Chapter 72 AWAKEN
CURTIS POV
Floating around a dark space for months had my mind frazzled. I awaken in an unknown setting, staring at the perforated metal ceiling tiles of white-painted galvanized steel. The same ones that met my vision each time I regained consciousness. I surveyed my room and slipped right back into the darkness. My body was not able to maintain being awake for an extended period.
My healing progress has been extremely slow. I am quite sure that days have passed, maybe weeks. Time was something that I could not keep up with. Not until I was fully recovered to maintain my consciousness and get out of this bed. I prayed that today was that day.
The beeping of the monitor and the equipment in the modular ward indicated that I was in a hospital. I swore that I had died and gone to werewolf heaven as the fuzzy recollections began to come together in my head. Gradually, I try to comprehend, but it will take time.
My name is Curtis Black, so at least I know who I am. I think about my parents, Stephen and Helena Black. Any kids? No, I don't think that I fathered any. Do I have a mate? I am not sure about that, but in time, all of my past will come back to me. But only when I completely regained cognizance.
When the short nurse entered the room with her paperwork and noticed that I was still conscious, she smiled but I ignored it. She was a blurry figment that was clear to my eyes for a brief moment as I looked around the room. What was there to be happy about? My parents weren't here, and neither was Sianna or my mate.
Oh, I was beginning to recollect more of my past. Because pulling out my memories caused headaches, I relaxed and watched them gradually materialize.
The nurse's lips moved, but her words fell on deaf ears. My body was readjusting to life after being partially dead for months. While my brain worked tirelessly to make all of my cells receptive, some parts of me remain paralyzed. I am once more alone after the nurse departs.
Dr. Stone is not here. Whenever I was in the hospital, she usually called to see how I was doing. Her standard was one of professionalism before being biased toward anyone. But I suppose that people do evolve.
A second nurse entered the room ten minutes later and wheeled the cart into the room with some food. I don't have an appetite, yet I need to eat to stay strong. I try to pick up the spoon, but my fingers are unable to properly grasp it. The nurse helped by feeding me food like a baby. Despite the flat flavor in my mouth, I forced it down. The food particles scrape my dry and tight throat.
While eating, a massive, hefty man, about 6 feet and 3 inches tall, with jet-black, unkempt hair, entered. Judging by the power he exudes, he is undoubtedly an Alpha. His eyes bore into me to make assessments.
"Hello Curtis, I am Alpha Virgil Hyde," he casually introduced, "You are at my pack, Crimson Hyde."
My brain slowly processed his statement as I pondered, "Nice to meet you, Alpha Virgil, but why am I here? I don't remember coming to your pack at all." I meant no disrespect to him.
"You were transferred here on orders from your Alpha, and because this is where your mate, Jasmine lived." His face was expressionless and cold as he continued, "I am aware of your situation. Alpha Vance is my brother, after all."
Shit! Vague memories replayed and time traveled me back to the last thing that happened before I blacked out. Slowly, I saw Alpha Vance mauling me, as he vowed to kill me for my intent to abduct Sianna.
Why am I alive? I touched my chest as I reimagined the feel of his claws tearing through my skin. I tried to grip the sheet in anger but my fingers weren't back to normal as yet.
"Curtis, do you recall being arrested for kidnapping your Luna?" He asked, the nurses must have informed him of my moderate brain activities.
"I didn't kidnap her. I wanted to take her away with me so we could be together." I slowly explained, "that's not kidnapping if we talked about it and I let her go."
He leaned against the wall, "You are lucky to have life, Curtis. Any other Alpha would have killed you with no questions asked." I didn't care about that, Sianna was mine first so what right does anyone have to tell me what I should or shouldn't do with her? "Where's Jazmine?" Not that I gave a rat's ass about her, but why the fuck is my mate not by my side. She's such a twat.
"She made things worse for you," Virgil told me with callous eyes. "Jazmine is not here."
"Alpha, could you please be direct with me?" I insisted, though irritation bubbled in me. "What has Jasmine done?"
