Betrothed

Chapter 16: After Our First

Brayden

Willow finally shifted into her beautiful wolf form. Her wolf was such a dark gray with hints of silver hiding in her fur. The most beautiful wolf I have ever seen. I was talking to Milo about Willow's condition as I watched her weak wolf form grow stronger by the minute. When Willow was not aligned mind and body it caused her whole system to not function properly and not heal because of it. Now that she is in her wolf form just as her mind thought it was, she can finally heal and make progress towards recovery.

She rested her head on me and it was the best feeling in the world. I loved having her awake and near me again. I was glad to see her coming to her senses. "Willow seems to be making progress, but we will still need to keep an eye on her for observation to make sure she doesn't go downhill. Brayden, it has been a long day and I know you want to stay with Willow, but I have to inform her parents of her state. They might not want you to be with her just in case something happens." Dr. Milo had told me in his professional tone with a sad smile on his face. "I understand, Milo. You are just doing your job. I will say my goodbyes and get out of here before I get yelled at." I told him in understanding.

I looked down at Willow, still resting her head on my chest. This wasn't going to be easy, but I had to make it happen. I have to respect her parents' wishes. I know why they don't want me in her hospital room. It's the same reason why I am being so respectful to them. I don't trust myself to screw something else up. What if another rouge comes and I can't shift again?

I kept pondering all the scenarios and in each one Willow is better off without me by her side. I can protect her best by staying outside the hospital. I looked down at her one last time, scared to move her in this state when she opened her eyes and lifted her head up off of my chest. She then looked at me with her weak eyes for a few seconds pondering her next move. I wish I knew what was going through her head. I knew if I shifted now, I wouldn't want to stop talking to her and she needs her rest, so I avoided shifting as a possibility to say goodbye. Willow was still holding her head up looking at me until she gave me a big lick across my face with her huge wolf tongue.

For a first kiss, that sure will be memorable. I had a ton of slobber all over my face. I guess she knew that I had to leave. I grabbed her face and held it tight against my chest, just enough strength for me to let her know I love her without hurting her. "Willow, your parents don't like me being here with you. They blame me for the incident happening and I blame myself too. I have to respect their wishes. I hope you understand that I have to respect that because if I don't, I could lose you for good. All it would take is one side breaking the agreement." I released her and she looked up at me with puppy dog eyes and nodded in understanding. "Thank you for understanding! I will be outside the hospital protecting you from a distance. I don't know how I would be able to live with myself if I freeze again and you get hurt." I told her with a sad face. She rubbed her face against me and then licked me across the face again. "I will see you later, Willow. Get some rest!" I hurried and walked away from the gurney before she could lure me into staying and left the room, she was in. I shut the door quietly and tried my best not to break as I walked out of the hospital and into the woods.

Willow

Brayden had to leave the hospital. My parents blamed him for what happened even though it was no one's fault and there was no one to blame. No one could explain why the rogue was there at Brayden's house. There wasn't any evidence leading to any plots against either of us. It just happened and unfortunately Brayden had a delay in shifting because he was frozen in shock. I took action and it got me back.

I just laid there on the gurney looking around the hospital room while I watched Brayden leave. I could not believe that I really was in a coma. I didn't ever think I would go through that experience. "Willow, I am still here. I just need to let you know about your state before your parents arrive." The doctor had said to me from the other side of the room. I focused my attention on him instead of the doorway Brayden had just walked out of. "You were in a coma for a couple days. You were bitten in the shoulder by a rogue wolf that was immune to wolfs bane. This rouge wolf ingested wolfsbane and when it bit you it seeped into your bloodstream causing you to get poisoned. Between you being poisoned and your mind and body not being in sync you went into a coma. During the coma you didn't heal at all and only proceeded to get worse." I can't even deal with the emotions going through my body right now. I was on my deathbed, and I didn't even know it.