Chapter 4

It's already late and I'm sitting in the back of the black sedan with Nathan who is my Beta. We are currently on our way to the Blood River Pack territory. There's apparently some big birthday party that's a big deal and a bunch of ranking members from across this side of the country have been invited. Since most of my allies will be in attendance, it would look bad if I didn't show up. I truly hate this pack with every fiber of my being. Alpha Justin of Blood River is basically a little punk. He grew up as a spoiled little punk and runs his pack like shit and unfairly.

His father was worse though, slaughtering weaker packs for power and territory. I personally can't wait to put them on my rival list. Once the treaty my father had with them expires, I have no intention of renewing it. I want nothing to do with a pack like Blood River. The last pack they took over was the Evergreen Pack about ten years ago. I had just taken on the Alpha role from my father of Sapphire Pack and the news of no survivors reached even my ear. My dad still regrets the treaty he signed with them, but at the time we were a weak pack with little numbers. Once I took over, I began building our numbers without violence. I gave sanctuary to rouge wolves who were peaceful, I trained every single wolf in my pact to fight to help ward off any intrusions. Now, I'm a well-known and respected Alpha of the largest pack on the East Coast of the United States. Every wolf knows my name.

"Hey, Get out of your head and get out of the damn car," Nathan says, yanking me from my thoughts.

"Go to hell, Nathan," I mutter just loud enough for him to hear me as I climb out of the car. Even though Nathan's been my best friend, he certainly knows how to be an asshole. But, I trust him with my life, so there's that. We arrive at the party with it in full swing and get immediately surrounded by an assortment of she-wolves and ranking pack members.

"Look who decided to grace us with his presence," Alpha Justin sneers, as he comes over to give me a handshake. "I hope your travels were safe and well." He simply states. I nod.

"I am delighted to have been invited to attend. The trip over here was pleasantly uneventful." I reply back casually. Nathan slaps me on the back.

"Stop with such nonsense." He chuckles. "You two talk way too proper for this scene. Loosen up, don't be so stiff." He signals for a nearby Omega to bring us all a round of drinks. "Here, let us toast to a wonderful evening." He announces. "You need it more than anyone in this room." He whispers the last bit just so I can hear him.

"Don't stress, Justin. I don't plan on staying any longer than necessary." I grimace and reluctantly take the drink and take a few sips. That seems to satisfy the Alpha. He gives a curt nod and excuses himself to attend to the rest of the guests.

After the names of the birthday wolfs are announced, I honestly really want to leave. I could really care less about this shit. If it wasn't for my Alpha position at Silver Lake Pack, I wouldn't even be here. When Alpha Justin dismissed us all to mingle and eat, Nathan beelines for the buffet table causing me to chuckle. When he took on the Beta role per my request, he began traveling to all of these necessary events with me, mostly so I wouldn't have to attend alone.

Keeping my wits about me, I move throughout the crowd, I have to admit that there are a good amount of gorgeous girls here, but none that trigger any interest from me. I briefly speak to a few of the other Alphas in attendance, or at least the ones I'm on good terms with. A few are older, wiser, and give lots of great advice on leadership and the inner workings of a pack. A few brought their daughters with them, hoping they would find their mates. I thought this was supposed to be a birthday party, not speed dating. I shake my head and restrain myself from rolling my eyes. I know of at least one of the Alphas in attendance that is hoping his daughter would be my mate, but that's not happening. At least not if the mood goddess has anything to say about it.

I walk around the room some more and get increasingly more uncomfortable. Everywhere I look, at least one unmated she-wolf seems to be eyeing me up and down like a piece of meat they want to eat. I try and smile and keep things friendly from a distance. I can hear conversations of disappointments, but I honestly don't care. I'm not here to pick up a random girl, unlike Nathan, who already seems to have a few girls hanging all over him. I send him a quick warning through the mind link.

"Nathan, you better make sure any girl you hook up with is of age. I don't need you screwing up and sleeping with a minor." I warn him.

"Relax, I already checked for canines and claws. I may take one.. or two up to a guestroom." He replies back.

"That's disgusting." I refrain from making a gagging noise.

"Don't knock it until you try it." He sends me a smirk from across the room.

I'm about to respond when my senses get flooded and assaulted by the most mouthwatering scent of sea salt, honey, and flowers. My wolf Theo starts to excitedly prance around in my mind.

"Mate!" He howls.

"Really? Are you sure?" I ask him skeptically.

