My Appalachian Alpha

12

Emma POV
Everything hurts. My head is throbbing, my stomach feels like it was cut open, my leg....
Wait. The clinic, Drew, the patients, those monsters, Eli, my dad!?  If my injuries are real, than everything else is as well. I have to wake up. I have to open my eyes. Trying to open my eyes, trying to swallow, trying to move at all, is just too hard. I have to keep trying.
Open your eyes. Open your eyes.
I blink my heavy eyelids open and a bright light makes me immediately squint. I look around as much as I can without turning my head but I don't recognize this hospital. I feel warmth and tingling radiate from my hand and I look over to see Eli asleep in a chair next to me, holding my hand. He's so beautiful that I can't help but smile.
Why is he here holding my hand?
I try to sit up but learn quickly that's a bad idea as pain spears through me. I lift up my blanket and see a large incision on my stomach. I must have been injured worse than I thought in the explosion.
"You're awake?" Eli's sleepy voice pulls my attention back to him. I try to respond but my throat is too dry and no sound comes out.
"It's okay, don't talk yet. Let me get you some water." Eli hands me a glass and I take small sips until my throat feels better. I had it back to him and he sets it down on the table, never letting go of my hand.
I pull my hand out of Eli's so that I can grab the remote to adjust the bed but I shiver at our lack of contact.
My eyes shoot up to Eli's. "I have so many questions."
"I have some answers," Eli says softly with a smile. "I know it's a lot. You've been through so much. I promise to be honest but some of the things you're going to hear may be hard to believe. I'm just so sorry for all of this Emma."
Eli helps me adjust the bed so that I'm sitting more upright. He grabs me a heated blanket and wraps it around me. A sigh slips passed my mouth as I pull the warm blanket around me.
"How long have I been here?"
"Two days."
"Is this your private medical facility?"
"It is. There's no other hospital within an hour of here. I had to get you help."
"No, it's okay, I'm thankful you brought me here."
Eli's face softens and he nods at me. "I was really worried about you."
"You were?" I mean, I know we both feel something but technically we are still strangers who just met. How did he even rescue me?
"Of course, Emma."
"What about my dad?"
"He will be back soon. He had to leave to do something but said he would come right back."
"Message him and tell him to check on Fish, please."
"Fish?" Eli smiles with a raised eye brow.
"My cat," I say with a smile.
"Done," Eli says as he sends a message on my phone.
Relieved my dad and Fish are safe, I focus on my thousands of other questions. Starting with Eli. I move my hand toward his and gently touch his hand with one finger. A spark shoots up my arm.
"Start with that. I need to know what that is." I look at Eli and can see the worry on his face. He struggles to find words and we just sit in silence for a moment.
"Whatever it is, just tell me," I say softly as I grab his hand in mine.
Eli smiles a weary smile and takes a deep breath.
"Do you believe in souls mates?"
"As in two people who are destined to be together. Two people created from one soul? No."
"Okay, well what if I told you that they are real and that is why when we touch we feel the things we do." Eli's expression is serious but calm.
"So you and I are.... soul mates?" I consider myself open minded. And the last six months have showed me things that I previously had believed to be impossible. So I'll play along and see where this goes. After all, there is something between Eli and I. Not even I can deny that. But I also think that some of this could be my sheer desire for there to be something between us too. The thought of me, Emma, having a soul mate is a bit of a stretch even for someone open minded.
"Yes. The sparks, the warmth, the calm....it's because we share a connection."
"Okay. So let's say that's true. How did you rescue me?"
"I could feel, through our connection, that you were in danger."
"How?"
"Well, with a bond like ours, we can feel each other's emotions and physical pain can be shared as well."
"I've never heard of anything like that before."
"You wouldn't. It's a bond that's unique to certain people."
"Certain people?"
The door opens gently and my father steps in. "Unique to werewolves, Emma," my dad says matter of factly.
My joy at seeing my father is quickly suppressed. Did he just say werewolves?
So, logically, I know that I must still be hallucinating and that I must have suffered head trauma. Maybe residue from the blast at the clinic when I hallucinated and saw those monsters as well.
