Chapter Twenty-Three
Jeremy
I’d gotten distracted, but who was stupid enough to attack a packmate during a fight?
Fillian, apparently.
Marcus bit into the back of my neck, but I was younger and faster than him, so I slid around before he’d gotten his teeth truly in, my back legs pushing him from my body.
Then I twisted, using my front paws to jump him.
He fell to his back, my teeth finding his neck as fast as I could.
I was allowed to kill him. He’d attacked me without permission, so when his neck broke, I didn’t feel bad about it.
I did however, need to see the reality of what had happened to my mate.
I’d seen Milo shift just as Marcus hit me from the side, and that had been what gave me hope that Cass was okay. I at least knew he was alive, I could feel it.
I’d been surprised when Milo had stepped in and offered to be my second. Maybe it was purely because he wished to be Alpha himself, or maybe, just maybe, he still cared for me. I hoped it was the latter.
Still in wolf form, I hurried over to where Dad stood with Darius over two wolf bodies, one of them Milo, the other Fillian, then I saw Cass.
My relief was quickly replaced by fear. Milo’s wolf form was bleeding out, and it was clear he’d taken all of Fillian’s attack on himself, trying to save Cass. He’d been Cass’ shield.
“Milo?” I tried, but there was nothing. Fillian was clearly dead, his head barely hanging on.
“We need to take him to Nicmondus,” Darius said from where he kneeled next to Milo’s unconscious wolf form. Dad nodded and helped him carry Milo.
Shifting, not caring about my nudity now that my mate was out cold, I bent and picked Cass up, following them to our pack healer.
Nicmondus was a lone wolf that joined our pack when Dad was only a kid.
He could very well be a hundred since shifters lived to around one hundred and twenty on average.
Nic had some kind of gift that allowed him to help the natural healing process progress faster than normal.
We didn’t really have a word for what he could do, so he was just known as the Pack Healer.
I trusted my Pack Mates would clean up the fight scene and remove Fillian and Marcus from our territory.
Because they broke the rules, they wouldn’t be buried on our land.
Whenever a wolf went against pack rules, they lost their place in the pack.
They would die as lone wolves. We wolves believed that even in death, we remained in the same pack, spending the afterlife with those we’d shared our life with.
I hoped it to be true, so I wouldn’t have to see Fillian or Marcus ever again.
I’d seen Nic at the ceremony just before the fight started, so I trusted that he’d run ahead to get his supplies ready for us. He lived three houses down from the community center, a conscious decision, seeing as we wolves tended to get injured from time to time.
Cass’ heartbeat was a steady assurance as we dashed forward.
My mate would be fine; I could tell as much.
Knowing that did nothing for my frayed nerves, though.
Recalling the moment Cass’ eyes flashed with fear as Fillian rushed towards him…
I should’ve protected Cass better. I should’ve foreseen Fillian and Marcus wouldn’t play fair, but until today, they hadn’t done anything cruel enough for me to feel worried.
I should’ve been. At least he’d stood next to Dad, having him close by was good enough protection, and with Darius right behind him, my mate had been watched over by those I trusted the most. Milo had been the hero here, no doubt.
It was surprising, yes, but that didn’t mean I’d forgiven him.
Nic’s front door stood wide open, a clear indication that he was ready for us. He lived in a small cottage, all stones on the outside and a thatched roof. There was only enough room for two patients. It was just what we needed.
Stepping aside to let Darius and Dad go in first, I suddenly noticed the scent of Cass’ blood. I hadn’t realized he was bleeding until then. All my senses had been focused on bringing them to Nic and the only metallic scent had been Milo’s.
A whimper escaped me. Had my Cass’ head been hurt badly enough to break? Would he need stitches? I’d truly failed him today. What was supposed to be a day to celebrate our love, ended up a bloody mess instead.
I was supposed to tell Cass I loved him today.
A word that held less meaning than his title as my mate did, but needed to be said regardless.
I’d loved Cass ever since he’d named me Red.
That was just how it worked with fated mates.
I had no idea if Cass felt the same, what with him being human, but I wanted him to know how I felt.
“Put Milo over here,” Nic urged, helping them place him gently on the covered mattress. “I’m sorry, Paul, but you need to leave the room.”
There simply wasn’t room enough for all of us. Even though I felt sorry for Dad having to leave, I was immensely glad I got to stay. Nic likely knew Darius was Milo’s fated, or he would’ve gotten booted out instead of Dad.
“Okay,” Dad said, stepping back. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
Nic got to work, starting with Milo while I stood by Cass’ mattress. His had a cover on it, protecting the soft fabric underneath from blood.
“Hand me the vial labeled ‘Quick Up’” Nic ordered and Darius left Milo’s side to grab whatever Nic needed.
I knew very little of Nic’s healing work.
