Is It You

Malachi POV 6

Did she really just give me the go ahead to leave her while sick?

Has she f*****g lost it?

I walked out of her room and down to the kitchen to gather my thoughts. After finding Adira on the floor, down with a fever, chicken soup was the first thing that came to my mind. I found a tin and quickly uncapped it into a pot. I lit the stove and covered it, setting my watch timer for the next fifteen minutes. I then grabbed the broom from the corner and went back upstairs. She was still turned on her side so I proceeded to sweep and scoop up the broken remains.

I disposed of them downstairs and then searched for pills in the medicine cabinet. Once I found what I was looking for, I went to her room again and set them on her dresser. She still had her back turned to me and now faint snores floated around the room. I walked around the bed and glanced at her face. She fell asleep.

What am I going to do with her?

I still couldn’t believe she had dismissed me earlier in her frail condition. Her being human meant she got sick easily, even with her immortality. I’d never had to take care of a sick person before so this was new. I looked down at her again and sighed.

Maybe she turned down your offer because you’ve been a jerk.

I had heard her conversation with Wildon last night but didn’t intervene. It was disheartening to hear her call herself a disappointment but I knew I didn’t help the situation. Avoiding her had been my best solution but I was the man. I should have made things right with her and tried my best to be a friend. She had also lost a sister that night.

I decided to let her sleep for the next five minutes until the soup was ready. I walked back to my office and mind linked Wildon as I cleared my desk.

“Forget work for today. I have to take care of Adira”

“Is everything okay?” Wildon asked.

“She has a fever. I’m going to give her some pills and keep an eye on her. I’ll probably look over the solutions you submitted to me while I’m in her room. If there’s an emergency, let me know”

“Sure thing” He gave me a thumbs up.

I cut off the mind link and went to the kitchen. The soup was ready and I paired it with a glass of orange juice. If she felt for liquids first, orange should do the trick. I put everything on a small tray and made my way back to her room. She was still asleep so I shook her shoulder gently and she started to stir. Her eyes opened disoriented and misted over but she focused on my face.

“The soup is ready,” I explained, “But you need to sit up to eat.”

She agreed without issue so I set the tray down for a moment and put my hands under her arms. I pulled her to the head of the bed and propped her against four large pillows. She seemed comfortable enough and I set the tray on top of her.

“I’m going to feed you.”

Adira grimaced for a moment and that seemed to wake her up. Her eyes glossed over for a second then settled on her own hand. There’s no way she has enough strength to do that. Her hand gave out when she tried to lift the spoon to her lips and I did my best not to laugh. I took it from her and repeated her action with ease.

“See,” I teased. “I can help you”

She reluctantly opened her mouth and swallowed. Being nicer to her was the first step and then maybe we could be allies. I’d mulled over the hard facts that she truly wasn’t my mate and Marcel had agreed. She had no wolf and her scent still hadn’t returned. We had conceded that my mate’s scent had imprinted on her and we were too caught up to notice. Well... that theory should be confirmed soon enough.

My discussion with Alpha Hendrix earlier this week was to determine who my mate was. His Oracle had confirmed Adair was the twin in the vision but it would be put to the test once they sent a sample over. Adair’s body had been broken down and a piece of her was put away for examination. Scenting my mate this way was a painful reminder of her death but I needed concrete proof.

By now, Adira had finished her soup and drank half of her orange juice. I put her tray away and sat next to her on the bed. I hadn’t taken a note of her disheveled appearance earlier but now I could. I gathered her hair into a ponytail on top of her head and secured it with a clip.

“Why’d you do that?” She asked softly.

I watched her touch her neck and massaged it slowly.

“You don’t like your hair touching your neck,” I stated. I remember her saying it last week. I could also tell it was bothering her but she didn’t have the strength to do it on her own.

“I remembered”

She shyly nodded. I extended two pills to her and she popped them in her mouth and finished her orange juice.

“I think you should get some more rest,” I suggested.

She complied with a fluttering of her eyes and I pulled her down to lie flat. In a few minutes, she was out again. Just like that. Sick or not, I was glad she felt safe around me. I had calmed down luckily but Marcel didn't. He paced around my mind quietly with his head hung down. I had tried conversing with him lately but he barely responded. He needed time too.

I went down to my office to look over the last few sheets I had and decided to take them back to Adira’s bedroom. I set the four of them on the left side that was free and leaned my back against an extra pillow. Adira was on the right with her arms folded underneath her head. Once I was sure she was good, I focused on Wildon’s report and that was how I spent the next two hours. The plans to deal with young wolves using drugs would take a while to be in effect but they were usable.

“You’re still here?” Her scratchy voice coughed.

I slid my eyes to hers and she looked away from my stare.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your work, I’m sorry” She murmured.

I had really been terrible. She didn’t have to apologize. I should have been more attentive, understanding. I shouldn’t have tried to push her away the way I did. She wasn't mate but she was still a person.

“You didn’t interrupt me,” I breathed. “Anyway, someone needs to look after you and we both know you can’t get it done alone”

For the next few hours, I continued to make my notes and she laid next to me awake. She tried to make conversation every now and again and I obliged. Talking to her felt nice and I hoped my new attitude made things easier for her too. She’d be here for a while so I should make an effort.