Battered and Abused

Alpha Liam

Lexi. My mate’s name was Lexi.

She was far more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. She had bright green eyes and long and wavy raven colored hair that I ached to run my fingers through.

I couldn’t control myself when my hand ran up her slender body and my fingers got stuck in the rip on her dress. Fury took over me. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone’s hands on my mate, let alone someone hurting her. I had to rein in my wolf from ripping out my two best men’s throats. He was convinced that one of them had harmed her, and he’d take them both out just to ensure it would never happen again.

It felt like shards of glass pierced through my heart when I saw the terror looming in her big emerald eyes, she was frightened, trembling under my touch. Terrified of her own damn mate. It was like she didn’t feel the pull of the mate bond. My wolf struggled to sense her wolf, but it was like she was pushed dangerously far down.

“L-Lexi”, she replied nervously, her voice echoing through my brain like my new favorite song. It was soft and airy like silk. I couldn’t wait to hear her talk some more, I wanted to know everything about her. I was inches away from her plump pink lips, fighting the urge to press them against mine.

Once her name rolled off of her smooth lips, I noticed her skin begin to pale; the color leaving her face and her bright emerald eyes rolling to the back of her head. Her body collapsed into my arms, frail and lifeless. She was as light as a feather. The moment her eyes closed shut, I was certain that my heart stopped beating.

My roar blared through the pack holding facility, the sound of concrete cracking all around me. My vision went hazy, all I could see was boiling hot red. I scooped my mate’s tiny body up in my arms and rushed to the pack house, ordering my Beta Jax to mind link the pack doctor immediately. There would be a bloodbath waiting if anything was to happen to my sweet little mate. I waited too long to find her to let her go.

I kicked open the front door of the pack house, the door flying off the hinges. Chilling gasps of pack members could be heard when the door smashed into tiny pieces against the marble floor of the foyer. I rushed up the winding staircase, leaping up the stairs two by two, frantic to get my mate to the pack doctor.

I felt my body relax slightly when my eyes met with Doctor Everly’s, she was a skilled and experienced physician; a master in her field. I laid my mate down on the mattress of my bed, feeling Doctor Everly push through on the other side and immediately begin to examine her. She called out for tools to the nurses behind her, all moving swiftly to retrieve the items. When Doctor Everly lifted Lexi’s eyelid and then the other, I couldn’t stop the low growl that escaped my chest. My wolf was on alert and uneasy, worried that Doctor Everly was hurting her.

“I’m sorry Alpha, you need to let me do my job,” she scolded, now wrapping a blood pressure cuff around Lexi’s arm. I knew she was right, I became quickly agitated that I couldn’t push my wolf further down. “What happened to her before she collapsed?”, she asked, pumping the round blue ball of the small machine.

“I asked her for her name, she was captured as a rogue outside of pack territory. She answered and collapsed into my arms,” I answered in a rushed tone, worry trickling in my voice.

Doctor Everly continued poking and probing at my mate until I watched her shoulders relax. “She fainted. I believe she was scared, panic induced, probably. Her vitals are stable, but I’ll stay with her until she wakes up,” she explained, “otherwise I noticed signs of malnutrition and abuse. The malnutrition is common in rogues. The abuse? Not likely”.

I felt my hands ball up into tight fists as Doctor Everly explained that Lexi’s fragile body showed signs of abuse. I would make it my life’s mission to find whoever touched her and drag out their death. A quick death would be too remorseful for the son of a bitch.

I stepped towards the bed, my heart hammering in my chest as I stared down at my mate. My mind was uncontrollably reeling to find the one who caused my precious little mate pain. “How long will it take for her to wake up?”, I asked as I huffed out a deep breath.

Doctor Everly shook her head, a disappointed look appearing on her face. “It’s hard to tell. Could be minutes, could be days. Judging by my diagnosis, I’d pinpoint that she passed out from emotional stress. Most of the extreme cases I’ve seen in shifters, the range is from three to five days. She’s lucky you were there to break her fall, we’d be having a much different conversation if she hit her head,”, she said with a strain of exasperation in her voice.

I reached for Lexi’s hand, it was significantly smaller as it sat flush against mine. My wolf was growling inside, placing the blame on me for not instantly marking her when we discovered her like some Alphas do to protect their mates from potential danger. The marking would also have given her strength. Chances are she wouldn’t be out cold right now.

I stayed by her side for the rest of the day, taking the time to watch her sleep and memorize every perfect feature of hers. She was nothing short of an angel floating on a cloud with her raven hair spread out on the pillow. I knew that I had piles of paperwork waiting for me in my office, but I couldn’t bear to rip myself from her side. I needed to be here, to apologize for scaring her when she finally opened those captivating green eyes of hers. Itching to tell her she would always be safe under my protection.

My mind wandered as I imagined what her wolf looked like. I was fascinated by every small detail pertaining to Lexi.

I could feel my Beta’s presence approaching long before he knocked softly on the door, but it still didn’t stop me from growling at him for disturbing me. “Ah Alpha, I’ve been mind linking you all day. How’s the Luna?”, he said from the doorway.

I heaved a sigh, whatever he was after, it had better be important. “Enter,” I said through gritted teeth. He made his way to the other side of my mate, looking down at her with a strange look of regret. “She’s going to be alright, doc says she fainted from emotional stress,” I explained, my eyes returning to her frail body.

Beta Jax cleared his throat, “I apologize for speaking out of line, Alpha, but I don’t think she recognized you as her mate. Are you sure she’s your fated mate?”

I felt my jaw clench tightly at his words, anger building inside like bricks staking against each other. “Yes Jax. My wolf recognized her scent before I even saw her. I need you to find out anything you can about her, including why her wolf seems to be so distant, on the verge of disappearing,” I answered coldly.