85. The hospital wing.

"Is there any news about how she is?" Eros paced around the hospital hall, relying on his best friend to talk to the doctors. He knew too well that he would lose it if anything was wrong with Eve, and he shouldn't lash out at the medical staff. They were trying to help his mate, not to harm her.

"No, they're still doing the blood tests. One of the nurses said that Eve needs to rest, she's in an awful state. Dude, I don't know where she was or what she did, but they're saying that it looks like she's been starving," Zander stepped aside, in case Eros started acting like the crazy bastard he was.

"Anything else?" Eros sat down, grabbing the sides of his head.

"Anything..." he gulped loudly, fighting off the tears.

"Anything about the baby?" he finally managed to push words over his lips.

"That is yet to come, they're checking on her- I already told you that," Zander replied coldly. He, the same as any other pack member, was worried about his best friend's mate. Eve didn't look good at all. She look like someone who had their life sucked out of them. Who knows, maybe she got involved with the vampires.

"I'll go get some coffee; it seems like the night will be pretty long. Should I grab some for you too?" Zander added, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. Eros shook his head and hid his face behind his palms. At first, Zander wanted to approach him and tell him that everything would be alright but chose to leave Eros alone. If he were in his best friend's position, he would want some privacy. Eros watched his best friend leave and sighed. Since the moment he caught Eve's scent- he felt like his world turned upside down again. She looked magnificent, despite her weakened state. Eve was still as beautiful, if not more, as Eros remembered. He knew that drugging Eve and taking her home without her consent was the worst thing to do, but Eros wasn't ready to risk it and trust her again. For all he knew, she might try to escape again.
Eros planned to lock her in until she explained the reasons for her sudden departure and how accurate the rumors about their child were. That was until he saw how weak his mate had become. Instead of the whole locking up thing, he brought her to the hospital. Eve was asleep when they arrived, but the staff decided to keep her unconscious for longer, at least until all the test results came back. He jumped back on his feet again, too impatient to sit still. As he did, a nurse approached him.

"Alpha," she bared her neck, submitting to her leader.

"Nurse," Eros nodded, acknowledging her greeting.

"Could you please follow me? I want to update you on Luna's health, if possible- in private. You might have noticed that many pack members gathered in the hospital as soon as they heard about her being here. We don't need false rumors spread around- that might put Luna under danger," she mentioned towards a small office door and invited Eros to join her there. He followed the nurse and closed the door behind him. She sat behind a desk and offered Eros a seat in front of her. The woman grabbed a couple of sheets of paper and cleared her throat.

"So far, she seems to be in great health if we don't look at some rather alarming details," the woman scanned paperwork and sighed.

"But we will look at those, as you say, alarming details. The woman in there is my mate. I have the right to know whatever is going on, especially if that's a topic of her well-being or health. Go on, tell me what's wrong with my mate?" Eros hurried the nurse, leaning closer. Since Ares hadn’t shown any signs of existence, even after Eve appeared, Eros was on edge for multiple reasons.

"Well, as you probably have noticed, she’d lost a lot of weight, but we can't find an answer to why or how. The staff, including me, keep on guessing that something or someone is the blame for that. Even though she's a human, nobody could lose that much, even during extremely intense training and starving," the nurse averted her gaze from the paper sheet and faced her Alpha, waiting for any comments.

"I guess that's something we will find out after she wakes up. I'm sure my mate will explain what happened during the time of her absence. Now, please, carry on, I need to know all the details." Eros scratched his chin, half-listening to the nurse. He was getting lost in his thoughts. Silently planning how to take revenge upon his enemies if any are somehow involved in the situation.

"Okay, let's move on then. During the body check-ups, we noticed a strange scar tissue thickening on the lower part of Luna's belly. We assumed it could be a surgical cut, but those don't usually heal at such speed either. All we can do, without her being awake, is keep on guessing. That might be a scar after an attack, or torture. So far, the tests haven't shown any abnormalities, so her health is a mystery. Alpha, we are doing our best, but keeping the patient unconscious keeps us away from finding out facts. We might be able to give answers only after she's awake," the nurse bit her lips nervously. She was trying to lead Eros towards waking Eve up, so the human would tell him what happened.

