08. Concussion.

"Shit! Nuri, are you okay?" Kalmin asked, pulling Nuri back, and swore again when he saw the blood dripping down her forehead. Kalmin immediately buckled her in, before slamming on the gas peddle, heading towards the nearest hospital.

*'Why did you do that to our mate? What, you're mad that I wouldn't tell you my name? I am more than a voice in your head, Kalmin! I am the reason you are the alpha. Without me, you would still be a lowly omega who the pack treated like dirt.'* Kalmin's wolf roared, shaking his head in disbelief, but still whimpered when he saw Nuri's wound.

"It wasn't on purpose. I didn't know Nuri hadn't put a seatbelt on. Why do you think I buckled her in, and now I'm getting to a hospital as quickly as possible?" Kalmin spat back, checking on Nuri every few seconds as they sped forward.

*'Okay, fine. I thought you did it on purpose, so, I'm sorry.'*

"She couldn't have hit it too hard, so it shouldn't be too bad," Kalmin mumbled to himself as he grabbed Nuri's cheek to turn her head to the side. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was just a small amount of blood, and the cut seemed to be minimal. That, however, did not stop Kalmin from driving as fast as he could to the nearest hospital.

*'Yet you act like you don't care about her? If you didn't care, you wouldn't be doing this.'* Kalmin's wolf taunted playfully.

"It's not so much that I care, but you do." Kalmin retorted, but he knew he couldn't hide the way he felt from his wolf, but that didn't stop him from trying.

*'If you say so.'* His wolf said in a sing-song voice, then changed the subject. *'Nuri doesn't know what her wolf looks like? How is that possible?'*

"When you switch with us and take over, we trade places, in a sense. When Nuri's mind is traded with her wolfs, she simply doesn't look. You know what it's like when we trade, so you can understand how it's possible." Kalmin said, shaking his head. *'Why do you feel the need to ask such an unnecessary question?'* Kalmin thought as they finally arrived at the hospital, where he pulled up to the main doors and carried Nuri into the waiting room.

"Hello, what happened?" A nurse asked when she saw Kalmin said Nuri down, and the trickles of blood down her temple.

"She hit the dashboard. I don't know if it's serious or not, but I figured I should take the chance." Kalmin said with a shrug as he watched the nurse inspecting Nuri.

"Would you mind helping me set her on a bed? We're a little short-staffed, and it would take a while before the doctor can come here." She asked, then led Kalmin to a room where he carefully laid Nuri down before stepping out of the nurses' way. He walked back outside to park the car, then smoked a cigarette as he walked back towards the hospital doors.

*'Will our mate be okay?'*

"Yes, she'll be fine. When did you become such a whiner?" Kalmin responded with a roll of his eyes as he walked back into the hospital, then peeked in Nuri's room where the nurse was wiping off her face. After checking in on Nuri, he went down to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee before noticing that his wolf was painfully silent. "What's wrong with you?"

*'I'm just thinking. You should try it.'* Kalmin's wolf snapped, then grumbled something Kalmin couldn't make out.

"Okay, so you're pissed about something, that's clear. Do you think you'll be telling me what that is, or am I to act like it's not happening?" Kalmin asked as he sipped his coffee, sitting down in the waiting room. After waiting a few minutes but getting no response, he knew he had no choice but to wait.

"Alpha?" A woman asked softly, pulling Kalmin out of his thoughts as he stood and followed her back into Nuri's room. "It does appear that she has a concussion, but for now, she's alright."

"Alright, thank you," Kalmin said with a nod as he sat at Nuri's bedside. "Will there be any side effects that I should be aware of?"

"She may experience some side effects, which are normal for a concussion, but we'll have to wait until she wakes up to know what those could be." The nurse responded, shaking her head.

"Very well." Kalmin agreed with a nod, watching her as she left. He leaned back in his chair and looked over at Nuri, still unable to believe how beautiful the girl was. *'I don't see any harsh side effects coming from this, so she should be fine after a day of rest.'*

*'Kalmin, my name is Rian.'* Kalmin's wolf suddenly said, making Kalmin gasp out in shock.

"Rian? That's an amazing name. I love it." Kalmin said after a few moments of silence spent trying to gather his thoughts. "Can I ask how long you've had your name picked out?" He asked hesitantly and found that he was actually afraid of the answer.

*'A few days before we found out about Nuri. But you wanted her dead, and killing her would kill me too. So, I decided not to tell you.'* Rian responded with a growl after a moment of silence.

"Rian, apologizing isn't easy for me, but I know that's what you want, so I'll try. I do sincerely apologize for what I did, as I did it without thinking. I did not consider how it would affect you and me as a whole." Kalmin said, wincing as he spoke, the sound of his words alien as they left his lips. Although it hurt his pride to say the words, he still meant every word of what he said.

*'Thank you, Kalmin. I know you died a bit inside by saying those words, and I know you wouldn't have bothered if you didn't mean it. Will you promise not to purposely try to harm our mate?'*

"I promise, Rian." Kalmin said, smiling a bit when he said the name. "It's amazing, being able to call you by a name of your own choosing."

*'Imagine how it feels for me, to hear you say my name.'* Rian responded with a chuckle, shaking his head.

"I can only imagine," Kalmin agreed as he leaned back in his chair, setting his coffee down on the side table, closing his eyes with a sigh. "Let's get some rest, Rian."

*'Yes, Kalmin.'*