Chapter 6

Izan

“Who is she?” asked Ralf with concern.

It was then that I realized that Ada had brought him with her.

I didn't answer because I didn't even know what to say. I had no idea who this woman was or how she had made it all the way to the warm forest. It was a mystery how she was able to break through the magical barrier.

I shook my head and swallowed hard.

“Ada, please take us to the hospital,” I begged the gnome, and she nodded.

Hurry!

Sirhan's urgency was making me more nervous.

“Help your Alpha hold his mate well,” Ada said to Ralf, and he looked at me in surprise.

He knew very well what the appearance of my mate meant, what that represented to me in every way. It was difficult not only to take in but also to process.

At that moment I was aware that the curse scars on my chest began to burn.

That was not a good sign.

“We don't have time for you to be impressed, you silly wolf,” Ada said, and Ralf immediately walked over to me. “I'm going to get a stretcher and a neck brace to hold your neck tight. Give me a second.”

Ada disappeared again, and I couldn't help but worry about the amount of blood coming out of my mate's head. She was so small and delicate, despite those layers of gunk, that I feared she would bleed out. Sirhan was much more desperate than I was, and it was getting to me.

It didn't take Ralf long to notice my desperation.

“You need to calm down and soothe your beast,” Ralf said. Sirhan growled in annoyance, and I just looked at my friend in fear. “She's going to be fine.”

“How do you know?” I asked in desperation.

“The Goddess, in all her benevolence, put her in your path. That's why I know she's going to be okay, so trust that. If I've learned anything, it's that fate is never wrong, even though it can become very cruel,” Ralf said earnestly.

Ada appeared along with Gabrielle and Marco.

She was wearing gloves and holding a first aid kit, while he was holding a first aid stretcher. 

They both looked at my mate with shock.

They must have thought exactly the same as Ralf and I did, and I didn't blame them.

“Where did this woman come from?” asked Marco in surprise.

“We'll ask her that when she's awake,” Gabrielle said, and she sprang into action immediately. “Don't move her anymore; let's get her fit for transfer.”

I sighed with some relief as Gabrielle took over.

She was almost a doctor before she became Beta of the pack.

Her father, Leo, was the pack doctor, and so she wanted to follow in his footsteps, but in the midst of the war disaster, Gabrielle realized how valuable she was to the pack in her position as Beta.

That was something I was always grateful for.

Gabrielle checked my mate's wound carefully, then applied pressure with sterile gauze and sealed the wound. When she made sure there were no more bleeding wounds, she stabilized my mate on the gurney and finally immobilized her neck with a collar.

“We're ready, Ada,” Gabrielle said respectfully.

Ada nodded quickly and, with the snap of her fingers, moved us to the emergency entrance of the hospital.

I felt like throwing up from the sensation of transportation.

“See you later, Alpha Savior,” Ada said before tilting her head and disappearing into thin air.

“That gnome scares me,” Marco said, and Gabrielle smiled.

We rushed my mate to the hospital, and Gabrielle, aware of medical terms I was unfamiliar with, told the nurses what was going on and immediately called her father. The man showed up quickly, and upon seeing my mate's condition, he moved so quickly that I didn't have time to take in what was happening.

I wasn't even aware that I was so nervous that everyone in the hospital could see me.

“You can't come in, Alpha,” a nurse Omega said, and I saw her surprised at her indication. “You have to wait out here; it's a restricted area.”

I nodded reluctantly, and suddenly Gabrielle brought me some clothes to put on. I was so oblivious to the situation that I hadn't realized I was naked in front of everyone.

“Your marks are red,” my best friend whispered.

I immediately went to get dressed in an emergency cubicle and noticed that the scars from the curse were very red and starting to burn. I cursed between my teeth before telling Gabrielle to help me.

She applied an ointment that didn't have much effect, but it helped control my nerves.

We waited in the waiting room for what seemed like hours to me but was actually minutes. That's how I heard the report from the young wolf I had pulled out of the pit.

“The boy is going to be fine,” the doctor told the parents. “Your son will have to take some strong medicines for bone regeneration, and because of that, he should suppress his shift until we see that the bone is completely healthy. He must remember that his wolf is not stable yet, so he must take control classes. Thanks to the goddess, we were able to prevent infection.”

