Moon Bound

Chapter 4-Not a Lick of Scents

It wasn't the emptiness of death. In the dark, I sensed things —fleeting moments of awareness.

Cold.

The teeth chattering miserable kind of cold—painful cold. Proof that I was alive.

The whine of a wolf as it pawed at me.

Warmth.

Soft, warm fur covering me and easing the cold from my bones.

Light.

Bright, warm light trying to break through the darkness.

Weightlessness.

Strong arms wrapped tightly around me as I swayed through the trees, my cheek resting against warm, hard skin. An earthy masculine scent filling my nose, soothing me.

Maybe it was all just a dream...

 "Ow...," I pressed my hand to my throbbing head.

I could feel a bandage wrapped tightly around my temples. Realization began to break through the haze I'd been caught in. He hadn't killed me or left me for dead. He had stayed with me; I hadn't dreamed that, my soul knew it was the truth. He had been there at the edge of my subconscious the whole time, but as I came fully awake, the emptiness deep inside me told me he wasn't here now.

Had he abandoned me after all?

The mate bond burned over my heart, demanding I seek him out. Wincing against the assault of the bright lights that were piercing my eyelids, I tried with effort to sit up.

"Dr. Grey! Please don't, let me help you!" Gentle hands were there, quickly helping me up and propping another pillow behind my back.

"The lights... please, can you turn them down?" My throat was dry and painful, like I had swallowed a thousand shards of glass.

"Of course."

The lights went down, and slowly, I managed to open my eyes. Blinking, I cleared my blurry vision...

I was in my lab.

A pretty girl I didn't know was watching me with concern. "You had us worried," she said, handing me a cup with a few ice chips. "It's frozen elderberry and honey water."

I smiled weakly in thanks. Putting the cup to my lips, I rolled the ice around in my mouth before swallowing. The taste was sweet, and the relief was almost instant as the melted water slid down my raw throat.

"Better?"

I nodded. "How—how did I get here?" I managed to croak out. 

She sat down next to me on the bed and ran her fingers lightly over my temples. I could feel the warmth of her mystic healer's touch, easing the pain away.

That's a rare gift.

She smiled sweetly, her brown eyes warm. "You were brought in by one of the wolves who arrived for the summit. His pack found you in the buffer zone. You were passed out in a clearing filled with wolfsbane."

Wolfsbane? There was no wolfsbane. He had lied. To... protect me? 

My mind tried to sort through the sludge of confused thoughts, unsure of what memories were real or dreamed.

One thing was clear, I had most definitely suffered a concussion.

The pretty girl continued, as she carefully checked my IV line. "you must have absorbed too much of the poison through your skin. It has to be why you're not healing like you should."