Under Investigation

Chapter 6

"I hate hearing your wolf cry for mine." A guttural growl fills the room as I'm met with a familiar, soothing scent. The tangy citrus mellowed by sandalwood and warmed by a smooth bourbon. My eyes stare at the corner he normally resides in. A blurry shadow is all I can recognize as I lean against my door, struggling to breathe. The warmth of his scent and weight of his stare as Nera whimpered in need of him.

"I wasn't aware he could hear." I grunt, the dizziness returns as I straighten to try and remove my shirt. Magnar inhales deeply before he releases a growl that rattles my mind.

"Mates work differently as I'm a council member." His large calloused hand steadies me, tenderly he holds my hand, turning it to inspect my wrists. "What happened?" His voice is a low growl as his thumb brushes close to the injury. My lungs burn, I want nothing more than to lean into him, to hide from the pain and reality.

"An example had to be made. He's nervous... his control's slipping." I weakly growl, closing my eyes as a wave of warmth runs through my system. The pain that filters through my mind has my eyes watering as the strength I barely held deplete. I can be weak here, no one will know.

"Pack link?" He asks he steadies me again, his hand easing my shirt over my head. The warmth of his hand makes my stomach roll pleasantly, the sparks tease my body the only way a mate can. I manage a nod as I give in and drop my head against his chest with a shaky sigh.

"Your skin is bright red." He observes quietly, his chest rumbles with upset.

"Scald." His chest vibrates beneath my head as he takes account of the wounds.

"A scald?" He snarls lowly and walks backwards towards the bathroom. "I need to get photographs Adira." He murmurs quietly as he turns the light on in the bathroom. His eyes glow as they adjust to the light, I watch with interest as his wolf steps forward to see the wounds. "He's dead." The passion in his eyes makes me stare at him, his shoulders shake, the veins in his neck protrude in his rage.

"His reign is almost over." I have to assure him just as much as myself. I let my eyes close, the nausea returned in full force. I feel sluggish, my heart weakened with poison.

"Not soon enough Adira." He murmured, kissing my head gently. I can't agree with you more. The water turns on in the tub, it's quiet compared to his growls. My hands clutch the sink, Magnar shuffles around the room. My mind fills with pain as I wait, opening my eyes I stare in the mirror, stark red marks sweep over my shoulders, the lines disorganized and natural. Like water. Small blisters have already appeared, bubbled up by the boiling water.

"Can you face me Adira?" Magnar asks as he comes back into the bathroom. He stops the water in the tub before he stands in front of me. His eyes traveled the expanse of water damage to the front of my torso.

"When you're done... Can you get the medical bag, it's in my closet." I mutter and lean against the counter, my body slowly succumbs to exhaustion.

"I'll finish this quickly, do you know your heart rate?" I pause and follow his instructions for evidence, wincing when I have to lift my arms.

"No... I can't think straight or focus on that." Magnar nods his head as he has me face the mirror once more.

"I'll check in a second, I'm going to take your bra off." I nod with a heavy sigh.

"That's fine." I mutter, my brain slowly numbed to the pain and an unusual cold feeling creeps over my body. Why does this hurt so much? My straps fall off my shoulders and slowly drop off my arms. I can only focus on the counter as Magnar moves around.