The Lost Goddess, A War On Mates

Chapter 9

Jake sat in his bed thinking hard about the winter training mission. It did not make sense to him why they were being sent to this specific training camp because it was a two-day run-in wolf form from the pack house. The thought of leaving and being almost unreachable made him on edge. ‘What if Aeris needs me? She does not have a pack link and has no one to protect her here.’ Sitting up he grabs his jacket and heads out of the pack house in a hurry. People stared oddly as Jake smiled to himself and practically ran out of the house. Once outside he hopped into an old Ford ranger truck and started to head into town. The radio station played some alternative rock in the background while the engine hummed loudly. He made it to town within ten minutes and headed into the general store. Making his way to the back of the store and entering into the electronics section he found a cellular service phone plan. He looked at them all and was unsure of what to get.

A smiling store clerk came up to him, “Can I help you with anything sir?”

“Yes, which one of these would be a good phone?” Jake pointed to the handful of selections.

“I would say this is a good phone.” The clerk handed him a basic android smart phone.

“You also should get a waterproof case, a glass protector, a memory card, and get on one of the phone plans we offer.” Grabbing all the accessories the clerk listed for the device he once again stared at the services.

“Can you just give me four of these phones and the extra stuff, along with an unlimited talk; text and data plan?” Jake sheepishly smiled and the clerks’ eyes beamed. Quickly grabbing everything they rung up the total.

“Okay sir, your total for today will be $1,150 and your monthly billing cycle will be $150.” Jake nodded and swiped his account card without batting an eye. Being one of the top warriors led to great pay in the pack. After the clerk put all the items into a bag Jake headed back to the pack house. He was excited to give the guys their phones and have them all program them. Stepping into the pack house Jake’s smile quickly faded when he smelt blood. A lot of blood. Setting his wolf on edge he headed towards the smell. He could hear muffled sobbing coming from an empty corridor. As he got closer, he heard Lucas swearing up and grunting.

My eyes turned black, and my wolf snarled out, “What the f**k are you doing!?”  Aeris was on the floor bleeding from her nose, ears and mouth. She seemed dazed and spaced out. Almost like she was not here in this hallway. Quickly grabbing Lucas by the throat watching his face morph from shock to anger he slams him into the wall with one hand and squeezes hard.

“I command you to let me go!” Lucas barely choked out. Jake felt compelled to stop but his wolf refused to recognize this trash who hurt his loved one as his Alpha. The command only seemed to rile him up further causing Lucas to black out from the tightening grip. He slumped over and the scent of blood got stronger dragging Jake back to Aeris. He left Lucas to fall into a heap on the floor. Bruises would be on him for weeks. Gently shifting Aeris around he carried her bridal style to his room and took her to the bathroom. Placing her gently onto the countertop he gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Normally he would feel awkward undressing her, but she needed to be examined and cleaned up.

He gently took her face in his hands where blood still slowly dripped and cooed at her, “Hey little love, its Jake. Can you hear me?” He looked expectantly at her eyes waiting for something, but she remained dazed and glazed over. “I am going to undress you and fix you up okay little inferno?” He semi-smiled at Basil’s nickname and something flickered in her eyes. Nothing big but enough to know she was still there.

Gently removing her shirt, she flinched at every movement. Sighing he opened a drawer and grabbed some scissors and slowly cut her top and pants off. He unclasped her bra and cut off her underwear. He sucked in a breath while tears slid down his cheeks. After he stepped back and took a good look at her body, he felt his stomach drop and twist into knots. She had scars that looked jagged running across her stomach and arms, burns that looked freshly done on her chest and thighs, bruises new and old were scattered everywhere that could be covered by clothes. She looked so pale with dried blood in her matted hair and her face was sunken in so badly that he wondered when she got so thin. Even with all her developed muscles she still looked sickly thin. Bones jutted out near her ribs; most likely fractured, and she had a swollen lip. Her hands and body seemed weak and would give out any second from how much she was shaking, it could not be from the cold because he turned the hot water on when they came in, so the room was steamy and warm. He could see clearly that it was fear and fatigue. He knelt in front of her and bawled his eyes out gently placing his forehead on her knees.