"Mate." He growls.

I follow the scent as if I'm in a trance, it's so alluring, enticing, even heavenly. Theo is practically losing his mind and going crazy, begging to take over so he can search for our mate himself. I mentally put a block up so he can't gain control, it'd be a disaster if he got out in this condition. The scent is like a balm to all of my anxiety and stress, a serene calmness I've never experienced. I follow the scent out of the ballroom and down a small hallway. The girl's bathroom sign on the door stops me in my tracks. By the strength of the scent, I know she's in there. But something is off, there's a hint of blood.

"Mate's hurt!" Theo growls in the most animalistic way I've ever heard from him.

I start to argue with him about barging into a girl's bathroom until I hear a scream from inside. All rational thoughts fly out the window for me as I barge in. The sight that meets my eyes makes me see red. The most beautiful girl is curled up on the tile floor being beaten, by a group of random she-wolves. Just as one of the girls was about to stomp on her face, Theo roars, freezing her in place, shaking the entire building.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY MATE!!" I bellow in my Alpha tone. The entire group of girls turns around in shock. My outburst causes Nathan to come bursting through the bathroom door as well in a matter of seconds. I use my wolf speed and shove all the girls away, knocking them over and not caring where they land or if they got hurt.

"Alpha, talk to me," Nathan says as he looks between the bleeding girl on the tile and myself.

"It's her," I tell him.

"Her who?" He asks confusedly.

"My Mate," I tell him in barely a whisper.

"Oh!" His eyes practically bulge out of is face.

"GET A DOCTOR!" I roar loud enough for the entire building and everyone in it to hear me. Lacing my words with my Alpha tone.

Nathan takes off immediately to find a pack doctor, I hear him out in the hall barking orders in his Beta tone. There's no time for me to show any pride though as I bend down and lift the my mate into my arms. She's completely unconscious, bleeding, and incredibly frail. I try to be as careful as possible, but I can feel that she has some broken bones and I can see that she has zero color in her face. My heart starts to sink to my feet as the gravity of her injuries starts to sink in.

"Alpha Luke, I am doctor William." An older man comes rushing in. "Please follow me to our pack hospital."

I nod and follow him. I keep her as still as possible in my arms so her injuries and broken bones aren't jostled any more than they need to be. I swallow hard as I notice her beautiful features beneath the blood and bruising.

"Please lay her down on the table, and allow me to assess her injuries." Doctor William gestures to the surgical table in the middle of the exam room that we enter. I do as he says and takes a few steps back to give him room to do his job. I clench my teeth and poise myself like a statue as I see him cut the rest of the shreds of her dress away. I know he has to do it, but both Theo and I hate it. However, when I see the patches of discoloration of the bruising that's already forming that her dress covers, Theo loses it and lets out a roar. The doctor stops immediately in fear.

"Doc, don't mind him. Please continue. I've got my Alpha, You've got my Luna." Nathan states in his authoritative voice as he pushes through the door. The doctor nods in understanding and quickly proceeds. Between the sight of my mate on the table and Theo clawing for control, I push myself against the far wall in hopes of keeping him at bay. He wants to tear out someone's throat.

"Theo! Stand down now!" Nathan growls directly in my face.

"I WILL NOT!" Theo pushes past the wall I mentally threw up and growls back.

"YES! YOU! WILL!" Nathan's wolf, Cliff, briefly takes over and gets Theo's attention. "YOU WILL ALLOW DOC TO DO HIS JOB!" Cliff bellows at Theo.

"FIIINE!" Theo yells back as he retreats to the back of my mind.

"Thanks," I say as I gain back control and sink into a nearby chair.

"Alpha?" Doctor William approaches me.

"Yes," I look at him.

"I need to get x-rays and other scans done immediately. Please allow me to take your Luna to do so." He states more than questions. I give him a nod in understanding. He enables the wheels on the table and pushes her out of the room and down the hall. Both Nathan and I wait patiently for him to come back. It takes about forty-five minutes for him to come back down the hallway, wheeling her back in.

"How bad is it?" I ask him exhaustedly.

"Well, it's not as bad as it seems." He answers while he clips some of the x-ray films up on the LED light panel for better viewing. "Thankfully, only two ribs and her collar bone are actually fractured."

