~Landon~
I’m not sure that I’ve ever driven as fast before. Lincoln stayed in the backseat with Tia, and I focused on getting us to the
Moonlight Pack as quickly as possible. Someone hurt our mate, and I was seething. It was taking everything in me to keep
Goliath at bay and keep myself level-headed. I want to freak out……I want to scream and cry. I want to find those responsible
and rip their hearts out. Instead…..instead I stay focused and logical. Instead, I take control and make sure we can get to the
pack in one piece so Tia can be helped.
We are allowed right through the gates, and we make our way straight to the clinic. There are nurses waiting out front with a
gurney. As soon as I park the car, the nurses approach the back door to get Tia out of the car. They load her up, and Lincoln and
I follow her inside. We part ways with her when the doctor joins the procession into the operating room.
Lincoln and I are tempted to go in and make sure our mate is taken care of, but we know that we need to let the medical staff do
their job. “Gentlemen, I’m glad you guys could make it safely.” I turn and look right at Alpha Brenner. He had welcomed us into
his pack to train when we took our time out to look for our mate. We developed a good rapport with him despite his daughter.
Jenna is Alpha Brenner’s daughter, and she is two years younger than us. The minute we arrived, she was determined to make
her presence known and get us to see her as a potential mate.
Jenna is an attractive she-wolf. She has light blue eyes and long blonde hair. She is about 5’10 and thin. She is a typical Alpha’s
daughter, you can say. She is used to being important and idolized. I hate to say that ‘humble’ isn’t part of her design, though her
father doesn’t know that. She is very skilled at being two different people. She was always very sweet and demure around her
parents, but when they were gone, then her true nature shined through.
I glance around the waiting room, but Jenna is nowhere to be found, much to my joy. “Thank you so much for allowing us to
come here; being willing to help our mate.”
“There is no reason to thank me. This is the right thing to do. What happened?” Lincoln flops into a seat and sighs. I look at him
and can feel his pain and sadness through our bond.
“We don’t know. When we found her, she was already like……like that. There were no clues or evidence to point us in any
direction.” Brenner sighs and sits next to Lincoln. I start to pace the room, and we wait. Each second feels like forever and never-
ending. I keep watching the doors, praying for the doctors to walk through and tell me that everything is fine. Hearing that would
put me out of my misery. It would help me be able to breathe again because right now, I’m suffocating.

People are walking in and out of the waiting room. Some are waiting themselves, and others simply work in the clinic. Some
have come to speak with Brenner, who has been nice enough to sit with us. I know he has pack duties to attend to, but he is
here instead. Some people give us sympathetic glances, and some look at us with wonder. A few people who recognize us from
our stay have given a wave or a nod but seem to realize that it would be best not to approach. Lincoln shifts from time to time.
He is either sitting back, or he is leaning forward with his head in his hands, but he never leaves his seat. I continue to pace back
and forth. I can’t find it in me to relax enough to sit down in a seat, so I choose to stay on the move.
I’m mid-stride when a throat clears behind me. I turn around to see a doctor standing with a solemn look on his face. This doesn’t
bode well and makes my stomach clench. I can’t move; my feet are glued to the floor. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I relax a
bit. I can get through anything with my brother by my side. I look at him, and he gives me a slight nod, even with the fear evident
in his eyes. We walk towards the doctor and stop a few feet in front of him.
“She seems to be stable, but…….” S**t, there is a ‘but.’ “Her body has gone through substantial damage. There was wolfsbane
in her blood stream and we had to filter it out as best we could. Her wounds were made with silver which is why they weren’t
closed, along with the wolfsbane. We stitched those closed. There was swelling on the brain, and the extent of that is unknown
at this moment.” The doctor sighs, and I can feel tears falling down my face. I can’t believe this; it’s all too much. My brother asks
the question that I can’t bring to my lips.
“Will she be okay?” The doctor sighs again.
“It will be touch and go for a while. She needs her wolf to heal her, but her wolf isn’t here at the moment. I suggest you two stay
with her. She may not have her wolf right now, but her mates should help her heal.” The doctor walks toward us and places a
hand on each of our shoulders. “The next 24 hours will be critical.” He pats us and walks away. A nurse comes and takes us into
Tia’s hospital room. She is hooked up to monitors that are beeping. She looks to be simply resting. When we get closer, she
looks so pale and sickly. A sob escapes my lips, seeing my mate this way. There are already chairs on each side of her bed.
Lincoln takes one, and I take the other. We both grab her hand and prepare for the long day ahead.