Without expecting an answer Jake looked up and whispered,” Who did all this, when did they do all this to you? I thought you would come to one of us if you were ever in trouble like this…Aeris please, we can keep you safe little inferno!” He slowly broke as she did not respond or move. It broke his heart deeply.

Mind linking Basil and Adrian, ‘Get to my room right now, Aeris is injured. Grab the pack doctor on the way for wound care’ He sounded feeble and uncommanding. It frightened Adrian and Basil because Jake even though the youngest out of the three friend’s was more like the leader with his confident personality. He never sounded weak even under stress. Not even at his father’s funeral, he kept a strong stand for his mother and tried his hardest to be in uplifting moods. He was not one to be sad, anything but sad.

Standing up he wiped his tears and took his shirt off. It would just get in the way while helping her into the shower. Gently putting one arm under her legs and the other behind her back she barely leaned into his chest closing her eyes. The shivering lessened and her breathing became shallow but even. That seemed to be improvement enough. 

She may not be his mate, but he held a place in his heart for her for all of eternity and would make sure she was treated as at least an omega. No one was treated this way before in the pack, slave or not. We had a few omega slaves from neighboring packs, and this has never been an issue until her. It was a little different because those omegas were technically on loan and eventually returned to their pack after they worked off their equivalent of pack debt they owed, but it did not make this okay.

Walking over to the shower and gently setting her down in the tub she sighed as the water’s warmth soaked into her skin. The shivering stopped but her eyes remained closed. I poured some ocean breeze scented Epsom salt into the bath water and gently swirled my hand around allowing it to dissolve. She did not move a muscle, it started to concern me, but her breathing was steady. I took a soft loofah and lathered it in lavender scented soap. I hoped it would calm her mind and ease her muscles.

As I started to lift harm arm, she tensed and flinched, so I started humming to her. She relaxed once again as I slowly rub the loofa on her hand to get her accustomed to the feeling. She let out a quiet sigh and sunk into the water a little further. A small, sad smile crept onto my face. I bit my lip and closed my eyes reigning in my emotions. She needed me to be strong. As I moved up her arm Adrian and Basil finally arrived along with the doctor. I did not bother looking at them because I knew what their faces would look like.

I could feel the tension rising so I mumbled out, “Basil you can slowly start to wash her hair, Adrian, you can get the medical supplies ready for when we are done cleaning her.” Basil quickly grabbed the removable shower head and turned it on to lukewarm water. The tub was starting to turn a dark shade of red from all the blood coming off her body. She seemed so at peace with her eyes closed. I looked to Basil and saw him rinsing her hair so delicately it was funny. A grown man like him did not look like the delicate type, then again Aeris was different for all of us. She made us into delicate people.

Gently stroking down her neck getting dried blood off her ears and cheeks she seemed to flinch when I got closer to her breasts. Everything must hurt. With almost no pressure I wiped under her breasts and down her stomach just to make sure she was cleaned everywhere. I gently rose her legs and massaged into her thighs and calves. Her toes twitched from the tension release. I eventually got to her feet and gave her a foot massage as well. Her body was so tight you would wonder how she was able to move at all. Frowning I saw Basil finally manage to get all her hair rinsed out and he started to add the lavender soap. It took a lot of soap for so much hair.

“Hey Basil?” He looked up still gently lather strands until they reached the tips. “Do you think she likes her hair long or that she has no way to get a haircut?”

He looked to be in thought for a minute before he scowled and mumbled, “I don’t know…she never said anything, and we never asked before. I just assumed she liked it because she always seemed…happy…” His voice cracked on the word happy looking at her battered body. How could anyone have been happy living like this. Finishing washing her body, I looked at the water. It was as red as a deep burgundy rose. I frowned at how much blood came off her body. It almost overpowered the scented soaps.

Getting up I left Basil to finish her hair and walked out to the bedroom and saw Adrian with his head in his hands. He looked defeated with his shoulders slumped over and his hair mussed every direction. The doctor stood by patiently and gave me a semi-smile. All the supplies were on the desk next to the bed. I heard the water start to drain and went to lean on the door frame to the bathroom. I watched as Basil took the shower head and rinsed her body of any lingering soap. After he took a towel and dried her arms with care. He slowly dried her hair as well and kissed the top of her head as a tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it quickly and pulled her out. She was so light I think even a weak human could lift her with ease. He brought her out and we put her on the bed naked while the doctor looked over her body.