"She was found involved in a conspiracy," Virgil paused to let that first part sink in. "She hired a witch to help some huntress named Chloe to spellbound Vance, which undoing that spell cost Sianna to lose her son."
"How?" I croaked, having little understanding of what he just said.
"A blood sacrifice was needed to free my brother and restore his mate bond with Sianna." Virgil stood upright from the wall and came closer to me, emitting red-hot fury. "She was arrested. I was forced to turn her over to Dark Wolverson for her crimes." Virgil stopped at the tail of the bed. Notably, his aura cloaked the room, and my breathing became difficult.
"Shit!" What the hell was Jazmine thinking? She had no right to interfere with anything. If she was handing over another woman to Alpha Vance, didn't she know that Sianna would be free to be with me? Was she helping me to get the woman that I loved?
No, that's not it.
I looked at Alpha Virgil, his grueling eyes trained on me as though he was digging through my soul. My offense to Alpha Vance would incite him to hold a grudge against me. Especially since Sianna's baby died, his nephew.
Wait, what? She had a son. Wow! But she must be grief-stricken about losing her baby. I needed more information. These tiny bits of detail were not sufficient.
"Jasmine is dead," Once again he searched my face as he told me. There was no sympathy in his tone. "You created this whole mess and now my Beta's sister is dead because she was so in love with you, that she'd commit any crime just to have you accept her."
"Why am I being blamed? Jazmine knew that my love for Sianna would never change." I'm not taking the fault. She fucked up badly. That despicable woman.
"You are an obsessive prick!" He growled, raising his voice to shudder the ceiling, "You could have rejected her but you didn't. She accepted the mate bond so her love and possessiveness for you grew, while you were only using her. You broke her fucking hymen and then ran back to your old pack, to kidnap the High Luna!"
Moving swiftly to the wall, his fist bore a deep hole, and I could have sworn that he was ready to pound me into soft putty. Jazmine wanted my cock, so I gave it to her. She begged for it, so I obliged as her mate. I thought of Sianna the entire time that I drilled her down with my dick.
Silence. I had to be quiet in the presence of a raging Alpha. Saying nothing was best as I needed a new plan.
A hunky carrot head burst through the door huffing and blazing with wrath. Damn! Here comes the carrot head gorilla that was Jazmine's brother.
"You!" He snarled with a vibrating effect, pointing his finger at me. "Your ex-girlfriend killed my sister!"
"What?" That was ridiculous, I choked down my laugh, "Sianna is harmless as a button. She wouldn't lift a finger to Jazmine."
"Fucking idiot!" He was unable to stand in one spot and walked back and forth as he shouted, "She's the High Luna and she will defend her family just as Alpha Vance would." He clung to the sheet and yanked it from the bed, tossing it to the ground. "I knew that you weren't good for her, but she wanted you so I backed out."
"I'm sorry, Beta Astrol." I gave a counterfeit plea, hoping that it was hidden by the effort that I emanated. "I was going to come back to her. I swear."
Giving a dark chuckle, Beta Astrol charged at me, I high jumped from the bed to the floor on my wonky legs. Thanks to my elite training. Alpha Virgil stood there watching the show like he was hoping for the Beta to kill me.
Astrol darted after me while I steadied my balance, the room spinning from the after-effects of the coma. And I sprinted through the door into the hallway between nurses and patients, those walking or being pushed in wheelchairs. I've had to jump over three or four gurneys in my effort to get the Beta off my tail. The pumping adrenaline ached my head.
I got to a higher floor. My vision is a little better but my body is fairly weak. On my own, I am no match for a Beta, so I have to ditch him one way or another. I rushed to open a door and to my luck, it was a janitor's room equipped with the hospital's cleaning supplies. Not knowing much about the chemicals in here, and what they are used for might be risky, but I had to coat my scent.
Swiftly, I glance over the bottles and skim the contents on the labels. I believe I should stay away from any liquid that contains hydrochloric acid. In chemistry class, I should have been paying closer attention.
