Chapter 17

Aiden’s POV

Walking back towards the packhouse took longer than I wanted it to. Ayla was unconscious, and her breathing was shallow. She needed help quickly; the patches of her skin that weren’t bruised and covered in blood were so pale. Finally, the lights from the house could be seen between the branches of the surrounding trees.

At first, no one noticed me carrying a semi-naked, unconscious girl in my arms across the lawn. I had sent a message to my brothers as soon as I could see the house. It was them that came running towards us first.

“What the fuck happened” Axel shouted as he ran towards us.

“We need to get her inside, find a doctor, hurry,” I say through gritted teeth.

More of the guests had noticed something was going on now. Loads of people were gasping and muttering as I drew closer. Luna Laura came running out quickly; the news must have reached her ears.

“Oh my goddess, Ayla”, she covered her mouth, and a tear ran down her cheek.

“MOVE!” Michael boomed as he pushed his way through. “What happened” he demanded.

“Sir, I don’t know; I just found her like this”, I reply, pure shock and concern plastered all over my face.

“Get her inside; I’ll call for Kaleb!” The Alpha instructed.

Walking through the house carrying her was horrible. Everyone stared and talked amongst themselves. I caught sight of that girl who went for Ayla at school; she tried to look worried, but when she thought no one was looking, she was smirking. I wanted to wipe that dirty look right off her face.

“Lay her down here” Luna Laura points to a large sofa.

“She needs a blanket or something; my shirt is wet; I had nothing else to cover her with when I found her,” I tell her over my shoulder.

Placing Ayla down on the sofa, I can finally see how badly injured she is; I try my best to keep her modestly covered until I’m handed a throw blanket. I couldn’t bear to look at her this way. I couldn’t believe someone had done this to her and for what reason.

“Who did this to her,” Michael asked, the very question running through my mind.

“As I said, I don’t know; I just found her like this” I didn’t like the tone he was using with me; I would never hurt Ayla; she already meant more than the moon to me.

Archer and Axel push into the room, making their way over to me. They feel my frustration, my anger.

“There are too many people in here; every one that isn’t family, get out”, a new voice sounded by the door.

“Kaleb, thank you for coming so fast; it’s Ayla”, Laura was ushering the doctor in.

“You heard the man, everyone out but the family” Michael was pushing us out of the room. “Where is Mason? He is going to want to be here.

I couldn’t suppress a growl from escaping my lips when the Alpha said his son’s name. I earned a warning stare for it. Archer and Axel had to drag me out of the room practically.

“Brother, come on, we can wait outside”, Axel hissed at me as he yanked on my arm.

Walking away from her was the hardest thing I had ever had to do. She was in such a weakened state, and I couldn’t stay with her; none of us could. It was killing me.

“What do we do, we can’t leave her in there and us out here”, I state. I sat on the bottom step of the stairs. My elbows were rested on my knees as I held my head in my hands. I was feeling useless. This shouldn’t have happened. How I felt about her after only two days was shocking, but I didn’t care; she was quickly becoming my everything; I would do anything in my power to make this right.

Mason walked by then, glaring at us as he went by. He went into the room and shut the door. The anger I felt knowing he was in there with our girl, after how he treated her and we had to be out here, was almost enough to send me crazy.

“I swear if he touches her, I’ll kill him myself”, I hissed.

“He will have to get through all of us first”, Axel added.

Archer had run upstairs to my room and grabbed me a hoodie to put on, I was freezing, but I refused to leave until I knew what was going on with Ayla. There was no way I was going any further away until I knew she was okay.

It was over twenty minutes before anyone came out of that room. Standing up instantly, I moved towards the door.

“How is she,” I asked; it was Michael who came out first.

He looked me square in the eye; he looked ready for blood.

“My office, now!” he demanded of me.

Looking at my brothers, I shrug and follow him, asking once again how Ayla is and getting no reply. I follow the Alpha to his office; I don’t know what more I can say to him; I have told him everything already.

“Sir, please, how is she?” I was all but begging to know.

“My son says he saw you sneaking off towards the forest not long before you return holding a very badly battered Ayla!” Alpha Michael was barely suppressing his wolf.

“WHAT? You’re trying to say I did this to her,” I snapped

“How do I know you didn’t? My son saw you. He was an eyewitness!” The accusation hit me like a shower being turned on full blast in the cold setting.

“I was searching for her; she was sitting with us; she said she didn’t feel well; this was after I found her upset. We went outside, and she sat on a bench; my brother went to get a glass of water for Ayla; I had turned my back for a couple of minutes, and she was gone.” I explained

“I have your word against my sons, and I don’t know you; you’re not looking perfect right now” he was using his Alpha voice on me; I could feel the pull, but it wasn’t making me bend; I held my ground.

“I would never hurt Ayla!” I snarl

“You only just met her, she’s just another girl to you, yet she’s like a daughter to me”, he snapped back. “Who’s to say you didn’t take one look at her and think you could get your way with her for a cheap thrill. You came back wet and shirtless as it was; it doesn’t look very good, does it, son” he accused.

The surge of pure anger that’s washed over me, the heat that flooded my body thanks to the words the Alpha just threw at me, was too much; I would not sit here and listen to it.

“I would never lay a hand on any woman, especially not Ayla!” my voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“And what proof do you have? Come on, lad, it would do you well to share, as you look like the guilty party right now, and I feel like you are too!” Alpha Michael was inches from my face, my breathing was harsh, and I was only just containing Blaze.

“I’M IN LOVE WITH AYLA; SHE IS MY MATE, THAT IS WHY!” Blaze roars through my voice, giving my reply an almost animal rasp, a growl to the sound of each word that passed my lips.

