The Solitary Mate

Chapter 38

Why isn't he moving? Why isn't he moving? Why isn't he fucking moving?

"What happened? Why isn't he moving? James! James! Wake up!" I felt my blood soaked fingers slide across my face in horror. I couldn't feel him, I couldn't see if his chest was moving from here, I couldn't-

"Grace!" Jared barked my name and the pain of looking away from my mate had me wailing.

"He's not moving!" My voice was feral, as was his. Things began to blur and I realized I was crying. Jared was as well.

"I know! But neither is our patient right now!" My wails quivered into rolling sobs as I looked down at the warrior we had been working on. He had a mate, a family, loved ones that were as worried about him as I was about James. "We finish this, then we go to them. The-they're in good hands." Jared was crumbling but hope glimmered in his eyes amongst the fear. I looked back to his son and my mate to see Luna Emily beside both of them. Accompanying her was a fellow female that couldn't have been more than a few years older than myself. I prayed to Luna she was a healer as well.

"I- I... Jared I can't-"

"Yes, you can and you will. Look around." My lip trembled as I took in the scene surrounding us. My world was falling apart, everything else felt small and insignificant, but one glance reminded me. Everyone in this room felt the exact same way. A weeping mother calling for her missing child, an older male begging a medic to save his daughter who had lost her arm to the explosion, a warrior clutching the body of what appeared to be his mate long passed.

"You can't think there isn't anything I would rather do right now in this world than run to my son's side and hold his hand for what might be the last time." Jared's shaky tone shattered my heart and helped me to put aside a portion of my own grief.

"I'm sorry, Jared." I forced my eyes to remain focused on the patient between us. I could feel my wolf pushing with all her might to get me to turn away from this stranger, from this injured warrior, to go to our mate's side. I wanted to... I really wanted to. But this was the right thing to do.

"Resuming healing." Jared spoke clearly as his hand glowed brighter than before. I watched as the split skin began to pull together and form a new layer before my very eyes. He was good and he was trying to work fast. I needed to do the same.

"Administering antibiotics." I filled a fresh syringe with the medication and then found a vein along the arm of our patient. I couldn't help but notice how low his pulse was as I injected him. He would likely need a blood transfusion. If his mate or a family member is nearby that should-

I felt it before I heard it. I saw it happening before it could knock me down. My mouth open before I could even scream. It was hell all over again. A loud boom resounded throughout the room as dust and rubble exploded from the ceiling above. My body moved on its own and I found myself shielding our patient with my body. I draped my frame over his to protect him as much as possible and I felt Jared's form over myself do the same.

I wanted so badly to cover my ears as the room filled with screams of horror, the sound of crumbling rock, bones breaking, gurgles from lungs begging for air. My heart was fluttering like a panicked bird in a cage and before I knew it I found myself yelling in unison with the masses. What kind of hell were we trapped in?

The ground shook below us and I feared the ground might cave in around us. Thankfully it didn't and soon the sound of falling rubble subsided and left only more cries of despair and pain. I dared to raise my head and cracked my eyes open the smallest amount. Dust immediately entered my eye and I winced recoiling at the invasive material. My eyes burned and I struggled to wipe my eyes on my shoulder to ease the pain but it provided no relief.

"Fuck!" I cursed out loud and Jared coughed in response choking on the same dust. My lungs burned in unison, and I found myself entering into my own fit of coughs. "Jar-jared! Are you- are you okay?" I fumbled blindly with my hands attempting to reach him in my blind state. I had made the mistake of scrambling away in the aftermath of the ceiling caving in.

"Grace!" His voice was hoarse, but he was alive, and not too far from the sound of it. I tried opening my eyes once again and it felt like I was dragging knives across them with each blink. I resisted the urge to rub at my eyes knowing it would only make it work and instead closed my eyes again and crawled in the direction of Jared's voice.

My heart pounded in my ears, racing like a hummingbird's heart. I couldn't see a thing. A cry of pain escaped my lips as my hand landed on a pile of what felt like gravel and glass. I could feel hot liquid pool in my palm and knew I must be bleeding. The pain was enough that I knew it was deep but had no choice but to ignore it. I bit back my urge to scream as I crawled forward once again. "Jared!"

Voices bounced distantly around the room but none of them belonged to Jared. My blood ran cold with fear. I tried again. "Jared! Where are you? I can't see..." Ice filled my veins as dread covered me like a blanket. "Jar-" I felt the wind leave my lungs suddenly as an arm found its way around my waist, whisking me into the air.

I didn't know what to do. I had no idea who had grabbed me, why they had grabbed or where they were going. I was frozen, stiff under this stranger's arm as they carried me as if I were a piece of furniture. I felt us moving quickly, jumping over rubble, weaving between what I assumed to be obstacles. They were fast, strong and not somebody I knew. That much was clear.

"Grace!" I audibly gasped and felt the person holding me falter slightly in their movements. It was James. He had called my name. He was alive. He was near me.

"James!" I called out and began reaching for the arm of the stranger trying to remove it from my body. My wolf was crying, begging to be near our mate. "Put me down! James!" I hit at the stranger but I might as well have been a child with the way they held back my attacking hands.

"Fuck, you had to be his mate?" The voice was male and he sounded not far off in age from myself.

"Put me down!" I growled and they tightened their hold on me in response.

"I can't do that." They began moving and I could tell from the bond that we were moving away from James. I began to fight harder, and they cursed under their breath as I flailed uncontrollably.

"The fuck you can't!" I cursed and managed to swing my elbow back and clear into their gut. They grunted and dropped me to the ground. I didn't take the time to think and stumbled in the direction of where I felt James' presence. I blindly stumbled at most four steps when I was tackled to the ground by the same form.

"I'm sorry." Their voice was the last thing I heard before I felt a sharp pain against the back of my head and then everything went black.