Alma

Chapter Fourteen: Dante

Dante:

This entire night has been nerve-wracking. Seeing the fight and knowing how long Alma has been bleeding and being unable to do anything about it set my wolf on edge. Watching as she walked to the infirmary because Aubrey wouldn't leave made my wolf angry. Knowing Alma's wolf was suffering from a lack of sufficient bonds, because Aubrey rejected Alma and her friends from the pack? That sent my wolf over the edge. Once at the infirmary, Alma looks so weak from blood loss and poisoning, I'm having trouble not tearing everyone apart. The male nurse's aid, Brian? Didn't help a bit, considering my wolf wanted to kill him for even going near Alma.

When Alma asked me not to freak out, I really did try. I focused on the fact that she was going to come back healed and better, and that she would have enough pack bonds to keep her stable as soon as I could, but ended up freaking out anyway. If the aids were females I think I could have handled it. Probably not, but maybe. Watching Alma leave the room, with Brian’s arm around her, was more than I could take. My wolf went berserk, wanting to tear each and every person in the room apart. He wanted Alma, safe and sound, in front of him, immediately. Someone pressed a button, although I have no idea who. Twenty seconds later, after I had already trashed the room, four security guards, all Oni, came to drag me to away sensory deprivation chamber, away from Alma. The increased distance really only made me worse off. After an injection, I calmed down, and then they bound my hands in front of me and I slept.

While I was sleeping, I had horrible nightmares. I felt my wolf taking fear and panic from somewhere, and dreamed Alma was never coming back. That I had killed her. Or she got branded a rogue because of Aubrey. That she wasn't able to join a pack. That she lost too much blood because of my inaction, and they were unable to complete the surgery. My wolf accepted every drop of panic happily, suffering for reasons unknown to me.

Until she was there, within reach. I took a breath, preparing for yet another round of nightmares, and instead her scent filled my head. Suddenly I was wide awake, ready to do whatever I needed to in order to find her. But, Alma wasn't in need of a rescue, because she was sitting right next to me, looking like I had just caught her in the middle of a crime. She reached to undo my hands, but I wasn't able to handle that just yet. If my hands were free, I'm not sure anyone would be able to open the door without getting hurt, or killed. My wolf was completely out of control, drawing on his packmates to stabilize him and staring Alma down to keep both of us sane.

When she moved to stand up, I almost lost control for a second time. When she laid down, leaning against me, I found some solace. Then she fell asleep, using my stomach and chest as a head rest and I didn’t want time to continue. I stared at the white ceiling, made of security padding in case some bird-like yokai or even a bird shifter lost control, and counted the strands of hair running through my fingers, reveling in just knowing she was okay and here.

Of course Aubrey had to ruin it, wanting to visit, like I hadn't been avoiding her for weeks now. I guess the she-wolf was determined to get an audience with me. Or desperate. After Aubrey called security and Alma not only reopened the stab wound, but also got hurt again, all the calm and peace I had went out the window. I managed to grab ahold of her, and now my wolf wouldn't let go. He refused to let anything hurt her again, and I agreed.

Alma is asleep now, healing. I can feel my wolf rumbling in my chest in contentment.

Dr. Geaga re-enters the room with medication for Alma. "This will make her... moody. But, it will also keep that wound--" he gestures at her stomach "-- closed and promote quicker healing."

Without warning, the doctor steps forward with a syringe and injects Alma in the arm. I snarl the entire time, not daring to move in case the needle hurts her. When Dr. Geaga finishes with the injection, he simply stares at me with curiosity. “How long?”

I frowned. “How long what?”

“How long have you known her?”

“About a month now.”

He nods as he says. “And how long have you been acting like this?”

“Like what?” I wanted him to leave.

Alma had been the center of my thoughts for about a month now, to the point where my wolf demanded being near her, at least in earshot, to even study. Because of this, we’ve been going to the library after dinner to study, or leaving the doors to each of our rooms open while we study, though she thinks it’s because I like studying there or am bored studying in my room alone, keeping an eye on the other pack members, and meeting up with Mark, Heather, and Bet. Being a psychopath when another male is near her? About a week.

In my defense, it started two weeks ago, but has slowly become unbearable over the past week, with the pinnacle being tonight.

The doctor only gestured to me. “About a week,” I mumble and adjust my arms, shifting Alma over a little bit, causing her to sigh.

“Huh.”

“What?” He is really starting to irritate me.

“Did you know the first thing she wanted to do after waking up was to see you? She actually broke into the room.”

I felt some satisfaction at this. Of course she did.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, sit down and talk with her about this,” again he gestures to me, and then turns around to set the syringe down on a tray and grabbing a bottle of medication.

"She needs to take these twice a day. It is the same medication I just gave her." I take the bottle easily from him, and just as he is about to leave the room, I ask a question.

"Can a wolf.... take the emotions from another? Stopping them from going feral?"

The doctor stops walking and turns back around. "Feral?"

"Yeah... her home pack turned her over to the school, but didn't sever the connection. Its just been dying slowly for a few weeks. I noticed her behavior was getting erratic, and found out she only had four pack bonds aside from her home pack. She was in an unstable pack for an alpha. It was driving her wolf insane, making her panic and phase partially. She had horrible nightmares. But, when she went in for surgery I could have sworn my wolf was drawing on her increasing panic and dispersing it using his pack bonds." As I finish my statement I stand up, careful not to disturb Alma.

"I suppose it could be possible, but your wolves would need to be pretty deeply connected for that." With that statement, the doctor leaves, and I follow suit.

In the main waiting room, I find the others sitting patiently, or sleeping. I clear my throat and they wake up or look over at me. As a group we exit the building.

As we cross campus, passing different dorms as we go, the party slowly shrinks. Eventually it is just Heather, Bet, and I, who all live in the same dorm, made for dominant wolf shifters. Bet offers to take Alma from me, but I back up, away from her and shake my head.

“Fine, be that way. Her room is on the top floor, second door on the right.”

I nod, not wanting to say that I knew where her room was, and begin to climb the stairs. Like Alma, I also lived on the top floor, but on the opposite side of the hall, the male’s side. When I am in front of her door, I shift Alma’s weight to one side and open it. I end up waking her, and she instantly wants to get down. “I can do this, Dante. Seriously.” Her words are groggy.

“Do you even know where we are?”

“Not really, but I can open a door.”

I smile and she does, in fact, open the door. I walk in behind her, closing the door behind me. She grabs some shorts and a tank top, before going into the bathroom to change. After fifteen minutes, I become worried again, a hundred scenarios running through my head, which only worse when I hear her curse.

“Dante? Can you grab my bag on top of the wardrobe?”

I nod, skeptical, as I do what she asks. After handing her the bag, I wait another five minutes before she walks out. I give her a quizzical look. “The universe is not on my side today,” is all she says before walking over to her bed and climbing in.

I turn to leave when she calls out my name. “Dante?”

“Yeah?”

“Please stay.”

My wolf jumps at the idea, mentally trying to talk me into it. “I’m just across the hall--” I try to reason, though it pains me a little.

“I’m not asking again,” she mumbles the words, her volume fading as she goes back to sleep.

“Fine, you win,” I tell her as I walk over to the bed, and lay on top of the covers.

She rolls over to face me, a whisper of a smile flashing across her face. “Thank you.”

My heart skips a beat at those words, and happily I stay put.