Ayden pov
I don't get it, if I'm supposed to be the pack slave, then why am I still trapped in this room chained to a bed? Did the Alpha change his mind? Am I being punished? I can barely focus my thoughts, my body is on fire and my blood feels like lava rushing through my veins. I can hear my whimpers echoing around the room, but I'm too weak to move anymore. The worse part of this is I want the Alpha to come back and touch me again. I'm even prepared to beg just to get a little relief, but I haven't seen him since that day. I close my eyes remembering his hand on me, touching and teasing my body, giving me an excitement I've never felt before. Is this how all of those women felt when he touched them . . . kissed them? Is that why he left me alone, they gave him what he wanted with no strings? But I'm his mate, I could never be satisfied with just a part of him. A soft creaking of the door brought my jumbled thoughts to a stop and I froze waiting for whatever punishment was coming.
"Ayden, it's alright, I'm here to help you."
My eyes widened at the sound of Dr Douglas's voice, but I didn't respond. He seemed to understand, because instead of waiting for an answer, he immediately came closer, putting down his doctor's bag and placing a hand on my forehead.
"Ayden, do you trust me?"
I forced myself to look at him and give him a barely noticeable nod.
"Thank you. Now I'm going to tell you everything that's happening to you and everything that I'm going to do, try to remain as calm as you can for me, understand?"
Closing my eyes as another wave of intense heat rolled across my body, I gave another slight nod.
"First, as you already know, your body is going through its first heat, but because you haven't been fed or given water, the hunger and dehydration are forcing your body to focus on survival instead of cooling itself down."
I looked up at him and he answered my unspoken question.
"It has been three weeks since you've been fed or given water . . . I'm surprised you kept fighting long enough for me to help you. Don't worry, I won't let this happen again Ayden, I promise."
A slight smile crossed my face and Dr Douglas grinned back in response. My smile fell away when he pulled out a familiar bottle of medicine and a needle. Seeing my expression, he nodded in understanding.
"It'll be a little easier on your body this time Ayden."
I let out a weak sigh, but didn't reply, anything was better than the agonizing torture I was now suffering. Dr Douglas gently grabbed my arm, turning it until he found a vein and carefully stuck the needle in, slowly pushing the plunger. The sudden rush of cold hit my body and I shivered, trying vainly to retain heat. Dr Douglas touched my forehead, watching my eyes for something before nodding to himself.
"Okay, I want you to try to say something so I can know if I
need to treat your throat."
I closed my eyes and swallowed as I thought of what to say.
"W-What's in that m-medicine? W-Why is it so cold?"
"It's mostly liquefied roots and plants like clover and aloe . . . it also has a small amount of wolfsbane in it to trigger your natural healing abilities and pure mint, that's the reason it's so cold."
"Isn't . . . Isn't wolfsbane poisonous?"
"Only if it's swallowed or if it coats a silver bullet or knife and we happened to get shot or stabbed. A small amount is fine."
I let out a sigh of relief when the cold became more tolerable, blushing when my stomach let out a loud growl. Dr Douglas smiled at me and pulled an iv filled with a clear liquid that I hadn't noticed before closer to the bed.
"This will help you build up the nutrients you body has lost, I'm afraid you won't be able to eat for a few more days."
I pouted, but nodded my head and he lifted my arm, finding my vein again.
"This might hurt a little more than usual because of how weak you are, but just bear with it."
Turning away as he started to gently push the IV's needle into my vein, I bit back a cry. After a few minutes, the pain faded away, leaving my arm feeling numb.
"Why are you helping me . . . I mean aren't you going to get into trouble?"
"You are our Alpha's true mate, it is my duty to watch over you. Besides I made a promise to our former Alpha before he died."
"What was it?"
"I promised that I would take care of this pack for him if anything ever happened to him."
He must have see the confusion on my face, because a sad smile crossed his lips and he nodded in understanding.
"I know the most of the pack saw the Alpha as a cold hearted monster, but he truly believed that everything he did was best for the pack. He never intended for his actions to hurt anyone, but sometimes things don't work out like you plan."
"Is this about the Luna?"
"It is. The truth is she wasn't his true mate, but they were in love with each other and later when his true mate actually came, he refused her and married the one he loved . . . but there was a price. The moon goddess punished the two of them by driving the Luna crazy and causing her to kill their first born child."
"I thought that Derrick was their only child."
"The Luna isn't Derrick's mother, Ayden."
"I don't___________________."
"The Luna, after the death of her child, blamed the Alpha and turned rogue . . . she was the one that led the attack on our pack. The Alpha couldn't raise a hand against the one he still loved and lost his life because of it."
"If the Luna turned rogue, who is Derrick's mother?"
"Well, after the Luna turned rogue, the Alpha courted his true mate and managed to convince her to forgive him and she soon conceived and bore him a son. However Derrick is the only one of the two that survived . . . someone poisoned the new Luna and she died in childbirth."
"Does . . . Does he know any of this?"
"No. To spare him the pain, the Alpha hid the truth from him. His only told him one thing and then he went to war and never return."
"What did he tell him?"
"I'm afraid that's for him to tell. I only wanted you to understand why he does the things he does."
I nodded in understanding, my eyes feeling heavy.
"How were you able to forgive him?"
"What?"
I could feel his confused gaze on me and let a sad smile cross my lips.
"The woman the Alpha loved, she was your mate, right? How were you able to forgive him for stealing her from you?"
Letting out an amused chuckle, the doctor shook his head before growing serious again.
"Because the welfare of this pack is more important than my personal feelings. Now try to sleep and I'll be back to check on you later."
Yawning wearily, I let myself drift off, thinking about our conversion and almost missed Dr Douglas's final pain filled words.
"And sometimes when you love someone you have to be willing to let them go."
