A Royal Pain

chapter four

Mason 

Mate needs you. You shouldn't be here. You should be with mate.

I rolled my eyes. Ever since Aurora had ended up in the hospital, my wolf had been going insane. The only thing he ever thought about was her, not that I was complaining.

No. I have way too much paperwork. Besides, the doctors are probably too busy right now.

The entire pack was on edge, which didn't help either. They didn't know the whole story, but they knew of a rogue attack and the fact that the royal heir was my mate. Every supernatural creature was on edge due to the upcoming war, so the fact that my pack was specifically targeted put a huge strain on us.

"Mason," Kim said as she pushed my office door open. "I really think that you should see Aurora. She isn't healing well without you."

I rolled my eyes. "She'll heal eventually, Kim. If the doctor really cared, I'm sure she'd get Andrew to help Aurora." I spat his name. Just thinking of him enraged my wolf.

Kim's eyes darkened. Ever since the rogue encounter, she'd become extremely defensive of Aurora. "You don't know the full story, Mason, because you won't even listen."

I growled. "If you weren't my Delta you would be dead by now. Leave me."

Kim planted her feet and blocked the doorway. "No. If you don't visit her, she'll die. Do you really want to be responsible for the death of your mate?"

My wolf growled at the thought. "Fine." I brushed past Kim and started on my way down to the hospital.

As I got closer to the hospital, the scent of my mate filled my nose. It was intoxicating as always but tainted... like something was wrong. My feet pounded the grass, eager to see what was wrong with Aurora.

Before I knew it, I was in front of a room with a large white door. I had no recollection of even getting here, just brushing past the front desk and following my mate's scent. I faintly noticed Kim trailing behind me. "Wait," she said, shooting her arm out to pull me back. "You're not gonna like what you see behind that door."

I rolled my eyes and pushed the door open. The sight before me was shocking. Aurora, who usually looked so put-together, was... nowhere near that now. Her honey-blonde hair was no longer shiny, her skin no longer glowing. Her plump lips were wrapped around a breathing tube and countless wires stuck out of her arms.

"Oh my god..." I trailed off. Kim strode into the room, unsurprised by the depressing situation. "I-Is she okay?"

The doctor glanced up at me. "Oh, Alpha. What a surprise to see you here." I would have fired her for the disrespect, but my wolf was more focused on Aurora. "The princess is in critical condition. Normally wolfsbane would have minor effects on royalty, but the emotional strain she has been through seems to have a large effect on healing. Her wolf has retreated, so now all that Aurora is left with is human strength. At this point, the presence of a mate is the only thing that can help her," the doctor said. "I'll leave you two alone."

As soon as she was out of the room, Kim turned to glare at me. "Did you hear that? Her wolf is refusing to heal because of you."

It hurt my wolf to see her like this, but it would hurt more to see our relationship to turn out like my parents', which I knew it would. "She's hurting because of the loss of her pack. Not because of me."

Kim turned away from Aurora. "You know that's not true. Her wolf cannot deal with this without her mate. At the very least, stay with her long enough to heal. For all we know, Augustus is dead. Aurora might be all we have left."

. . .

Later that night, I tossed and turned in my bed. My wolf was restless, constantly plagued by thoughts of Aurora. Although I had spent barely any time with her, I couldn't get her limp body out of my mind.

"Fuck it." Tearing out of my house, I ripped my clothes off and shifted. I was in front of the hospital in mere minutes.

"Oh, Alpha-" I ignored the receptionist. My wolf urged me to go straight to Aurora.

Standing by her bedside, I had never been filled with more angst. It was like I could feel her pain.

. . .

My wolf was going insane, too. On top of Andrew and the palace attack, he now had to deal with a dying mate. It was a mystery how he hadn't already gone berserk

My human side wasn't faring much better. Although I hadn't fully accepted the mate bond, something had changed when I announced Aurora as my mate. It was like... my feelings increased. I can't even imagine how it would be when we completed the mating process.

If you get to complete the mating process. Aurora might not even wake up.

I internally snarled at my inconsiderate wolf. Ever since Andrew's appearance, he hadn't stopped letting me know that all of this is my fault. I knew he was right, too. Ever since I was a kid destruction and misery followed me wherever I went. It's why I couldn't get too close to the princess. Anything I did would end up hurting her.

"Mason, you need to get some air."

I didn't bother turning around. "No, Kim. What if she wakes up?"

"In that case, you can come right back. Aurora doesn't want to see someone who looks like he's never seen the sun."

I rolled my eyes and stood up, brushing past her. As I walked through the hospital and into the sunlight, I saw some people do double-takes. Spending six days in a hospital room didn't exactly help your appearance. I'd been taking care of all business from inside the hospital, never leaving her side.

"So," Kim said, jogging to catch up to me. "When will you start investigating Andrew? Charles and I have tried, but we're no good."

My whole body tensed. "I forgot all about that bastard. I'll start as soon as I can stop worrying about Aurora."

Kim suddenly turned to face me. "What is wrong with you? Always acting like Aurora is some burden you have to carry. Not only is she your mate, but she's a princess."

I froze. "Kim, you know it's not-"

"I know exactly what it is, Mason. Aurora won't stay around for long if you keep acting like this. Do you know how many wolves would kill to mate with her?"

I growled. "Aurora is my mate." Just the thought of another male touching her made me want to kill someone.

"Then fucking act like it." She started to walk in the other direction but turned around as if she'd made a decision. "You know what, Mason? Aurora won't put up with you for much longer. The Moon Goddess chose you  to be a king, but even she makes mistakes."

My wolf howled at being called a mistake, but I refused to let it bother me. God knows how often I'd heard that. As Kim stormed off, I instinctively returned to the hospital like a dog retreats to lick their wounds.

I had barely gotten inside the doors when several doctors came running up to me. "Alpha! It's the princess, she-". He didn't finish his sentence before I was tearing down the hallways towards Aurora's room.

She was on the bed surrounded by doctors, sitting upright for the first time in weeks. All of sudden she began dry heaving into a nurse's shoulders. Struggling to breathe, my once healthy mate gasped out a single word.

"Marina." She promptly collapsed into her pillows, unaware of how the name sent me reeling.