Page 19 of Fate Awakened

“I’m not sure. Everything is jumbled,” I respond, shaking my head almost in an attempt to break them loose.

“That’s probably the sedative working through you. It’ll come back. In the meantime, how are you feeling? Any pain? Trouble breathing? Numbness? Tingling?”

Sedative?

As he rattles off questions, he briefly examines my blood pressure, listens to my lungs, and shines a bright light into my eyes.

I answer what I can, complying with each request to take a deep breath or move one of my limbs. After several minutes of this, I realize that he hasn’t attempted to unlock the harness that binds me to the wall nor given me any information about why I’m here.

Cain: Tell me what happened. Why am I here?

I send the mind-link message to Dante, exerting more effort than expected, and focus my attention back on the doctor, now typing notes into my chart.

“So what's the prognosis, Doc?” I ask, attempting for calm but missing the mark as my frustration with being chained to the wall creeps in. No one likes to be locked in chains, but wolves tolerate it even less. Our wild predator side finds the shackles to be a threat.

“Your numbers look much better. However, I want to keep you for observation until your memory returns, just to be sure.” He finishes with a smile, but it's a tense one, more done out of routine than actual emotion.

“You know, if you told me what happened or why using a sedative became necessary, it might help me to recollect how I got here.” I watch his reaction closely. Radolf’s shoulders tense, and his eyes flip away to avoid mine. He begins tapping again, feigning concentration. Fear and anger build within me, and I fight to appear unaffected while trying to find a way out of there.

Why isn’t Dante answering me?

Why am I chained to a wall in my pack headquarters?

Why isn’t my wolf responding?

A growl escapes my throat as I launch myself at him, forcing my chains to their limit before wrapping him in a headlock and squeezing tightly as he fights against my grasp. His resistance ceases quickly as he realizes that even chained, he’s no match for my strength. Instead, he slumps down, leaning his weight against me while turning his head in an effort to allow more air into his lungs.

Dante:Let him go!

The command flies in, forcing my arms limp and sparking a flight response in the good doctor. He shoves free from my grasp before rapidly exiting the room without so much as a backward glance in my direction.

Dante: I’m coming.

I clench my fists, straining against the chains that still bind me, searching for a way to bring my wolf back.

***

It’s more than thirty minutes before Dante storms into my medical room, his jaw clenched and exhaustion evident on his face. He tosses a pair of sweats at me, allowing me to dress in strained silence. The eyes that meet mine lack their friendly quality and, instead, hold a mixture of rage and what I assume to be disappointment from my Alpha.

Over the last thirty minutes, I pieced my memory back together of the events that led me here. Bri. Hudson. Keith. Kole. Jake. Everything has fallen back into place, and I’m terrified that I killed one of my closest friends. I ask the first question burning me up while finding it difficult to look him in the eye.

“Jake? Is he ok? Did I…” I can’t finish the question, hoping they stopped me in time while the echo of those last conscious moments replay through me.

Dante’s eyes soften, shifting his face to that of my closest friend as he breathes out a sigh and leans his large frame against the door, crossing his arms.

“He’s fine. Andre intervened. He sedated you before you could inflict any major damage.” He doesn’t elaborate. He simply stares quietly, inspecting me, trying to ascertain my threat level, but I hear the words loud and clear.

Major damage.

Shit. I owe Jake an apology.

I add that to my to-do list before speaking again.

“You have to know, I never meant to hurt him,” I explain.

“If that were even a question, you would be dead. Best friend or not. Pack First.” The mantra rolls out of him without hesitation, and I nod, understanding. We live by that code. Putting the pack before everything else and showing our worth through unwavering loyalty. Never before had I questioned the idea of Pack First. Not until I found my Mate.

“You need to let me out of here. I need to get to her.” I beg.

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