I couldn't have been unconscious for more than a couple minutes when I was abruptly woken up as a new needle entered my arm. My eyes flew open and I saw McCoy pressing down the top part of a syringe, "What are you doing? What is that?" I mumbled groggily.
McCoy set it down on the cart beside my bed quickly while beginning to untangle me from the various other IV's and wires they'd only just recently attached to me. "Think of it like a steroid," He unattached the last cord from me, "It's not a fix at all to what's happening but it's going to accelerate your body and trick it into thinking you're alright for the time being."
As if on cue, a wave of warmth rolled through my body and I felt more normal with every passing second. Whatever he'd given me was working wonders already but why was he rushing around and why had he given me this medicine in the first place?
"McCoy..." I trailed off as I rubbed my sore wrist from all the IV's, "Is there something I'm missing, what's going on?"
He was turned away from me and I watched his tense body slowly sag in release with a large sigh as he turned back around. "We've got company and not the good kind." McCoy approached me and helped me out of bed, my legs wobbled a little for the first few moments but eventually I was able to stabilize on my own. "...and Alpha Azrael has asked for you."
In my head I believed that I'd only been asleep for a matter of minutes, it seemed strange that in such a short amount of time all of this so suddenly transpired. "How long have I been asleep for?"
McCoy's jaw ticked ever so slightly, it was obvious that he wasn't happy about having to follow Azrael's order and in all honesty I didn't blame him; I couldn't think of any situation or any amount of guests that I'd be needed by Azrael in the condition I'm in.
"Only a few hours, it's just about to be evening." He scribbled some last notes on the chart before tucking it behind his back, "Listen, this shot is very time sensitive and completely temporary. I just needed to be able to get you up, alert and walking to Azrael for a little while, this feeling won't last long."
My heart sunk as the reality behind his words really sunk in, feeling normal wasn't something I could get used to because as long as I wore this bracelet I'd only get worse. I furrowed my brow trying to shut out those kind of thoughts and focus on the bad company I was about to be thrown into, "And who exactly is out there?"
McCoy opened the door and stood to the side, "It's best to see for yourself." I eyed him suspiciously as I passed him through the door, his cryptic response putting me even more on edge than before.
It was storming outside, loud peels of thunder rolling through the sky and heavy sheets of rain making it difficult to see or hear. The only visual breaks were when a crack of lightning illuminated the main pack area and it was on a particularly awful bolt that I saw the so called company McCoy mentioned. To be fair, I couldn't really see them yet, all I could make out was Azrael's back since he was the closest to me and two blurry figures in the distance.
I lifted my hand to try and shield myself from some of the rainfall as I gingerly wandered towards Azrael. My foot made contact with some gravel and in a blink of an eye Azrael was stalking towards me to meet me halfway, I still couldn't make out who the figures were in the distance.
"This is a very big moment for you." Azrael murmured lowly, there was something strange in his voice though...was it concern?
My brow pursed, "What are you talking about, McCoy said that there was—"
He help up a hand with little droplets of rain running down off it. "I want you to think carefully before you act or say anything in a few moments."
Azrael wasn't making any sense and every time I tried to peer around him, he walked in front of me to obstruct my view. I huffed in annoyance, pushing wet hair behind my ears. "Just tell me what's going on this is ridiculous because like five minutes ago I was unconscious and unable to move form sickness and then next minute I am woken up and dragged out here—"
"Mercy?"
It felt like my entire world suddenly came to a screeching halt and even though I didn't move physically, my body felt as if I'd experienced some kind of extreme recoil. I knew that voice because it was the voice of the single most important person to me in my life.
"Mom!" Instantly I moved to bolt around Azrael but he was quick to catch the crook of my elbow, his hold wasn't painful but it certainly did the job of keeping me in place. Azrael dipped his head low, pressing his lips against my ear as the rain poured around us, "Very carefully." He repeated quietly before stepping back and moving aside.
There in the clearing, soaked to the bone from the rain was my mother and when she stepped aside the other figure was revealed. Here in Mortal of all places my mom and Luke were now just feet away from me.
My first instinct was to run and that instinct had been quickly shut down by Azrael and my flustered mind couldn't shake his words off. I knew he was using this as a test of some sort, that seemed like a very Azrael thing to do. He wanted to see if my answers and loyalty would remain after our first encounter we had with Luke where Azrael made me tell my friends I was staying with him willingly. While his words hadn't come across as an outright threat, it made me uneasy imagining what might happen if I didn't behave as carefully as he was expecting.