Michael steps back; he knows a mate’s call; you would die for them. He could see I wasn’t lying, but he needed someone to blame. He needed to contain the situation as soon as possible. Right now, he only had my word against Mason’s. He was stuck and at a loss at what to do. I was breathing heavily. Realising what I had just revealed before Ayla knew herself was hitting me hard.

“We will see; once Ayla is awake, I’ll ask her who hurt her, and then we will see if you are innocent!” he looked at me warily. “Don’t leave the house; I want you to stay here with your brothers until I know what is going on”.

“Fine, I have nothing to hide,” I say. “Can I go back now? Will you call me once she is awake?”

“I will find you when I need you,” he said, and that was final.

Ayla’s POV

Trust me when I say it felt like I had a herd of elephants sitting on my chest. As I woke up and everything started coming back to me, the pain my body was in was unreal. Hopefully, though, now that I have had my first shift, my healing abilities will have hit in, and I should start healing a lot quicker than an average human would. Every inch of my body hurt, and I couldn’t breathe very well. Taking a deep breath was out of the question.

“Ugh, where am I” I managed to say

“Stay where you are, sweetheart; you took quite a beating”, Laura’s voice floated over to me.

“How did I get back here?” I ask, “No, where are the Chase brothers?” I say, eyes still closed; the light felt too bright

“Don’t worry about them; they aren’t here; you’re safe”, she sounded defensive.

“What are you going on about?” It annoyed me how she had spoken about them; why would she think I would need to be kept safe? They aren’t a threat. “I want to see them.”

“Darling, you have been through a lot; we feel you should stay away from those boys for now”, she answered.

Forcing myself to sit took everything I had. I turned and finally looked at her. I saw Mason perched in the corner. A smirk on his face.

“It’s not them you need to worry about with me; I guarantee that!” I never took my eyes off of Mason.

Laura looked from me, then to her son and back again. She could see my face twist when I looked at him, yet she wouldn’t say a word to him, and we both knew it. She wasn’t aware I had shifted, and I will never retake his kind of shit. Not now I have Bria.

“Get Michael; I want to speak to him,” I demand, still not taking my eyes off Mason. I haven’t a clue who attacked me; for all I know, it could have been him.

“Ayla, I can’t say I like your tone,” Mason said to me

“I can’t say I like yours either,” I say back; he glares at me, giving me a warning, no doubt. But something felt different in me; something had changed, it was like I could feel Bria, and it was her answering Mason, not me.

“Mason, she has been through enough; go and get your father. He wanted to talk to her when she was awake anyway” Laura ushers her son out the door.

“Are you okay, Ayla? I can’t imagine what you have been through” she turned back to me, fussing with my blanket.

I was laid on the large sofa. I had an oversized top on now and fresh underwear. “Hmm, who dressed me?” I thought and hoped it was Laura.

“I’ll be fine. I just want to get up and sort things out; I want to see the triplets, and I want to be in my room,” I stated; I admit I did sound grumpy, and I did snap at her; I knew it wasn’t her fault.

“Thank the goddess, you’re okay, Ayla!” Michael smiled at me as he returned to the room and closed the door.

“Why can’t I see the Chase brothers” I demand instantly.

“Well, there has been a report that Aiden was seen going into the forest and then a while later coming out holding you in the state you are in now,” Michael told me as he pulled up a chair.

“And?” I reply. Inside I was shocked as it was Aiden who had found me. I was naked too!

Michael looked at me and raised his eyebrows, “Well, Ayla, I was told from a reliable source that they believe it was Aiden Chase who did this to you.”

“Well, your source is wrong; Aiden wouldn’t do this to me,” I say, point blankly.

“You know for sure?” he asked me.

“It was not a male’s hands that grabbed me; I can be sure of that,” I tell him. “I trust Aiden; I trust all three of them.”

“You have just met them, sweetheart; how can you be so sure. “What else can you think that would drag you off to the forest” he started to say?

“I wasn’t dragged off to the forest Michael,” I said, sounding confused. “I had my first shift! You had my birthday wrong. I’m eighteen, no; I met my wolf last night. “I paused. “I was changing back and planning on how to get back to the house as I had no clothes; I hadn’t planned anything yet as I didn’t know it was my birthday; II was waiting for Wednesday” I took a breath and carried on “I was exhausted, and as I changed back, I was jumped from behind, I felt female hands grab my hair, well, it felt female!” I tell him

“You shifted already!” Michael breathed; he looked astounded.

“Yes, and I know Aiden and his brothers all have big hands; I’m positive it wasn’t him, and it never would be!” I concluded

“Okay, then we need to find who it was and find them quickly!” Michael ran his hands through his hair. He looked annoyed and lost.

“I want to see them, Michael; please don’t keep them from me”, I spoke softly; I was starting to feel the strain again. My ribs hurt, and so did my back.

“Okay, I’ll go get them, just be careful, okay, take it easy. You have a few broken ribs, your ankle is broken, and you sprained your wrist, plus all the cuts and bruises you have!” he looked at me with the saddest eyes.

“Thank you!” I say, relieved.

“I’ll get Mason to sit with you whilst I go get them,” he said as he rose to leave.

“NO!” I said a little too quickly, and I was nervous.

Michael turned to look at me; confusion washed over his face; he had no clue how much I hated his only son and how much he hated me back.

“I mean, could Laura wait with me instead, I have a few personal questions that I’d like to ask, and only a woman can answer them, really” I tried to cover my mistake; Michael couldn’t know yet what was going on with Mason.

Laura grins at me

“I see, girl talk it is then”, and she winked my way. Michael seemed satisfied with this and left. I let myself sink back down into the sofa.