CHAPTER 17

ABBY POV.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. I groaned as I became conscious of an irritated beeping sound. It was grinding on my ears that was already pounding from the headache I had. Dam alarm clock. I groaned to myself and I tried to reach out to silence the damn thing but I couldn’t. I barely had the strength to lift my arm. I forced my eyes open. My room was dim and… unfamiliar. Wait! This wasn’t my bedroom back at my apartment.

I felt my brain starting to wake up as I saw the rush of memories flash before my eyes and my body jerked in shock. It was real. I looked down at myself and noticed that I was propped up in a half-lying-down position. This wasn’t a dream, I thought as I looked down at my heavily bandaged arm. I lifted my other hand which had a drip needle in and reached for my head. I could feel a bandage there as well and when I pressed too hard, I flinched.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A soft, female voice spoke in the room. I started and my head snapped to where the voice came from, but groaned in pain when the action gave me a headache. I closed my eyes tightly until the pain lifted. I opened my eyes and saw that the person who spoke had come closer and was looking at the monitors that stood next to my bed. I frowned as I looked at it too… “Am I in the hospital?” I asked and the woman looked at me and gave me a soft smile. “Yes. May I?” she asked as she indicated to my wrist and it took a moment for me to understand what she wanted to do. “Yeah, sure.” I said and lifted my wrist towards her and she took my pulse. She released it and scribbled down something on a clipboard that was on the table next to the bed.

“How are you feeling?” She asked and she pulled out a pen-like flashlight from her white coat front pocket and shone it in my eyes. I squinted at the sharp light. “Uhm… alright I think.” I answered as I thought back to my attack in the woods. “I guess I can be lucky that I’m alive.” I said and the woman stopped scribbling on the clipboard to look at me. “Very lucky from what I heard.” She said, clutching the clipboard to her chest and smiled at me. “They say you took on a large male and only got away with a scratch.” She said and I looked at her in disbelief. “If you people call this…” I spoke and indicated with to my heavily wrapped arm. “A scratch then I don’t want to know how serious things can get around here.” I spoke and the woman doctor snorted. “It can get pretty serious but only with an attack like this. Luckily, we don’t get a lot of those, but they do happen.” She spoke and put the clipboard back on the table.

“My name is Doctor Jessica Saunders, but you can call me Jessie or whatever you wish.” She spoke and gave me a curtsey nod. “I’m Abbigail Charter, but you can just call me Abby. Everyone does.” I said and Jessie smiled but shook her head. “I need to go tell the others that you have woken up so that we can get you checked out thoroughly. Can I get you anything while I’m out?” She asked and I nodded. “Yeah, I’m looking for someone.” I said and I groaned in pain as I tried to make myself a little more comfortable. “His name is Marcus. I don’t know if you know him, but they said that he was brought here too.” I spoke and Jessie nodded her head. “Yes, I know him. everyone kind of does.” She said and she opened the door. “I’ll let him know that you are awake.” She said and my heart felt lighter because of what she said. “So, he is okay?” I asked and she nodded again. “Oh yes, he is recovering quickly, you on the other hand need a little more time.” She said and headed out.

MARCUS POV.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. I lifted my head from my pillow to look at the door to my hospital room. I was about to drift off to sleep, but I was wide awake now my first thought was that it could be news about Abby. “Come in.” I called and moved myself to sit in a more upright position. Winching in pain. I cursed that wolf that ambushed me from behind without giving me the chance to shift myself.

The door opened and my father walked in. I expected one of the doctors to have come with news but my father's visit so soon after the attack was surprising. I expected him to come much later than now. Something must be up. ”Father? I didn’t think I would be seeing you this soon.” I spoke. My father closed the door behind him and to my surprise, he locked the door. This worried me. he did not want anyone barging in to disturb us. “What is it?” I asked as he came to stand by the foot of my bed. At first, he glanced out the window but before I could ask again, he looked at me.

“How much do you know about Abby?” He asked and my eyebrows nearly shot up into my hairline in surprise. There was something in his voice that immediately let me on that something was wrong. “Why? What’s wrong?” I asked worriedly and my father merely looked me over before asking again. “What do you know about her?” he asked and I swallowed. “Not much, I mean it has only been a couple of days since I met her.” I said but my father just kept looking at me for me to continue. “She lives on her own in an apartment in town. Her parents live in a cozy house on the other side of town in a good neighborhood and her brother lives in the flat at the back of their house. Her mother is an interior decorator and her father owns a bakery where Abby just took over from him.” I said and my father pocketed his hands in his pants pockets.

“What are her parents names?” He asked. It wasn’t a strange question but it was strange that he needed to know all of this now. “From the information that Mac gathered for me, her mother’s name is Gail Charter and her father is William Charter. They are respected members of the community and help out with the yearly barbecue in their neighborhood.” I spoke and my father stood in thought for a moment. “And the brother?” He asked. “His name is James Charter. He’s older than Amara and half-brother from her father’s previous marriage.” I replied.

“Are you going to tell me what all this is about?” I asked. I didn’t like to be interrogated like this, even if it was about my mate’s family. My father sighed. “I take it you heard that Abby stood up to one of the male wolves’ that chased her?” He asked and my chest swelled with pride that my little human was so brave. She is going to be the perfect luna for my pack. I nodded my head. “Yes.” I said but something in his face was unreadable.

“When Mac let me know that Abby had expectantly arrived, I knew that she must have felt that you were in danger through the mate bond, seeing as you had already marked and mated with her.” He spoke. I already knew this because I could feel hers when she was in danger and in pain. “Yeah, so?” I asked.

“A human is not supposed to feel the bond connection so strongly. It takes time for the bond to settle in, that is why most relationships with human mates do not last.” My father said and I frowned. “What are you saying?” I asked.

“Abby is not human, Marcus.’ He said and I felt dumbstruck. “She’s a wolf, like us.” He said, but there was something in the way that he said it that let me on that something was wrong.