I was consciously aware of all that was going down. I could feel the motion and I could hear the noise. But my eyelids felt too heavy to be lifted up, so my vision remained blank as I kept my eyes shut.

At first, I was lying still but I was also moving. I was surrounded by an alternating noise that consisted mostly of passing vehicles and the chatter of bystanders. The place felt cool, my right shoulder was going numb from the air shooting straight at it. My best guess was that I was in a car.

Eventually I zoned out. I wasn't fully aware, but I wasn't gone either. All I could tell for sure was that my head was pounding, hard. And I was cold.

The second time I became consciously aware was when a pair of strong, feverish arms wrapped around my torso and pulled me towards its body. I was swept off the cool leather seats and into the chest of my carrier. The broadness of their build had me guessing it was a man, and his touch on the back of my legs was so heated it felt out of place against my cold skin.

I was suddenly engulfed in his unusual warmness, and his chest was rapidly heaving up and down against my cheek. I wished he'd stop breathing so quickly so I could peacefully fall back asleep.

Then he spoke, in a voice so strained and low it sounded like he was growling rather than speaking actual words. "She's hurt." It was an accusation, directed at someone else.

"Forgive me, Alpha. I took care of the two, but in the process one of them dropped her." This one's tone wasn't like the first. His voice was low but not in anger, rather in shame and guilt.

"You took care of them in her presence?!" The chest was now vibrating, and it annoyed me all the more. My head was pounding worse now. Shouldn't they know not to move an injured person so much?

I tried to open my mouth to give the strangers a piece of my mind, but all that came out was a low, pained groan. The noise vibrated through my sore throat, and I winced internally, scolding myself for not choosing to keep my mouth shut.

The air whoosh-ed around me for a fair second or two, then I was slowly pushed away from the cozy chest and lowered onto a stiff, uncomfortable bedding. The warmth left me, and I felt sick again.

Someone approached me with cold fingertips, inspecting my left eyebrow then gently pressing on it with a burning tip. I inhaled sharply, and then the disturbing scent of chemicals hit my senses. The combination of a pounding headache, a sore throat, and the unsettling scents was making me very nauseous, so I decided to shut them all out with some sleep. I let go of my fight against unconsciousness, and allowed the darkness to completely engulf my senses one more time.

*

When I finally woke up, my dry eyes inspected the unfamiliar furnishings laid out in the room, and I found that everything - from the dresser ahead of the bed I was lying on top to the pillows thrown across the tiled floor - was black. The only exception was the off-white walls, the tiled floor, and the white wooden door. To my right was a wide window, and the sunlight was streaming through, brightening the darkened room with its blinding rays.

I reached for the heavy blanket draped on top of me and yanked it off, sighing in content as the slight breeze cooled my clammy legs. My back was drenched in sweat, and I had no doubt that when I got off the bed I'd see the sweat-stains it left behind on the sheets. I cringed distastefully, rubbing at the hair strands sticking to the back of my neck.

I moved towards the end of the bed, dropping my bare legs over the edge and nearly hopping down. It felt like I was lying on top three mattresses set over one another; the bed was way higher than what I was used to.

What I was used to...

As I stood tall in my unfamiliar surrounding, I tried to put together how I had gotten here. Or rather, where here was. I'd never in my life seen the room, but it carried a scent that was all too familiar - it instantly, and for some peculiar reason, warmed my insides. It was the scent of mahogany and teak-wood.

I glanced down at my attire and did a double-take. I was drowning in a large grey shirt that fell all the way to the top of my knees. Certainly not mine.

As my memories suddenly came flooding in, I had to grasp onto the nightstand to keep myself balanced, the shock nearly sending me down to my knees. I remembered the two intruders and I remembered their words. I could hear their footsteps following me down the stairway and I could feel that one man's rough arms throwing me over his stiff shoulders.

I could also remember the pain of falling down head-first onto the asphalt as my kidnapper was gunned down with a silencer. My trembling hand raised automatically to touch my left eyebrow, and I immediately hissed as my fingers pushed on a rough surface and the wound stung. Someone must have aided to the gash, since it was covered in what felt like a band-aid.

Who had taken me?

