My Appalachian Alpha

11

Eli
"Fuck, we're losing her. You have to go faster!" I'm panicking. Emma has lost too much blood and I can hear her heart rate slowing. If we don't get to the pack house now, we may be too late.

Jace doesn't say anything, he just drives as fast as he can which unfortunately isn't fast enough due to the state of the roads.

We finally turn onto pack land and I mindlink the pack. The medical staff are ready and waiting. We pull up to the pack house and I jump out and carefully lift Emma into my arms. I run as fast as I can, her pulse is so weak and she is barely breathing.

"You have to do something," I yell at the doctors.
They take her from me even though my wolf howls to hold her, to comfort her. "She's not healing."

"Alpha, she a witch, not a wolf. She's lost a great deal of blood."

"Please," I beg.

"We will do everything in our power. Now please, wait here."

I lean back against the wall and sink to the floor. I wasn't there to protect her.

Ogres have never openly attacked humans. They hate sunlight and are more solitary in nature. And while they are savage, they are incredibly stupid. This wasn't just an ogre attack. This was something else. The clinic was an intentional target and the storm was their cover. Who is behind it? And why?

"How is she?" Avery approaches and asks.

"I don't know. She lost too much blood and she's so weak. A wolf would have a hard time healing but they would pull through. But a witch? I don't know."

Avery sits next to me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's my fault. I wasn't there. I knew something was going on. I should have had security placed at the clinic. I should have done something."

"Because of you she's alive. She has a chance. You couldn't have known this was going to happen."

I close my eyes and focus on the pull, on the bond. I can feel her just beyond the doors separating us. And even though she's not a wolf, I know she feels it too. She has to live. I can't lose her.

An hour passes and Jace joins us. As beta, he steps in when needed."The Ogres responsible for the attack are dead. Although I agree, no Ogre could have orchestrated this attack. Unfortunately, there were no other survivors besides Emma. Shortly after you left, the clinic caught fire and I decided it best to let it burn to cover the true cause of the deaths. The humans will think it was an explosion due to a gas leak caused by storm damage," Jace reports.

"Thank you Jace."

Jace walks up to me and pats my shoulder before leaving.

More time passes and I can't wait anymore. I stand, ready to go see my mate, and one of our doctors walks out.

"She's still unconscious and very weak, but she's stable now. Her MRI showed a concussion but nothing severe. She did have internal bleeding in addition to her leg wound. Surgery was successful. We gave her blood and antibiotics and I expect her, in time, to make a full recovery."

"Can I see her?"

"Of course, Alpha. Right this way."

As I walk into her room, pain threatens to overtake me as I see her so weak, so fragile. She's hooked up to so many wires and tubes but she's alive. That's all the matters. She will recover and I won't leave her side until she has.

I pull a chair to the side of her bed and collapse into it. I gently grab her hand in mine as sparks erupt. She had asked me if I felt them and I should have said yes. I should have told her then and there that we are mates and that the bond already pulling at us would only deepen. How I had waited a lifetime to find her. I vow that as soon as she wakes, I will tell her everything.