We concluded the meeting at 10 o'clock.

After we decided that Nova is who Pollux think she is, and she may be cursed, it made a lot of sense. If Nova really was a Lycan, then she was so much more than she thought she was.

As soon as I got her back, I knew I had to tell her everything I found out. I didn't care about waiting anymore, the distance between us and not knowing if she was alive or not was driving me insane. She deserved her peace, she deserved happiness.

When I came to realise this, it was too late and I knew she resented me. So, I took her to the hill in hopes to have some closure, but I think I had left her more confused than before.

I always struggled with emotions. As an Alpha's son, I was made to be this way. Strong men didn't need emotions to rule a pack; you thought, you reacted and that was it. I was taught to not show any feelings because they were weak, and you looked brave and strong without them.

But what I didn't learn was that my little mate could take that all away. That Nova would be my weakness, not my emotions. I had ruined a perfectly good start to our relationship because of it.

I was stressed, traitor tears pooling in my eyes. I had stayed in my office as the others left to go to bed. I sighed and eyed the papers on my desk. We had a plan of sorts, and it was to use Gaia as some kind of magical bait. We had no idea where the enemy wolves resided so we would have to travel around.

A map on my wall had pins in every pack they had hit. They made no sense until you put them in order of pack numbers. They had started with the bigger packs before moving on to the smaller ones, such as mine. They raided them in the early morning or late evening but there seemed to be no timetable for the attacks. The one before mine had been 3 weeks prior but I got the news that a pack had been invaded this morning. They were sporadic and careless in a way. Which made them harder to catch.

Bigger packs meant it was easier to capture wolves in the woods as border control was usually more strained. I had a lot of land but my wolves were warriors; they could move and fight better than any other. Not to be cocky, but it's true. They just used poison to knock mine out and take the females.

So, if my guesses were correct, they would try to hit a pack called Atlas next. They were a small pack near the mountains. Sean and I were going to travel. Sean claimed he was fine for the journey. We would take half our warriors and the witch and hope if we hung around their borders, we would find their movement. I already had permission from the Atlas Alpha and told him to keep his females in close pack land over the next week.

I sighed and walked over to my patio doors. It had clouded over outside, and I frowned at the rain that poured. If there were any scents in the first place, they would've been washed away. But there wasn't; just a trail of ash in their path to hide their course. My heart ached as I stared beyond the darkening trees. I missed her and it was killing me to not go and hunt her down.

A loud rumbling of thunder sounded in the distance, but I kept my gaze on the setting sun. I gazed in longing, wishing for nothing else than to be sat beside Nova on the hill watching it fade away. She would be mesmerised, her mouth parting as the sun changed to a new colour. She would gaze across the trees and admire the greenery and small animals that dare not come close. I couldn't help that they were afraid of me, but every creature that caught the scent of me would run.

She would sigh in contentment, her head on her hands as she laid down, or her head on her knee if she sat. The sun would cast a beautiful glow on her pale skin, lighting it up with a new life.

I kept the drawing she did of me. I had it laminated and it sat in the top empty drawer of my desk. I was going to put it in a frame. She was an amazing artist and I was always mesmerised when she went into her own little world. She claims she doesn't know what she was drawing until it was done but watching her create was a whole new view.

Sean had informed me when I left for a few weeks she had drawn a lot of dark ones. He allowed me into his mind to see his memory of them. One of herself curled up in a corner or under dark-looking trees. They were harsh and dark, with jagged lines and sharp curves. They were brooding and gloomy, with a sense of fear and intensity of which I was amazed.

There was one, in his memory that stood out to me. One of a black wolf with dark eyes staring through a forest. It was crinkled and torn and dated back in April, so I guessed it was from when the females tore her room up. I was amazed by it, the tall green treetops and the dark creepy branches and trunks beneath. The wolf scarily looked like Ares, but she couldn't have drawn me surely. She did that one before I met her.

I was amazed by my little mate more and more. She was everything to me; she was more than I ever imagined.

I frowned as the sun set, leaving nothing but the storm clouds in the sky. The moon shone brightly though, its circle almost full. I could see all the craters on the surface and smiled at the idea of the Moon Goddess up there watching me. I always dreamed of her as a child and found amusement in the fantasy.

I made my way back inside as the thunder grew and lightning flashed along the sky. I felt tense again, despite the fact the sunset calmed me with the thoughts of Nova, I was no longer distracted.

There was an itch inside my brain and under my skin. I wanted to run but I didn't want to get caught in the storm. I had no idea where I would go either. So, I settled into my sofa with a glass of whiskey and sighed. It was going to be another long night...

***

Eventually, I must have drifted off because Ares woke me first. My mind was groggy, but he was pacing in my mind, whining.

What's going on?

He growled. 'Something's weird.'

I sighed and told him to settle down which he did so begrudgingly. I downed the rest of the whiskey that sat in my hand still before promptly falling back asleep. I was exhausted and the burn of the alcohol helped. Not sleeping much for nearly three days was torture.

