Waiting For August

Part 56 ~Questions and Assumptions

There's nothing worse than hearing your mate scream.

I discovered this only a few hours after I'd finally fallen asleep. We were at the clinic. Zeke's private hospital and I was lying in bed with August at my side.

He'd been assaulted, stitched up and heavily medicated. Every hour on the hour a nurse would drop by for the sole purpose of waking August up. He was concussed and they weren't taking any chances. They would question him; ask him his name and if he knew where he was, or what had happened to him. As they did, they checked his eyes for pupil dilation and then his vision.

I appreciated the care. I truly did, however each time they examined him, my own sleep was disrupted. August would immediately fall back into a drug induced sleep, but I would find myself lying awake beside him, my mind restless. Thoughts relentless.

Zeke Fraser had crossed a line; and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I knew that like me; he'd been awaiting his mate. I understood how that felt. How the loneliness could consume you, but I'd never thought he'd have the gall to come after mine.

I had questions.

I had made assumptions. Perhaps, I had been led to them, but I was starting to realize that Zeke was much more familiar with August than I had originally thought. I had been allowed to believe that he had first met August that night at the Gala. That our dinner together had been first contact. At the time, he had appeared to know nothing about the bond between August and me, but if that had truly been the case, then how had Zeke known to call me tonight?

August hadn't asked him to. He had made that clear, and Zeke had admitted that he had called me because I was his mate. He'd known that. It wasn't common knowledge, even within my own pack, and what's more, Zeke had also known that I hadn't marked August last moon.

Zeke's anger. His outrage. It was real. The attack on August, Zeke had taken it to heart. It had been far too personal for him. It told me that his interest in my mate was sincere, as was his threat. It was hard not to think on it, but I did my best to push it from my mind, knowing I would learn nothing more tonight.

I had finally fallen asleep again, for what was probably the fourth time this night, when August woke up screaming. I'd felt a wave of confusion as it passed through our bond, followed closely by fear. He was in pain, eyes closed as he clutched his head trying to sit up, and as he did, I was suddenly overcome with an intense bout of vertigo.

I hit the call button, as I attempted to calm August down, but my own head was mercilessly spinning. I managed to lower the rail on my side of the bed and drop my foot to the floor. It helped. The room was still spinning, especially if I moved my head too quickly, but it was better than it was moments before. I grabbed August and helped him to a seated position; pulled him into my lap as I wrapped my arms around his chest. I dropped my chin to his shoulder and closing my eyes, tried to push a sense of calmness across our bond while my wolf released comforting pheromones into the air around us. It worked. A bit.

August moved his hands to my arms where he clung to them. "Caleb." It was no more than a mumble that seemed to have escaped his lips.

"I'm here. Your safe."

"My head."

"I've called the nurse. Just lean into me. Try to breathe." I wished I could share his pain the way I could his emotions—take the burden from him. I felt helpless. Knowing he was hurting like this and being unable to do anything for him was killing me. I squeezed him tighter. "I love you, so much," I breathed. The words had just slipped from me.

He turned his head, tried to look up at me. "I know, you do." He reached his hand up to sink his fingers into my curls at the side of my head. "I love you too."