My Best Friend's Alpha

15.

Tobias

A low growl vibrated through Nial's chest as I pulled him away from Meela. His stormy eyes glared at me furiously. The Alpha power was really doing a number on him.

'Son, I need to talk to you'

I try to keep my voice calm but the urgency seeps through.

'I need to make sure Meela's okay' he snaps, frantically watching Magnus scoop her limp body into his arms.

'Nial this is too important to wait'.

His eyes dart between me and Meela, agitated that he must now decide whether to talk to me or protect her.

Lana is trembling nervously and so she should be. I step into the doorway to block her escape.

'You're not going anywhere'

my words are laced with more venom than I'd intended. Confusion enters Nial's face before it dawns on him that I must know about the pup.

His eyes flit between me and Lana but his focus is once again pulled back to Meela when Magnus informs us that he's taking her to the infirmary, just as Deena and Mara stumble towards us with two guards in tow. Mara casts her eyes over her daughter hysterically, demanding to know what has happened.

I step forward but Nial evades my clutches and rushes after Magnus before I could stop him. I will talk to him later once he was satisfied with Meela's condition, I know how protective a mate can be, especially an Alpha. An Alpha's true mate makes him stronger. The stronger the Alpha, the stronger the pack.

I turn my attention to the guards who shift uncomfortably under my enraged glare.

'I told you to watch them, to not let any of them out of your sight' the aggression radiates off me forcing them to cower. I was no longer the Alpha, but the authoritative tone I had perfected over the years still remained.

'What happened?'

They both flinched at my bark.

'S.. Sorry Alpha Tobias, but, erm, Alpha Nial told us it was okay'

I pinch the bridge of my nose with a sigh. I wanted better for Nial, I'd hoped he would be making smarter decisions as Alpha. Deena rested a hand on my shoulder, her touch has a calming effect and I dismiss the guards with no further repercussions. This was not their fault, they listened to their new Alpha like loyal warriors are supposed to do.

As they head back towards the cabins, I realise I still had to deal with Lana. I spin on my heel to be greeted with an empty hut.

Deena and I locked eyes, my own fears reflected back at me in her golden orbs, she was gone.

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Nial

Magnus glares at me as he lays Meela down on the bed in the pack infirmary. I can tell he is furious at what I've put his daughter through and believe me, I hate myself right now for it too.

Meela is my other half, my true mate. The she-wolf that the Moon Goddess hand picked for me, the picture of perfection.

Arthur, the pack Doctor walks swiftly into the room, his long white coat flowing behind him.

He gently examined Meela before advising that she will need a brain scan.

Her bed is wheeled into the imagery room, my fingers find their way into my hair as we're told that neither of us are allowed in.

Magnus takes a seat outside of the doors whilst I continue to pace back and forth, attempting to calm the tornado of anger and frustration raging inside me until I see Magnus drop his head into his hands.

'I didn't mean for any of this to happen Magnus, I promise I'm going to make it up to her for the rest of my life'.

I slump into the seat next to him as he raises his head to study me.

The sincerity of my apology must have been written all over my face as he sighs in defeat.

'You know, she's really struggled to come to terms with you being her mate.' he talks softly so as not to disturb the doctors at work. 'Just as she was finally accepting it, this happens'

I feel like a failure, it's my job to protect her, to provide her with a lifetime of happiness but so far I have managed neither.

After giving me a piece of his mind, Alistair has shut me out. He's also angry at me for the way I have treated my mate, which he so often likes to remind me that she is his mate too.

The doors swing open as Arthur steps out.

'I'm afraid there's not much we can do' he explained, dejectedly. 'Her brain activity appears to be normal. There is nothing wrong with her physically, but her mind has shut her body down as a coping mechanism.'

Arthur has been the pack doctor for over 30 years, he casts a careful eye between Magnus and I before continuing.

'I've only ever seen this once before, a she-wolf was rejected by her mate'

My eyes widened in shock and my chest tightened. I hadn't rejected her, I could never!

'Did she recover?' I gulp in anticipation.

He nodded slowly as two nurses wheeled Meela out of the imagery room back to the private room she was occupying before.

We follow carefully behind.

'Actually, the cause was also the cure.' Arthur raises an eyebrow in bewilderment.

'Her mate could feel her despair, it was tearing him apart. He finally came to her bedside.'

