Chapter 61
I walk with Lilly back over to Cole’s bed. Both he and Madilyn appear to be sleeping. I guide Lilly to the stool I was sitting in before I started then stopped giving his medication to him. She sits down gently as I do the same on the bed. I run my hand through his hair a couple times before speaking to him.
“Cole, I’m sorry for the delay. It looks like my helper has fallen asleep for the night. You met Luna Lilly this morning when we discovered the injuries to your chest and abdomen. She’s going to coach you through the slow count as I give you the steroid. Unfortunately, the feeder we have been using won’t do this smaller amount over an hour so I will give it by hand over about a minute.”
I feel him nod his head in my hand as I place my hand in his.
“Lilly, he can’t handle anything on his neck but gently rubbing the back of his head seems to be quite comforting. Put your hand were mine is.”
I can feel that Lilly is a lot more timid in being hands on with Cole then I am. Unfortunately, he can feel it too. I can feel him tense up as she slides her hand under mine.
“Please don’t fear me, Luna. I swear to you and alpha both, I haven’t done what they claim.”
“Can you tell us about the rumors? How they got started? There’s always some truth to the rumors.”
I can feel him sigh as I know he has little desire to talk.
“Cole, I’m going to move Madilyn closer to your chest so that Luna can hold your other hand a bit more comfortably. I don’t want you to accidentally grab Madilyn when I start this steroid. I know it’s quite nasty for you to receive. Just keep in mind we are starting to wean you off the IV stuff. Hopefully by tomorrow night you’ll be able to handle the majority of your medication by mouth.”
I pick Madilyn up and gently move her closer to Cole. He visibly relaxes, laying his cheek on her head, when she snuggles into his chest. Lilly gently takes his hand in hers as I hold onto the other. I can feel his gentle tugs as I get closer to giving him this medication. It’s heartbreaking that he suffers like this but it’s the only way to strengthen his wolf enough to get him to heal.
“Cole, I need deep, even breaths. Follow Luna’s count.”
I rub his hand with gentle circles as I hear Luna start encouraging him to follow her lead. I wait for a consistent pattern to start before I start injecting the medication. He pulls away hard and whines loudly as the medication creeps into his vein.
He easily gets off track with his breathing as he fights his instincts to pull away. I know he’s not using all his strength but it takes a lot from Lilly to get him back on track. Overall I feel he handled it well and he relaxes as he feels the coolness of the saline when I’m finished.
“The bad news is you’ll have two more doses like this. Another at 150 milligrams and the second will be at 100 milligrams. I believe I saw in your chart that she’s planning on trying you on the 100 milligram pills after that.”
“So I guess that’s the good news?”
He speaks quietly as I let his hand go. I detach the syringe with the saline in it allowing him to relax before moving on to the pain medication.
“I know it’s a tough subject but it would really help me out if I knew your side of the story with these nasty rumors that Dallas has spouted off. While I’m not too keen on believing what he has to say I can’t completely dismiss such damaging rumors. Especially since he did supply me with a plausible explanation as to the damage done to your abdomen.”
“What explanation was that?”
I take his hand back in mine and attach the pain medication to the IV near his wrist before starting to talk again.
“He said he saw your dad grab you by the neck. That you managed to get away but he caught up to you and when he did he put over a dozen kicks into your abdomen. Is it true? Is that what happened before he chained you and took a belt to you?”
He takes a deep breath as he takes his hand from Lilly. I’ve paused my actions with his medication again, watching his response to my questioning. I’m shocked when he curls around Madilyn, hugging her even closer to him as he starts gently rubbing her back.
“You’ve talked before haven’t you? With the alpha of the other packs?”
“Alpha please, it doesn’t help to talk. All it does is make it harder for me to act normal for what little time I’ll be here.”
“I’m not like any alpha you’ve been with before. I know the laws and what I can do to help but I have to know what’s going on. I can’t help unless I know how often you end up in the condition you’re in now or something even worse.”
“They said the same thing. They can’t help unless I talk. I go through the physical. Explain all my scars, every cut, every bruise. They document everything. They keep me in the hospital to test my explanation. Then I end up on a seventy-two hour hold because the tests trigger me into a crisis like what I’m having now. Just to send me home early. Just so the council can come poking around but they never come to me. They never ask me. Yet everything gets worse, unbelievably harder. For months I have to fight just to survive not just my father but my family, my pack. All I want is my luna. As soon as I find her I’ll find a way out of the hell I’ve been born into.”
His voice is cracking at the end and I know he’s struggling to stay composed. It’s obvious as he breaks down, burying his face into Madilyn’s hair, that he’s lost all hope of anyone but himself being able to get him out. To protect him the way he’s protecting my daughter.
“There’s two very nasty rumors about you. Both are very concerning. Now based on what little I’ve seen of your character, I’m having a hard time picturing you as either a rapist or a pedophile.”
“Which is why you want my side of the story.”
He whispers as he turns his head so his cheek rests again on Madilyn’s head, making it easier to understand him.
I’m shocked when he actually opens his eyes and looks straight at me. For the first time I see anger beneath the fear.
“What are you getting out of this?”
I can’t help but cock my head, curious as to what he means.
“What could I possibly have to gain by betraying your trust?”
I take his hand gently in mine but allow him to pull away. He closes his eyes as he runs that hand through his hair. He swallows hard before placing his hand back into mine.
“I don’t expect you to believe me, you don’t know me so why would you. But, the rumors that I’m a rapist and a pedophile are not at all true. I can’t go into details about my relationship with the little girls. The one time I did, I paid dearly for it after the council left. The only thing I can assure you of is I’m not raping them and I’m not having inappropriate relationships with them. They come to me of their own free will. I don’t seek them out but I won’t turn them away. I protect them from those who seek to harm them. Something I grew up never having. Both rumors are not simply rumors but allegations that have never been proven. The rumor about me raping Luna Sasha is completely false. I don’t like her and have no desire to touch her let alone take advantage of her.”
He takes a break and whines hard as he starts feeling the pain medication in his vein.
“I guess that explains why Jamie was so upset when you disclosed that the injuries you have are from being punished because of this luna. No alpha is to implement physical punishment without catching the wolf in the act of assault. This can be in the form of surveillance footage or someone walking in on you. Yet you’ve been beaten six times for something you’re merely accused of?”
He nods his head slowly as I detach the empty syringe and put it aside. I move around to the back of him but I can tell by the way he tries to follow my movements that it’s making him nervous.
“Relax Cole. I’ve got four supplements and the anti nausea medicine to give you.”
“What are they?”
I can hear the suspicion in his voice as he asks.
“Magnesium, potassium, vitamin D and iron. I’m not certain how they will feel but the medication I’m giving first to calm your stomach does have a sting to it.”
He ducks his head down towards Madilyn as Lilly resumes rubbing his head.
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