The next time I woke was to Ares again. I hazily rubbed my face and eyes, clearing the sleep out of them. He was in a wild panic, and I couldn't make sense of what he was saying.

'Something's going on. Something's not right.'

I grumbled at his incompetence. The full moon tonight must be messing with his mind. I cast a glance out the window to see the sun beginning to rising and the storm passing over. I sighed and decided to get up at the sight of a new day. Another day without Nova.

The vexing in my mind came back and the itching crawled under my skin. It was never going to disappear unless I went for a run and calmed Ares down. He practically yipped in my mind when I agreed to shift, so I made my way back to the patio door. I shed my shirt and discarded my shoes and trousers on the floor, staying in my boxers.

I made my way out of the building and across the back garden, Ares chomping to get free. The persistent tension in my brain wouldn't go away otherwise and I growled in frustration.

Just as I began to will my shift forward, I saw a figure running through the trees. I froze, narrowing my eyes in concentration as they came running. It was Alex, a wolf I believed to be on border patrol. Why was he running?

I studied him more and felt my breath catch in my throat. It couldn't be, could it?

Alex grew closer calling my name, but I still found myself frozen to the spot. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? What kind of sick game is this?

I stared at the small person in his arms, their blonde hair drenched and falling down Alex's arm. A large shirt covered her naked body. I was frozen, fearful. I could hear my pulse in my ears, racing to the beat of a drum. I took a deep inhale of their scent and staggered when it hit me. I exhaled a gasp, eyes wide with shock. Was it her?

I staggered forwards until I broke into a run, meeting them halfway. Within an instant, I was in front of them, and Alex stumbled to a stop at my sudden intrusion. I stared down at her, pretty sure, my mind was barely working.

"Alpha, I tried to link you, but I couldn't get through. I found her like this, on pack land..." He gasped, tightening his hold.

I kept my attention on the body in his arms. The smell of her blood tainting the air had me hold my breath.

Was she breathing? Was she alive?

Without a second thought, I took her from Alex's arms, and he let her go instantly. Straight away the sparks erupted and although dull, I knew it meant she was still alive. I inhaled deeply, the overwhelming joy was crippling me, but the shock of her cold body had me worried.

What had happened? Why was she here?

I shifted her weight and pulled the t-shirt down from her face. Her skin was ashen, full of bruises and marks. Her blonde hair was slick and stuck to her head and neck, covered in blood, mud and ash. She looked ill, deathly ill. I could feel Ares rising, his anger becoming relentless at the state of his mate.

I needed to move.

"She needs a doctor. Fast." Alex breathed.

I snapped my head up to look at him and he shrunk away from my gaze. "I know."

Without a second thought, I turned and ran. My anger was fuelling me to run hard, the panic of her physical state was scaring me.

How had she gotten here? Was she alone?

What happened? How did she get away?

So many questions.

Was I dreaming? Was she really here?

My chest tightened in anticipation I could feel my heart in my throat as the panic set in. I needed to get her inside, she was safe with me now. Finally, home. I had her.

Kate! Medical emergency! I shouted through the link, waking her.

I was thankful she always had the link open, for emergencies like this. She responded almost straight away and gave me an ETA of two minutes. She lived next door to the pack hospital thankfully.

I arrived in less than thirty seconds, the hospital being close to the training ground for obvious reasons. I stormed my way inside and found an empty hospital room. Pulling Nova closer to me, I drew the curtains and clicked on the lights before staring back down at my mate in my arms. She was so small and fragile...

How did she get here? Why was she so cold? Why was she naked?

Dark thoughts clouded my vision and I growled as they approached. If someone so much had touched my mate inappropriately, I would hunt them down and make them beg for death.

The doors slammed open, and Kate came stumbling in, pulling her lab coat over her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the sight of me when she came to a stop. I was seething with anger, my body shaking as it tried to shift. Ares was almost foaming at the mouth as we glared unintentionally at Kate.

"Is that... Nova?" She gasped.

I growled a yes and she winced before setting up the bed to place her on. I begrudgingly placed Nova down, her arms and legs falling loosely to the bed and out of the tight ball she slept in. I couldn't tear my gaze away, if I did, I felt she may disappear.

Kate pulled the shirt from her pale body, and I couldn't help the snarl that escaped my lips. I was seeing red, my anger overpowering me as I stared down at my battered mate.

Her stomach and hips were covered in bruises but the large gashes that ran the length of her torso angered me the most. They were deep, bloody and no doubt needed stitches if she didn't heal them quick enough. Her skin was stained with her blood, her thighs and knees coated in it, even with the rainfall. Her legs were bruised and cut, no doubt from the trail she had to make it here.

How had she made it here? How long was the journey?

