Old Version Shatter Pieces

Chapter 56: Mate Bond

Carter

I was sitting in the hospital bed staring at my mate. Because of the drugs we had both been on I found out we had both been out for two days. They had wanted to make sure I had enough rest to start healing and that Elinn was sedated and wouldn't hurt anyone else.

It had been several hours since I had woken up and found my mate's cold loveless eyes staring back at me. Elinn hadn't said one word since then, she had never even changed her focus. Her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling and nobody had been able to get any sort of reaction out of her yet. I was very worried about what was going on with my mate, she wasn't acting right.

I tried to get out of bed but before I could get far Nathan was pushing me back down. I fought him trying to get to Elinn and comfort her, tell her it would be all right. When I had asked if I could be moved closer to her earlier I had just gotten noncommittal responses from the nurses.

"Nathan let me go, I need to see her. I need her to know that I'm here for her! I'm your Alpha Nate, let me see my mate!" I demanded, but Nathan didn't let me go. I growled at him and his wolf growled back.

"You may be my Alpha but I am your brother and your Delta, I'm trying to help. She hurt you and right now we don't know why and I do intend to find out why this has all happened, trust me. But until I can guarantee she won't hurt you then you stay on your side of the room and she stays strapped to her bed." Nate said sternly and pushed me down once more.

I was already tired from the small amount of energy I had spent trying to her and knew that right now I wasn't strong enough to fight Nate on this one. I laid back down, but it was clear that I wasn't pleased with Nate's explanation.

"Carter you have no idea how hard I had to work just to get the two of you in the same room. All the guards wanted to have Elinn locked up in solitary confinement after what she did to you. The only way I could persuade them to let you be together was if we strapped Elinn down with those bands." Nate said and this time I look up at him and knew that I was being too harsh.

"Thank you, Nate, for standing up for her. You know what she's like, you know she would never do something like this. It just isn't who she is, and yet something happened and I don't know what to do." I sighed and looked over at her again and then back down to my skin.

"What happened Carter? I was outside when I heard you calling out for Elinn to stop and I walked in scared she was having one of her attacks and instead I found her attacking you. I didn't know what to do, but when her hands went around your throat all I knew was that I needed to stop her. You have to explain so that I can help you figure all of this out." I knew Nate was right and as I was about to explain the door burst open and my Mother ran in followed by my Father.

"Oh, my gosh honey we just heard! Are you alright? What happened, is Elinn going to be okay? How did all of this happen?" My Mother demanded and I almost laughed at how fast she was talking. Then I noticed my Dad, standing above my mate.

"She did this to herself didn't she?" My father asked but never took his eyes off Elinn seeming to already know the answer.

"The pattern would match with someone's own hands ripping at there flesh. These wounds are self-inflicted, punishment for what she did to you. Trying to escape from the reality that came crashing down around her." The words cut deep because I knew at least some of them were true. I wouldn't know about the others until Elinn talked to me.

"It was just supposed to be a normal training day, that was all. When we got there though Elinn was reluctant to learn. She would back off and hold back as if scared to hurt me or herself. She was so hesitant that she wasn't even really learning the techniques. It was so frustrating.