We were in the room with her now as the nurses fluffed the pillows behind my sleeping beauty's head.

'If you remain close to her Alpha, I'm sure she'll be fine' a sorrowful smile graces Arthur's lips.

I look to Magnus who understood my intentions, he begrudgingly nods his head once in agreement. I take off my suit jacket and place it on the chair before settling myself down on the bed next to Meela, wrapping a protective arm around her. She moves her head to nessle it against my chest instinctively, I feel her body instantly relax.

Her face is so peacefully delicate with long curled eye lashes splayed out above her sun kissed cheeks. Her lips, so plump, rosey and oh so inviting. She is just breathtakingly beautiful and all mine.

Magnus kisses her forehead before following Arthur out of the room. Only her soft breathing and beeping of the SATs machine can be heard now. Closing my eyes, I pray to the Moon Goddess, promising that I will never do anything to hurt Meela again if she just brings her back to me.

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Lana

The temperature is dropping quickly, the first few drops of rain fall around me, I need to find shelter soon or risk catching hyperthermia. No-one noticed me slip away, they were all too preoccupied with Meela once again. An envious growl escapes my lips, my wolf desperately trying to claw to the surface but I can't let her. Shifting into my wolf would end the life of any pup that might be growing inside me.

Twigs snap under my feet and the cold air burns my lungs, pushing my body to keep on running before they catch up to me. My gaze darts towards the sound of rustling leaves as I hurry forwards, oblivious to the tree root growing out of the forest floor. Surging pain shoots up my leg as my ankle snaps beneath me, crashing my body to the ground. The bone protrudes out of my skin with blood spilling out onto the leaves beneath me.

Fuck. Now I'm screwed.

With a thundering heartbeat accelerating in my chest, my panic stricken eyes frantically search for cover. I can hear footsteps approaching at a fast pace. With my body too weak to stand, I crawl my way over to the left of a large birch tree, desperately hoping that my blood doesn't smear along the ground. There I spot it, a small opening between some rocks. I muster up enough energy to drag my way over to it and tuck myself inside. The fallen leaves surrounding me were now damp enough to clump together to completely cover the opening.

As the rain begins to fall heavier now, my scent is quickly washing away. Voices echo through the forest, the warriors of the pack sent to hunt me down.

'We can't find her anywhere' a familiar voice calls. It was Rico, the second in command warrior.

Watching them nervously through a tiny hole in the leaves, Alpha Tobias comes into view.

'There's blood' he shouts disconcertingly.

'She's injured, we must find her' he orders.

Four burly wolves scutter about the forest, I gasp in terror as one warrior stops only a few feet away from where I'm hiding.

'This is the end of our territory' he announces to the search party.

'If she's crossed over onto Red Moon territory then she'll have bigger worries than us finding her'.

Shit.

I hadn't been paying attention to where the territory line was, now I'm stuck in a confined space on the land of The Red Moon pack. Crossing the border into another territory officially makes me a rogue, once the warriors of Red Moon find me, I'm done for.

Red Moon are known to be cruel. They have a no-nonsense attitude and the fiercest warriors in the country. It has been said that their Alpha rose through the ranks by challenging the former Alpha and tearing him apart limb from limb, without even shifting into his full wolf. The warriors are trained extensively, with only those who win in a fight against the top warriors earning a place in the guard. The rest have to live out their day's performing rudimental pack house duties.

Concern washes over the face of Alpha Tobias. I know he's pissed at me right now, but he still has a duty of care for every wolf in the pack, and care for us he does. Part of me wants to surrender, to call out to them for help but my gut is telling me to stay quiet.

A moment later Alpha Tobias calls for the warriors to head back to the cabins in case I had returned. I watch them bound away out of the forest as a feeling of dread creeps it's way into my stomach.

What have I done?

My body shivers, I have no idea how long I've been stuck here but the forest is quiet and my ankle isn't healing properly because of the cold. I pray to the Moon Goddess to send me help before it's too late. The blood continues to ooze from my leg as I struggle against my heavy eyes lids to keep them open.

'Help'

My voice is weak and croaky.

'Someone, please help me'

The tears begin to flow as the realisation sinks in that I'm all alone in the forest now, I'll probably die out here without ever having hugged my parents one last time.

I'm so sorry Mom, Dad. I love you.

I lose the fight against my eyelids and everything goes numb.