Chapter 14
Alexei’s POV
The pack doctor, Maclain Hill, and Doctor Gurin both stepped into the waiting room and looked around. I walked over to see how Cara was doing, with her sisters right behind me.
“Cara is doing fine. She is resting in recovery now. She had an infection in her bone. She got it from whoever it was that grabbed her leg. The condition is called Osteomyelitis. Basically, it is an infection in her bone. The punctures impeded the blood circulation inside her bone, causing the problem. We caught it before it went septic, so she was lucky it was caught in time. If she had gone another ten to twelve hours without treatment, her prognosis would have been quite another story. Whoever hurt her, his hands weren’t clean, and that was what introduced the infection into the bone. We cleaned her injuries and drained the infection in her leg. She should be awake soon,” Doctor Hill told us.
“What were some of the symptoms she would have had, Doctor?” Luna asked with tears in her eyes.
“She would have had a fever, with swelling and redness in the infected area. It would have been very painful and also cause fatigue,” Doctor Hill replied. “I can tell that you both tried to care for her as best you could after she got injured. Doctor Gurin filled me in a little. Cara is a very strong young woman. Knowing what had happened, Dr. Gurin helped us get underway as quickly as possible. I believe that it ended up saving her life. When she arrived in surgery, she was more concerned for you two than she was for herself.”
“Can we see her?” Brenna asked.
“Of course, Luna,” Doctor Hill replied. Smiling at Jaxon and Brenna.
Brenna was not expecting to be called Luna just yet, and it caused her to get flustered. Her blush lit up her cheeks as Jaxon hugged her from behind. They were cute together, but I wanted to see my mate. I wanted to see with my own eyes that she was OK. Doctor Gurin had kept me apprised of what was happening in the operating room the whole time. It helped me to remain calm when I would have liked nothing better than to have gone to find Paxton and his ranked wolves and kill them all for what they did to my mate. Starting with the one who hurt her. I need to know which one of them did it. I am still hoping it was Paxton so I can end this whole thing right now.
“Who hurt her?" I asked them. I could tell that my question was asked aggressively. I calmed myself down. "I mean, did Paxton do it?” I asked them in a calmer tone.
“No, it was Clay. He was the one driving their SUV today. He is the new Beta, replacing our father,” Brenna replied.
“Before we go back to check on her, we need to sit down and talk. We don’t need to have this conversation in front of Cara. She is trying to heal, and it would only upset her more,” I asked before motioning to some chairs in the corner.
“We will go back to check on her now. Doctor Gurin told me earlier that he would be glad to stay with her until you get there,” Doctor Hill said as they turned to leave.
“Thank you both for saving our sister. We can’t thank you enough,” Brenna called out after them. They smiled back at us before disappearing behind the double doors they had entered the waiting room through earlier.
“I hate for you to have to do this now. I know you are both exhausted, but Paxton will return in the morning with his men. He will call the council and try to force you two to return to his pack. You need to tell Jaxon the reason why you came here for shelter. Don’t leave anything out. It is important that you do not return to the Kamaria Pack. Paxton will punish you both if he can get you to return to his pack. I hate to mention it, but you both have mates. That supersedes anything he can say. He cannot force you to return with him, as you will have both found your true mates by the time Paxton arrives in the morning. I am a vampire and don’t have an argument that the council would receive well. Thankfully, Cara is a witch, not a wolf. She won’t be a part of the equation. Paxton plans to use her love for you and Luna to force her to return. We cannot allow him to do that,” I quickly stated.
They were shocked at what I had just told them, but we did not have time for them to be hesitant. They can’t drag their feet. Paxton is dangerous. I cannot allow him to take Cara away from me. Brenna decided to come here because she knew they would be safe here. The Goddess put it on her heart. It was not a coincidence that they came here. These women will help the two packs and my coven to strengthen. These women were hand-picked by the Goddess and Absalom. I pray that they decide to speak now so Jaxon can get with Brandon and Justin and plan something out. I don’t want to cause a war by killing the three of them where they stand tomorrow, but I would, just to protect Cara.
“You said that I have a true mate too?” Luna hesitantly asked.
