“Let me help you get him up the stairs,” Tony says when we get to Mom’s house.
“Thanks, Tony, I appreciate it,” I tell him.
We both help Andreas out of the wheelchair and slowly help him up the stairs to my room. We help him sit on my bed, and Tony walks out of the room without saying anything.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I tell Andreas, and he gives me a smile and nods.
“Tony, wait up,” I call out as I get to the hallway.
“What’s up, Alpha?” He says shortly.
“Are you okay?” I ask, placing my hand on his arm.
“It’s been a long week,” he sighs. He then looks past me at Andreas and asks, “Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” I smile. But Tony just nods, looking extremely unhappy. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He looks at me and gives me a weak smile as he places his hand on my cheek and caresses it with his thumb. “As long as you’re happy, then I’m happy,” he whispers, then walks downstairs and outside.
I sigh and go back into the room, closing the door behind me.
“He cares for you,” Andreas says sadly.
“Tony’s a good friend,” I tell him as I sit next to him.
“Did you… Were you ever…” Andreas stammers nervously.
“Nothing has ever happened with Tony, or anyone for that matter. I was too busy mourning you,” I tell him softly, taking his hand in mine. We both look down at our joined hands as a warm, tingling feeling spreads up my arm like sparks of electricity. I turn to Andreas and place my hand on his cheek, turning his face towards mine, and I kiss him softly.
Andreas rests his forehead on mine. “I still can’t believe I’m here with you,” he whispers.
“I know, me too.” I lean back and move his long hair out of his face, then run my fingers through his long, dark beard.
“Sorry,” he whispers. “My captors weren’t big on haircuts.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I tell him. “Would you like to get cleaned up?”
“I could use a hot shower. They weren’t big on bathing either.”
“Of course, I’ll go run the shower,” I say as I stand. I walk to the attached bathroom in my room and turn on the shower. While I wait for it to warm up, I get a towel from under the sink and make sure there are toiletries for him to use.
“I’ll be back,” I tell him when I walk back into the room; then I hurry downstairs and get a stool from the kitchen, then run back upstairs and take the stool into the shower.
I walk back into my room and over to Andreas. I hold my hand out and help him stand and walk into the bathroom.
“Do you mind helping me, Athena?” He asks sadly as he holds onto the bathroom counter. “I can’t get out of these clothes Noah gave me. He had to help me get into them.”
I smile at him in the mirror and nod, then slowly remove his shirt. I gently lift it over his head, and my breath catches in my throat when I see his back for the first time. I’m frozen still as I stare in shock at the damage to his skin. “Oh, Andreas,” I whisper, trying not to cry.
#
**Andreas P.O.V**
I stare at myself in the mirror as Athena starts to gently remove my shirt. My face is pale, I have dark circles under my eyes, and my cheeks are sunken. I’ve definitely lost weight.
I lift my arms for Athena to lift the shirt over my head, and I hear her gasp. “Oh, Andreas,” she whispers.
I look at her in the mirror, and I can only imagine the carnage she’s seeing on my back. Her lower lip trembles as she holds back tears, and I slowly turn to her and take her in my arms, hugging her as tightly as I can.
“Shhh. It’s okay,” I whisper.
“Nothing about this is okay,” she says, and I feel her tears on my chest. “They’re going to fucking pay for this.”
I wince as her tears drop onto the deep cuts on my chest, and she pulls away from me, studying my chest.
“We need to get these all cleaned,” she says as she wipes the tears from her face. She carefully removes my sweatpants, keeping her head turned away, and I notice a pink tinge on her cheeks, which makes me smile. She then turns and checks the water with her hand, then turns back and takes my hand. I slowly walk into the shower, thankful she thought to get a stool for me to sit on. She moves the stool under the water, and I sit on it, hissing as the water touches my raw skin.
“I’m sorry, I know it hurts, but the quicker they’re cleaned, the quicker you can get out.”