All I knew was that he used natural ingredients he found in the woods.
If he did anything special to them, I had no clue.
But I trusted the man with Cass’ life, and that was the highest level of trust I could give anyone.
I would fetch him whatever he needed, too.
“Damn,” Nic muttered, pouring the vial down Milo’s muzzle. The fact he was still in his wolf form proved how badly wounded he was. We healed faster when shifted, but often we shifted back once healed enough, even in sleep.
“What is it?” Darius rasped, his nerves clear.
“That vial was supposed to make him shift,” Nic explained. “If he doesn’t shift back soon, it will be harder to stitch him up.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because then he’ll need to stay in his wolf form until the stitches are removed.”
“Oh, and that’s a bad thing?” I questioned.
Nic continued to work, wiping blood away from Milo’s body and cutting off fur with clippers. “It’s not a bad thing, I just can’t risk him shifting suddenly, it will pull the stitches, making his injuries worse.”
“Do whatever you have to do,” Darius said, sounding confident. “I’ll make sure he stays in wolf form for however long is needed.”
“Good,” Nic said. “I’ll start stitching him up so he doesn't lose any more blood.”
It only took Nic twenty minutes and then Milo was all stitched up. Cass hadn’t stirred once, and I was beginning to worry. Milo needed Nic’s help first, that was obvious to us all, but I still hated that my poor mate had to wait for his turn.
“Make him drink this,” Nic ordered, handing me a vial with the word ‘Clarity’ on it. I undid the cork top and gently held Cass’ nape, pouring the light blue liquid down his throat.
His eyes fluttered open a few seconds later, but they were disoriented and sort of hazy.
“Hi, baby,” I whispered, wanting him to know I was there, but also didn’t want to startle him.
“Red,” he whispered back before closing his eyes again, this time with a small smile on his lips.
“Paul!” Nic yelled from the door, surprisingly not waking Cass or Milo.
Dad rushed in, ready for whatever Nic needed.
“Milo is ready to be transferred home,” Nic calmly explained. “I have my old wagon out back you can move him in. But I’ll need it back soon for my trips.”
“I’ll bring it back right after,” Dad promised, then helped Darius move Milo outside.
The wagon wasn’t a big one, but Milo would just about fit it seemed, so I let them do their thing and watched eagerly as Nic focused all of his attention on Cass.
“Hmm, it is as I expected,” Nic said, placing a hand on top of Cass’ head.
“He’s concussed, but nothing too bad. With a daily dose of my vials, he should be fully healed in just three days.
The Clarity Potion helps the brain heal, sort of bringing it back to normal from the trauma.
It also stops pressure on the brain if the swelling is bad. ”
“And that’s the potion he’ll need daily?” I checked.
“Yes, so I’ll give you four vials of that to take with you. Better have an extra laying around just to be sure. I’ll come by on day three and see to him myself.”
“Thank you,” I said, patting his shoulder.
“No problem,” he smiled. “You know I live for doing this.”
“I do,” I smiled back. “But I’m still grateful all the same.”
Nic nodded, still smiling as he gathered a small basket for the vials. They weren’t big and had a rhombus shape to it, with an opening in one end that was secured by a cork stopper. Around the neck was a brown leather string holding the ‘Clarity’ tag.
“Anything else you need to do before I carry him home?” I asked.
“Just need to check if he needs stitching too,” he pulled Cass’ hair back and searched his scalp. I held his bigger light up for him, helping him to see everything much better.
“He needs two stitches,” he added some clamps to get his hair out of the way. Then he used his precision scissors to cut the hair just around the wound, before using the clippers. “It should heal faster now that he has the potions to drink.”
“Perfect,” I said, thanking him again. “I’ll ask my dad to bring me the vials. I won’t be able to carry both Cass and those without fear of dropping them.”
“Seems like a good idea,” he agreed, grabbing a syringe. “This is just to numb the area before I start stitching.”
I nodded, glad he’d told me. My wolf wasn’t happy with him prodding at my mate, no matter if he was doing it to help or not.
Once Cass was all stitched up, Nic made him swallow another potion. “Just to make sure he sleeps for a few hours to let his brain rest. It was a hard hit and I can see his back has taken a huge hit too. He will need lots of bedrest.”
“His back?” I asked, confused. Nic hadn’t once looked at his back.
“I can feel pain,” Nic explained. “One of my gifts is knowing where my patients are injured. It feels like a hard hit. Luckily nothing is broken.”
It amazed me how much he could just do. Maybe Cass was on to something when he asked what shifters did. Nic seemed to do more than just exist.
Giving Nic a grateful, but tired smile, I gently picked Cass up into my arms and began walking home. I felt the lack of clothing as soon as I was back outside, the fall air a chill on my muddied skin.
I couldn’t wait to get home.