Blooded Mate

Chapter 117 - Rekindled

Ethan walked through a thick pine tree forest, following the harmonious tune whispering promises in his ear. The melody had no words, but surprisingly, he understood it quite well.

"Wait for me, Jan. I'm coming," he responded, picking up his feet.

Just overhead, Luna smiled lovingly down on him. Her soft rays lit up a path for him. Though he was naked and barefoot, no twig or thorn scraped his skin. It almost felt like he was walking on a soft carpet.

Then he emerged from the treeline, staring down the steep slope to the beach below.

Without hesitating, he lowered himself from the woody edge and tumbled down the sandy slide until he reached the bottom.

"Ethan."

A faint voice called behind, but he did not want to listen. Jan was in front of him. The shimmering waters said so. Its gentle waves urged him on.

"Ethan!"

No! No! No!

"Ethan!"

"No!" He jerked awake crying. He had been so close to seeing his mate - seconds away from holding him once more. Now Jan was gone. Ethan opened his mouth to howl his pain and choked on the first puff of air.

He bent over, drawing heavy breaths in between deep, wracking coughs. His chest! He needed air. He was suffocating. Tears filled his eyes as he fought to fill his lungs.

Deft hands flipped him onto his side and started thumping his back. "Easy, big guy."

"Breath, hon." His mother's hazy face came into view. She grabbed his jaws and yanked it open. "Breath!"

Like a newborn suddenly learning to use his lungs, Ethan drew a long, shaky gasp through his mouth. Again, he gulped in huge lungfuls, forcing his chest to pump up like a balloon until his brain stopped screaming for air and his heart slowed from its frantic gallop.

Worry lines cut deep groves on Eri's face, and Brent glistened with sweat as they peered down at him. His mom tried to blink away her tears while Shadow barked frantically at the edge of the bed.

"Quick, wrap the blanket around him!" His mother ordered. Brent yanked the white duvet over him while Eri lifted him.

Heavy bare feet smacked the hardwood floors. Cody charged into Ethan's bedroom, huffing without a shirt. "Is he awake? Dr. Kim is on the way. She said to use the adrenaline shot if he doesn't respond."

"He's up," Brent responded somberly.

Ethan's mother laid two fingers on his neck, reading his pulse. Then she heaved a sigh of relief and dropped her head into her hands, weeping.

"Wha-what happened?" Ethan stammered, blinking the tears and sleep out of his eyes. He tried to reach out to her, but he was shivering so badly that he could not get his limbs to coordinate.

"Easy, big guy." Brent put his trembling arm back in the duvet and tightened it around his neck. "You were late to the meeting with Namreeta, so Eri came to get you. Then he heard Shadow barking from the hallway-"

"You weren't breathing, Ethan!" His mom interjected. "I told you to stay away from the lake. Fight the pull. It almost killed you. Had Eri waited just one more minute..."

His mom threw her hands around him, sobbing quietly into his neck. Eri and Brent stared at him with similar worried expressions. A wet snout nuzzled his feet, and his gaze traveled to the white wolf whining beside him. Her brothers joined her on the bed, adding their voices to her cries.

"I'm okay now."

"No, you're not fine, hon. It's getting worse. Let Dr. Kim-"

"Mom," Ethan whispered against her messy hair. The pins and trinkets she had worn to last night's ball still held up her blond tresses. "She can't help. You know it. There's nothing anyone can do about bond madness except to give me drugs to ease the pain. I promise to fight it for as long as possible, okay?"