Book 5: Chapter 52 – Hope For Cerelia

Book 5: Chapter 52 – Hope For Cerelia
Alexandrios’s POV 

I rushed to the hospital after receiving a call from Mike. Lena was in labor and would give birth any minute. Although Dr. Sylvia was there for her delivery, Lena wanted me. 

I entered the delivery room just in time, and Zephyrus gave me a relieved look. After ensuring everything was fine, I left for the OPD. There was so much work piled up that I didn’t have a minute to spare. 

I had checked only a handful of the patients; when the OPD in charge, Ken knocked on my door and peered in. “Doctor Vasiliou, there’s a rogue family here to see you. They’ve come from Inuvik Airport. Shall I send them inside?” 

I frowned at his description. “Are they my patients? Do they have an appointment?” 

He shrugged. “No. But they’re in an emergency, it seems. There’s a child too with them.” 

“Fine. Send them in.” 

After a minute, the door opened, and I looked up. To my immense surprise, it was none other than Pedro. “Pedro!” I gasped, shocked to see him here in Lucania. What was he doing here? Did he come here to give me some important news about my mate? Had they killed her? 

“Doctor Alexandrios, I’m so relieved to see you.” He came inside, followed by a woman and a twelve-year-old male pup. I understood they were his family. 

“Please sit. What happened? Did you leave Pieria?” I remembered how he had defied his alpha to save my life. I was indebted to him. Was he facing Alpha Cassius’s wrath for saving me? I felt guilty.

“Yes. Alpha Cassius found out about your escape. He issued an order to execute me for defying him. We had no other option than to flee. I have used the only money I had on our flight tickets to come here. This is my mate, Elsa, and my pup, Apollo. They haven’t eaten a thing since last night.” 

I felt even more guilty at seeing the frightened look on the child’s face. “I’ll take care of that, Pedro. Do you have any other place to go? Any relative who you’d like to go to? I can arrange for your flight tickets.” 

Pedro shook his head. “No, Doctor Vasiliou. I have no one. I’m an orphan. Now I lost my only source of livelihood, my car. I don’t know how we will survive.”

“At least your lives are saved, Pedro. Let’s be thankful for that.” 

He smiled sadly. “But we will die of hunger if I don’t find work.” He looked so crestfallen my heart went out to him. 

“You can stay in the hospital staff quarters for as long as you like, Pedro. The hospital belongs to me, so you can stay here for free. I’ll introduce you to my Alpha in the next pack meeting if you want to join us. You can start a cab service here in Lucania too.” 

His eyes lit up for an instant, but all his enthusiasm was soon doused. “I have no money to buy another cab.” 

“You can use my car. I have four.” I took out a bundle of cash from my pockets and handed it to Pedro. “We will discuss all that later. Until then, you can stay here and use this to meet your needs. I’ll ask someone to show you to your quarter. There’s a cafeteria here in the hospital.” 

Pedro looked ill at ease, not having expected so much help from me. “No, no, Doctor Alexandrios. I can’t take advantage of your kindness.”

“Please, Pedro. You have saved my life. I’m indebted to you. I’ll feel good if I can help you.” He took the money, to my immense relief. 

I called Ken through the intercom and he arrived in two minutes. “Yes, Doctor Vasiliou.” 

“Ken, I want you to introduce my good friend Pedro to Mike. Ask him to accommodate Pedro and his family in one of our staff quarters.” I turned to Pedro and smiled at him. “You can rest, Pedro. I’ll see you later after wrapping up my work.” 

His mate gave me a grateful look. “Thank you so much, Doctor Alexandrios.” 

I smiled at her and her child, feeling better I could help them. I would definitely speak to Zephyrus soon. All day, I was busy, but I waited eagerly to meet Pedro and get an update on my mate. He would surely know something about Cerelia.

Lena gave birth and Zephyrus came over to meet me. “Congratulations, bro. How’s Lena?” 

“She’s resting. I have some urgent work at the office. I’ll see you later.” He was about to leave when I remembered Pedro. 