“She needs some stitches in the back of her hairline. It is just a skin rip but since its deep we need to keep an eye on it for infections. The stitches should dissolve in a few weeks. Her bruising looks long term, maybe from a few months ago. She has a lot of internal bleeding and most likely is anemic from her poor diet. She has three fractured ribs and one broken rib. I cannot give her a cast for her rib cage only a binder to hold it in place. The problem is if I give her a binding type bandage near her lungs if she is hit again the rib will have a high chance of puncturing her lungs. It would be your call since she is the pack slave, and she has no say. I also cannot give her any medications for the pain, nor can I do a proper physical or blood panel. I will start on the stitches but really her healing will do best if she starts eating properly and gets some rest along with some stretching for her tightened muscles. They could be extremely tight due to a lack of nutrients as well.” The doctor pulls out some bright blue plastic thread and a needle that looked like a fishing hook. He gently turned Aeris head to the side and I saw the gash. It had to be about four inches long and an inch or so deep. It made my stomach churn. As he held her hair apart, he quickly dove the needle into her skin and sewed her up fast. She never moved which surprised the doctor. Finishing off the last stitch he smiled and left some wound care items to clean it and prevent infection before he left. Adrian helped sit her up as I slid one of my shirts over her head and her arms through the holes. I put her into my boxers and some sweatpants thinking she might get cold.   

I pulled off my pants and put on some sleep shorts. I grabbed two more pairs of sleep shorts as well. Adrian and Basil just stared at her sadly.

“Here, put these on and then come to bed.” Throwing the shorts at each of them they seemed confused looking to each other and then down at Aeris. Basil got off the bed first and stripped to his boxers. He put on the shorts then waited for Adrian to follow suit. Adrian sighed and did the same. “Alright, I am going to have her lay on my chest, Basil you will be on the right near the window and hold Aeris from the side, Adrian you will be closer to the door and on her left doing the same.”  I went and climbed in bed repositioning Aeris, so our legs were wrapped around each other, and her hands were loosely outstretched to the left and right. Adrian and Basil hesitated.

Adrian spoke first, “Jake what are we doing?” he looked down and tightened his fists.

“We are taking care of our friend. She loves and needs all of us. We have no idea when she will wake up, but I do know she is not going back to that damned attic, she will not sleep alone ever again, and if she is not at school, she is on one of our hips! Look at her you guys, we allowed this to happen. What kind of friends let this happen?” He sobbed out the last part holding her a little tighter making sure not to hurt her. He nuzzled into her hair and smelled the lavender settling him down a bit. Adrian’s hands loosened and he slowly crept into bed laying himself down facing Aeris he gently grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles rubbing small circles into them. Basil did the same and moved a few strands of hair behind her ear. They all snuggled close wanting to keep Aeris comfortable for the rest of the night. Basil fell asleep first, then Adrian, and Jake was last to fall into a stressed and light sleep.

Lucas woke up on the cold floor and groaned sitting up. He rubbed his throat and sat there in pain. Sighing he ruffled his hair. ‘Adonis…’ silence. ‘Adonis I will try your way, what I am doing is not working and making me get her out of my head.’ Silence. ‘Adonis?’ nothing. Tearing up Lucas stood and sulked to his room. His wolf was ignoring him and was angry. The guilt of beating her again settled in. He was thankful that Jake found them. No one else would have stopped Lucas. He kept getting blinded by his rage when she was around. He was sick of treating her like s**t, but he could not figure out how to stop. Every time he approached, she immediately oozed fear and precaution. It set him on edge and something small would make him snap. He laid in bed wondering if she was okay. He pulled out the drawing he kept of her. She was so beautiful. As time passed, he wanted her more and more.