"So, you're implying that we should get her off the systems and wait till she wakes up? And when she does, we would attack her with questions? Are you fucking challenging me now?" Eros growled out. He was beyond pissed. He had hired the best medical staff for the pack hospital, yet they acted like fools. It was their job to find the answers while Eve's asleep, not to do otherwise.

"I'm not trying to challenge you, Alpha. I'm trying to explain that some answers are easier to find from the person, not the doctors. We have the newest medical equipment, we have the most professional staff, but we're stuck. I suggest waiting."

"One last thing. The rumour about pregnancy- how true it is? Could you find anything to confirm my mother's words?" Eros tried to look calm, but deep inside, he was hurting. All this time, away from Eve, without any clue, did she expect their child. The thought itself was killing Eros. He kept finding himself fighting conflicted feelings. Sometimes he hoped it was a lie. If Eve wasn't pregnant, there was no reason for her to leave. If she had been - there was a risk that she did kill their child. No matter how much Eros used to trust Eve and how much he tried to believe in her now. The topic of the child was the worst out of them all.

"I'm sorry we didn't find anything. There is nothing we could look at to deny or confirm the rumors. Alpha, it is best if we let her rest and ask later on. Please, let us take care of her without those tests, they're unneeded, especially in Luna's current state," the nurse kept begging. It wasn't as much about Eve's heath as it was about the nurses' beliefs that they would waste time. If they couldn’t find any answers now- they won't be able to find them tomorrow or next week. She knew that the answers would come after Eve woke up and started talking.

"No, you will keep working and give me answers. Update me every hour, feed my mate through a fucking tube, if needed. When my mate wakes up, nobody gets into the fucking room, if I'm not there. Got it?" Eros stood up in anger. He growled at the nurse and stomped out of the tiny office. Zander sat in his place, a cup of coffee in his hand, and a look of disappointment on his face.

"Don't start with me," Eros growled again, sitting next to his best friend.

"She will be alright; Eve's a fighter." Zander tried to calm his friend down. No matter how much of a brute Eros was in other's eyes, the man was still his best friend. And friends supported their friends, no matter what. Eros sighed, looking down at his palms. Both men chose to sit in silence, waiting for any updates on Eve. Zander knew how busy Eros was, especially since he took over the Alpha title and a couple more packs. The piles of paperwork kept growing, no matter how much time he spent in the office. At one point, he wanted to remind his friend about the responsibilities, but seeing how worried Eros was, he chose to keep quiet. Time passed slower than a snail, nearly dragging both men into despair. The nurses and doctors didn't leave Eve's room. Even after three more hours, the staff didn't pass them even once.

"Someone's from the border patrol just linked me. They need you, open the link dude," Zander suddenly spoke up. He sounded worried as if he already knew what was happening.

"On a scale from zero to ten, how important is it?" Eros replied coldly. His facial expression didn't change; the voice sounded emotionless and empty. There was no other way how a broken man could look.

"Something between ten and a child," Zander replied.

"Huh? A child?"

"Open the link, for fucks' sake!" Zander yelled, throwing the paper cup of his coffee into a trash bin.

"Alpha, we found a child wandering around the borders. Female, around four years old- says she lost her mother," one of the warriors suddenly spoke. The man didn't sound as worried as Zander did, but his voice seemed a little distracted.

"And why am I supposed to be there now? My mate is fucking hospitalized; I'm waiting on answers. Find out where the child came from and who her mother is. Then, if she wants, offer her to stay for a night, if not, find someone to get her back to her territory," even though the topic was a child- Eros couldn't get his mind straight. He had possibly lost his child and seeing one wouldn't do him good. Nobody wants to see their Alpha breaking down and crying.

"Alpha, we need you here. The kid is a smartass and won't give us any answers. We found her near the border, behind the hospital, about five minutes away from the building. She isn't carrying any scent, but she's not a rogue or human either."
After hearing the last words, Eros stood up. It was weird to find a child next to borders, especially at this hour. But the thing which caught his attention was the bit about her having no scent. Eros felt genuinely interested in where the child came from and how she managed to wander into their territory.