“Bro, do you remember I told you about a Silver Wolf called Pedro who defied his Alpha’s orders to save my life? Well, he has escaped Pieria and is here in Lucania with his family. Alpha Cassius is looking for him to execute him. I’ve sheltered him here in my hospital. Can he join our pack and live here?” 

Zephyrus nodded and smiled. “Why not? You can call him to the packhouse tomorrow morning. We’ll take this up.” 

I felt relieved that Zephyrus agreed to help Pedro. In the evening, after wrapping up my work, I walked towards the staff quarters at the backside to meet Pedro. The guard guided me to Pedro’s apartment on the second floor. The door was open, and I peered in. 

“Pedro?” His mate emerged with a bright smile on her face. 

“Please come inside, Doctor Alexandrios. Pedro has gone out to the departmental store. He’ll be here in a few minutes.” 

I went inside and sat down in the living room. “Are you liking your new home, Elsa?” 

She smiled shyly and sat facing me. “Yes. It’s so spacious and clean. In Pieria, we lived in a rented studio apartment, almost half this size. Alpha Cassius didn’t allow Pedro to operate commercially. He only worked for Alpha Cassius wherever he wanted him to go. The salary was meager since Pedro hardly had work. Alpha Cassius has ten cars to choose from. Most of the days, he would choose his favorite car only.” 

I nodded, thinking about a way to bring up Cerelia. “He sounds like a dictator. Did he misbehave with his family members, too?”

Elsa nodded, looking down at her hands. “I’ve worked at the mansion for five years before Apollo was born. Alpha Cassius is very particular about his rules. He hates disobedience. His family fears his wrath because he spares no one. Alpha Cassius wouldn’t think twice before executing someone who disobeys him. He has killed his grandson, Spiros, for impregnating a human. He was Alpha Alarik’s oldest and the most capable of the lot.” 

I gasped in horror, realizing what this implied. “Do you know anything about my mate, Cerelia? She’s there in his custody and I’m dying from the pain of separation.” 

“I overheard my neighbor discussing her. He works as a mansion guard. He said Alpha Cassius has kept her locked up in a room. They’ve started the purification process on her. Soon she wouldn’t recognize you as her mate, doctor. Her brain will only accept a Silver Wolf as her mate.” 

I gasped with horror. “Hell! There has to be some way of rescuing her from there before he kills her.” How could I sit here and wait for her when her life was under threat?

“There’s no way. She has to handle it diplomatically. One false step and she will lose her life like Spiros did.” 

I had never felt this helpless in my entire twenty-six years of life. There had to be a way out. “Maybe I’ll approach the Shifter Council for help. Thanks for the information, Elsa. I’ll get going now. Ask Pedro to come over to the packhouse tomorrow morning at six. Alpha Zephyrus will accept him into our pack.” 

I walked out, my heart constricting with fear. If I didn’t act now, I would lose my mate forever. Her family in Pieria couldn’t be trusted. It wasn’t a safe place for her. 

I reached my penthouse, and Cerelia’s scent hit me hard. An excruciating pain coursed through my body at the thought of my mate. Was she in pain? Was the mate bond between us breaking? Everywhere I went, her scent lingered in the air, increasing the pain I felt. How would I survive if anything happened to her? 

I took out my phone and called Alpha Alexios. He was the only one who could help me. I had almost given up when he accepted my call. “Yes, Dr. Vasiliou. I’m on my way to the airport right now. I’m traveling to Pieria to check up on your mate. Can I call you after I get an update on her?” 

My heart filled with gratitude for him. He was a busy wolf, yet he remembered me and my mate. “Yes, Alpha. Thank you so much for helping me.” 

“No, don’t thank me. I’m going there because I just received a distress call from the mansion in Pieria. It was a male voice seeking my intervention. I’m going there with members of the council to raid the place and rescue Cerelia if needed. I’ll update you.” The call disconnected while I waited anxiously all night for an update.