CHAPTER 29

~ DAMIAN ~

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't focus on work. Many things were waiting to be done. Managing pack affairs, dealing with the officials regarding the fake money laundering cases filed by Alex, and mainly dealing with all the mess Alex had created for us.

Despite all this work, my mind kept wandering and returning to Isabelle in the hospital. I was glad that she was awake. It had been more than a month since she had been unconscious. She had to be put in a coma for a couple of weeks after critical brain surgery and getting a cybernetic arm.

My mind constantly replayed the moment when she woke up and asked for water. I'd asked her if she recognised me, and I would never forget how she looked at me- with disdain in her eyes. She said she hated me, which kept me awake at night. It wasn't like Aiden, and I hadn't slept much in the past month. We had been busy looking for specialist doctors and engineers for her cybernetic arm and the swelling in her brain.

I wouldn't be able to rest until she was out of the hospital and living with us, healthy and happy. It was all that mattered to Aiden and me at the moment. The rest of the world could wait.

I sighed heavily, staring at the screen and scrolling through the legal documents. I hadn't visited the hospital for the past few days to see Isabelle. I knew she didn't want me to be there because every time I went to see her, she'd either pretend to be asleep or ignore me altogether. However, she was more responsive to Aiden, which was why he spent most of the time at the hospital with her.

My wolf kept pacing inside me, urging me to see her. He felt the most tortured of all. Seeing our mate hurt was agonising in itself, and on top of that, she didn't want to do anything with me. I didn't know why she hated me so much. I kept thinking about how disappointed she looked when she saw me for the first time. It hurt deeply.

I snapped out of my thoughts when the office door opened, and Aiden walked in. He seemed to be in a much better state than me. He gave me a look of pity, but I ignored it.

"She's awake," He told me, "You should go see her.

It'd encourage her wolf to heal her faster," He urged. My wolf was ready to go, but I wasn't. Every time I went to see her, I felt unwanted and rejected.

If she didn't want to see me, I didn't want to disturb her, no matter how bad my yearning for her got.

"She doesn't want to see me," I told him upfront, and he frowned. "She seems to hate me.”

"Said who?"

"That was the first thing she said when she woke up," I told him. He hadn't been there when she told me she hated me.

"But you should go and see her once. It'll help you, too. You look worse. Your wolf must be aching to get close to her.”

"I don't want to push her when she's weak," I snapped. I knew Aiden meant well, but I didn't want him to feel sorry for me. I'd pursue her when she got better, but not now. She needed to rest.

Seeing me there seemed to distress her even more.

Aiden sighed but didn't say anything.

"She has been here for more than a month, but no one ever came looking for her," Aiden commented. "Doesn't she have anyone?" He wondered out loud. I had been thinking about the same for a while. I had tried to dig out more about her but to no avail.

"Maybe she's an orphan," I muttered.

"Still... she must have some friends?" he pressed, running his fingers through his hair. "Someone who could tell us more about her. She's such a mystery.”

"Didn't she tell you anything?" I asked.

"Not really... she seems shocked, especially about her new arm. It'd take her a long time to process it.”

"I don't blame her," I muttered. I was devastated to have her left arm amputated, but it seemed to have helped her so far. "Did you ask her about the explosion?" I asked.

"Not yet," He shook his head, "I don't want to distress her. She needs to heal first. The good news is that the swelling in her brain has gone down, and her body hasn't rejected the new arm and the chip in her brain. The Doctor says she's healing well but it's still not as fast as it should be. Her wolf is weak," Aiden informed. A thoughtful silence fell between us before he suggested, "I'm thinking of moving her to our house so we can be close to her.

Feeling us around would strengthen her wolf faster.

She needs us as much as we need her.”

I doubted his last statement but didn't say it out loud. She only seemed to need Aiden while she acted as if I were no one. I grunted.

"What does the doctor say?" I asked.

"He said the same. The earlier our wolves bond, the stronger her wolf will get and heal her faster," Aiden replied, looking at me prudently. "The empty room upstairs will be best for her. She'll love it, especially the sunroom.”

I nodded, thinking about it. Even though Isabelle didn't want to be around me, I wanted to be around her. I desperately needed to feel her presence around me and bond with her wolf. Sometimes, I wondered if her wolf loathed me the same way she did. I'd be devastated if that were the case, but for now, I was willing to try for selfish reasons. I needed her achingly.

"I'll set up her room," I declared, getting up. It'd be a good distraction for me, and even if I couldn't see and talk to her, being in the same house would still be more than enough for me.