“It’s okay,” I say. She turns to walk out of the bathroom, but I grab her hand. “Please stay, Athena. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Okay,” she says shyly. She undresses until she’s in her bra and underwear, then steps into the shower behind me.
I lean my head back and let the water run through my hair and sigh with relief. I can’t even remember the last time I had a hot shower.
“I’m sorry, I only have my things in here,” Athena says as she squirts something into my hair, and the shower fills with the smell of her citrusy scent.
I sigh as she shampoos my hair, and I feel calm for the first time in weeks as I’m surrounded by the smell of her.
When she’s finished washing my hair, I hear her squirt something else, and then I feel a soft loofah on my shoulders.
“This is probably going to sting,” she says, but even as the soap runs over the cuts on my body, all I can feel is happy that I’m here with her.
#
**Athena P.O.V**
I hold back the tears that are still threatening to fall as I wash Andreas back. He looks like he went through a wood chipper.
I hear a knock on the door, and Doc Apollo calls out.
“Will you be okay for a moment? I mind-linked the Doc to ask him to bring supplies over.”
“I’m fine, Athena. I can finish up,” he says, and I hand him the loofah.
I step out of the shower and grab another towel from under the sink and wrap it around myself as I walk into the bedroom, and then open the bedroom door. “Thanks for coming over, Doc. I know you’re busy,” I say as I move to the side to let him in.
“I really don’t agree with this, Alpha. He needs to be monitored at the hospital.”
“I understand, Doc. But I’m asking you to please help me look after him here,” I tell him.
He sighs. “Okay. But I need to assess his injuries, and he’s coming in first thing in the morning for an MRI so that I can make sure there are no broken bones I need to reset,” he says sternly.
“I promise,” I tell him and hug him. “Thank you.”
I go back into the bathroom and find Andreas trying to get out of the shower on his own.
“Let me help,” I say and take his arm. I help him walk to the counter, then I get the towel for him, and I wrap it around his waist.
I turn the shower off and then open the bathroom door again. “Come on, the Doc needs to look you over,” I tell him and lead him over to sit on the bed.
I sit next to him as Doc Apollo takes bandages and things out of his doctor’s case and places them on the bed.
“I’m going to have to change these bandages in the morning when you come in, and you need to ensure you keep this I.V in overnight to help flush your system of the wolfsbane and to keep you hydrated.”
“Thanks, Doctor,” Andreas says. “I appreciate you coming to help. I just want to be close to Athena right now.”
“Of course,” Doc says as he squirts a clear gel into a small bowl, and the smell of antiseptic fills my nose. “This may sting, but it will help keep any infection away until you heal.”
Andreas squeezes my hand as the doc spreads the gel over the cuts on his skin, his face contorted with pain as he tries to sit still.
#
When the Docs finally finished an hour later, I walk with him downstairs to say goodbye.
“He’s in awful shape, Athena,” he whispers.
“I know,” I say sadly, and Doc pulls me in for a hug.
“He’ll get through this. You both will,” he says, then pulls away, kissing me on the cheek, and then walks away into the night.
I go back upstairs to Andreas and find him asleep on my bed sleeping.
I slip into the bathroom and have a quick shower, and after I’m dried and dressed, I go back into the bedroom, turn the lights off, and carefully get into the bed next to Andreas.
‘*I’m so happy mate is here*,’ Enyo says.
‘*You’ve been quiet since the ceremony*,’ I say as I watch Andreas sleep.
‘*I’ve been talking with Ares. We can finally communicate now that they’re a part of our pack*,’ she explains happily.
‘*They’re both going to need our help through this,*’ I tell her.
‘*Mate is strong, and he has us. We will get through this together.*’
Andreas stirs and opens his eyes and smiles when he sees me. He pats the bed next to him, and I snuggle in close to him as he wraps his arm around me.
“Careful of your I.V,” I warn him as I gently lay my leg over his.
“Mmm,” is all he says as he smells my hair. I place my forehead against his chest and inhale deeply. His butterscotch scent calms me, and I finally drift off to sleep a while later.