My dad walks up to me and hugs me gently. "I'm glad you're awake kiddo. I was so worried about you. Eli has taken good care of you."
"Where did you go?"
"Emma, I have a story to tell you and I want to apologize up front. This won't be easy to hear but it's not easy for me to share either. But it's time. Before I tell you my story, I need to show you something first."
Now I'm starting to panic. This doesn't feel like a hallucination. My senses feel awake and alert, I feel awake and alert.
"Show me what?"
My father sets down his bag and walks over to me. He sits in the chair next to my bed and holds his palm up toward me. "Ignitus," he says firmly and a ball of fire appears and rolls and flickers within his hand.
I gasp and jump back causing a wave of pain to hit my stomach. I moan as I grab my stomach.
"I can help with that too," my father says. I eye him cautiously as he lowers his hand over my abdomen and recites something I recognize as Latin. A pulsing heat builds under his hand and just as the heat becomes painful, it fades away and so does the pain from my injury.
Shocked, my eyes shoot up to meet his.
"I didn't heal it completely, but I took most of the pain away. I'm a bit rusty."
"I'm having a mental crisis aren't I?" I look back and forth between my dad and Eli, desperately searching for something scientifically sound. For something based in reality. What my dad just did....it's not possible.
"Emma, I know that a lot of this is going to seem impossible. Maybe even crazy. But I want you to listen to what I'm going to tell with an open mind. Listen as if everything I'm saying is real. When I'm finished, I'll answer all of your questions. Will you do that for me?"
"I'll try." I swallow hard and close my eyes tight before opening them back up. I pull my blanket around me closer and brace for what my father is about to share. I have to have an open mind. I can do that. We can't see atoms and yet they are real. Doctors centuries ago had no idea bacteria existed. I'm positive there are things that exist that we still don't know about. I know there are many mysteries still without answers. I can be open minded. I can do this.
"The reason I showed you that first is so you would believe me when I told you that I'm a witch. I am a witch just as your mother was a witch and just as you are also a witch."
I gasp. I would laugh and assume he was joking if I hadn't seen him catch his hand on fire with a simple command and then heal my stomach.
"A witch!?" I whisper. I look between my dad and Eli and both are completely serious.
"Yes Emma. You come from two very prominent witch families dating back hundreds of years. Did you ever wonder why you seemed to heal patients? Your streak is because you unknowingly were using your healing powers. Just like I healed you a minute ago."
"But mom...she died in a car accident. Couldn't she have saved herself? Couldn't you have saved her?"
"Your mother didn't die in a car accident sweetie. That's what the humans believe. She was killed by our coven. Our coven is responsible for the attack on your clinic as well."
"What!?" I'm panicking. My dad would NEVER joke about my mother's death. If he's not joking, then he's telling the truth. Witches!? How is that possible?
"Emma, I'm going to answer all of your questions but you have to let me tell the story."
"I'm sorry, you're right. I'm listening." I drum up any self control I have and focus.
Your mother and I grew up together; our parents were in the same coven. Your mother didn't reciprocate my feeling initially but I eventually won her over," my dad smiles but his eyes are mournful. He loved my mom so much and I can't imagine the loss that her death was for him.
"Anyway, our families were overjoyed when we married. Our union brought two powerful families together. Our coven was happy and growing and things seemed pretty perfect for a long time until Jacob came back. Jacob was the son of one of the covens elders that had been banished for practicing dark magic. He traveled down a path that no witch should ever follow. Jacob became powerful and vengeful and came back to the coven to challenged the high priestess for control over our coven. Normally, the leader of a coven peacefully transfers their power when it's time to step down. However, if challenged and unwilling to step down, the two witches will battle for the position. The one who loses, dies, and their power is forcefully taken. Jacob challenged and our high priestess, but she refused to give in knowing the darkness within him but Jacob won. Over the years several challenged him but all lost. Jacob was leading the coven into darkness and we were forced to follow. The witches in a coven are woven and sealed together; we can channel each other's power. A witches strength is in their coven. The only way to escape is to leave the coven and join another, breaking the ties to the old and reestablishing them to the new coven. Our coven broke apart and many escaped and joined other covens across the country. In his wrath, Jacob bound the lives of the remaining coven members with his own. If he dies, they all will die. If they leave the coven, they will also die as they must maintain their life ties to Jacob. There was no way out.
