The Tortured Luna

Blood Moon Pack Hospital

Alpha Atlas, Beta Jack, and Lorna walked through the front doors of the pack hospital and directly up to the receptionist and nurse's desk.

"Alpha, Beta, ma'am. How can I help you?" Atlas was still seething when he spoke.

"Luna Rose. Where is she? Is she okay? What about our pup?" Atlas rushed out.

"She's in the VIP room down the hall, first door on the left. They're both alright. The glass was removed from her hand, the wounds were cleaned, and wrapped in clean antiseptic bandages. They should be able to come off in the next few hours." Instantly, Atlas ran down to the room he was directed to and rushed in to be with his mate, Luna Rose.

"There was an Omega that Warrior Lyonal brought in. Her name is Laurallee. How is she doing?" The nurse sighed and shook her head as she grabbed the chart copy.

"She's in critical condition, Beta Jack. According to her injuries, she was thrown into the corner of a table hard enough to not only to cause a concussion but crack her skull open. We had to take her into emergency surgery, which is rare for any werewolf, and reconstruct her skull. We have her in a medically induced coma to monitor her. We're unsure how her wolf is doing right now, but they're both healing slowly. Lyonal hasn't left her side. He thinks they're mates. They're in the ICU at the end of the hall." Jack just stood there unsure how to process the information, only coming out of it when he heard Lorna whimper a bit.

"Let him stay in there with her. If he has reason to believe they're mates, then that's more than likely the case. Give him anything he needs. This young woman is Lorna. She's a new member and is set to be my new mate in the next three months since I lost.... since I lost Lillyan and... and our unborn pup. Please give her a thorough medical exam. She lost her mate, too...." Jack said, the pain obvious in his voice and facial features. At these words, Lorna slowly looked up at Jack, her eyes hidden under her long bangs, and saw him in a new light. He was going through basically the same thing as she was... and she didn't know what was worse. Knowing and spending time with your pup, or never getting the chance.

"Of course, Beta Jack. If you'd both come with me, I'll take you to the room across from Luna Rose." They slightly nodded their heads and started following her, sitting down after she led them into the room. "Lorna, please change into the medical gown and sit on the exam table. One of us will be back to examine you in a few minutes."

"Okay." Lorna replied as the nurse walked out of the room. As she grabbed the medical gown, Jack cleared his throat and spoke.

"Since we just met, I'll give you some privacy." Jack started walking towards the door when Lorna spoke.

"Please stay... I don't know anyone here, I just lost my mate and pup, and... doctors scare me... at least the ones in Dark Raven do. I... I can go into the bathroom and change and be comfortable. Just... please... don't leave me alone with the doctor.... not yet." Jack widened his eyes in surprise before he nodded his head in agreement and sat down in one of the empty chairs only to see Lorna smile and rush into the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later in the medical gown and timidly walked over to the exam table. Jack watched her curiously, and without realizing it, smiled. He found himself watching her with interest... trying to decipher the meaning of her demeanor... watching as she took a few deep breaths and seemingly steeled herself before finally getting on the exam table just before the door opened. Both the nurse from earlier and the doctor walked in.

"Hi, Lorna. I'm Dr. Rosalynne Waters. You've already met Nurse Maryannah Greene. I understand that you're new here and need a full medical check-up, correct?" The Dr asked her. Jack watched as she visibly started to shake with fear as she nodded her head in response. He couldn't let her sit there on her own without any comfort, so he walked over, took the seat next to her, and took her hand in his.

"Lorna, we're nothing like the Dark Raven Pack. I promise you're safe here. Dr Waters isn't going to hurt you. She just wants to see where you are with your health so that we can make sure that you're healthy. I promise. Just breathe. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere, okay?" slowly Lorna calmed down and nodded her head. She looked over at him and couldn't help the grateful smile.

"Thank-you. Outside of my Late Mate, you're the only one besides my grandmother who's ever done that for me. I truly appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now let's focus on Dr. Waters."

"Lorna, why are you so afraid of Drs?" Dr Waters asked with concern. This wasn't normal behavior, and she suspected some major abuse.

Lorna took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she answered. "In Dark Raven Pack, the doctors are instructed to inhibit she-wolves to prevent them from ever getting to their fullest potential. Every few months, they give us a very small dose of wolvesbane every week. It's done in a formula the Alpha came up with that doesn't kill the wolves and only weakens them. I managed to get a full dosage, put it in a small surgical steel tube, and implant it in my chest. My Late Mate was the only one who knew I did this. We were planning on coming here and telling Alpha Atlas everything that we could and see if we could move here... see if he'd be able to make something official so that Alpha Krassus didn't suspect anything. I thought that if we could reverse engineer the formula, we could reverse the effects and hopefully return my wolf to her full strength. Kiera hasn't had the strength to heal me at full capacity, and I'm afraid if she tries I'll lose her. The doctors are Alpha ordered to do it to all she-wolves as soon as they get their wolves. The dosages are every three months, twice a week. They tell us the shots are enhancers, but we know differently because of how much they burn. The only times that she-wolves don't get the serum is during pregnancy and breastfeeding because the Alpha wants strong males. He knows that if the pups are males, the serum will weaken them, too."

Jack couldn't help the growl of frustration and anger that escaped him the same time that the doctor and the nurse sat down with expressions of disbelief. He expected the growl to scare Lorna, but it surprisingly, only served to relax her. "Where exactly did you implant the surgical steel capsule? The quicker we remove it, the quicker we can get you and your wolf back to full health." Lorna closed her eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

"I...I'll show you all. But.. only if you're truly serious about helping Kiera and I... and eventually the she-wolves of Dark Raven." Jack didn't hesitate and promised.

"I promise you, we'll start with helping you and Kiera, then spread it to the she-wolves of Dark Raven. I won't rest until Atlas and I have kept this promise." Lorna smiled, nodded slightly, and slowly took down the left side of the medical gown until the entire left side of her chest was bare. She slowly and carefully pulled up to reveal a very angry-looking bump. Everyone's eyes widened as the doctor quickly went forward to examine it.

"It's pretty tender, and I'm not sure how it looks, but I can't comfortably have any clothing on it at all. I'm worried it may have busted open or that the dosage capsule that I used had wolvesbane on the outside... or maybe even mixed in the metal itself."

"Lorna, you're incredibly brave for doing this to yourself to get the evidence out. However, as rare as this is for us werewolves, it's truly infected and needs to be removed immediately. If it stays any longer, you'll end up losing your wolf. Nurse Maryannah, prepare her for emergency surgery... and get the rest of the staff that's not on call for the other two to prepare the surgery room quickly. Beta Jack, please help her get and stay calm while I sedate her. We have to get started immediately." Dr. Waters said as she started to get the anesthesia ready. Lorna visibly started shaking and had fresh tears running down her face.

"Lorna, look at me." Jack stated gently. "I'll be here when you get out. Promise." she smiled in response, slowly slipping in darkness.