Alpha Hole

Ch. 33

I sat mortified in the school infirmary, pain radiating through my body. The gashes on my skin were already starting to close up, but I'd lost a lot of blood, and my arm—well, it was a disaster. They say werewolves heal fast, but my arm had healed wrong and now needed to be rebroken and set.

I looked down at myself, my shirt ripped and soaked in blood, my hair a tangled mess. I couldn't do anything about it with one arm uselessly hanging at my side.

"We need to call your emergency contact before we can give you a sedative and set that arm," Nurse Jamie said, pulling a binder from her cabinet.

I leaned back, closing my eyes as she made the call. I could vaguely hear her explaining the situation over the phone.

"He's on his way, dear," Nurse Jamie said, her tone soothing. "I'm going to go ahead and give you that sedative to help with the pain."

I nodded, looking away as she pulled out a large syringe. After the jab, warmth spread over my body, and I felt the tension begin to ebb away.

"Where is she?" The voice in the hallway was furious, and it jolted me. The door slammed open, but I couldn't muster the energy to open my eyes.

"What the hell happened to her?" The voice wasn't Jaxson's. My eyes flew open.

Aiden stood there, fury blazing in his golden eyes.

Oh fuck!

The nurse was explaining what had happened, but Aiden's attention was locked on me. He paced back and forth before coming over, taking my good hand in his. Warmth flooded through me at the unexpected contact.

"I'm glad you're here," I said before I could stop myself.

His lips thinned into a line, but his touch remained gentle. My eyes grew heavy again.

"I'm going to need you to hold her while I break and set the arm," the nurse was saying, but I could barely keep my eyes open.

Then, I was in his lap, my back pressed against his chest. A deep rumble came from his chest as my head leaned against him.

"I got ya," he whispered.

He held me tight as the nurse prepared to set my arm. Without warning, she yanked it. Pain exploded through me, and I wanted to scream, but I couldn't move. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

Aiden's rough knuckles brushed away the tears. "I'm sorry, Layla. I'm so fucking sorry," he murmured, his voice raw with pain.

Then, the door to the infirmary was ripped off its hinges, and there stood Jaxson, partially shifted, a beast of a man.

He stared at me for a long moment assessing the damage.  I knew how bad I looked and now he did too.

"Who did this to her?" he snarled, his voice a deadly growl.

The nurse quickly moved in front of me. "We have to keep her completely still until the bone heals. We've just set it."

Jaxson's eyes, wild and feral, locked onto mine. "I swear, Layla, I'm going to kill whoever did this," he vowed, his voice trembling with restrained rage.

"It was just sparring class," I managed to say, my voice weak but determined.

Jaxson's hand rubbed over his mouth, his whole body still tense. The nurse elaborated, "An overly zealous she-wolf. But she is being dealt with, and the teacher is being questioned as to why she allowed it to continue for so long after Layla was seriously injured."

Jaxson was on the edge of shifting again, and I felt Aiden move beneath me, his arms tightening protectively.

I had almost forgotten that he was holding me, and apparently, so had Jaxson until his eyes darted to his half-brother. "And what are you doing here?" he asked, barely containing his jealousy.

I could hear the smugness in Aiden's tone as he said, "Apparently, I'm still listed as Layla's emergency contact."

A low warning growl sounded from Jaxson, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Get your hands off her," he ordered, his voice like ice.

Aiden's grip on me didn't falter, and he met Jaxson's gaze with a challenge in his eyes. "She needed someone, and I was here. You should be grateful I was able to get to her quickly."

The tension in the room was palpable, and I could feel the animosity between the two of them crackling in the air. "Jaxson, please," I whispered, trying to diffuse the situation. "Aiden helped me."

Jaxson took a deep breath, visibly struggling to control his temper. He stepped closer, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at me. "I just... I knew something like this would happen."

Aiden finally released me, gently easing me back onto the bed. "She's safe now," he said, his voice softer than I'd expected.

Jaxson ignored him, focusing entirely on me. "Layla, I promise you, no one will ever hurt you again. I won't let it happen."

I reached out and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I know, Jaxson. But we need to be smart about this. We need to just let it go."

He nodded, his jaw still tight with anger. "Layla, I can't just-."

The nurse cleared her throat, drawing our attention. "I need to finish setting her arm. If you could both step outside for a moment..."

Jaxson hesitated, looking like he was about to argue, but I squeezed his hand again. "It's okay. I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."

With one last glare at Aiden, Jaxson reluctantly stepped out of the room. Aiden followed, but not before giving me a reassuring nod.

As the door closed behind them, I let out a shaky breath. The nurse moved quickly, administering another dose of pain medication and carefully setting my arm.

"You've got quite the pair looking out for you," she said with a small smile.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice softening. "I just wish they didn't hate each other so much."

"They'll figure it out," she said confidently. "Just focus on getting better. The rest will sort itself out."

With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.