Chapter twenty one

"When did this happen?", Drew growled.

As soon as he got the call about his friend's failing health, Drew had driven like a mad man towards the palace. Laura tried comforting him but that proved abortive as all of Drew's mind was hooked on his friend.

"About two days ago sir but it only got worse today", the nurse said.

"Two days? Two whole freaking days and you deemed it fit to tell me this now", Drew shouted.

Laura placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him the comfort he needed. The nurse wasn't at fault in this and the main reason why Drew screamed was just to channel his aggression to somebody else and the nurse was a suitable candidate.

Drew stared at his mate as every semblance of peace and quiet came back to him. He was glad that he didn't stop her from coming here. If he had, he could have already torn the whole place down.

"I'm sorry for lashing out. Please where is he?", Drew sighed.

"Please, follow me", the nurse said.

Drew sniffed her scent and discovered she was human. He heaved a small sigh of relief. It was easier to work with a human than a wolf or worse with a hybrid like his mate.

The nurse led them towards a wide stairway past different wards and rooms. The hospital belonged to his pack but she didn't have to know. Most people thought that it belonged to a human male whom his friend had put the building in his care when in reality, it belonged to his pack.

They soon got to a large room and Drew knew immediately this was the largest room in the hospital. The room had its own private bathroom, a balcony that allowed you to have a glimpse of the outside world and of course, a state of the art movie system. The only indication in this room that you were in the hospital were the bed and the bags of drips stacked on a cupboard.

"Here he is,'' the nurse said.

Drew walked towards his friend who lay on the bed looking frail and weak. The white walls of the room made him a bit dizzy. He gripped a nearby chair, slumping on the warm cushion. Drew hated to see his friend this way. He was weaker and thinner than the last time he saw him. He didn't like this, didn't like the way Alpha Nikolas was looking.

Laura came to stand beside him, taking his cold hands in her much warmer ones. Drew stared at his friend, willing him to fight for his health.

"What's been done?", Drew asked.

The only indication that his friend was still alive was from the slight sound from the machine that was fixed to him. Asides this, his friend was as good as dead.

"We've placed him on some drugs that would stabilize him and slowly bring him back to consciousness. I must say, he's rapidly recovering even for a man of his age", she said.

Drew stared at Laura and they knew what had happened. Alpha Nikolas's wolf was speeding the recovery process which was the main reason why he was still alive. If he had been a human, the stroke could have knocked him the very first day he was attacked.

"Okay, thank you. I hope he recovers fully", Drew said.

"We hope so too. Mr Nikolas has really been a great help to this hospital and we'll hate to see him go", the nurse said.

"Who said anything about him going?", Drew growled.

Laura gripped his hand, leading him out of the room. She couldn't afford to have any confrontation, especially not in front of an ailing man.

"You need to calm down Drew", Laura said.

They had gotten outside. The wind was chilly, indicating that winter was going to be here soon. Laura gripped her jacket, wrapping it more firmly around her body.

"She should watch her mouth. I won't have her talking about my friend in such a manner", Drew said.

He paced about, gripping his hair in the process. Laura could tell that he was beyond stressed but she wanted to make him realize that he had to control his temper especially in times like this. Lashing out at innocent people wouldn't speed up his friend's healing process, it would only make it worse.

"I know she spoke without a filter but babe, you should also mind the way you lash out. Your temper wouldn't take you anywhere", Laura said.

"Oh really? You're going to turn this back on me? Are you seriously going to talk to me about my temper?", Drew thundered.

Laura stared at him dead in the eye. This was their first fight and she hated it because it happened at the very place his friend was receiving treatment. She knew that this fight was inevitable but she didn't expect her mate to take it this far.

"You really need to calm down and stop yapping like a child. You're an adult for crying out loud, the Alpha of your pack", Laura growled.

"You do not have any right to tell me about my temper. You weren't shot a few weeks ago, your friend isn't lying on a hospital bed almost dead so don't you talk to me about my temper", Drew growled.

He hated that this was their first fight but he couldn't control the rage of emotions that flowed through him. The stress of the past few weeks was crashing down on him and he couldn't quite stop them. He never intended to lash out at the mate but every word she said just seemed to provoke him.

"I see I was just wasting my time, trying to calm you down when in reality you're as stubborn as a mule", Laura seethed.

Drew remained quiet, not quite knowing what to do at this point. Laura was angry that he could tell and he was secretly sad that he led her towards this.

"Let's just go home", Drew said, heading to his car.

"No, I'm not going to sit with you in that car. I'll go on my own", she huffed.

"Oh come on Laura, don't be ridiculous", Drew groaned.

"I'd rather be ridiculous than follow a stubborn assed man. At least, I have my head in check but you, I can't really say the same", she smiled sweetly.

Drew had been slapped. Not physically by the use of a palm but by her words. Laura had a sharp tongue but this had gone overboard.

"Don't talk to me like that. I'm your mate and Alpha", Drew growled, walking towards her.

He gripped her hands but Laura pushed him away with a strength he never knew she had. He made to grab her this time in hopes of bundling her into the car but she pushed him away more forcefully and this time with her magic.

Drew found himself sprawled on the cold hard ground, a little distance away from her. He got to his feet but remained where he was for fear of angering her further.

"I'm going home and this time, don't try to stop me. Clear your head Drew before you get back home", she said.

Right before his very eyes, Laura morphed into her wolf form. Drew looked around, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of her but she was gone like the wind.

He picked up his phone, dialing Killian's line. Killian picked up on the third ring, huffing as she had just taken a run.

"You're home right? I'm coming over, I need somewhere to crash for the night", Drew said before cutting the call then heading over to his car for the long journey to Killian's house.