Page 101 of Beginnings

“Okay,” I say with a chuckle. I know there’s no talking her out of it. “Thanks for everything, Mom.”

“I just need to do one more check and another round of medication before bed, Alpha,” Jillian says, coming into the room. “I won’t bother you through the night, but if you notice anything that seems off, don’t hesitate to come and get me.”

“Thanks, Jillian. I doubt I’ll be sleeping much tonight, so I’ll be keeping an eye on her.” Jillian gives Olivia the injection of her final dose of medication for the night and the room is silentagain. “It’s just you and me again, baby. Just how I like it,” I say with a short laugh. “You know how much I love having you all to myself, but next time we spend all day in bed, let’s be sure you’re awake, and we’re doing something a lot more fun.” I kiss her on the cheek.

Undressing down to my boxer briefs, I lift the covers and slide into bed next to her. I take her hand, and intertwine our fingers as I rub my thumb across her engagement ring. “Good night, Liv. I love you.” I give her one last kiss before settling in next to her.

Olivia

I love you, Ethan.

He has no idea I’ve been able to hear everything today. I know how attentive he’s been, and how he’s refused to leave my side. As the latest round of medication takes over, I’m in and out of sleep through the night. I have several realistic dreams, but the one I’m currently having is painfully real. I’m running through a burning forest. The fire chases me, and my skin feels hotter and hotter as it gets closer. I’m dripping with sweat as I try to escape the flames. For a moment, I feel like I’ve escaped because I’m overwhelmed with cold, but it isn’t long before the burning flames return. This time they’re more than I can bear.

I open my eyes and see the morning sun shining in the bedroom, and while there’s no fire, I feel as if the flames are still torturing me. My veins burn, and my entire body throbs like it’s been severely beaten with a baseball bat. It’s getting worse by the second. I start to whimper and writhe in pain, and my breathing becomes labored. Ethan immediately stirs next to me.

“Olivia?” He rises to look at me. “Fuck, Liv.” He flies out of bed and opens the bedroom door. “Jillian! I need you inhere now!” Jillian shows up within seconds. “What the fuck is happening to her? She’s in pain again and covered in sweat,” he says as he pulls on his jeans.

She touches my skin as I continue to writhe in agony, then scans my forehead for my temperature. “She’s burning up. Damn it,” she says, her tone no longer the voice of calm and reason.

Ethan paces the room with his fists clenched. “I want to know what the fuck is going on!”

“It would be normal for her temperature to be regulating itself at a higher level at this point in the transition, normalizing around 102 degrees in her new physical state, but she is at 106.2. I need to call Max to get him here right away so we can figure out what to do next.”

“Fuck!” Ethan runs his hands through his hair in frustration.

Jillian calls Max to alert him of the situation. “Dr. Harper will be here soon, Olivia. I’m sorry I can’t give you any additional pain medication until we can get your fever down.” She looks worried, which makes my anxiety and pain level even worse. Caroline enters the room just as I begin to convulse. Ethan looks to be losing his mind as he paces the floor.

“Fuck! Why is this happening? How much danger is she in, Jillian?”

“Alpha, I’m not going to lie. This is serious, but we’ll do everything we can to get it under control as soon as possible.”

“Ethan, you have to try to calm down, honey. This isn’t good for you, and it’s not helping Olivia,” Caroline says.

Shock waves of pain surge through my body, and I feel like I could vomit. I somehow manage to sit up and throw my hand over my mouth. Jillian reaches for a trash can just in time for me to empty the contents of my stomach, which is practically nothing.

“Better for now?” she asks before she takes the can from me, and I manage to barely nod my head. Collapsing back onto the bed, I scream out as the scorching pain surges through my entire body.

I can see Ethan becoming increasingly more enraged with the situation. His back is to me, and his hands are on the wall. Every muscle in his body is contracting. I hear a deep growl before he yells, “Somebody better fucking do something to fix this! Now!”

I hear running up the stairs, and Max races into the room. He immediately takes a prefilled syringe out of his bag.

“This is a fast-acting medication that should help bring down the fever.” He injects the medication into my arm. “I know you’re in pain, Olivia, but we need to get your fever down and be sure you’re healthy before we can give you more of the sedation and pain medication.”

“Why is this happening to her?” Ethan demands, his voice on the edge.

“It’s likely because she was turned by an Alpha. A human being marked by an Alpha werewolf is far different from that same Alpha marking another werewolf. We knew there was a chance it might not go as planned,” Max replies.

Ethan paces the room with his hands in his hair. He rubs his face and then laces his fingers behind his head. I know he’s blaming himself, and I want to run to him and tell him this isn’t his fault. I want to tell him I chose to do this. I’m in excruciating pain, and aside from my parents dying, this may very well be one of the worst moments of my life, but I still don’t regret doing it. Having the life we want together is worth it. I see Max look at Jillian. He tilts his head toward Ethan, and then toward the door. She nods in agreement.

“Alpha, your pacing and anger aren’t good for Olivia. Seeing you stressed out is keeping her anxiety level up, and it’s goingto take longer to get her fever down. I really need you to find something to do right now. Take a shower, eat some breakfast, maybe shift and go for a run. You just need to leave the room and collect yourself for a little while,” Jillian tries to persuade him.

He shakes his head with desperation. “I told her I wouldn’t leave her alone. I fucking did this to her. I won’t leave.”

“She’s not alone, Alpha. Caroline?” Jillian looks to Caroline for help.

“Ethan, if you want to help Olivia, you need to listen to her doctors,” Caroline says, placing her hand on his crossed forearms. “Nick is downstairs. I want the two of you to shift, go for a run, and then I want you to come back and shower. Do this for your mate so she can relax and get well.”

Ethan rubs his face in frustration, sighing deeply. “No. Not until I know she’s stable again.”

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