Chapter 57

**Adam’s POV**

“I thought he was getting better Luca, but he has stopped talking again and I don’t know how to help him” I run my fingers through my hair, it’s gotten too long and it keeps falling into my face but it hasn’t really been a priority to get it cut. All I’ve thought about lately has been my mate who has currently locked himself away in his mind and I can’t reach him.

“Adam, he is traumatised, his psyche has been pushed to the breaking point so sometimes he is not going to be okay” Luca tells me peering in through the small window built into the hospital room door. I look too and see Roman staring off into the distance as Logan sits next to him looking slightly uncomfortable at being left alone with Roman.

“I know but things were great this morning, Dr. Pearce said that he was no longer stuck on bedrest and he was so excited to shower and to see people. Roman insisted that I leave him to shower by himself but he was too tired to do it alone and then he called me to help before just shutting down. I don’t understand it was just a shower”

“Exactly, it was just a shower, Roman has had no control over his body for weeks now and finally he is allowed to do something as simple as shower and his body fails him. You have seen how strong and athletic Ro has always been, always training or going for a run or spending hours at the gym trying to build muscle and now he isn’t even strong enough to shower. His mind and his body are both fighting to get back to where they were last month, not to mention his hormones are probably completely out of whack after being away from Dr. Pearce for weeks” Luca’s point makes a lot of sense, honestly my little mate is doing much better than we expected after everything he went through.

Remembering how he acted when he first woke up here, still very much under the effects of the foxglove brew and stuck in a waking nightmare. Within a few days I have caught glimpses of his dimples and the light slowly returning to his mesmerising gold speckled eyes. I just feel so helpless in situations like this, all I want to do is protect him and make everything better but these internal battles are his to fight. We peer through the pane of glass. I see that Roman has managed to bring his gaze up to meet Logan’s as the red head rambles on about something solemnly. “I just hate that he is hurting and I can’t help him Lu”

“I know, but right now just stay by his side and let him heal at his own pace. We are all here to help you both get through this” Luca says, placing a hand on his shoulder with a calm and serious expression. His expression quickly changes though to the happy and carefree face that he usually wears re-entering my mates room.

“Logan, I am not strong enough” Roman almost whispers, so quiet that I barely heard but relief floods me at hearing his voice, although the evident sadness in his words tug at my heart I am thankful to hear them nonetheless.

“Yes you are Alpha, you are stronger than most but right now you need to lean on those around you a little bit while you rebuild your strength” I watch as Logan grabs my mate's hand giving it a reaffirming squeeze before he notices our presence.

“Thank you Logan” I saw his surprise as I thanked him. We have been civil since he marked my little brother but never sincere. Now though he has helped pull Roman out of the dark recesses of his mind and for that I will be eternally grateful.

“It’s nothing, I was just helping my future Alpha” Logan clears his throat and smiles towards Roman who pulls him in for a hug. Logan freezes at the contact but awkwardly returns the affection which brings a subtle smirk to my face and elicits a chuckle from Luca, who rushes to snap a picture of the interaction before it ends.

Once my little mate pulls away from Logan I see him throw the blanket off of his legs, swinging them off the bed after. I step forward to help Roman onto his feet but Luca places a hand on my chest to hold me back before sending a message through the mindlink.

*Catch him if he falls but let him do this by himself, Adam*

He plants both bare feet on the cold linoleum floor and I see a slight wince at the temperature. I have to fight back my instinct to go over and pick him up. I stay back though and he takes a few shaky steps closer to me before he crashes into me and I hold him up by wrapping my arms around him. “I love you Adam, Thank you for protecting me and loving me”

“I love you too my little mate, and you don’t need to thank me, because you do the very same to me” I rest my head on his and take in a deep inhale of his citrusy scent and just relish in the fact that I have my mate in my arms.

“Okay, now help me find some pants. I want to see how Qi and Greta are healing, maybe even see Uncle Ji” he says and I can't help but freeze while holding him.

Shit, I still haven’t told him about the Beta’s betrayal yet.