My life

My mate's pain

MICAS POV

By the time we made it back to the hotel, my body was exhausted,but my mind wouldn't slow down. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about her. For a moment in the parking lot, I could've sworn I saw her. Just a flash. A shadow. A familiar pull in my chest. 

But when I looked again, she was gone. 

I told myself I was imagining things. I had to be. 

It was late, and eventually the weight of the day pulled me toward the bed. I laid down, staring up at the ceiling, forcing myself to breathe. That was when it hit me. 

Panic. 

Not my own. 

Fear slammed into my chest so suddenly it stole my breath. My heart started racing, my hands clenching into the sheets. It was sharp and overwhelming, terror mixed with desperation, flooding through the bond like a scream I couldn't hear but felt everywhere. 

"My mate," I said out loud, sitting up. "Something's wrong." 

I told my beta what I was feeling, and the look on his face shifted instantly from tired to alert. Then the pain came. Not physical at first, more like pressure, like my chest was being crushed from the inside. And then it got worse. 

I stood up and walked into the hallway, hoping to ground myself, hoping to catch her scent. At first, it was barely there. Faint. Broken. But enough to know she was close. 

Too close. 

The hotel had seven floors. I didn't hesitate. I started moving, up and down the stairwells, floor by floor, my heart pounding harder with every step. The pain grew sharper, more frantic, until it felt like my mate was breaking apart inside me. 

When I reached the top floor, the scent hit me all at once. 

Vanilla. Flowers. Fear. 

She was here. 

But there were too many doors. Too many places she could be. I ran down the hallway, every instinct screaming, my chest burning, my legs barely keeping up. Then the pain peaked,so sudden and violent it dropped me to my knees. 

I didn't think. I didn't stop. 

I forced myself back up and ran toward the room where her scent was strongest. I didn't knock. I didn't hesitate. I broke the door open. 

Trigger Warning

The sight inside shattered something in me. 

My mate was on the bed. Unconscious. Broken. And she wasn't alone. 

Rage exploded through my body, pure, blinding fury. I didn't remember crossing the room. I only remember tearing him away from her and knowing, with terrifying clarity, that if I didn't stop myself, he wouldn't leave that room alive. 

I wrapped her in a blanket with shaking hands, shielding her, protecting what was left of her dignity. I carried her out without looking back and told my beta to handle the rest. 

I didn't care how. 

Back in my room, I laid her gently on the bed, my chest aching as I really saw her. She was human. I knew it now. Fragile in a way wolves weren't meant to be. Her body was covered in bruises, old and new, mapping pain no one should have endured. She was so thin it hurt to look at her. I could see her ribs. I thought one might be broken. 

My hands shook as I pulled one of my shirts over her. It swallowed her whole. She looked impossibly small, like a child lost in fabric too big for her. I tucked the blankets around her carefully, like she might shatter if I moved too fast. 

I didn't know if she'd been drugged or if the pain had taken her consciousness, but I knew she needed help. A pack doctor. Safety. Time. 

I paced the room while waiting for my beta to return, my heart hammering in my chest. Then she started to move. Restless. Whimpering. Her lips parted as she whispered no, over and over, trapped in something I couldn't reach. 

I didn't hesitate. I laid down beside her, staying on top of the blankets, careful not to frighten her. I wrapped my arms around her slowly, holding her like she was something precious. 

Almost instantly, her breathing slowed. The tension left her body. She curled closer, seeking warmth, safety. The nightmare faded, and she slipped into a deeper sleep. 

I stayed awake for a long time after that, holding her, listening to her breathe, swearing silently that no one would ever hurt her again. 

Eventually, exhaustion claimed me too. 

But even as sleep pulled me under, one thought stayed with me, I found my mate too late. 
And I would spend the rest of my life making sure she never felt alone again.