tips. "Shut up, bitch!" Foxy smacks my hand away.

"Foxy?" Calls the voice as its owner tries to bash down the door. "What have you done?"

"I've taken care of it!" Foxy snaps back.

"If you've touched her I'll rip your heart out!"

"Why?" She sounded bitter and a little hurt. "You want me out the way so you can run into the fucking sunset?"

"We've talked about this!"

"Can you save the fucking domestic for when I'm not bleeding to death!" I screech.

"Rose!"

"Get your crazy girlfriend away from me!" I assumed it was Seth coming to save the day a little too late.

"Crazy?" Foxy grabs my hair and drags me to face her. "I'm the crazy one, after you attacked me!"

"You attacked me first!" I kick her back as hard as I could and force myself to my knees. Stumbling towards the door I quickly jiggle the lock free and throw the door open falling head first at a pair of feet. At this point I didn't give a fuck who they belonged to, I just wanted to get as far away as possible.

I'm hauled up into warm arms and carried out of the office. Foxy stays close, I could hear her protests and yells of rage deep in the fog. Everything that happened over the next few hours seemed to happen to someone else. The ride to the hospital, being carried inside and taken to the operating room. Everything disappeared until I managed to open my eyes and see four, very bright, white walls. The aroma of clinical was everywhere and made me shudder. I hated hospitals and in my current condition being in one was dangerous. But as I lay there in human form and, apart from the throb in my side from the stab wound and endless amounts of bruising, not changing or feeling the sensation that arises just before it happens it appeared the spontaneous shifting had ended. For now at least.

"You're awake." Said a voice from the doorway. My eyes connected with those of a young woman's. Tall, brunette and curvy she wore a white doctors coat. A name badge was clipped into the fabric of her left breast and it read: Dr. A. Green. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she approached, checking the screen that had wires leading from it to me.

"I'm alright." I mumbled. "Can't wait to get the hell out of here."

She chuckles, "that won't be for a few days yet." She checks my pulse then my lungs with a stethoscope. "Surprisingly you're doing well."

I give her a small smile with a false shrug, "I'm a quick healer."

"It seems so," she mumbles as she double checks my blood pressure.

"Hi, can we come in?" Sammy and Gage standing in the doorway made my body relax with a deep exhale.

"Of course!" Dr. Green smiles warmly and slips out into the corridor as Sammy and Gage both jumped onto the end of the bed. Gage was big man and almost took the entirety of the space at my feet but one look at his relieved features on his handsome face I couldn't be annoyed at him.

"I'm fine, really." I try to reassure them. "I haven't even changed since Foxy attacked me."

"You haven't?" Sammy takes my hand and gently kisses my knuckles. "Does that mean you decided?"

"Decided?" I frowned curiously. Wondering how I could've done that being passed out in a hospital bed. "Decided how?"

"Rosie, no one knows how it works. All we know is that when you've chosen a mate the changes should return to normal."

"So if they have-"

"Then you've chosen a mate." She finishes for me.

"And who is the lucky wolf who gets my sister to pester him?" Gage smirks at me through his bushy beard. I roll my eyes as Sammy giggles squeezing my hand lovingly.

"I guess I've always known who," I pause as something inside of me threatens to break. An emotional bubble threatening to pop in my chest. A lump forms in my throat, "I didn't think he felt the same way."

"That's because you have issues." Sammy interjects with exasperation. "You don't think you deserve love!"

"Sam!" Gage growls. "Let the woman talk." He wraps his arms around his sibling and kisses her hair. " are you sure it's what you want?"

I nod, "I think so. But does he?"

"If he doesn't love you like you do him then fuck him. We'll visit grandma and grandpa for a couple of months until you feel ready to come home."

"Really?" I squeak, my hands gripping the blanket over my chilly legs.

"Absolutely. You're my baby sister Rosie. No one, not even Seth, will get away with hurting you."

*******************

It took a couple of days but Seth did finally come to see me. He stood in the doorway, tapping the white wood with his knuckles and holding a bouquet of pink roses. His face was expressionless but his jaw was tense and his aroma told me everything I needed to know. By the smell of his skin he was definitely happy to see me. Scents revealed all.

"How are you?" He asked quietly as he sat in the chair beside my bed. He sat forward with his elbows on his knees and by the dark circles under his eyes he hadn't slept much.

"I'm doing fine. Sammy and Gage have been bringing me goodies," I grin as I point to the mountain of books, chocolate and other luxuries on the bedside table. He chuckled and it was music to my ears. The smile brightened his eyes and stretched and relaxed the muscles of his cheeks making him look younger and carefree. But then seriousness fell over him like a dark cloud, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" I hold the flowers he brought closer to my chest. Using them to comfort me as his voice stammered as he described the last few years of his emotional hell.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long. But I couldn't."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He shakes his head. "Stupid, alpha pride. It took another alpha almost taking you away for me to realise what I needed to do."

"And that is?" I ask. Almost on the edge of my seat, the flowers pushed aside as my body shuffles of its own free will closer to him. He moves to kneel beside the bed and takes one of my cold, pale hands into his before kissing it and taking a moment to run my soft skin across his whiskered cheek. "To tell you I love you. Please, stay with me Rose. I don't want to be apart from you ever again."

My heart pounded in my chest, and my hands moved to cup his cheeks. I was lost for words so I replied with an action I knew an alpha would understand. Leaning in I gently brushed my flushed cheeks over his before taking his lips with mine.

"What about Foxy?" I asked breathlessly.

"She's going with Olly to Dallas to be one of his dancers when the club opens," he spreads kisses over my face and jaw. Small, soft and loving kisses that made my heart flutter. This was where I wanted to be. Where I'd always wanted to be. But what about Olly?

"Olly is still your partner isn't he?" I ask suddenly alert. The loved up fog clearing a bit. Seth nodded with a smile moving my dark hair from my face, "he is. We have entered a partnership still and we've agreed to accept whatever decision you've made."

"I don't want to go," my head shakes violently as tears threaten to spill. The entire situation had finally hit me and everything rushed through my brain so fast I was struggling to keep a steady head.

"I know, baby." He whispers, trying to soothe me as he wipes away the fallen tears from my cheeks. "You don't have to. I don't want you to. I want you to stay and be with me."

"I love you," I hold his wrists gently. Watching his brilliant smile shining back at me with all the love in the world. I could get used to that look. In fact I had every intention of keeping it there on his face for the rest of his life.