Chapter 45 - Watching & Waiting
Vulcan Romanov's P.O.V.
I watch as my beasts slam against the unbreakable glass of the cell, even though they have done this almost every day. It's tiring to watch and I hate that they have taken control. I can feel their rage over our mate being hurt, they miss her as much as I do. It feels like something was torn from us and left a gaping hole in our chest, waiting to be filled again when she wakes up.
If she wakes up.
With one last furious roar, my beastly form slumps against the walls of the cell and transforms. I blink in disorientation, feeling weird yet highly relieved to be back in my human form again. Groaning at my healing cuts, bruises and welts, I pull a nearby blanket over my bloodied form. I'm too weak to put on clothes just yet.
Aurora's condition had stabilized within four days, allowing us to return to my pack. This was two weeks ago. Indigo had just given me my last dose of Wolfsbane and silver, enough to knock my beasts out for a day or two. In that time, I would go and visit my mate who still has not woken up. It kills me inside whenever Indigo will shake his head solemnly in reply to my questions about her.
I sigh, wincing in pain when I feel blood trickling down my neck from an open wound that is currently in the process of healing. I watch as Indigo opens the door to the cell and walks in with a stack of papers, taking a seat on the cement floor beside my exhausted form. He does this every time I will be given control over my human body again.
"How's the pack?" I ask, resting my head against the cold wall.
"They're alright...worried about their Alpha and Luna, but they're okay." He nods, scribbling something on a piece of paper.
I nod with a sigh, taking a paper and pen and starting on the unfinished pile. "I'm sorry I've unloaded all this crap onto you Indigo."
He chuckles, violet eyes meeting green. "I'm your Beta, Vulcan. It's my duty to help you run this pack."
I smile appreciatively, clapping him on the back. We get down to work with me catching up on all that I have missed out on. The cell is finally silent for once as we sit there on the concrete floor, only the sound of pen hitting paper reaching our ears.
***
I walk down the hallway of the pack's infirmary, staring ahead. My pack members look on sadly, knowing their Luna has yet to wake up. I have left my duties to be locked up in a cell instead, otherwise I would be murdering anyone and anything that came in my way. I can feel the imbalance in the air, knowing the absence of both the Alpha and Luna is taking a huge toll on the pack.
Yes, I still complete my office work but being an Alpha you must be present too. And that is the one thing I'm not doing right now. Sighing, I stop in front of the familiar Alpha suite, staring at my gorgeous mate through the window.
All that matters right now is her.
And it will continue that way until she wakes up.
Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I push open the door and step in, shutting it behind me. Turning, I stare at her. Aurora lies on the bed, cold and pale with her small hands resting by her sides. Her eyelids are shut, dark and long lashes barely touching the soft skin of her cheeks. Those lips that I long to kiss are a pale pink now.
My gaze slides to the mark on her neck. My mark.
They always change her into a shirt that I can easily see my mark from whenever I visit. It calms my beasts and I somehow. The discoloration on her skin has finally disappeared, so I can see the indents of skin where I had sunk my teeth in her for the second time. They are quite large considering the size of my teeth and the area reeks of my scent so strongly it has me grinning inside.
Her heartbeat speeds up as I walk closer, making me chuckle slightly. Whenever I visit her, this is the reaction I get. Nobody else receives the same one, I have been told. She would lay still and her heartbeat would be slow and steady if anyone else came by to see her. It's like she knows I'm in the room, like she waits for me.
"My moon knows I'm here, doesn't she?" I coo in her ear as I lean over her to press a kiss to her forehead, like I always do.
She remains still as I pick up her hand whilst taking a seat in a nearby chair. I stare at her for quite some time, wondering if today will be the day she'll wake up. When I marked her again, I had feared the worst as had she. I don't know what is going on with her and the reason for her long slumber. I crave to know, for if I did, I would search far and wide for the cure.
