.22. If Death would be coming for you, I would give my life for you.

All it took was her name spoken out loud, and Zane lost the little control he had over his beast. The Alpha-to-be threw himself at the male, throwing punch after punch straight at his jaw. Alpha and a couple of men from the staff struggled to separate them. Aiden didn't try to protect himself from the blows, nor he tried to hit Zane. He just laid with his back pressed against the cold tile floor and took whatever was coming his way. Zane yelled at him, demanding answers for questions Aiden couldn't hear anymore.
Everything happened so fast he had no time to react. One moment they were sitting in the car, smiling and laughing. The next moment she demands to go to the hospital, freaking out and just a second after a huge truck collides with the vehicle. Aiden couldn't forget the image of her seemingly lifeless body next to him, most of the car covered in blood- Camilla's blood. Aiden sat in shock; the driver ran to them while calling an ambulance. The doctors promised that she would be okay, but the speed they used when getting her upstairs didn't give Aiden much hope. Tears streamed down his cheeks, none of those because of the punches- all of them for Camilla. For his careless driving and freaking out before time. If only he would have looked at that damn road and noticed the truck. If only Aiden would have been more careful, making sure that he was protecting Camilla not putting her under more danger.

"You motherfucker, what did you do to her?" Zane kept yelling, struggling in his father's hold. He wasn't human anymore, the beast took full control over his body, doing his best to get out of the arms which held him back. The look in his eyes was murderous, and Aiden welcomed it. He wouldn't feel worthy of life if Camilla wouldn't survive the night. If her heart stops here- there is no hope for tomorrow.

"Zane, calm the fuck down, we're in God damn hospital! Can't you see that he's injured? Who the fuck gave you the right to attack that young boy? Can't you see that he's as worried as you are, if not more? I've raised a fucking moron!" Luna yelled at her enraged son. He didn't react, despite the anger dying down- the male still craved for blood. He had no idea why; the more he tried to gain control back, the more his beast kept resisting it. There was nothing Zane could do, even when his mother spoke as if he was just a disappointment.

"Baby, he's not in control, calm down. I'll hold him until he will gain it back and calm down. Check on Aiden; he doesn't look right. Call for someone who might help him, if needed. I'll take Zane out for a while; this whole environment isn't helping him either," Alpha spoke up, slowly stepping back to increase the distance between raging Zane and badly beat up guard.

He held Zane in a tight grip, tightening it as soon as they stepped out of the hospital. The beast kept trying to get away from Alpha, forgetting how he isn't supposed to act like this- especially towards his parents. All he could see was red, his mind overflowing with the voices of the doctors, which spoke about the patient's condition earlier. Then his voice, calling her name, attacked Zane's mind, adding a little more fuel to the raging flame.

"Let go of me; I will tear that motherfucker in pieces for what he did! Let go of me; I have to make sure that he dies and she lives!" The beast growled, still struggling in the tight hold.

"And how will that change anything? Forget your fucking instincts and use that damn brain of yours for once! Think, God, damn it! If she wakes up and finds out that you killed him- she will hate you till the end of her days. Is that something you wish for? Is that a thing you want, huh? Calm down, give my son the control, don't make me use the damn Alpha voice. I will fucking beat you into submission, boy!" Alpha Snow wasn't a man who would take disrespect kindly. Any kind of it, even one from his son or beast, was unacceptable. He needed the wolf to calm down and think about whatever happened there. Everyone was left speechless after discovering who the victim was, but only Zane freaked out more than others.

"Let me tear him in pieces, divide his fucking atoms if he has any, and I'll calm down. I don't care, she can hate me for eternity and beyond, but the flicker has to die!" The beast spat back. He had no intention of calming down anytime soon. Whenever he felt as if the rage died down- the same voices sounded through his mind, sending the anger into overdrive.

"Calm down and give my son the fucking control back! I don't want to see you for a couple of days, and you will stay away from Camilla!" Alpha Snow had no other option as to order his son's beast to lay low. Everyone around the hospital most likely knew what happened already. Alpha knew that most of the staff members would start a rumor about his son finding a mate before his birthday. But how else could they react? Usually, people weren't responding to such situations with such intense anger outbursts. Zane acted as if he had to protect the girl no matter what, which made him look like he was trying to get revenge on his mate.
Camilla couldn't be his mate. Could she?
Of course, the young man admitted his weird feeling about her, but it didn't mean that they were fated to be together.

"Shit, I'm sorry, dad. I couldn't make him submit; he wouldn't give me a chance to get back in control. I'm so damn sorry," This time, Zane spoke up. The beast retreated, giving full control over the body back to his human form. Alpha loosened his grip around his son and sat on the cold grass, patting a spot next to him.

