Chapter 90
“Angela is going to give us a minute to find something comfortable for you. Grab hold of me. It’s okay.”
He finally lowers his arm, resting it on my side. I wiggle my arm around until it falls into the crook of his neck. His eyes are closed and his body stiff, flinching hard as my fingers touch his hair near the base of his skull. I slowly drift my hand down to his neck keeping my touch like a feather, barely perceptible but still there.
He responds instantly, his fear response to any type of submission stimulus is intense. He chokes on a hard whine as he ducks his head down into my shoulder. He holds his breath several seconds before letting it out and doing it again. His body is shaking and his hands have closed into tight fists on the back of my shirt.
“Do you think you can hold that position with him?”
Angela has come over with the next round of lidocaine.
“Can you reach the area you need?”
I can feel her behind me pushing his hair out of the way of the cut.
“I need you to stay still Cole. This first round will be the hardest. Just like the abscess, I’ll be doing three rounds. I want you to be nice and numb.”
Within just a few seconds he’s even worse. I tighten my hold around him and place my hand flat across his neck. I lay my leg over his waist, pulling him even tighter against me as his legs start pushing against the bed.
“Breathe Cole.”
I whisper as I gently move my thumb against the skin behind his ear. His fight is getting even more panicked as he receives more shots. His head is proving much more painful for him since the frost we used on the abscess can’t be used on an open wound.
“You’re doing great Cole. I need you to breathe.”
Angela tries to soothe as he becomes even more frantic, yelping and whimpering with every stick.
“Concentrate on me Cole. Follow my breathing.”
I close my eyes as I hold him as tight as I can without hurting him, letting him feel my chest rise in fall as I slow down my own breathing. I’ve dealt with scared and abused wolves before. They all tugged on my heart but none of them have physically hurt they way he does.
He finally falls into line with my breathing and his fight is mostly gone. I’m hoping that it’s a sign that Angela has finished round one and has moved into round two. I know he’s exhausted as his grip slowly eases on my shirt but he refuses to move at all.
“Tell me more about Allie. You said she was the only real relationship you had. That this box your father gave you came with a price, a catch.”
“I took the box back to my room. Took everything out and placed it on my desk. At the bottom of the box were type written instructions going into even more detail as to what my father told me. It included what council law said and what my pack’s law said. The more I read the sadder yet angrier I got. I had heard that dad allowed the males to rape the females but never once did I believe that it was actually true. That he would sanction rape.”
There’s a genuine note of sadness in his voice that even stops Angela in her tracks. I feel her hand on the top of his head, petting gently.
“The shots are done. Cole, I need you to work out whether you want Demetri to lay with you during the stitching. This is quite deep and about three inches long so I need to layer the stitches before I glue the surface.”
“The choice is yours Cole. You tell me what you want, although I don’t think we can stay cuddled together. Angela needs a little more space for stitches.”
He slowly starts moving away from me, wincing as he reaches behind him to move the pillow closer to him, before settling into a slant that’s half on and half off his back. I haven’t questioned him but it definitely seems that he has some sort of issue with his back that I will need to tease out, not that I will be bringing him in as a warrior.
I sit up on one elbow once he’s settled, he’s yet to tell me what it is he wants while he gets worked on when I spot Lilly in the doorway. I give her an appreciative smile as she walks in with Madilyn snuggled into her neck. It’s only as she gets closer to me that I realize that she’s been crying and Madilyn is in even worse shape. It’s obvious that she’s been riding the same roller coaster as Cole.
“I’m sorry Cole. It looks like I have to change my plans.”
I state apologetically as I sit up in the bed. I place my hand on Madilyn’s head brushing her hair out of her face.
“It hurts.”
She manages to whisper as tears fall down her face.
“Does this mean you’re willing?”
I look at Lilly half expecting her to turn tail and run.
“I trust your judgment, Dem.”
I gently take Madilyn from Lilly’s arms as she whimpers in pain.
“I thought being near him should calm all this down.”
“That’s what worked when I was twelve. I’m not certain how it works at such a young age.”
“What’s going on with her, Alpha? She’s frightened and in a lot of pain. She wasn’t like that last night. Did she catch a bug?”
“I gots no bug.”
Madilyn whines as she presses her hands into her stomach.
“He’s talking about a virus.” I explain as I hold her close.
“Have you ever heard of gifted wolves? Ones that Diana has blessed as intuitives or empaths?” I casually ask Cole.
“I’ve heard of both. They tend to be rare. Not much is known about them as the council doesn’t have records of many that are confirmed to be either.”
He’s done a complete 180 since the shots have stopped and Madilyn has come in.
“Well, at the risk of you shutting down on me, I am one of few intuitives registered with the council and, based on her reactions tonight, I believe Madilyn is too.”
Angela has stopped beside us, pulling up a chair for Lilly to sit in after handing me a small cup of liquid medicine.
“Tylenol.”
She explains simply. I hand it to Madilyn, who refuses to take it.
“It’s okay Lynnie. It will help with the pain in your stomach.”
Angela encourages her gently.
“What are her symptoms?”
“Nausea, vomiting and cramping. The classic trio.”
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