I glanced lower and noticed her foot sat swollen and guessed it had been broken as it looked angry and red. I knew Nova was a klutz but to be this bad a condition meant that someone had their hands on her. I couldn't smell anyone on her due to the rain, but that only seemed to anger me more. I was shaking now and forced myself to close my eyes to take a deep breath. I needed to be here right now, not storming off in anger.

I reopened them to watch what Kate was doing to her. Her fingers and toes were blue as Kate began to set up a heart monitor, blankets and a couple of drips. I kept my gaze glued on the slight, shaky rise and fall of Nova's chest, a small wheeze escaping her nose. Her body was drained, and her mind shut down. She had been out there too long in the rain. I knew she was weakening.

"What's going to happen?" I asked.

"She's showing signs of hypothermia." She sighed. "We need to get her dry and warm as soon as possible. I need to clean her wounds and stitch the ones on her front. Since she is not healing it means her wolf is subdued. Her ankle appears fractured, but I will do a full body CT scan. However, getting her warm and dry is the priority and being gentle is key otherwise she could go into cardiac arrest."

I growled but nodded and helped to clean and dry off her skin as gently and quickly as possible whilst I called for someone to bring some clothes. We began to clean her wounds together and apply creams before I left Kate to stitch her up.

Once she was sewn up, I removed the towel that covered her neck and arms and sat her up so Kate could wrap a bandage around her torso. My face bent into her hair, inhaling her scent. I could feel her wolf faintly inside of her, but nothing about her showed Celimene. She must be poisoned like Sean was. I grumbled and set her back down once the bandaging was done, placing one of the heating blankets over her for now.

As Kate began to supply medicine through one of the cannulas, I distracted myself by drying Nova's hair. I was amazed she was here, not quite over the shock that she was alive and somehow made it here. I felt like I hadn't taken a breath since I saw her in Alex's arms. It felt like a dream.

I wished to see her green eyes and see the blush on her cheeks. But she was so sickly pale and bruised I knew it would be a while before she did. She must've run for her life, a fear I had hoped she would never have to have.

"Lay beside her like you are for warmth, we will dress her after. She's going to need you in there. I'll get the heating on in this room for when she's done." She stated.

I nodded in acceptance, still half naked. Together we wheeled her toward the scanning room. I was grateful to have supplies such as these, otherwise many people would go without care. I had moaned initially at the price, but the money I spent was now helping my mate and I couldn't be happier I had indulged in the technology.

Once in the room, Kate began to set up the equipment in the control room. The lights flickered on and the sound of the large machine booting up filled the air.

"Are you sure I will fit?" I asked, eying the tunnel.

I know we had a large one since werewolves were huge compared to even the biggest humans, but I still debated it.

"Yes. Lay beside her, on your side." She answered.

I grumbled an agreement and began to lift Nova onto the sliding bed, bringing the blanket with me. Once she was situated, I debated on placing the earmuffs on her to block out the sound. She was unconscious, would she need them? I decided on yes before getting the headphones for myself and sliding in next to her under the fabric. I was careful not to jostle her too much, her freezing skin slightly warming thanks to the blanket we had wrapped her in.

I sighed in satisfaction as the fire erupted on my skin from her presence, my arm stroking the hair from her face. Kate's voice crackled through the headphones telling me it was about to begin but I just kept my eyes on Nova.

As the machine whirred itself into life, I couldn't tear my gaze away. She was really here; alive. She was so injured, so hurt that I hoped she wasn't going to become a shell of herself. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for. Especially to run all this way through no man's land.

My heart clenched in fear of what she had been through. My whole being ached in longing as I stared down at her. I wanted to move my hands to hold her, but I knew I couldn't right now. Her body against mine was calming my anger and I found myself breathing her scent in deeply. She smelt of rainwater and earth, but the fresh scent of her being wasn't far beneath.

I could've lost her if Alex hadn't found her or if she hadn't made it here. She must've been exhausted but her will to survive brought her home. Brought her back to me. I wondered how she made it without her wolf but put it down to pure fate. The rain had protected her in a way, washing her scent and tracks away from the enemy.

I thanked Mother Nature for helping her here.

I was so scared for her, nausea settling in my stomach. An unfamiliar warmth began in my eyes, and I blinked back the burning. Tears? I was crying. I haven't cried properly in years. Alphas don't cry...

But looking down at my mate who was back in my arms again, I realised why. I would fight a million demons if it meant her safety. To have her in my arms safe and sound was all I cared for.

The realisation shocked me. I was a selfish man with selfish habits. To put someone else first was not what I was used to. To cry, to feel emotions was all new to me. But for Nova, I would do it all.

******

Note: I have no medical experience, I am going purely on what google said 😂

SURPRISE earlier update today

Well, this was a bit chunky chapter, I hope you liked it. Phoenix finally showed us something in that dodo head of his.

What did we think of Phoenix's point of view? This will be the last one of him for sure...

(note to add fr the future- its not lol)

Wc: 3474

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