A Cold Wind Blows (Forgotten series, #3)

Chapter 26: Part 3

I was in an out of consciousness as Natasha and Derek attempted to get the bleeding to stop. Mason was the first to be by my side, he ran his hands through the fur on my head and demanded that I not leave until I told him what happened to the poor bear that had crossed my path. His voice was strained with worry and everything else sounded slightly muffled.

I was starting to feel pain again as the blood loss was stopped and Natasha took over with speeding up my body's blood regeneration. I hated the process, it always made me feel like ants were crawling under my skin. I didn't have to worry too much about it because I slipped back into the darkness.

In and out of consciousness. Faces blurring and fading. I was aware when the two healers finally deemed me safe enough to shift and my body did as was natural. I had let out a shout of pain as the wounds tore open again and started the process over again. I almost missed the cold numbness. Now everything was painful and hot. The hands on me felt like brands as their moon given magic forced my body to heal.

Mason was with me, holding me tightly as they worked. I knew he was holding me even as I went unconscious again. I could feel him holding my hand as I was placed on a make shift stretcher and slowly moved. He asked me what happened when I made eye contact and I managed to slur out Lace's name, a proud smile on my face before I slipped back into the comforting, pain free darkness.

I was in and out as they carried me through the trees, Natasha and Derek taking turns patching me up. I slipped under before I became aware right as Plato finally saw me. He shuffled over, his bushy grey eyebrows pulled lower over his eyes. He inspected me as he gave one barking order before touching my forehead and I went completely unconscious as heat seared the inside of my skull.

I finally woke up in the infirmary. My body aching like I had been pummelled in the training ring all day. I groaned as I sat up, my head swam to the point where I wanted to throw up. A wrinkled hand grabbed my chin and lifted it, Plato inspected me intently.

"Can't help you with the aches and pains but you are doing fine." He let his hand drop and I rubbed at my face and gave a heavy groan of pain as I rolled my shoulders forwards, stretching out the newly healed muscles.

"How long was I out?" I had lost sense of time and I was almost afraid to know. Thoughts of the children and Lace swirled in my mind. If I was out too long then the boys would grow worried and I didn't want them to know they had come close to losing me like they had their blood parents.

"Feast is nearly ready so several hours." He stared at me intently as I moved as if checking for an out of place movement that would need to be fixed. He was an almost unnerving man. The moon's gift was thick within him and it was said that healers of his power were only born once or twice a generation.

"Has anyone seen Lace?" I was anxious about her. I wanted to make sure she was okay. She had taken on the bear and hadn't left without some wounds. If they were worse than she let on then it would cause serious issues. I didn't want to walk out into the forest to find her dead. My heart clenched in my chest at the thought.

"Your Beta says she is at home." He waved his hand flippantly as I slowly moved so I was sitting on the edge of the cot. My leg and hip flashed with pain before spasming. I grabbed my leg with a grimace, trying to stop the spasming. "Its a damn shame you have a few marks left. Don't blame me, Derek did that area and no amount of teaching can account for talent." He pointed to my hip and I looked down, there were a few faint white lines that followed where the bears claws had split open my skin.

"I'm alive so scars don't matter." My skin held less importance than my life. Scars told a story of a life well lived and I had a memento from the bear that would have killed me.