Zane sat next to his father, it was becoming pretty late, and the stars appeared in the sky. Both men looked up at the sky, silently letting the thoughts flow by. Alpha seemed more emotionless than ever- his son knew that the male was hurting. They kept talking about being close to Camilla's late parents and her being like a daughter to them. Of course, they would feel bad and hurt for seeing her in such a condition. Zane kept wondering would she pull through the night- the blood loss looked [pretty impressive, and the doctors sounded more worried than ever. If she didn't live, would it change anything? It wasn't about the whole pack; it was about the Alpha-to-be. Zane couldn't stop wondering if her surviving or dying would actually change anything about his life. He knew the girl for a short period of time but already managed to hurt her so much. When he thought back to the day when they met- even the male himself shivered in disgust. He understood that he shouldn't have said anything or forced a choice on her back then. All he had to do was forget about her existence and let her be. But he didn't and looked where it led him to. Zane felt responsible for the outcome, even though he was not the one who drove the car- he felt guilty.

"Do you like her?" Alpha broke the bubble of thoughts Zane locked himself in. He didn't want to talk- he needed some time to cool off and think about whatever was happening to him. The young male did act suspiciously overprotective and friendly towards her, but not for a moment he thought that it might be because of some sort of feelings. He felt that he was feeling remorse for his doings, trying his best to redeem himself.

"I don't know, dad. Pretty sure I'm an idiot because I hurt her before. Maybe I hid the feeling of blame, and my wolf is trying to undo whatever we did wrong. He won't answer my questions anymore; the fucker blocked me out. I don't understand what is happening and why I ended up in this situation. This is bullshit. In its purest form- even I can't understand what's going on with me." Zane groaned, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. As much as he tried to wrap the events up to draw some parallels- nothing worked.

"Have you considered the possibilities? You're Alpha blood shifter; you might feel your mate before the time comes. What if Camilla is the one for you? What would you do if the possibility turned out to be the truth?" Alpha raised an eyebrow, looking slightly puzzled. He wasn't sure would the assumption ever turn out to be the truth, but if it did- he had to know his son's thoughts on it.

"That's impossible. I'm an Alpha, just like you just said, and she's an Omega. The Moon Goddess tends to pair up the stronger ones to lead the pack. My mate will become Luna one day, and she had to be strong. Can you picture an Omega to be a Luna? Sorry dad, I can't. I need someone stronger, smarter, and more self-confident. If the girl turns out to be my mate, I wouldn't want anything more than to become friends. I can't accept someone delicate; I have to think of the pack first, only after that I can think about my needs." Zane's words made his father partly proud. The way how his son put the safety and well being of the pack in the first place was remarkable. The way how he spoke about having a weak mate not so much. As a father, he couldn't stand there and watch how his son makes the greatest mistake of his lifetime. The destined souls would reach their full potential and strength only after finding each other. It might have been any other woman they would be talking about, but Camilla being the topic made it more sensitive. The atmosphere between two men was tense- Alpha kept wondering which might be the right words to use.

"So, you would reject her, huh?" There was a hint of amusement in Alpha's voice. Barely noticeable, almost not audible at all, but Zane caught on it. He sat in silence, wondering what he would do.
Maybe rejecting his mate, if she was weak, would be the right choice. The pack was filled with beautiful and strong women. But what if the one whom he chose would find a mate? Would she leave Zane's side to become happy, or would she stay for money and power? If his weak, rejected mate would get over him- finding another partner, would Zane get over the fact?

"Honestly, I have no idea. This isn't something I would like to talk about either. Not in the mood to think about whomever my mate is and what's her rank. I can keep on silently, hoping that she will be enough," Zane faced his father. Alpha kept his usual cold facial expression and suddenly smirked.

"Alright, let's drop this topic then. Your mother just mind-linked me. The guard was taken out of there; he's in a separate room so we can head back. The doctors are saying that they stitched up Camilla, but now everything depends on her ability to heal. They're letting us visit her even though she's still asleep. Would you like to come with us?" The enormous male stood up and offered his son a hand.

Both men headed back to the hospital; wondering was she alright and able to heal at all.

"Alpha, we're lucky the girl is a shifter, she will get better. Now, all we can do is wait for her to wake up," A nurse rushed towards her Alpha, baring her neck in the process.

Zane side-glanced at his father, smirking, after noticing how he returned the gesture. They spoke for a while until Zane excused himself and followed Camilla's scent to the room. Her eyes were still closed, arms full of needles and body looking lifeless.
Zane sat next to her bed and took her hand in hers. He felt like they could become great friends one day if she would give him a chance to prove himself. He brought her knuckles to his lips and gently kissed her skin.

"If Death would be coming for you, I would give my life for you."