Monday, October 21st

(Demetri’s POV)
The last two days have been a fog for me as I bounce between comforting Jessa and helping Cole. With consideration towards how empaths are treated, Deven highly discouraged me from trying to be her doctor. She needs a father, a supportive figure to help her through the tough time that she’s having. Even though she’s asked for Damian and Cole several times she admitted this morning that she can feel my concern; my fear for her.
I just finished talking with Dr. Austin. Jessa’s lab results from Friday night have started coming back and the news is worse than I was prepared for. Although considering her fight for her life that night, they aren’t a surprise. I have no time to digest Jessa’s bad news as I walk down the hallway. While Cassius and Deven both told me which room they wanted to meet with me in I didn’t retain the information so now I’m pacing the hallway trying to use my nose to locate one of them. I finally catch wind of Cassius and slow my pacing. I lock on to the spot his scent is strongest and follow it to the closed door. I sigh hard before reaching up and knocking.
“Come in.” His familiar voice calls.
I step in slowly allowing my sense of smell to take over. I’m surprised to only catch Cassius’s scent in the room.
“You don’t trust me.” He states as I look directly at him. “I told you I would give you the opportunity to verbally lash out over purposely causing Cole pain. While I didn’t know the intensity that it would cause, the test was ultimately yours.”
“How are you testing me by hurting him?”
“Even though you were the one to encourage me to give him the choice, his choosing my pack over yours created a lot of questions on the appropriateness of your pack for Cole.”
“You don’t want to give him up so you were trying to set me up as the bad guy.”
If this alpha is purposely trying to set up a bad reaction he doesn’t have far to go.
“Yes and no.” He replies simply, making me even more confused. “Like all packs you have a reputation to live up to that helps keep the rogues and marauders away. While you are listed with the council as an active participant in both the sanctuary and operation underground programs, the council has not updated their databases as to the level of help you provide.”
“We both know that with a massive change in the laws it’s going to take time for the council to visit every pack in the sanctuary program and classify them by level. Besides, helping him through multiple panic attacks the night I arrived wasn’t enough?” I can’t help the incredulity in my voice.
“I took advantage of an unexpected situation. I am sorry to have caused him that pain and I’ve been to the wing several times over the last two days apologizing for doing so.”
“Is this a set up?”
“No sir. I told you I would give you a chance to lash out at me. Deven has already done so.”
“He didn’t agree to continuing what Evelyn was doing?”
“No he didn’t. While you were begging her to stop he was in a link with me telling me that it wasn’t necessary after what you did for Cole the night before. I ignored both of you and urged her to continue until she hit the spot that created a dramatic reaction. Evelyn at the moment isn’t speaking to me unless it’s hospital related.”
He sighs heavily as if he truly feels bad for what he’s done. I sigh as well.
“I have too many things going on to get caught up in a trap.”
I start moving towards one of three chairs positioned in front of his desk.
“As I said, it’s not a set up; a trap. You are allowed to lash out verbally, not physically. Although if you’re in the mood for a mild spar I would consider it. I know you’re under a lot of stress right now and it’s been a while since I’ve had a new alpha in the territory.”
I cock my head curious to his offer.
“Does that mean you have an interest?”
I sigh hard again as it is a tempting offer. I slowly shake my head.
“I grew up during war times for my pack. I managed to make it through a year of fighting before getting my ribs broke but it still happened. I don’t have the equipment needed to use such a method to relieve my anger and stress.”
I state as I sit in the seat on the right. I look up, straight into his eyes when he places his hand on mine.
“Mild spar, full padding, waist up. I’ve got enough equipment that we should have chest pads that fit you.”
“You’re attached to him.” I state, mildly surprised as he lets go of my hand.
“It would be hard not to get attached once you get to know him and letting him go is one of the hardest things I’ve faced since becoming alpha twelve years ago.”
“You need this as much as I do.”
I speak quietly as I get situated in the chair I chose. His truth has run me through several emotions that I wasn’t prepared for in just a few short minutes.
“The test…”
“was mandated by me.” A feminine voice finishes his sentence.
I immediately stand as the only female I was alerted to meeting with us is part of the high council.
“Alpha Demetri Black this is High Council Alpha Martina Sanchez.” Cassius introduces us as she holds out her hand.
“If you’re comfortable with being informal I am as well.”
“Demetri.” I introduce myself as I shake her hand.
“Tina.” She informs me as well.
We sit at approximately the same time leaving the center seat open.
“While Tina has nothing to do with Jessa I think it’s important to go through the test results as her worsening condition is explained by them.” Deven joins us in the center seat.
“What’s going on with her?” I ask with more nervousness in my voice than I thought I had.
“What has Dr. Austin told you?”
“About an hour ago she told me that Jessa has both silver poisoning and septicemia. She explained that even though silver is naturally antibacterial the higher levels of silver are often combined with the bacteria staphylococcus which keeps the silver from causing internal second degree burns. Unfortunately this results in both a nasty infection and silver poisoning. Dr. Austin believes that this has happened to her multiple times for her to initially present so close to death than recover as well as she did before crashing.” I speak quietly.
“Are you aware that she’s being prepared for transfer to Shadowlands University Hospital?” I nod silently.
“I understand that this is a very frightening situation. Jessa being severely sick and Cole being paralyzed and in tremendous pain is very stressful so I do need you to let me know what you’ve been told about Jessa.” I finally shake my head.
“That’s all that Dr. Austin shared. It’s extremely frightening as I had to hospitalize Cole in the ICU at Crimson General for a week within days of his arrival at Crimson Dawn for the same thing.”
“What happened there?” Tina asks.
“I thought you had received that file as protocol mandates anytime a prospect must be hospitalized a complaint must be filed with the council.”
“No sir.” She shakes her head. “I received the Protection from Torture request a few days after the file requesting a ferality trial landed in my inbox. I had already started looking over the ferality request and three pages in I realized that the alpha filing the request was full of shit. I don’t remember exactly which questions they were or how he answered them but my instincts screamed that they were exaggerated. Bored of reading the ferality request I turned my attention to the other file. Imagine my shock when I realized that they were talking about the same individual.”
“You never received anything else?” I’m shocked that more hasn’t been put together.
“Complaints filed while an individual is in the prospect program is seen by a different department than complaints of abuse or torture. The normal procedure is for the information to be entered in his computer file. A paper file, which is most of what I investigate, would have never made it to me.”
I take several deep breaths trying to reel in my disbelief before speaking.
“With all due respect, Tina, does that department not have the training needed to recognize torture when they see it?”
The room falls completely silent with my question.
“Martina,” I nearly whisper. “When Cole came to me in January, nearly two years ago, he had been beaten three days previous to his arrival. Less than twelve hours after he arrived my son found him in a massive panic induced asthma attack resulting in him being admitted to my wing. During his first day there we discovered dozens of bruises in the shape of the buckle end of a belt on his chest, abdomen, upper and lower back, buttocks and the backs of both thighs.”