Rejected

LIAM

I look down at the she-wolf’s limp body. Her eyes are closed and her breathing shallow. I turn to my beta, Kyle.

“She’s got three large gashes across the chest. I can see bone. I don’t know how much of this blood is hers and how much is from the rogue. She beat the shit out of him and the one on the street.”

His brow raises in surprise. “She took on not one, but two rogues on her own? What is she, super wolf?”

“I need to get her to the hospital. Can you stay with the pups until help arrives?”

“You got it. Go take care of our hero.”

I pick her up and hold her tightly as I rush down the stairs and out the door. I sprint to the hospital, trying my best to not jostle her around too much.

When I reach the entrance, I burst through, bypassing the woman at the desk and take Nadia straight to a patient room. Several nurses follow me in, wasting no time tending to her.

My heart drops when they unwrap her and her wounds become completely visible. The fluorescent lighting makes them look even worse than they had at the apartment building.

As they begin cleaning them, she lets out a pained whimper, and my feet move of their own volition to the head of the bed. I lean forward and brush some loose strands of hair out of her face. I can feel waves of fear flowing off her, so I take her hand tightly in mine and pull it to my chest.

“Hey, you’re going to be okay. You were so damn brave. I know it hurts. Just hold on.”

Her eyes open just enough for me to see a hint of their beautiful, deep-blue color.

“The children?” she asks in a breathless whisper.

“They’re fine, thanks to you. Rose and Edmund will be okay too. I can’t say the same about the two rogues you beat the shit out of.”

Her lip pulls up ever so slightly, and I can’t express how much that small gesture fills me with relief. Her eyes squeeze tightly shut again as a small whimper of pain slips past her lips.

“Alpha, we need to clear the room so we can get this stitched up,” a nurse says behind me.

My wolf growls in response. “I’m not leaving her.”

I don’t understand why my wolf is being so protective of this she-wolf, but I’m certainly not going to fight him on it since I don’t want to leave her either.

I step away so they can work, pulling on a set of scrubs one of the nurses brought me. The whole time they’re stitching her wounds closed, I’m staring at her and wondering who this woman is that would risk her life for a pack she doesn’t know.

The nurses finish and cover Nadia with a sheet.

“Alpha, we need to clean her up before we bandage her.”

I look at the nurse, holding a wet cloth in one hand and a bowl of warm water in the other.

“I’ll do it.”

I take the items from her, ignoring the look of shock she gives me, and begin gently wiping away blood from Nadia’s beautiful pale skin. The doctor walks in, glancing over her chart as he comes to stand by the bed.

“Another rogue attack?” he asks, looking over her neatly stitched wounds.

I nod, setting aside the bowl and cloth.

“They went after Rose and Edmund. They were trying to take the children. She saved them.”

“Brave girl.” The doctor’s brow furrows. “These really should be healing, but they aren’t. Does she have any medical history we should know about?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. It’s her first day here. She’s Sandy Velross’s niece.”

“Call her. Something isn’t right.”

The machine at the head of the bed starts beeping furiously. Nurses rush in and I’m pushed away from the bed as they crowd around her, shouting instructions and bringing in more equipment.

I open a mind-link to Sandy.

“Nadia is in the hospital, and the doctor needs you here immediately. ~Something is wrong.”~

I feel Sandy’s panic come through the link. She bursts through the door a few minutes later, stopping short as her eyes take in her niece.

The sight of Nadia hooked up to so many machines, wires, and tubes is more than a little unnerving. Even my wolf is losing it more and more with each passing second.

“Ms. Velross, forgive my forfeiture of pleasantries, but does Nadia have any conditions we should be aware of?” The doctor’s voice is tense.

“What do you mean? She’s extremely healthy! What happened?” Her voice cracks and her eyes are brimming with tears while she watches the faint rise and fall of Nadia’s chest.

“She was attacked by rogues while saving some pups. Her wolf should be able to heal her, but…the wound…it’s not improving. We were forced to cauterize the injury to stanch the bleeding. Her condition is deteriorating quickly.”

