Shackled

Chapter Fourteen

Hey Y'all,

I hope you and yours are all staying safe and sound during these uncertain times. The world is such a crazy place right now, stay safe and spread love and joy (from home ofc). Sorry for the late update, I hope you enjoy :)

Much Love,

C

There was no way to describe the shame that flooded his body as he stared at the limp form of his mate. He had failed her in every way that counted, and he couldn't help the way his shoulders slumped or the ache that was beginning to build behind his eyes. With care of where he touched her, he slid his arms under her body, picking her up and taking her out of his office and into the hall. She weighed almost nothing, and though she was tough as nails she looked like a child in his arms, like all the weight of the world had been lifted. Gone were the creases between her eyes, he felt like he was seeing her face serene for the first time since they had met.

It was a bittersweet feeling. He loved the feeling of her in his arms, but he could feel the sting every time he brushed up against one of the many markings that marred her otherwise flawless skin. She was a beautiful soul stuck in a prison of her own making, stuck in her own skin. All he wanted to do was reach out and run his hands down the smoothness of her arms. It was a harsh reality he would have to face, the knowledge that he would never be able to touch her the way mates would, never be able to hold her and worship her body the way he had always imagined he would. They would have to make do, have to come to terms with the fact that there was something that would always come between them, and that something was the poison that laced its way around her.

He laid her down in his bed, making sure she was tucked in and as comfortable as possible before he settled down in a chair in the corner. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, not when she was so vulnerable, but he also couldn't call for the pack doctor, there was nothing he could do until his mate woke up. She was still so secretive and defensive; he didn't know what would happen if he tried to get her looked after while she was asleep. So, though it pained him, he had to wait as patiently as possible for her to regain consciousness, however long it may take.

Sitting there in the quiet of his room he could hear movement throughout the house. Sandra, the housekeeper, was fiddling around in the kitchen and he could faintly smell garlic over the metallic mixture of blood and silver. He could hear Alex too, pacing around the house no doubt waiting to be let in on what had just happened, but he would have to wait even longer. Brushing the distractions away, Elijah's senses homed in on the shallow breathing of the gentle creature in his bed and the soft rise and fall of the sheets with each inhale and exhale.

It was calming for him, a reassurance that she was still there and wasn't going anywhere for the time being. But despite the distractions and the rhythmic breathing to soothe him, he couldn't ignore what he knew he had to do. It was scratching at the back of his mind incessantly, demanding attention, and though it felt like a betrayal to do it without first speaking to her, he picked up the phone.

With reluctance he felt his fingers press the familiar set of numbers. The numbers he had memorized since he was a boy but had not used since his early days as Alpha – what felt like eons ago. Lifting the phone to his ear he let out a sigh, he still wasn't completely sure that he was doing the right thing by going behind her back, but both himself and his wolf agreed that it was their best option. So, when the line clicked and he could hear the heavy breathing on the other end, he spoke.

Calling in a favour was unlike him. The Twin Peaks pack was known for being autonomous, they were self-sufficient and as far as they were concerned it made them stronger; but desperate times called for desperate measures and with the image of his mate with a silver dagger in her leg burned behind his eyelids, he felt more than desperate. He would tell her what he had done once she awoke, but as of now it was his call and he knew she would never do it for herself, so that left him.

It was hours after he hung up that he sat vigil over her, sitting stiff in the room and ignoring the calls of Alex through the door. It was only when he heard Mason through the door that he decided to move. Opening the door, a crack, he stood between Mason and the sight of his unconscious sister.

"What can I do for you, Mase?"

The little boy was less than half of his height, but it didn't stop him from puffing up his chest and staring Elijah right in the eyes,

"I want to see my sister."

Though he would never admit it, Eli was surprised by the power that was laced within the young one's voice. It held strong and firm and there was no denying the Alpha blood than ran through Mason's veins, him and Eden were related, of that there was no doubt.

"I don't think that's a good idea bud, she's not in the best shape right now." His tone was gentle as he didn't want to upset Mason, he was a good kid and Eli doubted he was ready to see the state Eden was in.

Mason scoffed and Eli looked down at him in surprise,

"If you think you're going to keep me away from my sister you're crazy. I don't care that you're an Alpha, one day I'm going to be one too, big whoop. My sister is the only family I have left, and if you think this is the first time, she's had a fit like this then you're in for a treat mister. Now let me in, she needs me more than she needs you."

Mason's words felt like they echoed as they hung in the air between them. He was right, Eli new that, but what surprised him most of all was the maturity and serious nature of the young boy's words. It was with a pang of sadness that Elijah realized he had had no choice but to grow up fast, though the werewolf world was a hard one, the remaining members of Westminster Pack had lived a harder one than normal. It seemed Mason wasn't immune to the horrors that they had endured, and maybe he was stronger than Eli had given him credit for.

He stepped back wordlessly and opened the door to allow the boy through. He would remember not to underestimate Mason; he would make a good Alpha one day. Mason went straight towards the bed with purpose, wrapping the sheets around his sister's form before curling up in the bed beside her.

"Do you love her?" Mason's voice was soft, but Eli could see the way his fists were bunched up in the blankets. He was trying to be as strong as possible, but there was only so much a boy of ten could take.

"Love takes time Mase, I'm not saying I don't or I won't, but your sister and I have a lot to work on and a lot of catching up to do. I promise I'll take care of her though and I'll always have her back."

"She can take care of herself," Eli swore under his breathe, he couldn't seem to say the right thing to him.

"I know bud, but she shouldn't have to, and neither should you, all I want to do is help however I can, you know that right?"

The boy rolled over and tilted his head, studying Eli in Eden's signature way,

"I know Eli, you're a good person. I think you'll be a good mate."

The corner of his lips turned up as he looked at the two figures on the bed that he hoped to soon call family,

"I hope so."

Mason rolled back over and went back to hugging his sister. Eli watched the ways in which Mason avoided her tattoos, snuggling up to her with a blanket barrier in between. He was envious of the little boy, jealous of the relationship he had with the brown-haired beauty in his bed. She was like a vault, he felt like she had opened up so much to him, but he knew there was a lot he had left to learn and that she had a lot of secrets he may never become privy to. But he knew it was worth it, that she would be worth it.

He saw it in the way she stood tall in front of her people, in the steel of her spine and the tilt of her chin, but most of all in the fierce love her brother held for her. She was someone worth loving, and someone worth all the time and effort and potential heartbreak. She would be mad at him when she woke up and he told her what he had done and he knew, if anyone was ending up heartbroken it was him, because he was all in.

But all he could do was wait. Wait for her to open her eyes, and wait for the reaction he was sure would come.

What do you think of Mason? I love him <3