‘Dad would never allow it though, she is a weak human, not Luna material’ he thought sighing to himself he whispers out, “Mom? What do you think I should do; I know you are not proud of what I am doing. I want to keep my anger in check, I should not touch her without permission and have a lot to fix but I am so confused. I have no one anymore to turn to since you left. Dads not the same mom, I miss you…” Tears pooled in his ears as he shuddered out a breath. Biting his lip, he sits up and leaves for the gym to wear down his mind.

I found myself floating aimlessly, it felt serene and comfy. I could hear an echo of Jake's voice, but nothing was to clear except “…Aeris please, we can keep you safe little inferno!” I smiled to myself at the nickname. It felt like it belonged to me. A tight ball of fire ready to consume anything thrown at it. I did feel a slight pinch course through my body and then it stopped. I felt weightless here in this black abyss, no feelings of guilt or being a burden. I could stay here forever just enjoying the beautiful depths of nothingness.

 I could suddenly hear a heartbeat and it put me at ease. It smelt amazing as well here in the abyss, lavender was everywhere. The longer I was here the more invigorated I felt. I felt like I was being purified and cleansed of anything bad.  I could not tell how long I had been here when suddenly I felt a light tugging on the back of my head. Nothing was painful anymore either. I was thankful for that. I started to drift again when I saw a little light flicker in the distance. I was curious so I floated towards it. It led me to a library with flickering candles. I started to walk through each row touching the books and closing my eyes inhaling the scent of books. It reminded me of something. I frowned and opened my eyes. I walked to the middle of the library when I saw a little girl who looked just like me. She seemed prettier though. Full of life and excitement. She giggled and ran off with a book.

“Wait, where are we?” I followed quickly out of the library and was met with a grand hall. I saw her turn a corner and she ran into another room. I stopped at the door and gently opened it. Peering in I saw her sitting on a man’s lap.

“See it is so cool how algae can be bioluminescent, right!?” He smirked at her and hugged her kissing her cheek.

Peering at the book he asked,” Did you find out why they are bioluminescent though? I think why they are that way is much more interesting than just the fact that they are.”  She giggled again. ‘So happy…’ I thought to myself.

“Not yet, but I am sure I can find it. I love you, Drake!” She kissed his cheek and ran off again. I watched as he had his face in his palm and looked through me dreamily sighing.

“I love you too my princess.” He mumbled to himself. ‘He looked so familiar, but he was still blurry. I know him, I must know him. I must remember him. Who is Drake to me!’ I pleaded in my mind while I reached out when it all started to fade away.

I pulled my hand back and found myself staring at the same office. An older version of me plopped down angrily after barging in. The same man sat there looking stressed and preoccupied. I waited silently and watched as they had a small discussion on me going outside. I was not allowed outside; I could feel the hurt of my younger self coursing through me. It was never about leaving; it was about him. I stared at this man who hurt me and backed away.

I walked away from these images and walked back into the abyss. I kept walking and did not notice I was in another place. It looked like the beach, but I saw the man and woman from my dreams. The moon was full overhead and the waves crashed down loud and peacefully. The moon seemed hypnotic, and the wind carried the smell of salty air towards me. It put me at ease. As I walked over cautiously, I heard him speaking to her slightly panicked and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Hello…” They stiffened and turned to face me. The woman had tears in her eyes. “Why are you crying?” She smiled at me and reached out hesitantly caressing my cheek. I felt a wave of love and like I belonged.

“Look at her Lucy, she grew up to be so beautiful and she is not even an adult yet.” She smiled at the man who looked at her with adoration and then at me with so much yearning and pride.

“I am sorry, but do I know you? Why do I keep dreaming of you?” I asked looking between the two of them. I have never heard them speak before and now that we can talk, I want to know what they are to me.

The women looked at me with tears building in her eyes and sighed, “Lucy…” She gave the man a pleading look. I felt confused and conflicted.

“I know love, but I think it is time to go.” He gently tugged her hand, and she dropped her other hand from my cheek. I felt a loss and went to reach for her when the man stepped in front of her.

He looked at me and held my hand. “One day, you will be loved by someone incredible.” With that he let go of my hand and walked away with the woman. I wanted to follow but hugged myself instead rooted to my spot. It suddenly went black again but this time it felt overwhelming and uncomfortable. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.