AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My muscles tensed again, and I peppered her with questions. “You fell against the wall? How hard? Did you hit your head?”
Tori must have realized how wound up I was when she saw my stiff jaw and wild eyes because she cupped my cheek and said, “I swear I’m okay. It was more of a shock than anything else. The worst I’ll have is some bruising. I’m far more concerned about Zander than anything else right now. I should have listened to Lola. She’s the professional, but I just had to keep pushing him.”
She was feeling responsible for Zander right now. Though I could force her back to the manor with the promise to return here when he woke up, she’d only resent me for it.
“All right,” I conceded. “We’ll stay, but I’m trusting you to tell me if your pain gets worse or if anything changes.” I buried my nose in her neck again, loving how she relaxed into my hold.
Unable to deny my mate anything, we moved into Zander’s room, and I got us situated in the chairs next to Lola. Tori was my world, my everything, and I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe. Even if it meant battling my instincts to take her home.
As Zander slept on, Lola and Tori kept watch at his bedside. Since Elliot Elkins had spent the night at Zander’s bedside, we decided not to call him unless it was absolutely necessary. While I waited, I took advantage of the time to catch up on some work using my phone. It may have appeared insensitive, and it certainly wasn’t that I didn’t care about Zander, but there was only so much anyone could do while he was sleeping.
The doctors had given us a rough timeline for when he’d wake up, but I was surprised when he roused sooner than they’d expected. When he did, we left the room to give the doctors privacy to examine him. As we waited in the hallway, Tori and Lola paced the floor, but we were eventually allowed back in.
“Wh-what’s going on?” Zander stammered, fear flickering in his gaze as his golden eyes darted around the room, bouncing from person to person, confusion etched on his face.
“Zander, do you know where you are?” asked the doctor.
Zander looked around. “I’m still in the hospital.”
“What’s the last thing you remember today, Zander?”
I watched as he scrunched up his face, “Er, I remember my dad visiting, but that was nighttime.” He looked out the window, then back to the doctor. “It’s not nighttime now, though. I don’t understand. What happened? Why can’t I remember?”
He was becoming agitated again, but the doctor quickly reassured him. “Hush now, Zander, that’s what we’re trying to find out. Lie back down, try not to think about it too much. We’ll figure it out. Everything is going to be fine.”
At the older man’s soothing tone, Zander put his head back on the pillows, but his face never lost the worried expression. It was as if his mind had been caught in a blender, and he’d lost a part of himself without even realizing it.
The doctor, having checked all of Zander’s vital signs, looked at me, unsure how to proceed. None of us fucking did. We were in unchartered waters. I pitied the former alpha, even thoughI knew the old Zander would’ve hated to have anybody’s pity. Mine especially.
“You’ve had another episode, Zander,” I told him, trying to keep my voice steady despite the anger warring to come out. It wasn’t his fault, but I was alpha of this pack, and this was yet more evidence of how I’d failed them. The rational part of me was kicked to the curb in favor of my overriding protective instincts.
“Another episode?” Zander looked at Tori and Lola. “Did I hurt you?”
Lola shook her head as Tori answered, “Nothing we can’t handle.” She subtly covered her injured arm with her other hand. She glanced at me, silently pleading for understanding. My wolf bristled at the thought of anyone hurting our mate, but she needed me to set aside my grievances for Zander’s sake.
“Zander, we’re going to find a way to fix this,” I promised yet again, clenching my fists to keep my emotions in check.
Zander closed his eyes again. I signaled to the doctor to meet me outside, then gently took Tori by her uninjured arm and moved her to the corner of the room. My wolf still wanted to grab her and take her home, keep her safe from harm. Instead, I placed a tender kiss on her lips. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back, okay?”
She nodded, and I slipped out of the room.
I didn’t waste any time on pleasantries when the doctor joined me in the corridor. “Tell me about Zander’s condition,” I demanded, my tone brooking no argument. “How dangerous are these episodes for him?”
The doctor hesitated. “It’s difficult to say for certain, alpha, but it seems Zander’s vital organs are struggling during these episodes. His heart is beating irregularly, which can damage the heart muscle itself and lead to heart failure. His heart and brain are struggling to keep up with the intensity of these outbursts.It would be similar to a human epileptic having multiple uncontrollable seizures. It could be fatal if the underlying cause is not addressed.”
Fear clenched my chest like a vice as I considered the implications of this information. “Is this something common among ‘cured’ shifters, or is Zander’s situation unique?”
“Without having observed any other shifter in this condition, I can’t say,” the doctor said, looking uneasy. “We can’t rule out the possibility that other cured shifters are experiencing similar symptoms. We’re still researching and learning about the long-term effects of the cure on Zander, but he’s our only case study, and we have nothing to compare it to.”
A growl rumbled in my chest, frustration and worry mingling together. The situation was dire, and if Zander was a normal occurrence, then the hunters weren’t “curing” shifters. They were still killing us, but making it a slow and painful death.
“Keep me updated,” I ordered the doctor, then turned on my heel and strode back into the room where Tori waited, my resolve at figuring all this out steeling itself with every step.
Tori and Lola were seated, thankfully not too close to the bed. Although my wolf felt slightly more at ease, he remained firmly opposed to Tori being anywhere near the hospital. I couldn’t blame him—I had the same concerns.
As I walked into the room, Tori made to stand, and I shook my head for her to stay seated. All I really wanted to do was take her home and lavish her with care and attention. At the very least, I wished she’d let the doctor check her over, but given how stubborn she could be, I knew she wouldn’t allow that, so I wanted her to at least sit and relax so her body could heal. She must’ve sensed my unease because she stayed seated, but from her jerky movements, I could tell she was still aching.
I was suddenly grateful for shifter healing. By morning, she shouldn’t be in any pain.
