"I'm f-fine... am fine," Ethan croaked, squinting at the pen-sized torch the frowning doctor flashed at his pupils.
"Be still," Zyga hissed at his troublesome charge, batting his interfering hands out of the physician's way.
The old wolf had lost all color, looking as pale as Ana, the terrified poor girl weeping silently in the nurse's arms. Ethan was glad to see her showing some emotion now, but her hoarse, wracking sobs tore at his heart.
She had suffered so much.
Her sunken brown eyes reached out to his, gratitude and relief swimming generously in them. Ethan returned an encouraging smile.
The doctor placed two fingers under his collar where his pulse beat the hardest and a hand on his clammy forehead. "How do you feel, Alpha? Dizzy? Lightheaded? Get a stretcher! He needs to lie down."
"No. Upstairs," Ethan croaked, shuffling away from him. Jan's angry cries echoed above. He needed to return before his mate brought down the building on their heads.
Brent tightened his hold around Ethan's waist as his legs shook. "What the hell was that, though?"
His friend led him away from the ward toward the elevator banks. They passed under a vent, blowing lukewarm air, and he shivered. "Not sure
"Dunno... s-snakes coming to get me."
"What snakes?" the doctor queried, pulling the flashlight out of his pocket again as if ready to re-evaluate the alpha in case he had missed something. He held Ethan's other arm while Zyga draped the coat of his uniform across his shoulders.
"You d-didn't hear them... over the -huff- over the pack link?"
Brent's eyebrows were on a fast ascent into his hairline. "Narh, bruh. All I heard was a loud, thundering whoosh. Then, fire exploded in my head. Damn near scorched my brains out."
"How did you do that, Ethan?" Eri queried, rushing ahead to punch the up button.
"Dunno... learned it from Jan."
"Speaking of that vampire, he's going to kill me this time. Why don't you ever listen, son?" Zyga grumbled, urging them toward the elevator.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time the late winter sun bid its farewell for the day, the young alpha sat in his hospital room with a scowl on his face like a naughty schoolboy sent to bed early. After drilling him for hours about the new skill he had acquired from his mate, his friends and the new cabinet melted away, leaving him to deal with the vampire's wrath alone.
Brent had literally tossed him into the room and skedaddled before Ethan could say, "Stop."
Disloyal jerk! Wait till I get hold of him, he fumed.
The grumbling wolf heard them talking down the hallway, and he itched to join. He should be among them, planning and prepping for the trip to Memphis. They had less than an hour to depart.
He scooted closer to the edge of the bed, straining to hear the discussion.
"Don't even dare!" a lilting tenor growled.
"I wasn't going anywhere, I swear," Ethan defended, furtively shuffling back to his mate's side.
A rushed series of footsteps echoed in the hallway, ending with a knock at his door.
"Alpha?" Calvin called, though the entrance stood wide open.
"Come in, Chief," Ethan responded, perking up at the chance to get updates on what was happening beyond his four walls.
YOU ARE READING
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...