A year later, a powerful seer within our coven, saw a vision of you, Emma. Her prophesy said that you were to be powerful beyond measure. That you could right the path. Your mother found out a week later that she was pregnant. The prophesy was already coming true. Jacob had become obsessed with seeking immortality and leading an immortal coven. He believed you were the key to him gaining eternal life. That your power was what was needed.
Your mother and I decided to leave; we could risk letting Jacob have you. Being so bound to the coven and to Jacob, we couldn't just leave though. He would find us easily as our magic acts like a beacon. And we couldn't join another coven without dying. So we did the only thing we could do. We cast a strong cloaking spell over us and then we cast out our magic and sealed it away, never to be used again. We moved to Boston and started new lives. Without our magic to hone in on, Jacob couldn't find us and we lived a normal human life and those were the absolute best years. Raising you and seeing you grow into a beautiful young woman was the best gift we could have ever been given.
But as you grew, your magic began to manifest even without us teaching you. It was growing to the point that something had to be done or Jacob would find you. Your mother unsealed her magic and accessed it once more, this time cloaking you and your magic. The spell she had to use was powerful and Jacob sensed it. He came for her and knowing he would kill her, your mother challenged him. Your mother lost and I had no choice but to leave Boston and relocate again, hoping you would follow. Your mother made me promise her that I would keep you safe. And we've been hiding here ever since."
Tears run down my face and my breathing is shallow and fast. I feel like my heart is reliving my mother's death all over again but it's even worse this time. This time, it's my fault. My mother died protecting me.
I swallow and stutter as I finally speak. "But you just used....magic."
"I did. That's where I just came back from. I went to get my magic back. I have no doubt that the Ogre attack on the clinic was Jacobs doing. Keeping you in the dark wasn't the answer, I see that now, but I hope you know we did it solely to protect you. But now that Jacob knows you are alive, he will stop at nothing. And I'll need magic to do what needs to be done."
"Wait, did you say an ogre attack?"
"Yes, Emma. What you saw at the clinic was real. Those were Ogres."
"So...Tom...he's not crazy. That really was an ogre bite?"
"Yes." Eli said softly. He reaches over and grabs my hand. I feel the sparks and warmth and pull my hand away.
"No. Don't touch me," I say coldly. I turn back to my father.
"How could you keep this from me? You've left me defenseless against a crazed murderer. You let mom die. I don't care about my magic. Jacob can have it!" I scream. "What happened to my patients at the clinic? What happened to Drew?"
My father and Eli look at each other and their faces drop.
"Answer me!!" I command.
"I'm so sorry Emma. You were the only survivor," Eli says. His eyes are dark and I can feel his guilt and grief.
"And you! Are you a witch as well?" My voice cuts with anger. Fury rolls just underneath my skin and I need someone, anyone to blame.
"No. I'm a werewolf as is everyone that you met at the festival."
"Werewolves? Seriously? And that soulmate bullshit that you tried to feed me? What about that?"
"Emma, calm down," my father says.
"Calm down!? Calm down! How dare you!"
"Emma please," Eli says as he gently tries to take my hand again. I rip my hand away.
"Werewolves have destined mates that they recognize immediately when found. You and Eli are mates," my father tries to explain.
"Mates?" My voice remaining emotionless. "I don't care that you think I'm your mate. Or whatever you are trying to convince me of. I want nothing to do with any of this. Nothing."
I turn to face my father. "And you, father," I say as harshly as possible. "How dare you. Send a message to Jacob and let him know I'm happy to give him whatever magic I have. I don't want it."
"Emma, it's not that easy. He wouldn't be taking your power from you, he's be taking you. He'd use you to do unspeakable things. To kill countless people and to bend the rules of magic. He would use you and warp you into something you are not. You are good, Emma, you save people."
