His scarred mate

Waking up

Cam

Aside from her chest going up and down as she breathes, she hasn’t moved. Not even a flicker of an eyelash. I have never felt so incapable, so helpless. The only thing that keeps me going is that I can still feel our bond. She may not be awake, but I can sense that our connection has not weakened. Its what gives me hope. It has been days and I haven’t left her side. My mum brings me food and sits with Aria while I grab a quick shower and change clothes, but that is the extent of my movements away from her.

I hold her hand in mine and reminisce about our time in the cabin. Her care of my wolf. Her focus on her work. The feel of her skin. The heat of her touch. The feeling of wholeness when our bodies finally joined. I wonder if I should have marked her then? Would it have made things different? Would I have been able to sense her fear and get to her before this all happened? I should have forced her to come back with me.... no. I hang my head. I could never do that. My hand involuntarily tightens at the though of her being sad because of something I did. I realise my grip is too strong and loosen my hold.

I softly brush a strand of hair off her face as thoughts of my parents come to mind.

“Oh sweetheart....” My mother Lara, with tears in her eyes and a firm grip on her mate. My father and previous alpha. John. She let go of him and came over, wrapping her arms around me. Her familiar scent surrounding me and giving me comfort. My father's gravelly voice as he said hello. He has always been a man of few words. “This isn’t exactly how I pictured you meeting my mate.”

“She is beautiful baby. You got a special one.” Mum finally let’s go of me and my dad pats my shoulder then gives it a squeeze. I look from Aria’s face to theirs and I realise that at this moment, I cant be what the pack needs. But them...... “Dad. I can’t leave her. Not now. But so much still needs to be done. So much left unfinished after the battle. “ I take a deep breath and ask, “Can you take over as alpha again for a while? Max is great. He can move mountains if he puts his mind to it. But he isn’t an alpha. Our pack needs a leader and I......I just can’t b that right now.”

I watch my parents, see their eyes flicker as they speak to each other through the bond before my dad finally replies “Fine.” I sign in relief. The guilt of not being there for my packs lifts off my shoulders and as they leave, I quickly inform Max about the change. I talk with him for a few minutes, asking how he is healing. His recovery speed is magnificent. The breaks and fractures are mending nicely. Writhing a few days he should be all good again.

As my memories fade, the door opens and Max walks in. “Hey, just thought I would check in. Your dad is doing great. No surprise there. He is an old hand at this alpha thing. “ He drags a chair over and planks himself down next to me. “ It’s been 10 days and you haven’t left this room. How about I stay here with her while you take your wolf for a run? “ I want to growl at him for his suggestion as the word no gets caught in my throat. I can feel my wolf's restlessness. He doesn’t want to leave his mate's side either, but the call of the woods is just there in the background. The air rushing through our fur. The feeling of the ground under our paws. I have kept him locked up. “Ok. My I want you to too watch her like a hawk. If she even flickers an eyelash, you let me know!” Max gives a small chuckle before turning completely serious and giving me a nod. The moment I am outside the clinic and I feel the breeze, I realise just how much my wolf and I both need this. I change in a flash and start to run. The feeling is invigorating. I run through the trees, weaving around and leaping over shrubs. After a while, I slowly turn and start to make my way back. As I exit the trees, a beam of sunlight catches my eye and I look over. A mass of wildflowers seem to glow as light shimmers over them. I have never seen this spot before. I explore a little and find that despite being close to the pack house, this section is relatively untouched. As I move around, I find that it is very secure. The trees and boulders nearby act as a natural barricade. They are tightly squeezed and smooth too the touch. Aside from the part where I emerged, nature has formed a bio-fortress on 2 sides. With one side leading to the pack and the other to the woods, it would be easy to defend, but also give a sense of peace and security. My eyes brighten as I realise, this is the spot. I’m going to build our home here. I focus on the geographic location so I can send some guys over to start construction before heading back to the clinic. I get Max to bring me back some paper, pens a ruler. The moment he hands them over I get to work. I sketch out our future home. It will be 2 stories. 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms upstairs along with a storage closet.

Downstairs is a spare toilet, living room, dining room and a kitchen. I also include a small library and make sure that her office’s window faces the flowers. She will be spending a lot of time in there working, so I want her to be as comfortable as possible. I also include a porch with a swing. We can sit there, my arm around her shoulder, holding her close while we watch our pups run around. My heart lifts as I think about our future. She just has to wake up. Determination fills me and I hand the plans to Max. There are colour notations scrawled in the margins and ideas on decorations. “Get the guy's to start building. Also, send some over to pack up all of her things and move them over. When Aria wakes up, I want her stuff to be nearby.” Max nods and goes off and gets started.

Days pass. Weeks pass. Every day, the nurse will come in and work on her. It is the only time I leave her side. I go for a run and check on how the build is going while the nurse does amazing thins for Aria. After taking care of her bodily needs and giving her a sponge bath. She then spends time working each of her limbs, massaging the muscles. Stretches and movements to encourage blood flow and keep everything strong and healthy. It’s all with the goal that when she wakes up, her physical therapy will be shorter and easier on her body. I appreciate the Doc organising this.

3 months pass so quickly, but also drag on so slowly. I am waiting. Always waiting. When the house is finally complete, I meander through the rooms. It’s what I wanted. There are echoes of Aria's cabin , but it’s mostly a fresh start. It really feels like us. I hope she likes it and will be able to see it soon. When I get back to her room, the nurse has a strange look on her face. “What? Did something happen?” I ask with a concerned tone. “Her fingers and toes..... They moved. “ She looks over at me. “This could mean something or it could mean nothing. Alpha, please remain calm while I got get the Doctor to check.”

As she walks out the door, I drop in my regular seat. My mind is blank as I wait for news. Any news.

The Doc comes in and examines Aria. It feels like eternity. She goes and comes back repeatedly, bring different equipment that lets off beeps and chirps and reveals hundreds of different readings.

Eventually she turns to me “Alpha. From what the scans are showing, it appears she is trying to wake up. Her brain has shown more activity and her body's movement are revealed to be more than just nerves twitching. It does mean we are still waiting, but things are looking good.” They both leave and I am alone with Aria. My heart is in my throat and I cant stop staring at her. Every time she twitches, my spirit leaps. She is going to wake up soon. I know it.

Every minute that passes feels like an hour. Time stretches and it’s making me antsy. My wolf and I have never liked waiting and that dislike has only increased with the time at our mate's bedside.

The sun sets and the moon rises. We stare at the gentle light that glows in the sky and pray to the moon goddess for strength. My wolf goes to sleep and I follow soon after.

I feel a faint movement in my hand and it wakes me. My blurry eyes can see the early dawn's light starting to stream in through the window and light the room. I stare at her hand. Did I imagine it? Then, it moves! First one finger, than another. After a few minutes, her fingers all stretch out, as if trying to grab something. I cradle her hand in my own and reach up to stroke her hair from her face.

“Aria? Aria sweetheart. Can you hear me?”

He head turns and a soft groan slips out her mouth. I watch as her eyes start to flutter and I feel like I cant breathe. Finally. I have been waiting so ling for her to wake up.

“It’s ok. You're safe. “ As the words tumble out my mouth, her eyes widen and focus on my face and a look of terror appears. She screams and starts to panic. I yell for the doctor and try to soothe her. Her body thrashed and she rips her drip out. It crashes to the ground just as the Doc and her nurse come running. They see how panicked she is and can only sedate her. My world tumbles down around me. She was afraid. My mate was afraid of me. I stumble out the room and make it outside before dropping to the grass and resting my head in my hands. I have no idea what to do. I am lost.