It has been about two weeks now, that she is still in a coma. It's also the longest time she has been quiet. Aurora has the tendency to chatter away without a care in the world. It irks me sometimes how easily she can make a person feel at home, by just stepping forward and talking to them. My cheeky little spitfire always saves her stubbornness for me though, not that I ever complain. She makes me see a new side to life, a side that is colorful and bright; just like her.
Moon Goddess only knows how much I miss her.
Sighing, I shake my head and press a soft kiss to her knuckles. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come visit you again. I've been a bit of a mess ever since you slipped into a coma."
She never replies and it breaks something inside me. Inhaling sharply, I gaze at her serene face with sadness. It has been two weeks without seeing those beautiful grey eyes of hers or her smile. Fourteen days without being able to feel her wrap her arms around me, hear her laughter or glare at her for pulling yet another prank. Three hundred and thirty-six hours without being able to feel her soft lips against mine. Twenty thousand, one hundred and sixty minutes without her petite frame clutching on to me whilst she sleeps.
"I miss you..." I trail off in a whisper, blinking away the tears rapidly. "Every day that goes by, I miss you so much more. Why aren't you waking up? It's been so long, baby."
I stand and sit down on the bed beside her, her sweet scent filling my senses. Leaning down, I press my face into the crook of her neck and inhale deeply. Pressing a kiss to her cold, soft skin, I murmur incoherent things to her. Filling her in on what's been going on ever since she fell into this state.
"We can go somewhere during Winter break if you'd like?" I keep talking, trying to push the fact that she is silent to the back of my mind. "Would that make you happy? You love going on adventures. I have this wooden lodge out in Alaska, we can take a trip up there, just you and me. Won't that be nice, sweetheart? Alaska is amazing during wintertime; you might even see the Northern Lights! Yes, that sounds good. You've always gone on about wanting to see the Northern Lights. We could stay there after Christmas too until school starts back up again. You'll like it, Моя любовь." (My love.)
I ramble on about all the things we can do and see, managing to fall asleep next to her. Her scent is comforting, soothing me into a deep slumber that I never have when in the cells. I try using my dream-walking abilities on her again, but her mind is blank, like a wall is up and acting as a barrier.
***
Sometime later, I'm woken up to a hand shaking me. Grumbling, I open my eyes to see my younger brother, Nikolai, standing there with a sad smile on his face as he stares at us. I look at the clock hanging on the wall and know I must leave my mate for the night. I only have a day or two off from torturing myself in the prisons.
Nikolai straightens and walks out of the room to give me some privacy with Aurora. I turn to her and press a firm kiss to her forehead, my lips lingering. It's hard to leave her, but it's for her own good. My beasts will not be in the right state of mind if I'm surrounded by her scent for too long.
Sighing, I inhale her scent one last time before walking out of the room and shutting the door softly. I walk down the hallway and out of the pack's infirmary, feeling eyes on me as my towering form makes its way through the building and out onto the freshly cut lawn.
Making my way over to my house, where everyone waits for me, I sigh at the empty feeling within me, wishing I had my mate waiting for me in that house. Now, I don't even like being in there for too long, her feminine touches are everywhere.
I hear my pack greet me as I walk past them with my head held high. Although I'm breaking inside, I will not allow myself to be weak in front of anyone other than my mate. Doubts will spread in their minds if they feel like I'm not fit to lead the pack anymore. Work is brought to me every time by beasts will be knocked out and my human side can finally come through. After my sleep, I usually complete that and be filled in on pack affairs through my Beta and warriors.
Indigo oversees the pack right now and there is no other man I trust for the job more than him. If I don't have a child who I can pass the title down to in the future, without a doubt I know Indigo is next in line. I freeze for a second when my own thought registers in my mind. A child...my child. I have never even thought that far, yet the idea doesn't seem as daunting to me anymore. I know I will have pups with Aurora someday, chuckling at the memory of her reaction when I had revealed to her what a mate bond entails.
''No, no, no! We are not doing that! How the heck does that even work? I'm not carrying wolves inside me! And you will not bite me, you need to find another mate, dude.''