"Then I'll cast my magic out like you and mom did. You can show me how." Reeling, my brain is seeking any possible option to walk away from this world that has ogres and witches and werewolves and evil and death. I want to go home and forget this ever happened.
"If that's what you want, then yes. But now that Jacob knows you're alive, he will never stop hunting us. We will be running for the rest of our lives."
"What else would you have me do?" I ask, defeated. A fresh wave of tears fall down my already tear stained face. My eyes burn and my heart is broken.
"I want to teach you to use your magic. I want to train you to be the witch you were prophesied to be. You can beat Jacob, Emma. You're stronger than he is. I've always known that to be true."
"You want me to challenge him like Mom did? And let's say I could win, which by the way I have major doubts of doing since I know nothing of magic. But then what? Then I'm the leader of a coven? Can't you see I don't want to be part of this? I don't want any of this. I want to go home."
"I'm so sorry Emma. It's not fair. It's not fair to be thrown into this. I know you didn't ask for this but you were chosen before you were even born. Magic may seem like a curse but it can also be a beautiful gift. Think of the lives you've saved already without even knowing how to use it. Imagine the good you can do if you know how to harness it fully."
"The lives I can save? Like Mom? Like Drew? Like all of the patient at the clinic? They all died for me. Because of me. It seems to me that magic brings death," I sneer. I force myself to sit upright and muffle a groan as I do so. I look at the IV in my arm and pull off the tape and pull it out. I push myself to the edge of the bed and drop my legs over the side to prepare to stand. I'm getting the hell out of here.
"Emma, please stop," Eli's voice is gentle and warm.
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm leaving for Boston. I don't want this. I don't want any of this," I say looking directly at Eli. The pain in his eyes makes me regret my words but they are still true. I didn't ask for this.
Blood begins pouring down my arm from the IV site and I wad up my gown and press it against it to apply pressure. Finally at the edge of the bed, I step off. A searing pain rips through me, my legs buckle, and dizziness wracks over me. I mentally brace to hit the tile floor but..... I never do. Instead, strong warm arms wrap around me and lift me up. Eli sits on the end of my bed and brings me into his lap and pulls me close. I want to protest, to run out of here, run back to Boston, but I can't. My body has betrayed me not just because of my injuries, but also because of the pull I have toward Eli. In his arms, I feel safe and calm and loved. I take a deep breath and breathe him in as I turn my face into his chest. I exhale and try to steady myself.
"This is just....a lot," I whimper.
"I know, baby. But I'm here. I'll always be here. You won't go through any of this alone."
"How can you say that when you don't even know me?" I turn my face to look up into Eli's eyes. There is nothing but truth and adoration there.
Eli gently brushed his thumb over my cheek. "We are mates, Emma. Two halves who found each other. I've waited a long time to find you."
"So werewolves don't get a say in who their mate is? It's forced upon you?"
"It's gifted to us. Our bond is a gift. You are a gift," Eli says so lovingly but I just can't process this right now.
"I'm not a werewolf."
"You don't have to be. I know you feel the bond already and it will only grow."
"I need to get out of this room. I need to be away from you, from both of you. I can't think in here."
"Okay. Let me talk to the doctor and see what I can do." Eli gently lays me on the bed and then stops at the door and turns to look at me before nodding and heading out.
"I understand your anger toward me, but Emma, he hasn't done anything wrong. He saved you."
"So you expect me to just embrace being his mate? I don't even understand what a mate is. I don't know anything about this because you lied to me my entire life."
"That's enough. You know why we lied. I know it's a lot to take in and I understand that it's overwhelming and that you didn't choose this. But neither did we. I didn't choose for Jacob to take over the coven. I didn't choose to have your mother die. I didn't choose to have you be the chosen one that Jacob wants. I didn't want this either but this is what we've been given. If I could choose, your mother would be alive and we'd have raised you to know what you were. We'd be back home with our coven and your grandparents. Life would look so different, Emma. But here we are. And you can decide what you do now. Your mother's sacrifice ensured you could live this far without being dragged into this mess. And as far as Eli is concerned, mates are not something to be brushed away. They are for life, Emma. You can't break the bond without killing him and possibly yourself. He will help protect you, the entire pack will."