I decided that the only way to find my answers would be to explore. I made my way towards one of the two white doors, and gently lowered the door handle to sneak a glance at what lay on the other side. It was a bathroom. I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding in and stepped inside the bathroom. The sight of the wide, inviting shower stall distracted me from all my worries, and I felt an immediate need to hop under the fresh water and rinse away all of yesterday's worries... and today's icky sweat.

Making sure the door is securely locked behind me, I removed the grey shirt I was put in and discarded it to the side. I wasted no time in jumping under the water, allowing it to stream down my skin and soothe my stiff muscles. The water left a stinging sensation as it rolled over the cut on my left eyebrow, but it wasn't too hurtful to ignore. After a fair minute or two, I searched the stall to find the mini containers of shower gel and shampoo. They smelled fresh and earthy, like a mixture of wildflowers.

When I stepped out of the shower stall, I felt like a brand new person. The feelings of ecstasy and relief followed by freshening up after a long journey distracted me from the real issues at hand.

I was in a stranger's bathroom. I was kidnapped and being held against my will, in God knows where.

Instead of throwing a fit and searching for a way out, I was enjoying a hot shower. I felt so ridiculous, I face-palmed myself in disbelief.

Across the shower stall was a brand new, clean bathrobe. The sight of it brought forth yesterday's memories, and I desperately shook the thoughts away. I reached out for it and put it on, securing it well around the waist. My wet hair was left falling over my shoulders, and as I turned to inspect myself in the mirror above the sink, I found the small band-aid over my left eyebrow coming off. I slowly pulled it off, examining the damages done. It didn't look too bad, there was a slight gash over my eyebrow that was reddened up and already healing, with a medium-sized blue bruise above it; but it could easily be dismissed as being the result of a clumsy accident.

The door handle began to rattle. I gasped and stepped away from the sink, my eyes falling on the handle as it was lowered repeatedly. My eyes searched around the bathroom for any object to shield myself with from whatever awaited on the other side, but I found nothing of use. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Nora?" The stranger called out softly, to my surprise. They weren't trying to break down the door, nor were they aggressively demanding that I step out - which was very confusing.

"Nora, could you please unlock the door?"

'Please'? I did a double-take. These men are awfully respectful for kidnappers.

As much as I hated it, I couldn't keep myself locked up in the bathroom forever. Breathing in deeply, I prepared myself to take on whatever expected me on the other side of the door. I balled up my right fist, keeping my left foot ahead of my right's, and gently unlocked the door.

As the click sounded, it got pushed open from the other side. I stepped aside to let the door fully open and gasped as my eyes fell on the man standing behind it, looking all too familiar.

"Xavier?!" I shrieked.

He was the one who ordered my kidnapping?

No... My breath got stuck in my throat.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Al-alright?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he took a step forward, reaching out for me. Simultaneously, my right fist raised higher in warning.

His gaze locked in on my tightened fist, and he raised his hands up in defense. "I'm not going to hurt you, Nora."

"Did you do this?" I was yelling now. "Did you plan this?!"

"No, no," he was shaking his head frantically. "I can explain everything. Just calm down."

I chuckled humorlessly. "Are you seriously asking me to calm down?" That was plain idiotic. The situation practically screamed "freak out!".

Xavier shook his head. "I understand your distress, believe me. But you must allow me to explain."

He took another step forward, and without a second of hesitation, my fist imitated his movement. It swung forward aiming directly at his left jaw, but within the same second, Xavier ducked and reached out for my fist, his palm coming over my entire hand and pulling my forward. In a blink of an eye, I was turned around so my back was against his chest and my arm between us, captured behind my back.

I blinked, still trying to comprehend how fast everything transitioned. My right foot came up, and with all my might I lowered it onto his own.

He didn't even flinch.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he breathed against my ear. "Allow me to explain."

It didn't feel like I had any more say in the matter, considering our current state, with him holding the upper hand. Reluctantly, I nodded.

His hold loosened a little on my arm, so I took the opportunity to shake it off entirely and turned around to face him, staying on guard in case he decides to pull any trick on me.

