Broken and Still Alive

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Ezekiel's POV**

"MATE!"

Dilon, my wolf, roared in my head. My feet, acting on instinct, propelled me towards the intoxicating scent of sweet jasmine. I skidded to a halt beside the small lake. My eyes locked onto her. The most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was small, almost fragile, with long raven black hair that fanned out beside her head on the grassy bank. Her eyes, when they were open, were the color of the summer sky, a vibrant, breathtaking blue. She wore only a ragged white cotton gown, clinging to her slender frame.

"SHE IS HURT, MATE IS HURT! HELP HER NOW!" Dilon’s urgent cries snapped me back to reality. I took a step towards her, but she flinched, her back pressing against the rough bark of a sprawling oak tree. Fear flashed in her eyes, wide and vulnerable. The next moment, her legs buckled and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"AHHHHHH!" The bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air. It was Crimson, my beta. I whirled around to see him kneeling on the ground, his human form contorted in pain. Blood was pooling ominously from his back. And then I saw them. Shiny, white, ethereal wings erupting from his spine.

What the hell was going on here? I mind-linked Luca, my delta, instructing him to help Crimson back to the pack hospital. Simultaneously, I mind-linked Dr. George Garner, our pack doctor, while scooping my mate into my arms. She was so light, so unbelievably fragile, it felt like I was holding nothing at all.

As the hospital came into view, I saw Dr. Garner waiting for us, along with a few nurses and a stretcher.

"Dr. Garner, save her. She is your Luna," I ordered, my voice tight with a raw urgency I hadn't known I possessed. I gently placed her on the proffered stretcher. "Crimson is behind us. I don't know what is going on. He needs help... h-he has wings," I sputtered out to one of the nurses who immediately rushed to grab another stretcher and Dr. Charise Jonas.

I followed Dr. Garner, watching helplessly as he examined my mate. I could feel her fading, the life force slowly ebbing away. Panic clawed at me. As I started to crumble under the weight of it all, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. My father, the former Alpha Aiden, stood beside me, his face etched with worry.

"Dad, she is my mate, and I want the head of the one who hurt her," I told him, my voice laced with pain and a simmering rage that threatened to consume me. Each word was a promise of vengeance, a vow to protect what was mine.

Now that we were under the bright hospital lights, I could see her more clearly, and it was breaking my heart. Her body was covered in bruises, a cruel tapestry of purple and blue. There were deep gashes, etched into her delicate skin. And she was so painfully thin, I could see the faint outline of every bone beneath her skin. She was a warrior, a survivor, to still be alive given the extent of her injuries.

"I am going to order an X-ray, CBC, and coagulation tests. I have a feeling she has a few broken ribs and possibly some internal bleeding. You can wait in the waiting room, and I will come out and talk to you when we get the tests back," Dr. Garner said, turning to a nurse, Addison, and rattling off orders. "I want a rush on everything, Addison."

A few moments later, two technicians arrived to take her for the X-ray. The nurse had already drawn her blood for the other tests.

I decided to check on Crimson while I waited to hear more about my mate. Walking into his room, I found him lying on the bed, still unconscious. His chest rose and fell unevenly.

"Dr. Jonas, is he going to be okay? Can you tell me what happened to him, and where the hell did those wings come from?" I demanded, my mind reeling.

"To be honest, Alpha, I don't know. I have never seen anything like this in all my career. His vitals are stable, but he seems to be in a coma," she said, her voice filled with uncertainty.

I nodded, dismissed her, and headed down the hall to the waiting room. As I entered, I saw my father, Former Alpha Aiden, and my mother, former Luna Jolivia. My Delta, Luca, was with them, along with my brother, Isaiah, and his mate, Trinity, and my sister, Violet, and her mate, Bolton. The pack was rallying around me, offering silent support.

"Dad," I called out as I walked into the waiting room.

"Any news, Ezekiel? How is she?" he asked, his voice thick with concern.

"I don’t know. They have taken her for an X-ray and are waiting on the blood work," I told him, many things running through my head. "Dad, Crimson... h-he had wings that just sprouted out of his back, and now the doctor says he is in a coma of sorts. Have you ever heard of anything like this?" I asked him, desperate for answers.

He looked at me with a lost expression in his eyes and simply said, "No, son, I have never seen or heard of anything like this."

"Alpha, can we please speak in private?" Dr. Garner interrupted, appearing in the doorway.

I followed him out into the hallway.

"What is it? Is she okay? Is she going to make it?" I asked, terrified of hearing the worst news imaginable.

"She is stable for now, but she is critical. She has three broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and a ruptured spleen. Someone really beat the hell out of her. And this was not just from tonight. She has many old injuries. As you saw, she is covered in bruises, some as old as two weeks. If I had to say, she has been abused and starved over a very long period of time, possibly since infancy." As he spoke, I felt my legs weakening. I stumbled back against the wall, struggling to stay upright. My father must have sensed my distress and came running to stand by my side, his presence a solid anchor in the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

"W-what is your treatment plan?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"Right now, she is on her way to emergency surgery. We are hoping to repair the spleen. If not, we will have to remove it. If she were a healthy werewolf, I wouldn’t be concerned with removing it, but as malnourished as she is, I doubt she has ever shifted, which leaves her as fragile as a human. That comes with the risk of her going septic and not being able to fight off infection, and she may require a blood transfusion. It would be nice if we knew where she came from and if she has any family, but being as we don't, we need to find a match."

The weight of the information Dr. Garner provided pressed down on me, a crushing burden. But I knew I had to pull myself together, for her. I straightened my shoulders and, with my father’s hand a reassuring presence on my back, I mind-linked the pack.

"Wild Hearts Pack, this is your Alpha speaking. I am pleased to inform you that I have found our Luna, my mate. But unfortunately, our Luna has been severely abused and is in need of your help. Dr. Garner says she may need a blood transfusion, and we need to find a match ASAP. Those of you who are able, please make your way to the hospital to be tested and donate. Thank you, and may the Moon Goddess bless you all."