Chapter 6: The Silent Guardian and The Missing Giant
1410 Words
Aera's Pov :
It had been seven days since I woke up in this strange cult And absolutely nothing made sense.
I sat on the edge of the large hospital bed, staring down at my bare left leg. Dr. Elara had just cut my cast off. There were no scars.
I touched my smooth skin, my brain spiraling into panic. How did I heal this fast? Normal humans needed months to recover from a fall. Did this cult give me experimental drugs?
But my fast healing wasn't the only weird thing. It was the people.
Everyone in this hospital treated me like I was royalty. The nurses would bring me extra desserts, fluff my pillows, and always speak to me with their heads slightly bowed in deep respect. I didn't understand it. Why were they caring for me like I was precious?
And then, there was Toren.
The terrifying giant with the brutal scars had basically become my personal shadow. He spent every single day sitting in a tiny, uncomfortable chair next to my bed, watching the door like a guard dog. He acted exactly like a overprotective older brother.
Right now, Toren was using his massive, lethal hands to carefully peel an apple for me with a tiny plastic knife.
"Toren, you don't have to stay here all day," I said softly.
He didn't look up from the apple. "I want to."
He rarely spoke more than one sentence at a time, but his deep voice always made me feel incredibly safe.
Just then, a young nurse walked in carrying a tray of medicines. She smiled at me, but when she glanced at Toren, she looked terrified.
Toren slowly raised his dark eyes to the nurse. "She needs more blankets. She is cold."
The nurse gasped loudly. Her eyes went wide, and she actually dropped her clipboard on the floor with a loud clatter. "Y-Yes! Right away!" she squeaked, practically running out of the room.
I laughed. "Why do they do that? You just asked for a blanket!"
The hospital door opened again, and Riven and Nyx walked in. They had visited me a few times over the week.
"They act like that because Toren doesn't speak to anyone," Riven sighed. He looked at Toren in complete disbelief. "Actually, before you got here, Nyx and I were convinced he had forgotten how to use his vocal cords."
"I literally thought he was mute," Nyx agreed, crossing her arms and smirking at me. "He hasn't spoken a full sentence to me in five years. But with you, he's suddenly a chatterbox. It’s unnatural."
Toren just grunted, handing me the neatly peeled apple.
I took a bite, looking between the three highest-ranking members of this 'pack'. They were so fiercely protective. But one person was missing.
"Where is your... so-called Alpha?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but a weird, tiny pang of disappointment hit my chest. The giant, grumpy cult leader with the deep grey eyes hadn't visited me once in the last seven days.
Toren’s jaw tightened. Nyx looked away.
"He is working," Toren said simply.
"What kind of work does a forest cult leader even do?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Does he gather pinecones?"
Riven chuckled softly. "Aera, Kael is not a cult leader. He is the CEO of Draven Enterprises. He owns half the land in this state, thousands of businesses, and he protects thousands of people. He is the Supreme Alpha."
I almost choked on my apple. Draven enterprise? I heard that name. The grumpy giant who carried me out of the mud was a ridiculously wealthy, powerful CEO?
"Then why hasn't he come to see his patient?" I muttered, feeling suddenly very small.
"He is staying away for your safety," Nyx said quietly, her sharp eyes softening just a fraction.
huh what is that? I didn't understand it a bit.
Kael's Pov :
My office was completely dark.
I sat behind my desk, staring blindly at the thin paper file in my hands. For seven days, I had completely avoided the Pack Hospital. I had buried myself in pack politics and corporate business, desperately trying to ignore the agonizing pull in my chest.
"Mate", my wolf, Erebus, howled in my mind. He was violently scratching at the walls of my control. "She is alone. You are a coward. Go to her!"
"Shut up," I growled out loud, my voice rough and exhausted.
I threw the file onto the desk. I had sent my best men to investigate Aera’s past. I wanted to know what she was. I wanted an explanation for her silver and gold eyes, and the ancient, terrifying power I felt radiating from her tiny body.
But my men found nothing.
The report only stated that she was a human orphan, bounced around the abusive foster care system her entire life. She was a complete mystery.
The door to my office suddenly creaked open.
"Hiding in the dark will not make the bond disappear, Alpha."
I looked up. Elder Agatha, the oldest and wisest woman in the Blackwood Pack, walked slowly into the room with her walking stick. She was the only person in the territory who wasn't afraid of my temper.
"I am not hiding, Agatha," I snapped coldly, rubbing my aching temples. "I am protecting the pack. Mates are a weakness. I cannot afford to care for a fragile human girl."
Agatha stopped in front of my desk and hit the floor with her stick.
"Do not be a fool, Kael Draven," she scolded me sharply. "A mate is not a weakness. A mate is an anchor. The Moon Goddess gave her to you because your wolf is too dark, too violent. You are drowning in bloodlust, and she is the only light that can save you. Do not ignore her. If you push her away now, you will lose your soul completely."
Her words hit me like a blow.
Erebus whined softly in agreement.
I stared at the empty chair in front of my desk, thinking about Aera. I thought about her sassy little voice, her tiny fists, and those incredible, glowing mismatched eyes. For seven days, I had tried to pretend she didn't matter. But every second I was away from her felt like a burning knife in my chest.
I stood up abruptly.
"Where are you going?" Agatha asked, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"To the hospital," I growled, my deep grey eyes flashing with dark, possessive heat. "I am bringing her home."
Aera's POV :
The hospital room was quiet after Toren, Nyx, and Riven left. I was sitting on the bed, staring at my healed leg, still trying to process everything.
Suddenly the door opened, and Kael stepped into the room. He was wearing a dark, perfectly tailored suit that stretched tightly across his impossibly broad shoulders. He looked very handsome, but the wild, hungry look in his deep grey eyes belonged completely to a predator.
He locked the door behind him with a sharp click.
My breath caught in my throat. He walked slowly toward my bed, his gaze burning right through me.
"You're healed," Kael stated. His deep voice was a rough, breathless rumble that sent a hot shiver straight down my spine.
"I am," I whispered, my fake bravery completely failing me. I couldn't look away from him. The tension in the room was so thick it was hard to breathe. "Are you... are you going to send me away now?"
Kael stopped right beside the bed. He didn't answer. Instead, his hand reached out, his long fingers gently wrapping around my bare healed ankle.
I gasped softly. His touch was impossibly gentle. A jolt of electric heat shot straight up my leg, making my heart race. His thumb slowly stroked my soft skin—a fiercely possessive, intimate gesture.
"No," Kael growled softly, leaning closer until his face was just inches from mine. His eyes dropped to my lips for a second before meeting my eyes again. "You are not going anywhere, Aera. You are moving into my house. With me."
- Writer
