Little Red

Chapter 27

When I wake up the next morning, Demitri's chair is empty.  

I'm not sure how to feel about that.  Am I happy he's gone?  Do I wish he had stayed?  How would he act towards me after last night?  One thing is for sure, I won't forget last night.  The way he looked at me, the tenderness in his confession, the promise in his apology.  It was like a dream. 

Maybe I did dream it.

I pick up the small mirror from the bedside table.  Tilting it towards my neck, I study Demitri's mark.

I wanted to mark you. 

I'm still gazing at the reflection when the door opens.

"It's beautiful."  A feminine voice muses.

I look up to see a smiling doctor standing in the middle of the room, watching me with kind eyes.

"Luna, my name is Dr. Johnson.  But you can call me Mae."  She says in a friendly tone.

She's pretty.  Clear pale skin, kind brown eyes, and curly brown hair.  She looks really young to be a pack doctor.

I smile back.

"It's nice to meet you.  Please, call me Ara."  I insist.  "I'm not yet the Luna anyways."  I murmur.

That brings up another rush of questions through my mind.

"That mark says otherwise."  She muses with a kind smile, eyeing it for emphasis.

I feel my cheeks heat up slightly as I study it again in the mirror.  She's right, it is beautiful.  It's composed of intricate brown swirls and lines, wrapped around a small D in the center.  It's subtle to the untrained eye, but a pack member will notice immediately.

"Anyways,"  she says after a few moments,  "I just wanted to check up on you and see how you're doing."

"Well, I'm not unconscious anymore." 

She chuckles at my sarcasm.

"True.  Are your muscles sore, or aching at all?  Stiff, maybe?"  She asks.

I shuffle around a bit, bending my legs and stretching my arms.

"Nope, I feel good." I state, a little surprised.

She snaps open the file in her hand and takes notes.  

"Hmm...interesting."  She muses aloud.

"What is it?"  I ask in confusion.

She colors slightly, as though embarrassed at being caught. 

"Well, as you know, Alpha had to mark you to save you.  At that point, his wolf stepped in and healed you.  I'm just surprised that you feel so much better a day after waking up.  I've never studied a case like yours." She says, sharing her observations with me.

"Oh..."  I trail off, not realizing just how close I was to death's door.

"It was very unusual, the way your body reacted.  You were okay then...you were crashing on us." She says gravely.  Her brown eyes are serious as she looked intently at me, as if by studying me hard enough, she can figure it out.

I nod stiffly, unsure of how to answer.

"Anyways,"  she says with a clap of her hands that reminds me of Derrick,  "I'm glad you're doing better."

At the idea of Derrick, I ask her something I've been wondering about.

"Do you know when I'll be out of here?  And can train again?"  I ask.