Chapter 7

Izan

“Bella...”

“Go to your grandfather before it's too late!” my housekeeper exclaimed effusively. “He's the only one who can help you. Bleeding near your mate is not normal. Go!”

That I knew all too well.

However, at that moment the curse scars were the least of my concern.

The problem was that Bella, as short as she was plump, had a character fit for a king. Ignoring her was a disproportionate mistake, but I didn't want to leave my mate alone.

“I'll be here with her; I'll protect her like no one else,” Bella said softly. “Find your grandfather and tell him the situation. You know where you'll find him.”

I kissed my mate's hand and listened to her she-wolf howl, as if she was against my leaving.

“I'm coming back,” I whispered before giving my mate a kiss on the forehead.

I walked out of her room with a very tight tension in my body.

In that instant I could elucidate what the rest of my life would be like.

I could never be so far away from my mate.

That conclusion threw me off balance; my chest became heavy, and it was hard to breathe.

Outside were my friends, and Gabrielle, as tall as she was, immediately stood up when she saw me disoriented and noticed that my sweater was completely stained with blood.

“You need to go to your grandfather,” my Beta said seriously.

I nodded.

I went into an emergency cubicle for her to clean up the blood, while Marco went to get another sweater and Ralf returned to the training center.

I need to see you urgently, Grandfather, I said seriously over the mental link.

Is something wrong?

His question almost made me laugh with irony.

The only way for him to get out of his lab was if some kind of cataclysm had occurred; however, I kept my composure as I answered.

Something like this. Are you in the sanctuary?

Yes, come over here. I'm busy with some concoctions we need to send east.

That was the answer you got from the only wolf on the planet who was blessed by the Goddess to be able to use some natural magic. That gift had led him to be one of the greatest healers in the north.

His mission had consumed him completely after the war.

That's why I sighed deeply.

My grandfather was the only one who had discovered a temporary remedy for my curse, but right now, I felt that what was happening to me would not have the same solution.

“Is everything all right?” asked Gabrielle.

“Yes,” I said wearily.

“Something's bothering you,” Marco said before handing me the sweater I had gone to get.

“Nothing's bothering me; I just need to—”

“To go back to your mate, we know,” Gabrielle said and looked at Marco lovingly. “The tension of the bond is demanding, and in the condition she's in, you need to be close.”

“But you can't do it with the curse activated,” Marco said seriously. “Do you want me to take you to the sanctuary?”

I nodded and walked away with my Gamma in silence.

Marco didn't say anything else; he knew when to keep quiet even though he was the most reckless person of all. I appreciated that, and when we reached the sanctuary, he gave me a serious look.

“If you need anything, let me know,” Marco said, and I nodded.

The dark-haired man sped off once I got out of the car and entered the sanctuary.

The healers at the entrance greeted me effusively, and my grandfather finally emerged from his lab. When he saw me, he smiled, making his wrinkles stand out that much more.

“Are you okay?” my grandfather asked, and I shook my head.

“I need to talk to you in private,” I said.

“Let's go to the meeting room,” my grandfather said, and I followed him.

Once we were alone, he looked at me with concern, so I lifted up my sweater, and he immediately saw me with a horrified expression.

“What happened? What triggered the curse?” my grandfather asked fearfully.

“I found my mate in the warm forest,” I said with difficulty, and my grandfather's eyes widened in surprise. “She was dirty, dehydrated, and fearful. She tried to run away from me, but she hurt her head and is in the hospital right now due to swelling.”

“In the goddess' name!” said my grandfather. “I have a concoction ready that I prepare for you every week, so right now we must put it on you.”

“Bella sent me with you,” I admitted seriously.

“She was right to send you here; right now, your scars need to be treated,” my grandfather said seriously before looking at me with a smile on his face. “I'm happy that you finally found the woman who is meant for you, but you can't be of any help if the curse is active.”

I knew that all too well.

With the curse, no one who was bonded to me would have a good future.

I knew that better than anyone; I had been tortured for days in the middle of the war before the enemies left those marks of horror on me.

“I didn't just come here for me,” I said immediately. “I need you to check my mate. You're the only one able to see things that the pack doctors don't see, and I'd like you to...”