“Thank you for everything, doctor,” said the parents, and the group of friends applauded in relief.

“Thank you for finding us and saving our friend, Alpha,” said one of the guys, and I nodded.

“You guys don't have to say thank you; what you have to do is think carefully about the consequences of your actions in the future. I think they've learned their lesson, though,” I said, and they nodded.

After that, it was hours before Gabrielle's father came out.

“How is the woman, Father?” asked Gabrielle, and Leo sighed.

“It was difficult to check the woman because of the dirt she had on her; however, we ruled out further injuries. The only blow she has is to the head, so we put her to sleep so that the swelling of the brain subsides. Tomorrow we will have a general evaluation of her condition after observing how she evolves,” the doctor said, and my heart started pounding. “She had a severe case of dehydration, and her feet were covered with injuries from spending a lot of time running or walking.”

That surprised me.

“Is she in intensive care?” I asked fearfully, and the doctor denied it.

“No, she is in a room we set up for her comfort. You can go see her anytime, Alpha,” the doctor said, and I nodded.

“Was there any identification with her?” asked Gabrielle, and the doctor denied it.

“No, however, the nurses found a hefty amount of cash inside her clothes,” the doctor said with a frown. “They will give you her belongings once the woman wakes up.”

“Money, wounds on her feet... That doesn't sound good,” Marco said, and Gabrielle smacked him upside the head. “Auch! Why are you hitting me?”

“For foolishness,” Gabrielle said.

The truth was that Marco had touched on a very important point.

However, I could think of nothing but recovering my mate.

I had no other desire than to see his blue eyes again.

“You should go with her,” Ralf said. “I know that being near your mate helps to strengthen your health.”

Ralf is right; let's go to her right away, said Sirhan.

A nurse took us all to the room, and I was shocked to see my mate's face.

Even though she was unconscious and there were dark circles under her eyes, her beauty was out of this world.

“We cleaned her up as much as we could,” the nurse said calmly. “Just the same, when she wakes up, it's best to shower again.”

“Thank you,” Gabrielle said.

I reached for my mate to detail her better.

She had an oval face, a pointed nose that looked like a woodland fairy's little nose, and her light brown hair, despite still bearing traces of dirt, was pretty.

My heart began to beat very fast, and the scars on my chest opened up.

I began to bleed, and the blood ran through my clothes.

“What's wrong with you?” asked Marco with concern.

“Does the curse react to her?” asked Gabrielle immediately, and I swallowed hard.

“I don't know,” I said hesitantly. “I'm not so sure.”

“Take her hand,” Ralf said. “No matter what the curse says, take your mate's hand. It will make you feel better.”

Marco looked at Ralf like it was a bad idea, but Gabrielle nodded.

I reached over to my mate and took his hand, which was so small I was afraid to touch it because I thought it might break.

No matter what, she is the most important thing now, Sirhan said earnestly.

I gently squeezed my mate's hand and felt her warmth.

At that moment, a relief I had not felt before flooded my body, and so, in that moment of calm, I could feel the she-wolf in my mate.

The beast was wary, growling in a surly manner until it stopped and began to howl.

I smiled.

“What was that?” asked Marco. “Why are you smiling, Izan?”

“Stop asking silly questions,” Gabrielle said to Marco. “We'd better leave Izan alone with his mate.”

Gabrielle, Marco, and Ralf left the room, and I sat down next to my mate.

I realized that for the first time since before the war, I felt peace.

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and then Bella came in.

She eyed me with concern and then looked at my mate curiously.

“She's beautiful,” Bella said. “The Goddess never disappoints.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked Bella.

“I came to see what had happened with the silly guys, and Marco has told me the situation, and—” Bella immediately shut up until she saw my bloodstained sweater. “How did the curse activate again?”

The concern in Bella made me react defensively.

“That doesn't matter now,” I said defensively, and Sirhan growled.

“You must go talk to your grandfather at once. Don't waste any time!"

Bella's command sent chills down my spine.