From Alpha to Outcast

Chapter 10

---Lyra's POV---

Opening my eyes, I was unfamiliar with the ceiling that slowly came into view. Disoriented and slightly nauseous, I closed my eyes again on a groan, lifting a hand to touch my face.

My body protested against the slight motion and any hopes of falling back asleep fell out of the window. As I slowly pondered how I ended up in the room or why my body felt sore all over, I suddenly remembered the matches.

A pair of strong hands prevented me from fully jolting upright, not that I could have even if I wanted to. The sudden motion made my ribs scream in protest, depriving me of my breath as I fought against the urge to curl up into a tight ball and whimper.

Instead, I gritted my teeth, taking shallow breaths as I fought against the pain before looking up.

Instantly my hackles rose, faced with a complete stranger whom still had his hands on me. Baring my teeth with a low, warning snarl, I tried to shuffle backwards, away from the stranger.

The man instantly let go of me, raising his hands to show he meant no harm before taking a step back. Behind him, both Blake and Ryan were seated on two chairs, eying me with a mixture of relief and worry.

It was then that I realized I was no longer in wolf form, even though I couldn't remember shifting back after the fight. Or make my way to this room. Nor had I any recollection of dressing myself, as I was obviously unable to dress myself while unconscious.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular. "I feel like I'm missing something here."

Ryan cleared his throat, hair disheveled and dark circles underneath his eyes. "You passed out only moments after your last words. The pack doctors have brought you here and discovered one of the broken ribs had punctured your lung." He croaked, keeping his gaze averted though he couldn't remove the guilt from his eyes.

The unknown man smiled reassuringly, reaching back for the tray that held medical equipment. I held my breath as he gently reached out, his fingers cool to the touch as they gingerly pressed on my ribs.

Yup. Definitely broken more than one.

I cringed, hissing through my teeth in pain. "How long was I out?" was all I managed to grit past the searing pain, making the man apologize.

"You were unconscious for about an hour. While your regeneration has kicked in and pushed your rib out of your lungs, you still need to heal your bones." He hummed thoughtfully, pursing his lips at the dark bruising across my side.

He looked up before shaking his head with a sigh. "My apologies, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Mark, Head doctor of the pack." He presented his hand, which I shook thoughtlessly before regretting the sudden motion.

Ryan's eyes snapped up when he heard my painful hiss, giving me a full view of his eyes that were swimming with remorse and guilt.

"Small, gentle movements for now. You're slowly regenerating but flesh wounds are always easier to heal than fractures; especially displaced fractures."

The remorse was clear in Ryan's eyes, who scratched at the back of his head. "I'm..I'm sorry about breaking your ribs. I certainly didn't mean to, I mean, my wolf was taking over and-" He rambled on before I smiled and cut him off.

"Broken bones were among the allowed injuries, Ryan." I stated with a soft smile, slowly shuffling my weight to be more comfortable on the pillows. "Give me an hour or two and I'm back to normal."

He smiled slightly, though I could tell he didn't fully believe me. Keeping his gaze on me, watching every single motion, every shallow breath until I rolled my eyes at him. "Stop worrying yourself to death. I've been through much worse."