Well, this bottle is a disinfectant. I open the cork and smell it quickly. It has a sweet scent and the label did not indicate that it would be harsh on the skin if used mildly. There were two janitorial suits hung up, one was close enough to fit me. I removed the hospital gown and put it on. Taking a rag from a pile in the white basket, I damped it under the wash basin pipe before applying the disinfectant and rubbing it all over me.
At least the movies consistently depict that there was typically a hat to go along with the uniform. I scoured the area and rummaged in the basket. I ripped the locker door off, but I can't seem to find a hat. I give up! If this were a movie I would most definitely be wearing a hat. I'm highly frustrated and must leave this room, but I took a minute to assess my predicament. Unfortunately, a transfer would mean that I am no longer a part of the Dark Wolverson's Pack. Knowing my astute Alpha Vance, I was surely banned and blacklisted. The Beta here will imprison me and torture me to death as payback for Jazmine's demise. So, the conclusion was that I must leave, and that meant going rogue.
Shit! When did things spiral this way? Now two fucking Alphas and a Beta would be hunting me.
Sianna! I growled her name. Our lives would be different if only you stayed with me. My father should be cursing me in about ten different languages for this ordeal. My mom, well, I think she might have cried and wanted me to be safe.
Thinking militantly, the patrol team would be aware that I was on the run and briefed to apprehend me. I have to pass them to get out of this territory. Leaning my head on the door, I dug deep into my recollection of what I remembered about this pack. The ins and outs.
Still in the janitor's room. My gaze inspected the window. I could go through it if the ground was not too far down. Judging from the distance, I had to be on the third floor.
"Where are you, my wolf?" He does not reply.
If my wolf died, then the fall would be brutal because I would be a measly human. Otherwise, my wounds would heal even if my wolf was alive but inactive.
The lever on the door turned upwards as someone tugged at it from the other side. It was now or never, Curtis.
The jangling of keys prompted immediate action. Flipping the latch and aggressively pulling the window upward, it folded with sufficient opening space. The outsider eventually located the correct key and inserted it into the hole. Just as the door opened, I jumped, landed on the ground, and rolled.
I ran down the streets bearing the stinging sensation in my legs. Going into the forest was predictable, so for now I would stick to buildings and blend in with the crowd.
Having my guard up, my pace to the small quaint diner was moderate. As I strode through the outdoor seating, I saw a couple at a table. My interest was in the black hat that hung on the back of his hair. Brushing against the chair, I passed them, and quickly stole the hat, walking briskly and not looking back. That was easy. I smirked that I had finally gotten a hat. I put it on.
My pockets were empty. Would it hurt anyone to have a few dollars in the janitorial uniforms? Broke-ass omegas were a letdown. But I will not wallow in self-pity, because there was someone that came to mind. She worked at the Royal Black Pyramid Shopping Center and should be able to assist.
Acting like a regular pack member without a care in the world, I manage to keep a low profile, with my head bent. After taking the lift to the second floor, and making a right turn to get to the fourth store, I entered the massage parlor. "Welcome to Devyn's Relaxations. Would you like a room?" The curly-haired brunette greeted me with a radiant smile. "I'm paying Devyn a surprise visit. Is she here?" The girl looked me over. I could imagine the motors in her head spinning as she sized me up. "I'm her cousin's mate."
Based on my request, that should connect me to her, though it was a lie.
She nodded and her smile returned, "Just give me a sec to inform her." She took up her phone and I watched her carefully. "You may have a seat in the meantime." Her hand directed me to the chair on the side.
"I won't stay very long. I just came to give her something." I stood my ground. Inside, I was nervous because my movements must be quick and on the go.
Someone answered her phone call on the other end. I listened to the short conversation. Then she hung up and gave me her undivided attention.
"Sir, let me take you to her office." She escorted me through a second door, down a hallway, and into an office space. As she left and closed the door, Devyn entered after finishing her business in the restroom.
I took my hat off, and her face converted into a twisted unpleasant image upon recognizing me.
"Curtis, get the fuck out!" She spat at her unwelcome guest.
"I don't think so!" I growled and stepped threateningly closer, "By order of the Wiccan Law of Goodwill, I'm here to claim the
favor that you owe me."