Letters To My Mate

Chapter Thirty

THIRTY (Ethan's POV)

After waking up in a bed belonging to the pack hospital, I felt very confused as I didn't have any memory of what had happened to me. The last thing that I remember is packing up our few belongings at our station and then that was it. Everything after that is black.
My parents frantically called for a doctor who rushed in, checking all the machines around me before filling me in on what had happened as well as any injuries I had suffered. He soon left, promising that I could leave if I too made a promise to rest and not cause any strain on my injuries.
My parents hugged me - I had to warn my mother to stop squeezing me so tightly multiple times - and spoke about all that I had missed while I was unconscious. I asked about my lovely mate Rachel and if she had been told what happened, to which my parents happily answered by telling me about how Rachel was at my bedside as much as she possibly could have been and how she wouldn't let go of my hand or leave the seat next to me, even to go to the toilet or to eat, unless it was absolutely necessary. My mother even gave me a warning (that was totally unnecessary) that "Rachel is such a good girl and she's perfect for you; don't do anything to mess it up." That was a promise I would happily keep - I never wanted to mess it up. Ever.
I hated that Rachel had to see me like this... that she had to go through so much and I couldn't be there to hug her back or clasp her had in mine. I wish I could have recovered sooner so that we didn't have to unofficially meet while one of us was lying in a hospital bed, unconscious

I had learnt it was her graduation today, and I remembered her mentioning in a letter that she would be doing a speech in front of the entire school. I knew she was terrified of public speaking and so I had to be there for her - I couldn't miss this. After signing the endless amount of release forms, I collected my belongings before rushing to the school, ignoring the pain that moving around too much and too quickly caused. As I reached the school building I saw a full car park but no people and so I figured that I was late. I really hope I'm not too late.
As I walked in through the reception area and into the big hall, I saw her stood in the centre of the stage. My heart felt like it had stopped beating and my wolf was howling inside, happy to finally see his mate. She was so beautiful, and she was speaking so confidently to the crowd as if she truly believed what she was saying.
She hadn't noticed me yet but I didn't want to interrupt her speech by moving to a seat so I stayed at the door, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed against my chest and a proud grin on my face. That's my girl.
It didn't take long for her to notice me. Her eyes were scanning the crowd, as if something inside was telling her that I was here. She soon found my gaze and we locked eyes - if the feeling I had before wasn't already amazing, the one I had now had increased sevenfold. It was as if all of the cliché romance books and movies had come true, as it was almost like there were fireworks between us and the rest of the room seemed to blur away.
Logan would probably slap me if he heard my thoughts right now.
I didn't take my eyes off of her as I walked over to where my family were sat. I sat on the empty seat at the end of the row of chairs and recognised the woman I was sat next to as Rach's teacher, Robyn. I very briefly glanced over to them, saying a quick hello before turning and giving Rachel my full attention again. I never wanted her to leave my sight; I didn't want anything to happen to her at any point - I'm here to protect her now.
Rachel seemed to zone back into the real world and started speaking once more, continuing with her speech. She, somehow, seemed to be talking with more confidence now. It was as if her whole world had just lit up. As if she had finally found the missing piece of her puzzle. She probably didn't realise it yet, but she was the missing piece of mine, too.
"But I already know the person that will be there with me – the person who will help me find the right path and the person who will be a huge part of that path.
I never believed in the whole 'love at first sight'. How could you see one person for the first time and instantly feel the butterflies fluttering around in your stomach, feel the sparks when you touch and the connection when your eyes meet? When you're away from that person they're still the only thing you can think of – they take over your mind. I guess you should hate them for that as it can distract you from important things... like school. But you cannot help but love them with every fibre of your being and with your mind, body and soul"
I was completely in awe by her and her words. She wasn't even looking at her cards anymore but was instead gazing into my eyes, speaking from her heart. I knew that she didn't need to write a whole speech beforehand - she was both clever and brave enough to say what she felt without it, but she needed reminding of that as she didn't have as much confidence in herself as she should do. She's the best person I've ever met and I wish she knew just how amazing she is. I wholeheartedly agreed with what she was saying - I felt the exact same things too. I wanted her to continue speaking for the whole day as I fell in love with her voice, but I also selfishly wanted her to stop talking as soon as possible so that I could take her away and have her all to myself.