The Human Society

Chapter 2

Valentina walked into the the nearly empty waiting room accompanied by the music of her heels. Her sunset colored hair waved behind her like it had a mind of its own. Darren had always thought that maybe it did.

She turned her hard gaze on to him as she delicately took the seat in front of Darren. He didn't care that the Vampire Queen had come to see him while the festival was still in progress. Darren figured that someone let it slip that he was moping in the hospital wing.

"Birchwood," She acknowledge him, pulling his eyes away from the door where his mate was being seen. Wolf was pacing furiously in the back of his mind. "What happened?" She asked callously making Wolf growl.

She has no respect! Wolf barked at him

I know.

Darren watched as Valentina took a false breath. She just wanted answers he reminded himself and Wolf. They were both apart of the same counsel and he shouldn't take her stupid question the heart.

"I am sorry," She spoke more gently, but was clearly frustrated. "Can you please tell me what happened?"

He didn't know what it was about that tone that made him crumple, but what ever air he'd been holding in his lungs escaped all at once. Scrubbing his hands down his face, Darren look at the florescent lights embedded in the ceiling.

"I...she is my mate." He said. "What... what am I suppose to do? How am I going to tell my pack? How does that effect them? Aren't," he looked around to make sure it was just them and the triage Elf in the large waiting room, Darren lowered his voice just in case, "Humans suppose to be extinct?" Darren let his shoulders slump in his chair and shook his head. "s**t, what am I going to tell my parents?"

"Birchwood, I more meant, how did you find it?" She asked, which was met with a low growl. "I am sorry, her...how did you find her?"

"Wolf, he.." Darren felt helpless as he tapped his nose, it was like all the words left his mind all at once. Wolf trying to comfort him, but Darren knew the both felt helpless here.

"Listen Darren, I know what this means to your people, but there is another option." She placed her hand on his, she was cold. "I do not suggest this lightly but...there is alway...rejection."

The future Alpha looked up and without thinking charged the Vampire Queen in front of him. She dodged his first attack. How dare she! How dare she think of taking his mate from him.

"Take it back." Darren growled squaring his shoulders. Logically he knew he was overreacting, Wolf wasn't even fighting to get out, he was pissed but he knew Darren could handle this. Charging at her again the brown haired man anticipated which way she would dodge with time and caught her with his shoulder.

Valentina's shoulder gave out a loud pop, making her shout in frustration.

"Damn Wolf!"

"Take. It. Back." He shouted and charged again.

"Fine!" Darren could hear the subtle sound of sinew and reattaching. "I take it back."

He growled loudly. "Make it Official!"

"I Valentina Morrison, Vampire Queen do not nor will I ever wish you Darren Birchwood, and your mate to be separated. With this vow I ensure that our peace has been kept." She snapped her arm back into place and shook her head. "Happy?"

"No, I would like you to leave please." He said righting his shirt and picking up some of the chair that had been knocked over in the scuffle.

"Umm My Queen, Alpha?" The triage Elf spoke up and turned off the alarms. "I am going to have to ask you both to leave, fighting in any hospital is prohibited."

"We are very sorry Miss," Valentina bowed her head, "however I need you to make an exception for the Alpha. His mate is behind those door and I antagonized him. This was my mistake not his."

Darren still didn't trust this woman, but this was something he'd never seen in a vampire before. Maybe she did understand what the mate bond really was.

"I will leave upon request, but let him stay...please."

The elf sighed and nodded her head. "Fine, but no more incidents Alpha." She pointed her finger sternly.

"Thank you." Darren sighed and nodded at Valentina.

"When you are ready, I'd like to speak about your new situation Birchwood." The Queen spoke before sauntering out of the room.

Three hours later a doctor finally stepped out of the double doors and told Darren he could see her.

----

Her legs hurt, and she couldn't remember much from the last few days. The last memory she had was feeling like the earth wanted to swallow her then something warm?

Cracking her eyes she winced, why was it so bright? There was no way she was still in her cabin. Where was Caleb?

"This way Alpha, she may be asleep right now but she will wake soon."

The sound of metal on metal made her flinch and try to sit up. Something was wrong with her side. It didn't matter, she had to get away from whomever these people were she didn't want to be here. Where was Caleb?

"f**k!" She said falling when she tired to stand.

"Whoa! Let me." A warm voice said helping her up, she pushed him away and scurried into as far away from the two men as she could. There was tube in her arm that she tried to rip out.

"Stop! You'll hurt yourself if you do that." The same voice that tried to help her was panicked. She finally looked at him. He was handsome. Not too tall, but long dark brown hair he wore in a ponytail and milk chocolate colored eyes. He was worried?

"Who are you?"

"Darren, my name is Darren." He squatted in front of her and gently lifted the arm that had the I.V. in it. "You're in the hospital. My Wo....I found you in the forest, you almost dead."

"Where is Caleb?" She asked trying to look away from Darren.

"I don't know, but right now we have to get you back to bed okay?" He tried get closer, but she pulled herself farther in to a ball. "I know you don't trust me, but I want to help you. I'll always help you Sweetheart." There was something about this man, he smelled funny like grass and wind.

"Taji." She slowly unfurled herself.

"What?"

"That's my name. Where am I?" She asked finally letting Darren help her.

"Right now? You're at the Festival of the Tides."

"I don't know what that is." She sat on the hospital bed and looked between Darren and the Doctor who hadn't spoken.

"We can talk about it later, lets just rest now okay?"

Taji didn't trust anything about the situation, but she knew how to be patient.

"Sir can we speak?" The doctor asked.

"I'll be right back okay?" He said leaving with the doctor though Taji got the impression that Darren didn't want to leave her.

They didn't go far, probably right outside of the door because Taji could still here them speaking in hushed tones. She couldn't make out much except one word that the doctor kept repeating.

Alpha...

Taji felt her heart race, he was a wolf. He was a werewolf and she was Red Ridding Hood. Caleb had been right all along, she was dead meat.