Verge of Insanity

Chapter Thirty Three

Beau

I couldn't remember ever being as filled with emotion as I currently felt. Anger tensed every bit of me, mind and body. Even when I saw Garrett standing over my mate and somehow shifted to attack, I wasn't this furious. At that time I didn't realize what all had been done to Ella. But as she lay here beside me, sobbing after finally describing to me what had been done to her, I wanted nothing more than to bring Garrett back to life so that I could take my time torturing and tearing him apart.

Although I could see her physical wounds were almost fully healed, I knew her interior wounds wouldn't heal quickly, if at all. Ella had put a mental guard up to try to keep me from witnessing her relive her terror, but occasionally it fell enough for me to see glimpses.

I wanted to hold her, to make her forget that this had ever happened. But that was an unrealistic desire.

"Beau", she whispered. "I'm so sorry. Please say something."

"Don't apologize." My voice sounded like I'd swallowed gravel. I almost didn't recognize it. "None of this is your fault. Garrett is dead. His rogues are dead. You will never be hurt again."

She eased herself up in the bed and put her head beside mine, her fingers going into my hair. We stayed silent for a while. I stared deeply into her watery eyes, wishing I could touch her. The shifting had exhausted me. I hadn't paid attention to the pain at the time of the shift, but I felt for a split second that all my bones had broken and fused back together during the change. Now my limbs all felt limp and useless.

A knock on the door distracted us. Go away, I thought. Ella heard my thoughts and smiled.

"Come in," she called. She sat up in the bed as the door opened.

It was the pack doctor. Dr. Everett. He came in and set his bag on the chair beside the bed. I fought back a groan. Dr. Everett was convinced that if I would just shift back for an hour or two that I could be healed completely. Maybe I would be, if I could just freaking shift.

"How are you feeling today?" Dr. Everett asked, listening to my chest with his stethoscope.

"Mad as hell," I grunted.

"How are we coming along on shifting," he murmured, ignoring my response.

"What does it look like?" I rolled my eyes.

Ella slapped me on the arm, it was such a light slap I barely felt it, but I understood.

"I'm sorry, Doc," I apologized, sincerely. "I just don't understand how I was able to then and now I can't. I'm tired of laying here. I want to hold and comfort my mate. I want to go check on Mara Leigh. I want to shift."

The old man nodded, not looking upset or surprised at my attitude.

"How is Mara Leigh?" Ella asked. I wanted to know that, too.

The doctor smiled. "I'm on my way to check on her next. Just wanted to see how you were healing up first. I received word from the Alpha that she is awake and somewhat moving around, so I expect to be pleasantly surprised."

So, good news. I could see in the few glimpses of Ella's memories that Mara Leigh had taken a beating too. I didn't fully understand how she was still alive, much less moving around so soon.

The doctor finished his check up on me, gathered up his stuff, and left with a reminder to keep working on shifting.

Of freaking course. Like I haven't been trying since they put me in this bed.