“Yes, you do. He will be here in the morning, and I am so sorry for mentioning it. I honestly didn’t mean to ruin it for you. I only want to protect my mate. I am not as calm and collected as I normally am. I can’t seem to calm down until I see her. I already know what happened to you at Kamaria. Ivan saw it, but it is not my story to tell. You need to be able to trust your mate, Brenna. You need to tell Jaxon what Cara told you. He needs to know the reason why you three left your pack. That way, we can force him to leave you three alone. The council will have to go there and investigate. That will take some time for them to do, and it gives us time to prepare for him to return. Because I can assure you, he will. He is not going to let his obsession with Cara go. She needs to be trained. If possible, she needs to be turned before he returns the next time,” I stated.
I know that Cara will not be on board for that just yet. I can already tell that I will need to show her the connection that connects us. I need to spend time with her to allow it to strengthen. She is my mate. My other half, and I want her desperately. I have been so jealous for the last five and a half years, seeing how blessed my younger brother Anton is with his wife and family. They now have four children, and I want that for myself with every fiber of my being. I want to hold my baby in my arms. I want to show Cara just how much she means to me each and every day. There is no mistake. Cara is my mate, and I have sensed and seen her now. I refuse to accept anyone else.
Brenna told Jaxon what Paxton had done to their parents and why. I could tell he was just as sick overhearing it as I had been. How heartless could those people be in that pack? For them to be willing to take these girl’s parents away from them, all to force them into accepting them as their chosen mates. It was disgusting. I knew how wolves knew who their mates were. They can scent each other and or feel it when their eyes meet. The tingles they get when they touch each other.
A heightened bond between them makes them want to be together. It is different for us, for vampires. I am still absolutely intoxicated with Cara. Ivan told me my mate was coming soon after he got his first vision. I have not been calm since he told me late last night that they were coming here. I didn’t get the tingles, and she didn’t know who I was to her when she looked into my eyes.
I will have to work to make her love me, and I am ready to get to work. I am ready to head to her now. But I needed to stay here to ensure they gave Jaxon enough information so Paxton couldn't take them away. We have to make sure that Paxton can’t force Luna, or Brenna, to go back to his pack. It would be a death sentence for them.
If Paxton can get Cara’s sisters out of here, she would willingly return to his pack to try to help them. Paxton is more ruthless than anyone knows. He would wait for Cara to return and kill her sisters right in front of her if she pushed him too far. He would crush her soul into oblivion, and he would do unforgivable things to her. Ivan has already foreseen it. He had another vision overnight and told me when I returned to my coven this morning after I met with Jaxon. I can only try to push them in the right direction.
Their futures are still uncertain at this time. They need to open their hearts to their mates and make the right choices here. If they don’t, numerous hearts will be broken, mine included. Even though it doesn’t beat, I can still love. I already love Cara. I love my brother and my coven. The love I feel for Cara supersedes everything else now. I can’t allow Cara to go back to Kamaria again. She will not survive it, and neither will I.
Jaxon and Kevin have already gone through more than most Alpha’s have to deal with in a lifetime. They both had hard lives growing up. Jaxon had to train since he was old enough to learn. It is why he is so stoic. He is used to having responsibility heaped on him. He never had a real opportunity to be a kid. It wasn’t his fault or his parent's fault. It was something that could have been prevented, except an evil man named Graham refused to back down from a misperceived injustice.
Graham had a hand in what Kevin went through, as well. Kevin was ostracized and bullied. He watched as his whole family was torn apart. Graham was at the very root of it all. Causing so many people a great deal of pain that they never deserved, all because of his injured petty pride. I was getting nervous waiting to go back to see Cara. Despite knowing that Dr. Gurin would stay with her and protect her if needed. The desire to be with her was overwhelming. I was glad when Brenna and Luna finally finished speaking to Jaxon. They had mentioned all the serious highlights.
“Please excuse me. I need to get to Cara now. I don’t want her to wake up alone. You two are exhausted and in need of sleep. You can come to her in the morning. I will watch over her tonight,” I told them before walking away. I needed to get to her before she woke up. I want to have a little time alone with her. I will start to woo her the moment she wakes up.