Cole's POV
I quickly searched through the house, looking for my mate but finding no hint of her anywhere. All the bedrooms in the pack house were empty of Audrey and fear began to rise in my chest.
"Where's Audrey?" I asked my mom who sat in the kitchen downstairs, panic strewn throughout my voice. She handed me a cup of coffee trying to calm me but I refused it. "Where is she?" I said more harshly than before, my need growing to see my mate.
"The doctor and your father took her to the hospital early yesterday morning. She needed a little blood and she was dehydrated." She replied calmly, trying to calm me dowb. I could tell she was just as worried as I was.
"Blood? She was cut?" I asked not remembering her bleeding at all when I brought her back.
"She just had a few cuts on her arms and legs. It's wasn't anything major. They just wanted to be safe." My mother said as she nodded, looking at me sadly. My anger rose again as I thought of John hurting my mate.
"Can I see her?" I asked permission this time, wanting to see her on fair terms.
My mom nodded, smiling, "I thought you'd never ask." She started for her car as I quickly followed and we drove to the hospital.
I felt my stomach twist in hunger as it growled loud enough for my mom to hear. "I thought about that." she smiled and handed me a sandwich she had packed in her purse, which I accepted with a thank you and devoured. As we pulled up to the hospital, my wolf was itching to see our mate.
I opened and jumped out the door before my mom even stopped the car.
The elevator moved to slowly for me as we rose to the 6th floor.
"Room 184." My mom said before we reached her room. The doctor was just coming out and he greeted us.
"Alpha." he lowered his head respectfully.
"How is she?" My mom asked before I could get a word out.
"We ended up having to give her blood early this morning but she's stable. You can see her." he said seeing my anxious state.
I quickly opened the heavy door and saw her sleeping body laying underneath the off white blankets. I sat next to her bed, holding her hand. I looked at her tired face, listening to her heartbeat, her chest rising slowly with every breath. Her hand tightened within mine as she woke from her peaceful rest.
"Cole." I heard her whisper.
"I'm here." I soothed her hair as her tired eyes focused on me.
"I'm sorry." she started before I gently squeezed her hand.
"You've got nothing to be sorry for, baby." I said trying to keep my face calm as my heart ached for her.
"I got Collin hurt." she whispered, regretful.
"He's fine. It was just a scratch." I said tucking some hair behind her ear like I loved to do. I laid my head down on her bed next to her as she brought her weak hand and laid it softly on my head. She ran her fingers through my hair as I laid my hand gently on her thigh and hummed both of us to sleep.
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Audrey's POV
I was finally able to go home with Cole after 2 more days stuck in that awful hospital bed. I was feeling better, like the things that happened a few days ago were a distant memory besides the 2 scars John so kindly left on my right forearm. They were fairly long, almost 3 inches each across the bottom side on my arm about an inch above my wrist. I had just got the bandages taken off as we left the hospital.
Cole was so upset about the cuts he had to leave while they took the stitches out. They were still red, angry lines on my arm since they were still relatively new and Cole got all worked up every time he saw them.
As we pulled into the pack house, his mom and dad came out to greet us, followed by the solemn faced parents of mine.
"I'm so glad your finally coming home from that terrible hospital. There's just so many bad memories from that place. I'm just delighted your memory wasn't one of them." Cole' mom said as she hugged me warmly. Without having to think about it I hugged her back and once she let me go I looked back at my parents.
"Audrey," my mother came up to hug me but I scowled at her and she changed her mind as my father stayed where he feet were planted, not even having the courtesy to say anything to me. "I'm glad your finally coming home." she said smiling. I was about to protest when Cole's dad spoke up.
"That won't be necessary. Now that she and Cole have discovered that they are mates, she is more than welcome to stay here." I looked over at him and Mrs. Bayer in confusion. Cole's mom only nodded her head smiling, agreeing with his words.
Cole's arm snaked around my waist, still glaring at my parents protectively.
"Well that's fine but I think we deserve some time with our daughter, if you don't mind." My mother, Anita, said almost politely.
"Well I mind and you don't deserve anything. Especially from me." I continued to scowl at her, venom leaking into my voice. Those words must have triggered something in her because her face quickly turned bright red and her hands balled up into fists at her sides.
She burst out with anger in her words, even in front of Cole's parents.
"You owe me everything! You would be dead if I had given you to the Kaiden like I should have. You would have made a better mate for John's brother than this life you've cut out for yourself here. You don't deserve any of this. These people just love you because they have to. Your his "mate". Why would an Alpha family love a rouge? You've got nothing to offer them! You think they love you anymore than I did? You're just as stupid as when you were born!" she yelled in my face. I could feel Cole beside me shaking with anger.
"All you have are words, Anita. You're not my mother, and you never will be. You never loved me like I love Cole. You don't know what that feels like. You just pretend to love people."