“You don't have to ask for anything,” my grandfather said calmly. “I'll leave other healers in charge of the concoctions and go with you. First, I must put the concoction on your wounds; I must slow down how fast the scars open and bleed.”

My grandfather took me to his examination room, made me lie down, and took the concoction he was preparing out of the refrigerator. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my mate, on his perfect, delicate face.

Think about it, Izan, said my wolf, Sirhan.

My grandfather opened the jar, and the smell of rosemary flooded my nostrils.

“Did someone disinfect your wounds?” my grandfather asked.

“Gabrielle did it before she came with you,” I said honestly.

“Smart girl," said my grandfather before placing a gauze pad doused with the concoction.

I clenched my jaw as the concoction landed on my bleeding wounds and kept from screaming loudly. I had learned to handle the burning and pain the concoction caused in my scars; however, that didn't make everything any easier.

The curse hurt more than I liked to admit.

“Hold on just a little longer,” my grandfather said before dousing my chest with the concoction. “We'll let the concoction work for a couple of hours before you take a shower. Then I'll put some healing patches on you.”

That's what we did, and after four interminable hours, my grandfather had me go to the sanctuary dining room with him.

“I want to go to the hospital,” I told my grandfather immediately.

“Eat first,” he said calmly.

“Grandpa—”

“Eat with me!” my grandfather said sternly, and for a moment I felt like a child. “Your mate is protected by Bella. Have a little patience and let the concoction work.”

“But it's that—”

“Eating a good meal is going to help calm your nerves,” my grandfather said before taking two trays to serve himself. “I know how you feel. I knew your grandmother in similar conditions, so I know you need to be calm, both you and your beast.”

Grandfather is right, Sirhan said with annoyance.

We ate leisurely, and I heard all about the concoctions they had ordered from the east and west. He was fascinated with the extent of the sanctuary of a southern pack; apparently, it was an innovation. I just listened in silence until we finally left for the hospital.

“Do you have any idea how your mate got through the magic barrier?” my grandfather asked curiously, and I denied it. “Only people with outstanding skills are able to circumvent that barrier. Are you aware of that?”

“I know, but her she-wolf doesn't feel like someone that powerful,” I admitted, and my grandfather was surprised.

“You talked to her she-wolf even though you two aren't bonded?” My grandfather asked in disbelief.

“I did not speak to her she-wolf; I cannot. However, you can hear her in my mind,” I said sincerely.

“Sacrum vinculum (sacred bond),” my grandfather whispered.

“What is that?” I asked in surprise.

“It is a bond of unparalleled mates going back to the earliest writings,” my grandfather said with surprise. “Such bonds are common, but it is said that when such a bond appears, it signifies a great change.”

I froze and stopped my walk.

“You've got to be kidding,” I said with surprise.

“No. I'm repeating what I know, and that's saying a lot, considering I'm one of the longest-lived werewolves on the planet,” my grandfather said seriously. “Now I'm even more curious to meet your mate.”

We walked with haste and arrived at the hospital.

When we entered the room, Bella raised her eyebrows at the sight of my grandfather and then smiled.

“You're alive, Jhosep,” Bella said sarcastically, and I immediately checked my mate. “There's been no change. She has remained that way.”

I took my mate's hand and kissed it gently.

Her she-wolf howled again with delight, and then my grandfather gasped.

“Did you hear that, Bella?” my grandfather asked, and she nodded with a smile.

“I think she's going to be fine,” Bella said. “Are you going to check on her?”

“Yes,” my grandfather said, and I pulled away a little.

He approached the bed, raised his palm to channel magic, and did a quick check of my mate's body. What I didn't expect, however, was for her to open her eyes.

My heart beat in a rush as she looked at my grandfather in horror.

She sat up abruptly and tried to lean back on the bed until she turned her head and saw me. The expression on her face was one of utter surprise before she flared her nostrils and sniffed loudly.

“Mate,” she whispered in confusion.

At that moment I felt her tug on the bond on our chests, and I could tell she was making sure the bond existed.

I realized that not only was fear and confusion consuming her but also disbelief.

She doesn't think we're hers, Sirhan said earnestly.

I sensed something was wrong, but I never thought about how terrible it was.