"I'm sorry. I understand you've lost so much trying to protect me. You lost your family, your home, your wife. And you did everything you did to keep me safe. I can see that, rationally, I understand it. But dad, everything I've ever known is a lie. And now I find out that I have to be something that a day ago, I didn't even know existed, to help people I don't know, to defeat a man I don't know, to right a wrong I wasn't a part of, and, AND, I basically have an arranged marriage to a stranger who also happens to be a werewolf. A WEREWOLF. And I lost my mother who died at the hands of an evil witch who also wants me as a battery and I just lost my best friend who was apparently killed by ogres who were actually after me. To say that it's a lot to take in is a largest understatement possible and I also have very little free will moving forward. Live on the run for the rest of my life IF I survive leaving Eli or train to fight an insanely powerful witch in a battle I might now survive.......Wait..," I ramble, completely overwhelmed, but then suddenly stop.
"What?" Dad asks concerned.
"You said the coven was connected to Jacob. If I kill him, I kill the entire coven including you."
"Even under the worst circumstances possible, you're the smartest person I've ever known. I think you're already starting to process and plan, aren't you?"
"Dad," I warn.
"Yes, Emma. But, magic always has a loop hole. And we will find it."
The door opens and Eli walks in with a doctor following behind him.
"I understand you want to leave. I can arrange a discharge if you're willing to be on bed rest until you are more healed," the doctor says as he looks over my chart.
"Yes, please," I sigh. I need my bed and I need to check on Fish.
"Alright, we will make arrangements to get you moved upstairs."
"Upstairs? I can't stay here. I need to get home," I plead.
"I'm sorry, Luna, you're too weak to leave the pack house," the doctor says.
"My name is Emma, and I'm not too weak. I need to go. I have to check on Fish!" I look over toward my dad and beg him with my eyes to agree with me.
"Emma, it's too dangerous. You're injured and even if you weren't, you can't protect yourself from witches and ogres. We have to stay here. When I went to check on Fish, I dropped him off at Mabel's house next door and told her you were in the hospital. You know Fish will be fine over there," Dad explains.
He's right. Even if I hated to admit it, I am powerless against things like witches and ogres and other monsters I don't even know about. And let's face it, Fish loves to hang out at Mabel's cabin even more than he loves being home thanks to a special cat named Sushi that lives there. Fish is quite smitten with Sushi. Mabel has watched Fish several times when I've been stuck at work and I know he will be just fine. Still, I don't like the idea of being stuck here. Until I'm healed though, I don't really have a choice.
"What if me staying here puts you and your family in danger?" I ask Eli. "I don't want anyone else dying for me." A flash back plays in my mind and I relive the attack at the clinic. I couldn't save Drew or my patients.
"You're safe here. The pack is well protected and we have patrols running constantly. Nothing will get through our borders," Eli says confidently.
"But those things that attacked the clinic...they were—"
"They are all dead, Emma. Ogres we can handle. As for witches, we are going to reach out to a nearby coven for aid. We've been allies in the past and I know they will honor our alliance. I won't let anything hurt you," Eli's voice is so warm and so caring. I can't wrap my head around it.
"Okay," I say. Fatigue is settling in deep and I need rest. As much as I want to be out and about, I know my body needs time to heal.
The doctor smiles and then lowers his head when he looks at Elijah. He leaves the room and I let my head fall back against my pillow.
"Dad, I need to call Drew's parents. They may not have heard yet and they deserve to hear the news from a friend."
"It's already been done. I spoke with them yesterday. They are flying in to finalize her funeral arrangements," my dad says and I can hear the anguish in his voice. "You always take care of everyone else, just rest and let us take care of you right now."
How could this all be real? The weight of it all feels so staggering. Having had enough life for one day, I allow myself to drift into the darkness of sleep, grateful for the repose.