The Alpha Twins Rejection

Chapter Eight - Ashley's P.O.V

I had tried for hours to sleep. I wanted to escape the pain. My body felt like it was on fire because Callie was utilising all her strength to try and restore me as quickly as she could. "Calm down, Callie, please, you are hurting me more by not letting me rest," I grumbled. "No, you need to heal faster, Ashley. I have a feeling mate is nearby, and we can't be stuck in here. We need to find them," she seethed. Callie's words had me sitting bolt upright in the hospital bed. "What," I exclaimed, ignoring the shooting pain the sudden movement caused. "What are you talking about, Callie"? "Can't you feel the pull, Ashley?" she replied, rolling her eyes at me. "You are being absurd. Now allow me to sleep, Callie. Please." I pleaded with my inner wolf. The thought of our mate had scattered my thoughts, though, a million racing through my mind fighting for attention. "What about Zac," I said in a low-pitched voice. The question made Callie stop what she was doing and sit down on her haunches. "You know I love Zac and Callan, Ashley. But this new feeling building inside of me is intense, and I can't ignore it," she said sadly. I felt terrible as she slunk away, laying down with an audible sniffle. She was feeling the same way I was. I couldn't. No wouldn't hurt Zac.

Callie continued to sulk, so I had thankfully managed to get a few hours of sleep. I couldn't be upset with her, I thought sadly. She had accelerated the healing process for me, which I knew would deplete her own energy. The deep wound in my stomach was presently only a few millimetres deep and was barely weeping. Callie didn't continue to argue with me about finding our mate either, which came as a relief. The thought was too conflicting to concentrate on right now. It had been many years since I cared about finding my mate.

As the sun rose the next morning, I found myself thinking about my father and Zac and how neither would relish the idea that I was already thinking about going back to running perimeter checks with them tomorrow, stitches holding up permitted.

I was equally eager to attend the ball with Zac as we had attended it every year for the last three years together. It had habitually been an extremely tense lead up to each Bloodmoon ball, but once it hit midnight and we were safe in the thought that I still hadn't found my mate, we would spend the rest of the night engulfed in each other's arms, getting lost in the music. This year there was added stress stoking the fire in the pit of my stomach. Zac had turned 18 recently, so I wouldn't be the only one holding their breath. Zac's mate may also be present this year. The thought caused me to wince in pain. Maybe I should skip the ball this year, I thought sadly. I just knew it was going to end in someone being hurt. I prayed to the goddess that it was me. I would rather shoulder the pain than rip Zac's heart out, and I knew the mate bond when he found it would help soothe his apprehension if he was the on to find his mate first.

I decided not to dwell on it since Callie had restored my health a lot faster than usual. I intended to exploit my good luck to my full advantage and not permit anyone to stand in my way. I will return to light duties tomorrow and attend the ball with Zac, I thought, with finality. If it was to be our last one together, I wanted it to be special. I harboured no delusions that either of them would allow me to leave the hospital today but knew neither men could stop me from going home tomorrow morning. They both knew how much I did not particularly appreciate being cooped up, not to mention the sterile smell of hospitals. Just the smell of my room had my body shuddering with revulsion. Besides, there was far too much to do; I couldn't afford to be lying about in my pyjamas all day. No matter how good it felt for a change, I thought with a giggle. There was work to be done. Besides, I was intrigued by the twin Alphas being in our territory.

Several unmated nurses had already been in here early this morning to fill me in on all the gossip, winking conspiratorially at me. By all accounts, they were swoon-worthy. I was dying to meet them to see if what they had declared about them were true or if they were just like men when describing how big the fish was that got away, I thought with an unladylike snort.