Seeing her eyes widen in panic and her body jump off the bed as if lit on fire had been highly amusing. Low chuckles escape me as I shake my head and carry on walking, making my way up the driveway. I push open the doors to a warm foyer and head in the direction of hushed voices sounding from the living room. Ever since my family and pack had heard about Aurora, it was as if the happiness had been sucked out of them and now we were all walking around on eggshells.
Kaden is the first one I notice, sitting on one of the armchairs and glancing around with an observant look in his eyes. I have told him countless of times to go home and every single time he has refused. At first, the thought of a rogue walking on my territory and being able to visit my mate whenever he liked whilst I'm in the cells angered me, but as the days went by he has proved to be harmless and someone I quickly learned to trust.
"I'm not leaving my best friend." Kaden had snarled my way when I had brought up the idea of him leaving. If Aurora had heard, she'd squeal in delight over that grumpy ass admitting that they are indeed friends.
His icy blue eyes meet mine when he notices me and sends me a nod in greeting. Indigo, Vanessa, my siblings and Natasha's mate, Nero are all situated around the room, all wearing the same sad expressions. Nero is the next to notice me and steps forward, clapping my back as he greets me. Natasha springs up from the couch and runs over to me, her worried blue eyes running over my every bruise, cut and wound.
Natasha and Indigo are always there to handle me when my beasts will take complete control like this. Caia and Nikolai were much too young the first time this happened and I don't want them knowing how gruesome it is now. That's why they are clueless as to what goes on in the specially designed cell.
"I'm fine." I reassure, gruffly.
Caia hesitantly hugs me next, making me roll my eyes and wrap my arms around her so that we are properly hugging. She is always scared about hurting me more when in fact, I can handle it well. I press a kiss to the crown of her head before pulling away, giving her a knowing look while she smiles sheepishly.
"I made dinner, want some?" Vanessa asks hopefully, making me nod as I know it will be pointless to refuse.
Natasha had dragged my ass to the table the last time I did that.
Nikolai cries out in joy, like he always does whenever food is mentioned, making all of us roll our eyes at his childishness. I know he is only trying to make the atmosphere lighter though. He runs into the dining room and I can already hear Vanessa and Indigo yelling at him to wait for the rest whilst he protests.
Sensing Kaden come up on my left, I glance at him as we walk forwards. He looks exhausted and I know he hasn't heeded to my orders the last time I was here.
"I thought I told you to stop guarding her door twenty-four seven?" I raise my brow, both of us stopping right outside the dining room's door.
He grumbles under his breath, crossing his arms in defiance. "Until that fucker is dead, I'm staying put outside her door."
"He is."
His head snaps up to mine, eyes widening as he stares at me in disbelief. I chuckle slightly, shaking my head. A dark look crosses my features as I think about that filth, Andrei. He is the reason my mate went through so much pain and suffering. It was high time I got my revenge.
"What? Did you really think I'd let him stay on my land alive whilst my mate is recovering? He was the first thing I let my beasts rip into when I lost control."
"Damn." Kaden breathes out before his expression turns grumpy again. "Could've called me, did you prolong it at least?"
"Killed him yesterday so yes, I tortured him for two weeks before I ripped his heart out." I mutter, watching as he grins.
"Is it on the cameras?"
"Why the fuck would you want to watch that shit?" I ask, incredulously.
He shrugs halfheartedly. "It soothes my soul in a way. Helps me sleep seeing some horror shit."
I shake my head in disbelief at the man before me. "What the fuck does my mate see in you?"
"Hell, if I know. She claims I'm not a bad person as people make me out to be. I killed a freaking rabbit right in front of her once and she thought it was a fucking accident when in reality, my wolf was hungry." Kaden throws his hands in the air in exaggeration.
A loud laugh booms from my lips as I picture the sight of my innocent, little mate trusting Kaden as he tries to hide the fact that the rabbit was his hunt of the day.
God, I really miss her.
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- R.W. ♡