Chapter 77
I take the hand he’s reached out to me. It takes a lot of effort but with a long groan from me, he pulls me into a sitting position.
“Once you’re cleaned up, I need to go through your hair and find that laceration of yours. Once I find it I will need to cut the hair around it to get a good view. If it’s long but not too deep then I can use surgical glue to close it but I’d still encourage using the lidocaine shots to numb it as the glue burns when it’s first put on. It’s late but I don’t think Angela has gone to bed yet so I’m going to get her help with this. I think you’re a little too shaken up from that dream to try to handle everything on your own.”
I nod my head slowly agreeing to the plan, standing shortly after he does.
“It wasn’t a dream.” I whisper, instantly regretting my admittance.
“It didn’t seem like it was. Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head slowly waiting for him to start towards the door.
“I don’t want to remember alpha. It hurts to remember.” I whisper towards the floor. “I’m sorry I woke you luna.”
I look her way when I speak but my voice is submissive and weak as I struggle not to cry. She stands from her chair and makes her way over to me. She takes my chin gently in her hand and puts just enough pressure on it to tell me what she wants. She has a lot more confidence, making her feel like the powerful alpha and luna she is compared to two nights ago, making me even more uncomfortable than when she feared me.
I lift my head but my eyes are darting wildly trying to avoid looking straight at her.
“Shhhh. You didn’t wake us.”
She speaks calmly as she covers my eyes without touching my face. It confuses me that she’s aware of this method of calming me. It was Jon Jenkins that discovered that blocking my eyes caused me to shut them and for reasons I don’t understand, it has a calming effect. Jamie learned the simple technique from his father and has only used it once in front of Alpha Demetri and Dr. Pierce.
She touches my cheek gently while my eyes are still shut. It’s as I slowly open them that I catch her and alpha engaged in a gentle, loving kiss before she touches his face. I cock my head to the side.
Such gentle affection between alpha and his mate is a curiosity to me. My only exposure to mates being loving towards each other was around eighteen, shortly after I moved in with Molly and Jon.
Before that, what little affection I saw between my parents was usually savage and brutal. When my father wanted my mother nothing stopped him from having her. There were many times, up until I was twelve, that when she interrupted some of my harsher, longer punishments that he would unchain me from the desk before he was ready. But it was never a reprieve from my punishment. No, it was on those nights that I was restrained painfully to a chair and forced to watch my mother get viciously raped and sodomized by the wolf who was supposed to be her fated mate. The one wolf in the entire world that should never be able to hurt her.
I squeeze my eyes shut and turn from their view as tears escape my eyes. I gently try to shake the memories from my head, cursing the idea that such a loving interaction between mates could cause me such distress.
“I’m going to check on the girls.”
“Don’t wait up. I’m not certain how long this will take.”
She looks my way, catching my eyes briefly before I look to the floor. She smiles gently before kissing alpha again. She turns silently and makes her way out the room. It’s only a few seconds later that alpha reaches out to me, gently guiding me out the door.
(Demetri’s POV)
Cole follows me silently the short way through the hall before heading down the stairs. My medical room is the first room you come to immediately off the stairs making it easier for anyone, pack members or guests, to know where the room is located when they need to stay there.
I take a soft right coming off the stairs, walking quietly across the hardwood floors of the common room. The room is dark due to the late hour. We only use this room when I have meetings with my inner circle that don’t have a high need for privacy and the last Saturday of every month I invite everyone in the pack to a gathering. Normally only a third of the 300 registered pack members attend the gathering and bbq afterwards. All of my warriors with families make it a point to attend as it’s the best way for their children to develop a bond with me, an imperative move as half my warriors are transfers that have no family members for their child to go to should they be killed in battle. Fortunately, the last decade has been a peaceful time and most injuries are due to overzealous teenagers not knowing when to quit.
Our path is lit sufficiently by the dim nighttime lights we use in the medical wing on the far western side of the pack house. I stop just shy of entering the wing ensuring that Cole is keeping up with me. His head is down towards the floor, glancing up just enough to see where he’s going. I wait until he stops about two feet away from me before starting into the hallway.
“Are you doing okay Cole? I haven’t heard much from you since you apologized to Luna Lilly.”
I try to keep my voice soft and light hearted. He’s walking beside me as we make our way down the long hallway. He flinches hard when I touch his shoulder to gently guide him into the second to last door on the left. It’s the only procedure room in the medical wing where the full bathroom has a large soaking tub. The door is already open and the dim lights on indicating that Angela has already requested a medical assistant to start preparing the room.
It’s as we near the bed that I pick up on Cole’s change in attitude. His movements have slowed as he stops by the bed, gingerly touching the hospital gown and robe that has been laid upon the freshly made bed. I watch him silently as he swallows hard.
“Cole?” I keep my tone gentle as it’s easy to see the young man is scared being back here again.
“I’m sorry alpha. I’m just nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve had the lidocaine shots.”
“When’s the last time you’ve had stitches?”
He shakes his head slowly. “I’m not sure. It’s been a while.” He runs his hand through his hair, whimpering softly as he comes in contact with the open wound.
“Cole, have you had an X-ray before?”
“I probably have but I don’t remember. I get sedated heavily anytime tests are done.”
“That’s okay. It doesn’t hurt, I just need you to stay very still.” He looks up and into my eyes, fear taking over again.
“I’d like to get an X-ray of your head. If you were slammed hard enough to create a laceration large enough to not close on its own then a fracture is likely.” He nods slowly and silently, his eyes returning to the floor.
“Come with me. I’d like to get those pictures before getting your bath ready.”
He follows me silently and complies with everything I need to snap two views before heading back to the bed. I shut the door leading to the hallway giving us some privacy.
“Everything comes off and is placed on the bed. We will put the gown in the laundry and bag your pants so you get them back. I’m sorry we haven’t gotten you your own clothes yet. If you tell me what size you are, I can get a pack of briefs from our clothing closet. Everything is brand new and we have all sizes. Usually you get to choose between boxers and briefs but briefs will be better for your healing leg. Put the robe on, unless you’re comfortable walking around nude. Some wolves are, some aren’t, your choice. I’m going to start your bath. Do you prefer hot or body temperature?”
“Hot helps with the pain.” I barely hear him whisper.
He looks up, making eye contact with me when I place my hand on his shoulder.
“Now this is very important.”
He nods his head struggling to maintain eye contact with me. I step towards him, sliding my hand to his back just below his neck. He attempts to step back, whining softly as he meets my gentle resistance to his desire to flee.
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