Azrael released my elbow only to quickly replace his hand intertwined with my own, something that was not normal for us. I looked up at him curiously for a moment but he was facing forward and already walking towards my mother and Luke. He stopped us about 30 feet away from my loved ones, Azrael shifted his hand once more and slipped it around my waist once we were in front of them.
"I have brought you Mercy, as you've asked now lets hear what you wanted to say." Azrael requested calmly and I didn't know if it was because I'd been around him for some time now but I could just sense the irritation radiating off of him. "I'm eager to hear your explanation for trespassing onto my territory." At least everyone could sense he was annoyed now after that.
My mom stretched her arm out to welcome me into her embrace but my feet felt chained and weighted down to Azrael, every fiber of my soul wanted to run and collapse into the comfort of my mom but I didn't know if it was fear or respect for Azrael I didn't budge. Her glassy eyes flickered from my face down to Azrael's arm around my waist and she slowly lowered her arm back to her side at it killed a piece of me seeing her forlorn expression.
Her teary eyes quickly recovered as she sniffed the air and found something she didn't like based off the frown that cast over her face, "You're sick?"
I winced hearing her words because even though I knew that she didn't have the same healing gifts as I did, she was still a regular healer in our pack and her questioning would only start things off poorly. But her observation only confirmed the worst for me, there was something very wrong with me.
Azrael narrowed his eyes, "My mate is doing better than ever thanks to me, now before I tire from this, lets hear it."
Luke had a dark glare painted across his face, he barely even looked at me because the majority of his stare was burning a hole into Azrael. My mom placed a hand on his shoulder to refocus Luke, he lightly shook out his shoulders to remove tension before taking a small step towards us which earned a low growl from Azrael.
"We've come here completely alone and unarmed, we have no intention to cause a fight." Luke began slowly with a tightened jaw, I knew my best friend and I could only imagine how much he was struggling right then to hold his tongue. "We are here diplomatically sent as negotiators on behalf of our Alpha to discuss the return of his daughter."
I missed my dad so much.
Azrael lazily traced patterns on my side as if none of this even remotely phased him, "And exactly what alpha would that be, son?" He was messing with Luke at this point, trying to encourage and provoke some kind of bad reaction from him despite the fact that Azrael couldn't be too far apart in age at all.
Luke snarled softly, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. It would be very bad for either of them to answer Azrael and tell him who my father was and really anything about our pack since we've spent so long disappearing.
"Alpha Robert from Hope Pack." My mother's voice interjected with a sharp clarity which cut through the rain and my jaw almost dropped, out of everyone who would have exposed our pack she was someone I never would have expected.
Azrael raised an eyebrow clearly intrigued, "You've captured my attention, what is a pack that was supposed to have been extinct years ago suddenly doing alive and well?" He sized my mother up quickly, "You must be the mother, I presume? I have to say the resemblance between you and my Mercy is uncanny."
My Mercy...I felt warmth and butterflies swell within me from two words alone...curse my dumb, naive heart because even though I knew Azrael was only saying it as a tactic it still sent me into my feels.
She looked past Azrael to me, staring at me with defeated glassy eyes. "Please, if I tell you will you let my daughter go?"
Azrael shook his head instantly, "No, but I won't have my wolves kill you."
My eyes widened in shock, that was my mother he was threatening to murder—I had no doubt in my mind that it wasn't a bluff. I wrapped my hands around Azrael's bicep trying to pull him back away and to face me, "I've done everything you've asked, you can't kill them please you have to let them go!"
He frowned down at me and shook off my grip roughly which made me stumble back a step and my food caught onto other heel.
I fell on my ass abruptly and Luke growled loudly, "You bastard! How dare you lay your hands on Mercy and hurt her, you're the one that deserves death for all the pain you've clearly caused her. She's terrified of you, I know her best but even a fool could see that clearly."
Azrael turned his scowl back to Luke, "A pup seems to think he knows my own mate better than me."
Luke's hands balled into fists at his side, he looked ready to shift at any given moment. I knew the look on his face and I could tell he was about to explode on Azrael. "I know her better than you because Mercy is my real mate—not yours."
Sh:t.
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hiya friends! so you all absolutely demolished the last vote count for the update : ' )
the next update will be when this chapter gets 120 votes
the love and support for this book already is just crazy, its giving me the same kind of vibes as when i was writing olive like it feels like a little community and im loving it. let me know your thoughts for the chapter!!
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