"Listen, it seems like they surprisingly have a child situation there. I should go there and check what's happening before anyone decides to act on their own. While I'm away, please don't leave, and mind-link me if anything comes up. Whatever- she's waking up, or the nurses have more results, it doesn't matter. Just keep me updated." Eros grabbed a fistful of his hair and groaned. If he had any say he would send someone else to deal with the situation, but since they're talking about a child. He can't.

"Sure thing, you know me. I'll pop up in your head if anything changes. Make sure to check that child; we don't know who it is. Might be a sick trick of your enemies, don't let your guard down. Once you find out what's wrong and why the little monster is here, let me know." Zander smiled as he reminded his friend about being careful. Eros was a bit of a hothead; someone had to keep him on a leash.

"We have a deal, brother. Keep in touch." They fist-bumped each other just as they did back in the days. Both men laughed at how awkward the action seemed after all those years, and Eros left the hospital.

"I'm on my way, keep the child close," Eros mind-linked his patrol and rushed out of the hospital. As soon as the door closed behind him, he took a deep breath and caught on their scent, following it to find a couple of men standing around a little girl. For a while, he stood aside, observing the child. From afar, she didn't look dangerous or suspicious, but who would know? That is how most of the spies look like; completely innocent. The girl giggled and smiled at his men. One of the guards frowned, obviously being targeted by the little girl's sharp tongue- no wonder he told Eros that she's a smartass. Other men just exchanged looks and grinned at the child's words. He took a couple of steps closer to them, and the girl instantly looked to where Eros was. She was a shifter. If she wasn’t one- she couldn't have heard him getting closer. But there was something off with her since his patrol didn't hear him getting closer. How on Earth did a child have sharper instincts than grown wolf shifters?

"Okay, what do we have here?" Eros spoke up; all attention instantly turned towards him.

"A child says she lost her mother. She has no idea where exactly she is," one of the men spoke up.

"Interesting."

"Hello uncle Alpha," the little girl waved at him, flashing a beautiful wide smile at him.

"Hello there. I heard you're lost. Is that so?" Eros kneeled in front of the girl, trying to seem smaller. He was trying his best to avoid scaring the little girl.

"My mommy said that there is no such thing as getting lost if you have a goal in your mind. So, I'm not lost. I have a goal, to find where my mommy is. The douchebag and fleabags said that you could help me find her uncle Alpha," the girl spoke fast, sounding like a boiling pot of water. Eros smiled at her remark and shook his head.

"What's your name, little goal?" He teased the girl, wiggling his eyebrows. There was something about this child, despite Zander's warnings, Eros took an instant liking in her. The little girl motioned for him to lean closer as her eyes scanned the men around them. Eros did as she asked, and the girl mimicked his actions.

"Mommy says I can't tell my name to strangers, but you seem nice uncle Alpha. The name is Rose, but don't tell mommy if she ever asks you or I'll get into big trouble," she whispered in his ear. Eros laughed, stood up, and offered her a hand.

"Your mommy is a wise woman, then. You got my word; I won't betray you. How about getting some rest in the packhouse and trying to track your mommy tomorrow? I'll help as much as I can, little Rose." Instead of grabbing onto his hand, she threw her hands up in the air.

"My little legs are tired; please carry me there, uncle Alpha," the girl whined, switching her weight from leg to leg. Eros found her actions rather adorable and gladly took her on his hands, dismissing his men.

"You can call me Eros, by the way. It would be a shame if I know your name and you don't know mine, right? Rather unfair if you ask me."

"Eros. That's a nice name. I like it," the girl smiled, leaning closer to his chest. She felt comfortable around the scary-looking stranger. He was warm and strong enough to carry her. Nobody, besides her mother, ever did that.

"I hope you don't mind a quick detour, Rose. Before I show you the packhouse, I need to check on my mate again," his voice came out hoarse and pained, but as soon as he looked down at the little girl, Eros felt a bit better. Her bright smile melted his ice-cold heart.

"Where is she?"

"She's in the hospital."