He says as he points at two separate images. "I did a few ultrasounds and found no internal bleeding in her abdomen, head, or lungs. She may wake up with a concussion, but overall, her wolf is already working on healing her. She should be fully healed within twenty-four hours as long as her wolf can handle it." He finishes explaining as he inserts the IV for morphine into the back of her hand and inserts the tubing for the morphine drip for pain.

"Thank you." I gulp some more and just stare at the beautiful girl in front of me.

"Alpha, while she rests and her wolf heals her, may I request a private conversation please?" The doctor requests.

"You can speak in front of my Beta. He and I have no secrets." I tell him.

"Alright," he moves to the door and shuts it, and clicks the lock before joining us in one of the chairs next to us. "Alpha Luke, while I was going over her scans, I saw multiple remodeled fractures in most of her bones. Remodeling that not even her wolf was able to heal away completely."

"What?" I stare at him incredulously.

"I know her very well, and I know that this is not the first time she has been beaten, this is not the first time I've been allowed to give her medical attention, but not so often was I not allowed." He says matter-of-factly.

"Are you telling me that my mate, this beautiful girl has suffered multiple injuries multiple times without medical attention? Without her wolf?" I ask him, already knowing the answers.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you." He tells me.

"She's a pack member though! What do you mean "allowed" to treat her?!" I restrain Theo from ripping out this doctor's throat.

"Technically, she's not a pack member." He says.

"Come again?" Nathan asks.

"She's not an official pack member. She was orphaned when she was about eight years old. She was brought back by Alpha Justin's dad and turned into the Packhouse slave.

"Slave?!" I growl.

"Yes, Alpha. It's to my understanding that she does all the maintaining of the pack house, children, cooking, cleaning, really everything." He explains.

"Do you know where she comes from? Her original pack? Her family?" I ask trying to hold back my anger and frustration.

"I have only been the doctor here for about five years, she was already here when I arrived. She was about thirteen when I met her, covered in bruises with some injuries that she needed my assistance in healing." He explains, with exhaustion written all over his face.

"Were the beatings Alpha Justin's father and his doing?" I ask with venom laced in my voice.

"Honestly, it was everyone's doing here. Even the lowest ranked Omegas have beat her, and mostly because she would talk back, or give attitude." He further explains.

"You've witnessed all of this?" Nathan asks in shock.

"Not personally, but people in this pack house talk. And pissed off individuals talk even louder." I can feel my own anger start to intertwine with Theo's. He's fighting me with every fiber of my being to take over and kill everyone who has laid a hand on her.

"Doctor, be honest. Have you ever put your hands on her?" Nathan asks as a threat.

"Of course not! I would never harm anyone, especially a child. I am a doctor, and it's my duty to treat everyone with kindness and respect; however, I was not allowed to with this poor child." He sits back in his chair and rubs his hands through his silver-white hair.

"Not allowed? Are you fucking joking right now?" Nathan scoffs.

"Under Alpha orders, I am not. He had prohibited me from ever giving her medical attention. It wasn't until Alpha Justin took over and that order expired that I've been allowed to treat her. He didn't know of the order and therefore didn't renew it." I watch as the doctor stands up and checks on her vitals and makes notes on the clipboard beside her bed.

"What do you know about her?" I clear my throat and ask.

"I know that she has a broken soul, a fighting spirit, and that her eighteenth birthday was just a few days ago meaning that she just got her wolf."

"Damn, she just gained her wolf? No wonder you haven't found her before now." Nathan looks between her and me.

"Alpha, there's more."

"How can there be more?" I ask.

"She made me promise to only tell her mate this. She comes from Alpha blood. She didn't tell me anything about her pack, her family, or anything else." He looks at me seriously.

"I can't believe this." I groan and run my hands through my hair in frustration. "How has any of this been allowed?" I ask nobody in particular. The three of us sit in silence.

"Luke, we need to protect her until we can get her out here." Nathan finally speaks up.

"You bet your ass. She's my future, our Luna, my one true love." I look over at the doc, "I'll mend her broken soul myself."

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to run a blood sample so I can run a full blood panel to see if she needs anything additional. Especially with the lack of medical care, she's been allowed." I nod and gesture for him to proceed. He takes a few vials and leaves the room. Nathan and I exchange a look before looking back at her.

"I wonder what happened to her," Nathan says softly.

"She'll tell us when she's ready. Until then, we watch over her around the clock until she wakes up and we can get the hell out of here." I tell him.

"No complaints here Luke." I reach over and hold her hand. Hoping that my scent and touch can provide her the same sense of peace and tranquility that she already brings me while she heals.