“Let me call her mother.”

I can hear Sandy rustling through her purse, but my eyes are locked on Nadia, silently willing her condition to improve. She puts the call on speakerphone so the doctor can ask any questions.

“Sandy? It’s late. Is everything all right?”

“No, it’s Nadia. She’s at the pack hospital. She was attacked by rogues. The wounds aren’t healing, Kayla. She…she’s slipping away.”

“Is the moon out?”

“Yes, but—”

“Take her outside! Go now!”

Sandy drops the phone and rushes to Nadia’s side, unhooking the monitors and wires.

“What on earth are you doing?!” the doctor shouts as he tries to stop her.

“Her mother said she needs to be taken outside, so I’m taking her there!”

She continues to pull at the wires, but the doctor pulls her away, fighting to subdue her.

“She’s dying, Sandy! You need to stop!”

My eyes lock with Sandy’s, begging me to listen to the words of Nadia’s mother. I don’t know why, but my wolf insists that we do just that.

While Sandy has the doctor distracted, I finish detaching the last of the wires, lift Nadia into my arms, and rush out of the building. I hear shouting and stampeding footsteps behind me, but I don’t stop.

As soon as I push through the doors and into the night, Nadia’s skin begins to glow. My instincts tell me that I need to keep going, so I rush across the quiet street, down an alley, and finally reach the tree line. I step just beyond it and kneel.

I gently lay her on the ground and stare as the light becomes nearly blinding, the brightest rays emanating from her wounds. The doctor and Sandy catch up, both halting in their tracks when they see Nadia.

After several minutes, the glow fades until it’s nothing more than a dim light. Nadia’s breaths are steadier, and her wounds are completely healed.

“How is this possible?” the doctor huffs out, still trying to catch his breath.

We stare at her still form, confused but eternally grateful for her improved state.

“I’m not sure, but it seems her mother knows something that she neglected to share. I should call her and let her know that Nadia’s going to be okay,” Sandy says with a sigh of relief.

She makes her call while her eyes stay locked on Nadia, watching for any changes in her condition.

My ears remain tuned to the steady thrumming of Nadia’s heart. The doctor kneels on the other side of her and grabs her gown, sliding it over to assess the now nonexistent injuries.

A low growl vibrates in my throat, a warning from my wolf. He feels protective over this little she-wolf, and I have to wonder if it’s because of her weakened state or if he feels responsible for protecting her after what she sacrificed for our pack.

“Calm down, Alpha. I’m simply checking the girl’s injuries.”

His tone only adds to my wolf’s irritation, and I struggle to keep him at bay.

“Dia’s mother is on her way. She should be here in about eight hours. Six if she drives the way I think she will,” Sandy states in a soft voice as she returns.

The doctor reaches to pick Nadia up and is met with another, more menacing, growl from my wolf.

“If this is where she needs to be to heal, then this is where she will remain. I already linked Kyle to bring blankets for us.”

The doctor opens his mouth as if to argue, but quickly closes it. He gives a stiff nod then walks away.

“I will stay with her, Alpha,” Sandy offers.

“It’s okay, really. I don’t mind. Link me when her mother arrives.”

Sandy hesitates, but I know she will not dare argue with me. She kneels, kisses Nadia gently on the forehead, and then stands and walks away.

Ten minutes pass before I hear Kyle approaching with the requested items, quickly setting them beside me as he takes in the strange sight on the forest floor.

“How is she?” His apprehension does not go unnoticed.

“Better, now.” I glance up to see the confusion and concern in his eyes as he stares at her.

“Um… Why out here instead of in the hospital?”

“I really don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “Hopefully her mother can shine some light on this curious development, but for now, this is where she needs to be.”

I know he must think me crazy, but he grunts and wisely walks away.

I swing one of the blankets over her. I fold another to make a pillow, and gently lift her head to slide it under. I take the last blanket and bunch it up on the ground beside her, laying my head upon it.

I stare up at the crescent moon preparing to drop below the trees as it makes way for the morning sun, wondering about the woman beside me.