Because of Them

Chapter 5

It took nearly a whole day before the girl woke up. Christian was the first to notice the movement. She was struggling to free herself from the needles and wires.

"Hey, hey," he whispered, placing his hand gently on top of the one that was pulling roughly at the IV. "Don't pull. You're going to hurt yourself. If you want it out, I'll call the nurse."

She whimpered. Her breathing was all over the place and he could practically feel the fear radiating off of her. She was working herself up to an extreme panic attack.

Lex entered her room, momentarily distracting her from her panic. He set down the three cups of coffee he had brought, rushing to his seat next to her bed.

"Take a nice deep breath for me," Christian said.

The girl exaggeratedly inhaled, and then exhaled until she found a calmer rhythm.

"Good job," he praised softly. "I'm Christian."

"I'm Lex," Lex answered. "What's your name?"

She struggled to speak, and Christian reached for the cup of water that was on her bedside tray. He held the straw steady to her lips and she drank eagerly.

---

She licked her lips as she pulled away, enjoying the brief moisture on her cracked lips.

"Winnie," she answered, glancing at the blonde man. She was confused. Her head pounded and she squinted against the bright light. Where was she?

"You're at the hospital," Christian said, like he could read her mind. His voice was gentle and soothing and covered her like a blanket.

A hospital? She struggled to grasp the last bits of memory she had. She had escaped, and ran for days before she found a house.

Her wolf stirred which caught her attention. Her wolf had been dormant for a long time.

Mate.

Mate? Which one was her mate? Just as she escaped, she was forced to be under the control of someone else. It was just her luck that she would knock on her mate's door.

Another man entered the room and she froze. He was huge, and scary. She shrunk down, and he noticed. His frown tightened, and he sat next to the blonde man - Lex.

Yet, depsite being afraid of him, she had never felt so whole before. She had never felt so safe, so warm. She was completely and utterly confused.

She pulled the blanket higher.

"Why are you here?" Winnie asked, addressing all of them.

"You're our mate," Christian said. His voice was gentle and soft, and she met his gaze.

"All of you?" she squeaked.

"Yes," the scary man rumbled. He had a nice voice. She calmed a bit.

"Oh."

One of the doctors came in, followed by the nurse that had been tending to her.

These people did not feel safe. It didn't feel like it was just moments before. She reached for Christian instinctively. His hand was still on her bed, and she squeezed it tight, giving a pitiful whimper.

"It's okay," he soothed. "They've been helping you get better."

"I don't want to be here," she whispered to him, fat tear drops landing on her cheeks. She began pulling at the wires again.

"Easy," he said, gently prying her hands away once more. He glanced at Wilder who got the message, ushering the doctor and nurses out. "You're okay, Winnie. We wouldn't let anything happen to you."

She took a shuddering breath. Lex dried her tears gently. He was heart broken for her.

"Let me talk to the doctor and see what he had to say," Christian said, pulling his hand away. This place was causing her stress that may be unnecessary if there was nothing else they could do.

"I'll come with," Lex mumbled. He felt helpless.

Wilder took the seat closest to the girl's bed. Winnie. That's what Christian had called her.

"I'm Wilder," he told her, trying to keep his voice soft and gentle like Christian's. "You're Winnie?"

She nodded. Her eyes were blown wide, but she seemed to have settled again.

"What a pretty name," he said, stumbling through the compliment. He hoped this wasn't nearly as awkward for her as it was for him.

He was pleased to see her relax, a pretty little blush covering her cheeks.

"Do I scare you?" he asked curiously.

"At first," she admitted. He loved her voice, dainty and sweet.

"At first?" Wilder repeated. "But not now?"

She shook her head. Winnie felt just as comfortable with him as she did with Christian and Lex.

"Good." He settled into his seat, relaxing. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," she whispered.

He glanced at the window behind him. He pulled the curtains a bit tighter so not as much light came through.

"What else?" he asked.

"I can feel myself healing," she admitted. Her wolf never had the strength to heal her, but for some reason, maybe the fact that she was getting nutrients from the IV or maybe because she had her mates, she was healing faster than she typically would.

"Guess who gets to go home," Lex cheered as he entered the room again.

Wilder glanced at Christian for confirmation.

"Because her wolf is quickening the process and her scans are okay, he felt confident enough to clear her, especially since she is highly stressed here," he told Wilder softly from behind his chair.