Liam
I sat and watched Lily for hours. For some kind of reaction, for her to wake up. But she continued to lay still in her bed. I mind linked Sam to come back and at some point, he entered the room, but my eyes stayed on Lily until he cleared his throat.
“Alpha?” I glanced over at him then back to Lily.
“Yeah, Sam?” I ask quietly.
“Um… I want to tell you something.” I look over and lock eyes with him. He’s shifting restlessly in his seat and looks worried.
“What’s wrong, Sam?” I ask narrowing my eyes. He shakes his head.
“Nothing.” I breathe a sigh of relief and grab Lily’s hand. It might just be wishful thinking, but I feel like the sparks are a little stronger than before. I squeeze her hand gently, hoping she knows I’m here.
“Good, because I can’t handle any other shit storms right now.” I say.
“No, it’s nothing like that it’s just that… I found my mate.” My eyes snap to his and he has a wide smile on his face. His eyes are brighter than usual, and his chest is puffed out a little in pride. I can’t help but smile back at him.
“That’s great.” I say. “Where did you find her?” His smile falters a little and he rubs his chin, something he does when he’s anxious.
“She was being held captive at the rogue camp. The scouts found her and a few others this morning.” I nod in understanding.
“Where is she?” I ask.
“Here in the hospital. She wasn’t hurt or anything, but they didn’t feed her right and she’s way too skinny. I asked the doc to let her stay for a while so I could be close to Luna too. Her name’s Chloe.”
He’s got the same look on his face as when he opened that Xbox on Christmas and my heart warms at the sight. We all know how badly Sam wanted a mate, even if he tried to hide it.
“I’m really happy for you, Sam. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” His smile fades and he looks over at Lily and it dawns on me. Lily was almost as invested in finding Sam’s mate as he was.
“It doesn’t feel right without her Alpha. Nothing does. Can you imagine a Christmas morning without her now? I know she’s your mate, and I don’t love her like that, but I feel like she’s part of my soul too.” His eyes sheen with tears and I nod at him.
“I know exactly what you mean, Sam. But she’s gonna be fine. She’s going to wake up and then we are going to train her. We’re going to work her hard so she’s strong for her shift. And after she shifts, she’s never leaving my side. Never.”
“That’s the kind of positive thinking I like to hear.” Dr. Sommers says from the door with a smile.
“What’s taking so long, doctor?” I ask impatiently, standing from my seat and stretching a little.
“It’s just the process, Alpha. Patience.” I smile at that. I’m always telling Lily to be patient and her standard quip ‘that’s not a virtue I possess’ makes me smile every time.
“Good news, though. Her labs have improved much faster than I anticipated. She’s out of the woods, at least until her shift but now that I’m in here… Can’t you smell that?” she asks.
I look at her in confusion then take a deep breath. I must not have noticed it since I’ve been in here and the change happens subtly, but Lily has the distinct smell of a werewolf. It’s faint, for now, but definitely there.
“Isn’t it a little early for her scent to be changing?” Sam asks with furrowed brows.
“Yes, it is.” Dr. Sommers responds. “Either she got a great deal of venom, or her wolf is already taking over.”
“Is that possible?” I ask. It’s much too soon for her wolf to come forward. It could force her into an early shift and that would surely kill her.
“It could just be the extent of her injuries are making her wolf work harder, and it will fade until her shift after she’s healed.” The doctor responds. “We’ll keep a close eye on her, Alpha.” She says before she leaves Sam and I alone with Lily again.
This new development makes me nervous and I start to pace the room. Sam’s knee starts bouncing while he sits and holds Lily’s hand and every time it hits the floor his chair squeaks a little. He keeps bouncing and bouncing his freaking knee and it starts to drive me insane.
“Stop bouncing your fucking knee, Sam.” He looks at me agitated.
“Well then stop pacing! You know how much Lily hates it when you pace!”
“Lily is unconscious right now; I don’t think my pacing will bother her!”
“Actually, it is kind of annoying me.”
I stop in my tracks and run to the bed. Lily’s eyes flutter open and lock with mine.
“There’s my precious girl. Did you have a nice nap?” I say quietly, leaning over her to kiss her hair. She lets out a very unlady like snort.
“Nap? That’s funny.” She tries to sit up a little and grimaces.
“Stay still, love. You have a lot of injuries.”
I take a moment to just stare at her. I never thought I’d be so grateful to see her eyes and hear her voice.
“Liam?” Her sweet voice carries to me and I could cry at the sound of my name on her lips.
“Yes, love?”
“What happened to me?” I sigh and hold her hand. She squeezes it gently and the sparks light up my arm like fireworks.
“Kane clawed your stomach. You lost a lot of blood.” She shakes her head and looks at me again.
“No, not that. Why can I suddenly see every dust particle in the air and every individual strand of hair on your head. Why can I hear a machine beeping from downstairs and why, on God’s green earth, can I smell that Sam has wax from an oak tree on the bottom of his right shoe?” I take a deep breath and sit on the bed next to her.
“Please don’t be mad at me.” I plead.
“Well, that’s a great way to start a conversation with your mate.” She mutters and Sam chokes on a laugh.
“It got really bad there for a bit, sweetheart. You weren’t going to make it, so I had to something drastic.” She looks at me and makes a movement with her hand to encourage me to continue.
“I turned you into a werewolf.” I wince and brace myself for impact.
To my surprise, she doesn’t hit me. I open my eyes slowly and look at her. Her eyes are wide, staring at me. Then she looks to Sam, who gives her an encouraging nod, then back at me.
“Huh.” She says. “Well, that’s cool.”
Um… WHAT?!
“Baby. You did hear me, right? On the next full moon, in two weeks, you will shift into a werewolf.”
“And hopefully not die.” Sam adds.
“That’s not helpful.” I seethe at him.
“Thank you, Sam, I will do my best not to die.” Lily giggles and the sound is like a balm to the open wounds on my soul.
I have to kiss her. I can’t hold back any longer. I lean down and press my lips to hers. She parts them for me and grips my hair. We kiss briefly, but it’s enough to convince me that’s she’s really here and, for now, she’s ok. I pull away to look at her, and her bright blue eyes are burning with the mischief I love so much.
“You’re even hotter with werewolf vision.” She says. Sam and I both boom out a laugh.
“God, I missed you Luna. Never do that again.” Sam says and tears start to fall down his face.
“Oh, Sammy. Come here.” Lily says and opens her arms wide for him. He wraps himself around her like a koala and cries on her shoulder before pulling away and smiling at her.
“I found my mate!” Sam blurts out. Lily’s eyes widen and she smiles brightly while she claps excitedly.
“Tell me everything about her!” Lily says as the doctor comes into the room.
“Oh good. It’s so nice to see you awake, Luna! I hope Alpha told you about the unconventional treatment plan we came up with for you?” She says.
“That’s one way to describe it.” Lily laughs and I scoop her up in my arms carefully and lay on her bed to cradle her.
I put my nose in her neck and breathe deeply, allowing my wolf to come forward and inspect her. He’s earned that much.
“You can go home whenever you feel up to it, Luna.” Lily nods and leans into my touch. A little rumble leaves her chest and she gasps in surprise.
“Was that me?” She asks. I chuckle and nod.
“I purred!” I look up at her with furrowed brows.
“Purred?” She nods.
“That’s the same noise you make when I play with your hair.” Sam starts laughing so hard his body is shaking while I pout at my little mate.
“I am an Alpha male, Lily. I do not purr.”
“Oh yes you do.” She responds. “And it’s adorable.”