clutching Aria to my chest. I kicked the door open and ran to the infirmary where the Pack doctor Mavis was standing next to the hospital bed, in her white coat. Her red hair was a mess, telling me I had woken her. I could see she was still in her pyjamas under her coat, and she only had socks on and no shoes. Placing Aria on the gurney, Doc quickly started to work. Zane walked in a few minutes later with Lily still clutching the bag tightly.
I bent down to look at Lily. "You okay?" She shook her head and sniffled. Her blonde curls were tinged red covered in blood, and some was dried on her face. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head again.
"The blood is Ari's. She was carrying me," she stuttered, trying to hold her sobs in. I could tell it was Aria's; I would know her scent anywhere.
Looking down at her drenched clothing, I noticed what looked like blisters along her hands. Pushing the sleeves of her shirt up her arms, I found more blisters and burns. I could smell wolfsbane on her clothes, which would be causing her pain. Immediately, I signalled for the nurse that was with doc to come over.
She took one look at her before confirming, "Wolfsbane,"
"Is that why my mate isn't healing?" She looked uncertain.
"Maybe. Come on, let's get you cleaned up,," she said, holding her hand out to Lily to take. Lily looked uncertain but took her hand anyway.
"Why are you so quiet, Ryder?" I asked.
"You will find out soon," was all he replied. I knew he was scared for our mate. She looked so small and fragile, laying on the hospital bed. The Doc was stapling her leg while another nurse was stitching her side. She was completely unconscious. If I couldn't see her chest rise with each breath she took and hear the slow beating of her heart, I would have thought she was dead. A tall man in a white coat walked in before placing an IV in her arm and attaching a bag of fluids. I watched as he took some blood samples before walking out of the room again. Both doctors kept giving me nervous glances.
"Maybe you should go wait in your study, Alpha," said Mavis. I have known her for years, and I could tell something was making her nervous. That I was making her nervous.
"No, I'm fine here."
"Sir, I don't think you should be here when she wakes up."
"She is my mate, I'm staying." Mavis looked shocked for a second, glancing at Tom, the male doctor who had stepped into the room again before looking down at my mate with a look of fear on her face.
"Sir, I'm afraid I need to insist you leave. Mavis or I will come see you soon. It's for your mate's safety," said Tom.
"Safety? I am not going to hurt her. She is mine." Tom wouldn't budge, instead gestured towards the door.
"Please, we will be able to work more efficiently with you not here."
Storming out of the room and slamming the door behind me, I made my way down the hallway to my study. The study was dark. Turning on the light, I looked around the room trying to find something to distract myself, looking over at the shelves of books. I didn't feel like reading or working, instead deciding to just sit behind my desk. Running my fingers through my hair, I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes.
I must have dozed off because Zane walked in with a plate in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. He placed them down in front of me.
"Eat," he ordered, pushing the plate in front of me.
"Any news?"
"Yes, but you're not going to like it. I had my suspicions earlier but didn't want to say anything,"
"What?"
"Please just eat and wait for Doc." Just as he mentioned her, she walked in with some papers in her hand. She looked over to Zane nervously before he nodded, and she walked further into the room.
"Well, take a seat, Doc." She shook her head before looking down. Mavis was making me uneasy; it cannot be that bad, surely, she was breathing and alive. "What, did she die?" I asked, my voice breaking at the thought.
Doc shook her head. "No, of course not but there is something you should know."
"Like?" I threw my hands up impatiently. Doc glanced at Zane again before looking down at the papers in her hand.
"You said she was your mate?" I nodded, confirming her words. "Well, she had lethal doses of wolfsbane in her system. Enough to kill 10 or more wolves to be precise." she said, placing a piece of paper down in front of me.
"But she is alive. She will be fine, though, right?" I asked, glancing down at the paper.
"Yes, Sir, she will live, but she needs blood to heal. We don't have any here. I am organising some to be sent over."
"Ok, so what blood type is she? I can organise some Pack members to donate blood if needed?" Now she is really worried. She looked around anxiously, her hands began to shake, and she moved closer to Zane. "Am I missing something? What's going on? Does she have a rare blood type?"
"No sir, you're not understanding, she…. your mate needs blood to heal. She is a hy... Hybrid," she stuttered over the last word.
I burst out laughing. "Nice try Doc," she looked towards Zane. Before he stepped forward, his hand gripped my shoulder squeezing lightly. He looked at me and nodded his head, confirming what the doctor said.
My blood started to simmer. She can't be a Hybrid, but at the same time, so many things made sense now, her unique scent. The fact that she could not heal. Why she wouldn't know of the mate bond? Why she had no wolf. Why she was not dead when I smelt wolfsbane on her. My head was spinning. "This is what you wouldn't tell me, huh Ryder?"
My anger reached breaking point, boiling over. Gripping the desk, I flung it against the wall, narrowly missing Mavis. My mate was a fucking Hybrid! Mavis darted out of the room. I wanted to break something. I wanted to kill something. No, I wanted to kill her. Is this my fucking punishment, Moon Goddess? Did you do this to fucking torture me? I will not have a Hybrid as a fucking mate. Trashing the room, there were no shelves left standing. The windows smashed from flying furniture. Zane did not move, just stood in the doorway, waiting for me to finish. When I went to walk out, Zane stepped in my way.
"Move," I growled, grabbing his shirt and slamming him into the door frame.
"Why? So you can kill her? You kill your mate, the Moon Goddess will not grant you another. Reid, think about this. Do not let your hate control you. Don't let it destroy her."
"I won't have a Hybrid as a fucking mate," I spat at him.
"Killing her will only weaken you. Be reasonable."
"I made a fucking promise to wipe them from existence. She doesn't change that," I screamed, shoving him out of the way.
"And I won't let you hurt our mate," Ryder, finally speaking up, growled at me. Fighting me for control.