Uncaged

Touch and Go

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Her head rolled back unnervingly in my arms as the automatic doors slid open. The fluorescences reflecting off of the freshly waxed tiles quickly extinguished by her crimson blood that dripped steadily off her clothes. Her plump lips were painted blue and even with my hyperactive senses, I strained to hear the faint flutter of her heartbeat. My wolf let out a low whimper of pain at the sight of our mate in such peril.

The hustle and bustle of medical personnel were in full swing. A gurney was thrust in front of me. With more self-control than I thought I possessed, I gingerly lay her down on the soft material. The soothing sensation of her bare skin on mine and the electrical tingles that accompanied it was replaced by a jilting emptiness. Jasper howled within my mind at the loss of contact. I reached out again not liking that my hands weren't touching hers.

The same instant a male nurse thoughtlessly grabbed the steel railing of the gurney attempting to pull it away from me. I could barely make out the sounds of Collin and Dylan rushing out a warning before an animalistic roar irrupted from my chest, with enough force to cause the floor beneath our feet to vibrate.

The male orderly backed away wide-eyed, neck barred stumbling over his feet and falling to the ground in an ungracefully heap. The corner of my mouth twitched upwards in satisfaction knowing my eyes were most likely black with primal authority. I felt my bottom lip being punctured by my extending canines. I stepped towards my mate with intention. While my second and third in command snaked their arms around my torso and sharp pricking sensation on the side of my neck.

I slumped forward, falling to my knees as the power of my wolf slowly drained from my body. I whipped my head around and snarled at Dylan who wore a sheepish smile while attempting to hide a rather large needle behind his back. I was injected with a mixture of wolfsbane and valerian root. The concoction had been developed by our pack healers to momentary dulled a wolf's senses. The minor sedative had been used of me since I was young and struggle to distinguish between my wolf and myself. I closed my eyes concentrating, I could still feel Jasper whimpering softly in the back of my mind. Collin slowly stepped forwards with his hands raised in surrender.

"I'm sorry Alex, we only gave you enough for you to get a hold of yourself. But we needed to do what was best for our Luna...They've taken her into surgery and said it's going to be a while."

A strand of his usually slicked black blonde hair had fallen unto his forehead. His calm grey eyes held me in place while his words penetrated my heart. He used his casual tone deliberately to try and put me at ease about the magnitude of her condition. I nodded numbly unable to form any coherent words. I let out a desperate sigh and repositioned myself so that my back was against the wall. The floor was hard and cold against my skin, I welcomed the distraction. 

................ third person POV (cause I can)

The healers worked steadily for hours giving the occasional reassurance that she was still alive through the pack link. Alexander watched with an unreadable expression as his mate's blood was mopped from the floor. His hands clenched and unclenched as he paced the length of the hallway for hours.

This anxious marching ended only when Teressa, the leading pack doctor was seen walking towards the Alpha at what seemed to be an excruciatingly slow speed. When in actuality her coarse grey hair billowed behind her as she trudged swiftly towards her Alpha. The sound of her scrubs brushing together reverberated off the hospital walls. At an inhuman speed, Alex was standing in front of her, a pleading expression written clearly on his face.

The medical staff at the front desks abandoned their tasks to hear the news of their new Luna. Teresa stopped a safe distance away from Alexander with a grim look etched on her face. Her pale honey eyes looked tired and the pre-existing wrinkles embroidered on warm olive skin around her almond eyes seemed more defined after the hours of frowning in concentration. He silently thanked her dedication towards his mate and her Luna. 

"She's stable for now, it was very touch and go for a long time. She had a gunshot wound to the chest, severe hypothermia and blood loss.  We were able to remove the bullet and repair the damage it caused, as well as put her on an IV with warmed fluids. I'm hopeful that she is going to have a full recovery but it's going to take a lot of time and patience."

Alex stood at attention as the doctor spoke. His usual stoic face morphed into one of pain, frustration, and relief. His eyes were flickering from black to green as his chest rose and fall in rapid succession. Both Collin and Dylan had scrambled to a standing position and stood in formation behind their Alpha and friend. Alex's shoulder was squeezed supportively by Collin, as

Dylan bounced lightly on the balls of his feet with a grin on his face upon hearing the good news. The staff at the front desk breathed an audible sigh of relief before continuing with their work. Clearing her throat Terressa continued, "The luna had other, more sensitive injuries Alpha...would you like to continue discussing them in the privacy of my office?" Teresa said becoming hesitant, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Her white, slightly opaque teeth were chewing nervously on her lower lip as she waited for her Alpha's reply.

Alexander's brows furrowed in confusion. "Speak," he commanded, his voice holding a slight rasp to it that betrayed his formal posture. 

Sighing Teresa replied, "The luna was around four months pregnant and experienced a miscarriage due to the severity of her injuries. Unfortunately, we were unable to save the pup. Upon further examination, it looks as though she has experienced potentially years of both physical and sexual abuse. Her X-rays showed that some of her bones have been broken repeatedly and with precision..." She paused for a moment before ending in a quiet whisper, "I'm so sorry Alpha." With a sad smile and a small nod of her head, she made her way back down the hallway. 

Tears formed in Alexander's eyes and his wolf whimpered in despair. The feeling which quickly turned into self-hatred, Jasper growled about how they had already failed as mates. His shoulders tensed and the muscles in his jaw twitched as he remembered his mate pitiful moans as she lay on the frozen forest floor clutching at her stomach as tears streamed down her hauntingly beautiful face.

Dylan's eyes grew defeated as a frown marred his normally relaxed features. Collin looked far away as he too recalled the events of last night. Alexander raised a hand to his face and wiped away his fallen tears before walking hurriedly down the sterile hallway, the mate pulls guiding him to his Mate.

Alex pushed open the wide wooden door and peered inside. The sight of his mate made him feel weak in the knees. He observed her from the threshold, gripping the door frame with a dangerously tight grip. Her dark chestnut curly hair had been dried and was now fanned in an angelic fashion across the pillow. A pink hue was beginning to emerge on her full cheeks and lips.

She looked almost peaceful, her thick eyelashes cast a small shadow below them. If it wasn't for the oxygen tubes under her button nose and the small cuts and bruises that littered her face she'd look at ease. Her skin remained pale but had lost the sickly blue ting it had before. All the blood and dirt had been scrubbed from her skin. The black neglige had been cut away and replaced with a white thin hospital gown.

Heat radiated off the electrical blankets that were tucked neatly up to her chest. Not being able to bear the distance between his mate any longer, Alex took three long strides towards the head of the bed and sat heavily into the bedside chair. Reaching forwards he gently lifted her hand and placed a feather-light kiss on the back of her knuckles. Revelling in the electrical touch her smooth skin brought and that had been prophesied since his infancy. He lowered her hand back onto the heated sheets while making sure her hand remained in his gentle but firm grasp.