Shout out to @Kayla_Bee23 who reads the words faster than I can type and voted on every chapter. I really appreciate it.
Cody followed Mrs. Bane and Dr. Kim down, still clutching his errand bowl. Everyone turned to stare as they came down the stairs. Barefoot, he padded over to the breakfast bar to sit by Damien.
Mrs. Bane put on a pot of coffee. But the water had not begun boiling when they started asking questions.
"He will be fine." Dr. Kim reassured them, joining them at the dining table. "He has no life-threatening injuries. The majority of his wounds were on his arms and legs. But he has lost a lot of blood. Even before you brought him to the ER, Roman."
Cody had been at the hospital with Damien and their moms, waiting after visiting Major Bane when Zyga came in carrying his brother.
Cody had watched Ethan suffer a lot during his pre-moon flushes. Still, his brother had always been strong, so he had never worried before. However, seeing Ethan unconscious with all those cuts and gashes had been frightening.
"I have given him some blood. Once he's stable, I'll see if he needs more stitches." Dr. Kim continued.
"Stable? But hasn't had his first transformation." Jeb looked at Zyga, who nodded.
"I meant stable, medically not Lycan-control. His injuries triggered a violent episode of pre-moon symptoms. The body is literally tearing apart, preparing for the transformation. His flesh can't hold the stitches together. With the convulsions and tissue breakdown, any invasive treatment causes more harm than good. The full moon starts tonight. We have to wait until tomorrow, after his symptoms subside, before deciding the next course of action."
Cody did not understand a lot of what she said, but it did not sound good. Damien's fingers touched the back of his hand, and he grabbed it, holding on tight.
"Will he transform tonight?" Rook was pacing next to the dining table.
"When will he wake up?" Jeb asked at the same time.
"I can't tell," Dr. Kim answered, shaking her head. "Medically, there hasn't been any conclusive evidence to suggest which night a werewolf would transform after the first pre-moon flush. On average, we know it happens around the age of fourteen. Ethan is over that ripe age, and his symptoms are extreme, but from what Naomi tells me, his previous episodes were just as bad. The only difference is that his injuries and loss of blood last night put him in a critical condition."
Damien's mom placed a coffee and toast before her, and the doctor took a sip.
"But his pre-moon started a night earlier..."
"Yes, Rook. It's rare but not unheard of. I would worry about that only if his symptoms last beyond tonight. I expect him to fully wake tomorrow. His body needs the rest."
"Why do I still smell the scent of that bloodsucker on him? We've literally washed him." Old Zyga's voice was the quietest, but the others shifted in their seats. They all seemed to be looking down.
Dr. Kim stirred her cup, saying for a while.
"Roman, you know I'm human. I don't have your ability to distinguish scents at such a detailed level, and I can't tell if the scent is coming from him or it's on him. I'll need to run some tests at the hospital to figure-."
"The hospital? The reason they threw us out of there was because of that smell!"
"I understand. It was driving the other patients crazy, but that's the only place we can get answers. Snow Pines has the best facilities in America for treating lupine-related illnesses."
Cody admired Dr. Kim. Staring straight into his eyes, she seemed the least scared of him. She still spoke as calmly as when they had been in the hospital after the fight with Ben Ryden.
"He's not sick," Naomi Reyn declared. Cody had not heard her come down the stairs. "My son is not sick!"
His mom's eyes were reddened and wide. The clothes she wore to the hospital yesterday, stained and wet, and her hair was a bird's nest. She looked like she had gone crazy, but no one contradicted her.
"He's not sick." Dr. Kim agreed. "But something happened to him, and we need to find out why. There are a lot of unknowns here, but the most common reason for such a rapid change in pheromones in males is mating. And werewolves are known to take on the scent of their mates-"
"Are you suggesting Ethan is bonding with one of those savages?" Old Zyga's voice dropped even lower.
Rook stopped pacing. "Luna will never allow that to happen!"
Cody was afraid Zyga would jump at the doctor. She was nice, even if she was wrong. Everyone knew wolves only mated with other wolves or with humans.
"I'm not confirming anything yet, Roman." Dr. Kim bit on a piece of toast, ignoring the slightly yellowed glares around her. "I'm listing the known reasons for such cases. From there, we can work out the causes, biological responses, etc. This helps us limit what to test for, so we don't waste time."
His adopted father did not respond though his eyes remained on her.
"What about Ryden's boy?" Jeb changed the topic, and Rook went back to pacing. "Ryden cannot protect him this time. One of the boys he almost killed is the son of the Gray Oaks' Beta. They'll demand answers."
"Ryden will not allow the beta to challenge his son. He knows his boy will be killed." Zyga's tone was flat. Cody had heard the tracker angry before; he would shout and yell at Ethan and him all the time. But he had never been so scared of Zyga like today.
He wanted to hide behind his mother, but he was afraid to draw his attention by moving. So he stayed put, right beside Damien.
"But then he'll lose honor if he refuses the challenge. Our entire pack will be disgraced," Jeb said.
He was usually calm and would answer Cody's questions with a smile. But tonight, he did not wear his glasses, and there was nothing friendly about him. His amber wolf eyes glittered in a cold, angular face.
A deadly warrior looking for blood. Cody shivered.
"Ryden never had honor," Zyga answered. "He had none ten years ago when he challenged a six-year-old for the Alpha title. Neither does he have any now. He rules through fear. So unless anyone can challenge Ryden himself and win, we can forget about punishing that brat of his."
"So what do we do now? We can't let this go like the last time, Zyga. He almost killed my son-"
"I know, Naomi," Cody's adopted father interjected, and his mom swallowed the rest of her words. "I'm sorry. I'm not saying we should let it go. All I'm saying is, we need to think through this first. There's no use running up to Ryden if no one can get him to yield. We'll only end up dead, along with Ethan and Cody. We need a plan. I know the Beta from Gray Oaks. I'll give him a call. In the meantime, Dr. Kim, I want you to find whatever is causing that stench in Ethan and fix him. Else, Ryden's son will be the least of our problems."
A/N
Hi lovelies, thanks for reading.If you loved it don't forget to vote, comment and add to your library.
Uh oh, someone is in trouble. Am I even allowed to feel sorry for Ben Ryden?
I would love to here your feedback on the story in general and this chapter in particular.
What did you like?
And what didn't you like?
What did you think about the characters: Jan and Ethan?
Next chapter is already being edited. I will post it in a couple of days.
Ciao!
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Blooded Mate
Fantasy[[MATURE CONTENT]] Pack, family, mate. Loyalty, respect, honor. These are the words that form the foundation of the wolf society. At six years old, Ethan had to choose between his Alpha title and his survival on the night of his father's death. As a...