At that she snapped as she shifted and lunged for my throat. Cole shifted faster than my eyes could see and raked four claws across her muzzle, leaving red streaks across her nose making her whine and quickly step back.
She was about to lung again before she stopped and lowered herself to Cole in submission. I guess I should be used to his Alpha tone but I wasn't as he bellowed at her through it, so she had choice but to obey his command. Bruce lowered his head in the same way as Cole looked in his direction. He soon shifted and they both ran into the trees away from us.
I rubbed Cole's large, furry wolf head as we walked into the house with his parents. "We already moved all your clothes and things here, so every thing is ready." Cole's mom said to me motioning upstairs, smiling.
"Thank you.. For everything." I added, knowing she knew my deeper meaning. She came up and hugged me again.
"We already love you, Audrey." she whispered as I hugged her back.
"I love you guys too." I replied. As we turned back to our mates, we went our separate ways through the house. They went into the kitchen while Cole and I went upstairs, even while he was still shifted, almost like a puppy now. I laughed at the thought, making him turn his big brown eyes to me as he cocked his head to the side.
"You're like a puppy." I explained, still laughing. I could see him roll his eyes as we went into his room, closing the door behind us.
He nudged his head against my stomach and whimpered.
"I know." I said knowing he meant the deal with my parents. "It's ok. What did you tell them?" I asked, still not able to hear any of the pack through the mind link since I still wasn't officially in the pack even though I was the Alpha's mate. "Sorry, I forgot. Never mind." I told him sitting down on the bed. He sat down on his haunches on the floor so we were the same height. His eyes roamed my body and met my angry red scares again. I heard a low growl erupt from his throat, and I rubbed his large head. "Shh." I said, seeing his eyes lock with mine once again.
"Please, just promise me you won't go after any more Kaiden. Ok?" I asked, "I can't go through this again. I thought they hurt you." I eyes watered as my thoughts of him wounded, or worse, came rushing back to me from when I was in the hospital without him.
He laid his head in my lap and thumped one big paw on the bed. I grinning as I poked his paw and he yelped playfully. He came up to my face and unexpectedly licked my cheek.
"Cole, eww!" I laughed as I wiped wolf slobber of my face. "Dog." I growled at him still smiling. I thought for a minute and couldn't decide, "What day is it?" I asked myself but got 7 heavy thumps of Cole tail in response.
"Saturday?" I asked. He bobbed his big head up and down back onto my lap. I laughed and scratched him behind the ear, getting almost a purr from him. "Then we get the weekend too ourselves." I laughed playfully as he closed his eyes.
"You tired?" I asked scratching behind his ear again. I stood up, walking over to the closet and pulled out some pants for him.
"Here." I nodded towards the bathroom. He took them in his mouth, his tail almost wagging, which cracked me up along with the fact he had all my clothes and stuff here already. Instead, I pulled out one of Cole's big shirts and put that on instead to sleep in. It smelled like him which calmed me down, even from what had happened the past couple of days. I smiled and heard the bathroom door handle twist open, revealing my gorgeous mate.
I didn't give him a shirt on purpose, showing his perfectly defined 6 pack and muscles. I giggled when he caught me starring.
"See something you like?" he asked. Did he love to ask that or what?
"Actually.." I trailed off with a smile as he pulled me into him, crushing our lips together. Familiar sparks flew through my body from not being in his arms in so long and my wolf growled in content.
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Cole's POV
"Actually.." she giggled as I pulled her body up next to mine. As I kissed my beautiful little mate my wolf growled at me to mark her, to make her completely mine. The Alpha female of my pack. I wrapped my arms around her waist but she winced and I immediately pulled back, fearing that I had hurt her.
"What's wrong?" I asked instantly scanning her body for injuries.
"Nothing.." she started before I pulled up her shirt up, showing just her stomach but revealing all the bruises around her stomach and back.
"John?" I asked, anger surging through me.
"Please, Cole." she pleaded. "Don't. I just got you back." she said hugging me, instantly calming my temper.
"I'm sorry, I just can't stand the thought of him hurting you." she didn't say anything as we stood there in the silence just enjoying each other's embrace.
"I love you." I said kissing the top of her head.
"I love you. Forever mon amour." she whispered as she laid down on the bed.
"French?" I asked making her nod with a smile. I just shook my head, chuckling at the foreign language I didn't know. "Well, I like English much better." I said, laying down next to her, still holding her.
She kissed me once more before yawning and going to sleep in my arms. She laid her head on my chest, my arms gently going around her waist and pulling the covers up to warm us.
"Forever to be my mate." she translated before we slept into the long night getting our much needed rest in each other's arms that we had been deprived of for far too long.
Forever to be my mate, I repeated over in my head until I fell asleep with her.