Chapter 22

We moved through the corridors quickly, keeping a steady pace. When we rounded the final corner toward the main entrance, Monica stepped beside us.

"I'll be following in my vehicle," she said quickly. "Toney will have surgery ready by the time you arrive. I've already sent him Raymond's lab work, ultrasound findings, and vital signs electronically."

I gave a short nod. "Thank you."

She offered a small smile, though her eyes still held a quiet anger. "You don't have to thank me." Her eyes drifted to Raymond. "I'm doing exactly what I'd hope someone would do for me… or for anyone I cared about. Plus…” Her voice trailed off briefly. “...when he came into the room, and I saw the marks on his body, I damn near lost control. Draegan, I have been working in this field for a long time. I have seen countless injuries, have seen people lying on the table full of bruises, scars; things that have kept me up at night." 

She took a deep breath, her shoulders slumped by a fraction before continuing. “This… this level of abuse… no, this level of torture, it is not something that I have seen outside of war. This young man has been carrying a heavy weight on his thin shoulders. I don’t know how he was able to make it this far, but I can tell you with full confidence that he has more strength and perseverance than any warrior I’ve seen.”

I let her words sink in as I looked back toward Raymond. What Monica said is true. My brothers and I have been to war. We've seen the battlefield, seen what happens to people fighting for their lives and trying to  protect their territory and the people beside them. It’s brutal. Some come home covered in wounds that take months, sometimes years, to heal. Others come home carrying psychological scars that never really heal. And some never make it home at all. 

I stared down at Raymond lying there on the stretcher, unconscious, as we rushed to get him to our pack hospital. He had just arrived from his home pack. The place that was supposed to be safe for him. The place where he should be able to feel protected. He is the fucking pack leader’s son for goddess’s sake. 

Instead, he came to our pack in this state. 

The heavy wooden doors flung open, and cool night air rushed inside. The ambulance sat waiting beneath the front awning, its red and blue emergency lights flashing across the stone walls. The rear doors were already open as Marco guided the stretcher toward the hydraulic lift while Hailey climbed inside to prepare the equipment.

"Watch the lines," Hailey called from inside.

"I've got them," Draven answered automatically, gathering the IV tubing and oxygen line, making sure nothing snagged as the stretcher locked onto the lift.

With a mechanical hum, it rose into the back of the ambulance, and Marco secured it onto the floor with a loud metallic click.

"Locked."

He immediately began connecting Raymond to the ambulance's cardiac monitor while Hailey switched the oxygen tubing over to the onboard supply. Draven climbed in after them.

The moment he settled onto the bench beside the stretcher, he reached for Raymond's hand, wrapping his hand around his carefully.

Outside, Colt and I stood near the ambulance doors. Both of us stared inside. 

Draven lifted his head towards us before speaking. “Before you leave for the hospital, I need the two of you to do something.”

“What is it?” Colt asked.

“I have already linked my secretary, Beta Atticus Obray, requesting him to contact Chase and William. He will be scheduling a meeting for us with all of our high-ranking personnel in the upcoming couple of days. Meeting is mandatory,” he began to say. “I want Raymond’s room at the barracks cleared out.”

I raised my brow, surprised by the sudden request. “You mean his belongings?”

“Everything,” Draven glanced back at Raymond before continuing. “His clothes. His duffle bag. Any paperwork. Anything with his name on it.”

He folded his arms across his chest, leaning back slightly. “When he’s discharged…” His eyes settled on Raymond’s pale figure unconscious on the stretcher. “...he wasn’t going back to the barracks. He’s moving into the pack house.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I admitted with relief.

Colt nodded in agreement. “He shouldn’t be around the others while he’s recovering, plus…” his voice trailed off before continuing. “...considering how we’re obviously interested in him, keeping him close by seems like the natural choice.”

“Exactly.” Draven’s answer came without hesitation. “He needs to be somewhere we can keep an eye on him, where he will be safe while recovering.”

The barracks were fine for healthy trainees, but Raymond wasn’t in great condition. He was riddled with injuries that came from who knows where. Someone had spent years breaking him down piece by piece, and leaving him around people who show hostility towards him, wasn’t an option. The poor man needed peace and time to heal, both physically and mentally. 

“He will be staying in the room across the hall from ours,” Draven continued. “That way we can make sure he is taken care of.”

I let out a slow breath. “I’ll have everything moved before he gets back.”

“Good,” he continued. “ I also want to have protection details on him, twenty-four-seven. It might take a bit for him to get used to, but while members of his pack are still on our territory, and given his weakened state, I don’t want to risk any accidents happening.” His eyes narrowed slightly.

Colt let out a slight scuff. “From the looks of things…” he paused for a moment. “The trainees from his pack will be sent home before the end of the week.” A playful smirk drew on the corner of his mouth. Colt lifted his arms and shrugged his shoulders. “Those arrogant bastards are going to get themselves thrown out. Chase had linked up with me throughout the day after I left, grumbling about how they kept starting arguments and getting into fights with a member of their pack and a few of the other outside pack trainees. I give it a day or two before they’re standing in your office to be sent home.”

That actually made me feel better. If I can get the others from his pack out of here, with the exception of his one friend, it will make it easier to protect Raymond and make him feel more comfortable staying here. I’m hoping we can convince him to stay here forever, especially since my brothers and I want to court him.

Marco cut in with a small clearing of his throat. “We need to get moving, Alpha.”

“Alright,” Draven answered while giving a short nod.

As Marco reached out to close the doors, I stepped closer. “I’ll have his room packed within an hour.”

“Good. Atticus and night patrol are on stand-by if anything comes up. I will be waiting for you at the hospital after you finish up,” Draven said.

The ambulance doors closed with a solid thunk, sealing me and Colt outside. Moments later, the engine roared as they pulled away from the pack house. I looked over to Colt and gave him a reassuring smile before we started making our way to the barracks.