Xavier backed up a step and gestured towards the bedroom. I walked out and went towards the window, then turned around and crossed my arms, waiting for his explanation. He moved to stand a few feet in front of me, his hands going inside the pockets of his black dress-pants.

"How are you feeling?" His guilt-ridden eyes fell on the gash on my eyebrow.

"I'm fine."

He pursed his lips, not entirely convinced by my answer. "Words can't begin to explain how sorry I am, Nora. None of this was supposed to happen." I could feel the pain behind his restricted voice, though I wasn't sure what the reason behind it was.

"Why are you sorry? I thought you had nothing to do with it?" My back stiffened in alert.

"Not the way you think I do. I didn't order those men to kidnap you. But I might have been the reason behind it," he explained.

I frowned in confusion. "Why would they kidnap me because of you?"

Xavier inhaled deeply, his eyes falling to the ground. When he looked back up, I could tell his thoughts were running wild from the distressed look behind his eyes.

"It's due to my line of business. I have made lots of enemies," was his vague response.

Like that was supposed to make any sense. As if that was enough to answer this whole crazy mess.

I continued staring at him expectantly, waiting for a better explanation.

He exhaled deeply, running his hand through his already messy hair. Xavier then turned and gestured towards the couch, inviting me to take a seat. I shook my head in refusal.

"Just explain to me what the Hell is going on, Xavier." I was beginning to get really frustrated, and my patience was running thin.

"Those men must have tracked you down after our lunch date yesterday." He began to explain. "They must have perceived you as my weak point and wanted to use that to their advantage; lure me in to take me down. That's how rivalries work..."

I scoffed. "So, what, you make enemies for a living?"

He tilted his head to the side, studying me. "In a sense."

I sighed, my hands running through my wet hair. "Then how did I get here?"

"Just as precaution, I had one of my men keep an eye on you after I took you home. He interfered when things got out of hand."

My head snapped to him so curtly, I worried I might have cracked a bone. "You had someone watch me?"

Xavier nodded hesitantly. "Just for precaution."

"Precaution?!" I exclaimed. "When I agreed to have lunch with you I was not signing up to be followed and watched by a random man!"

"I realize that. And as I said earlier, I'm terribly sorry for putting you through all of this, Nora. Things just took a wrong turn this past month and I-" I interrupted him before he could go on any further.

"What is it that you do, Xavier?" I prodded. There was no way a legal business created this many enemies. Ones that were crazy enough to kidnap a completely innocent outsider just to spite their rival off.

"I already told you, I manage shipments in and out of the region."

When his words registered differently in my brain, my heart began thrumming so loudly that I could hear the beats ringing in my ears. I was too afraid to ask what type of shipments his business managed.

With a dry throat, I croaked the question, "so, you're a drug dealer?"

"No!" Xavier exclaimed quickly. "The complete opposite, actually."

I frowned, while simultaneously staring at him in horror. "What's the opposite of being a drug dealer?" I asked confusedly.

Xavier sighed, "I stop their trades within my state."

My eyes widened. "So, you're a cop."

He shook his head again.

I huffed loudly. "What are you then?!" I exclaimed in frustration.

"There's no specific title for it, Nora. As I told you, it's a family business. My father and grandfather all worked within the same field, and now I've taken after them."

All that information was weighing me down, quite literally. I walked heavily towards the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

"So then, your enemies are drug dealers?" An ice-cold shiver ran down my spine at the mere thought of having mobs of drug dealers high behind my heels.

Xavier didn't provide an answer, but when I glanced up at his reaction, his eyes were so full of remorse and pained guilt that for a second my heart ached for him. He gave me a short nod, his hard-set eyes moving to the floor while bearing a clenched jaw.

"But, I can promise you, Nora - this will be the last time anything like this ever happens to you."

My heart leapt right out of my chest. My first thought after breaking down those words was that he was going to walk away, leave me behind to ensure all ties are broken off, and the thought clenched around my heart so tightly it brought tears to my eyes.

Why was I so attached to a stranger I had just met? I felt so ridiculous.

"They will never hurt you again." Xavier promised sincerely. "I will protect you until my very last breath."

My eyes snapped up to him. Those were very big words, and I didn't think I was ready to hear them coming from him just yet.