Chapter 10
Mark
I find her, wounded and abandoned, among the roots of a tree.
Her fragile body is contorted, consumed by pain, and a knot of urgency tightens in my chest.
She seems so weak...
The sound of her weak, irregular breathing makes me growl softly as my protective instinct takes over.
She still resists, but not for long, unless I do something now.
"There you are..."
I crouch down, my large, beastly hands reaching out towards her. The touch of her soaked fur is ice cold, and blood mixes with the earth, creating a dark, viscous pool, almost indistinguishable from the mud around it.
Gently, I slip my fingers under her tiny body.
She is too light, as if she could fall apart at any moment.
When I finally hold her, her green eyes blink at me, weak and cloudy, before closing completely.
She loses consciousness in my arms, and the faint beating of her heart pulses against my palm, almost imperceptible.
"It'll be alright, kitten," I murmur, the words more for myself than for her, as if I need to believe them. "Don't be afraid."
With one push, I get up. There's no time to lose.
With the cat nestled against my chest, I run, my long legs in their beast form cutting through the forest like a shadow.
The wind whistles in my ears, but my attention is fixed on her, on the warmth I need to pass on to her cold body, on her weak breathing, on the faint beating of her heart.
I pass through the wolves' territory as I cross to the northwest, the pack of that idiot Liam.
They may smell my presence, but screw them.
If the alpha leader wants to complain later, I'll be ready to deal with him.
Right now, nothing matters but her. I run so fast that I barely notice the two grey wolves in the clearing.
I spot the fence that borders the forest and jump over it, my body already beginning to transform in mid-air. Bones and muscles quickly reconfigure themselves as I continue running in my human form, the kitten safely in my arms.
The clinic appears when I turn onto the side street, integrated into the main building of BeastShield Security, my company.
The discreet annex occupies the ground floor, with a separate, well-positioned entrance.
The company garage, with its imposing guardhouse, serves as an exclusive access point, ensuring secure and private entry for employees and their families.
I pass through the guardhouse, and the gate opens automatically when the scanner reads my iris, verifying my identity and granting access. The soft glow of the garage lights reflects off the clinic's frosted glass door. The sign, simple and straightforward, reads only "BeastCare."
I push the door open firmly, the sound echoing in the small lobby. The receptionist looks up, surprised, her pen falling from her hand.
"Sir, Dr. Ethan is with a patient. You'll have to..."
"I have priority." My voice comes out firm, sharp.
I walk straight past her, ignoring the hesitant look that follows my advance. I sniff the air, smelling the clean scent of disinfectant, but I find Ethan's scent and follow it to one of the doors at the end of the corridor.
Without thinking twice, I enter.
Ethan looks up, wide-eyed. He is wearing a surgical mask and gloves as he finishes dressing Keelan's arm, in his human form.
"Mark?" His voice carries genuine disbelief as his eyes meet the small, furry black bundle in my arms.
"She needs care."
"Is she one of your sentinels?" Ethan asks, already removing his gloves and discarding them.
I shake my head, holding the cat carefully against my chest, as if I could protect her from the world. Her breathing is almost non-existent now.
"I found her in the forest. She's fighting for her life. She needs help, Ethan, now."
His expression hardens with determination.
"I'm done here." He turns to Keelan. "The cuts should close by tomorrow. Keep the bandage clean to prevent infection, otherwise it will take longer to heal."
"Don't worry, it's not my first time." Eagle waves, smiling as he gets up. "See you later, Beast," he says to me before disappearing down the corridor.
"I need to put her on the table to examine her," Ethan extends his hands, clearly expecting me to hand the cat over to him. But I don't let go. Not yet.
"I'll take her."
He just nods and leads me to the examination table. With extreme care, I place the cat on the metal surface, but my hand on one of her small paws. Even unconscious, she is emanating the smell of fear and my instinct makes me want to comfort her.
"She's a female, but you already knew that." Ethan's voice interrupts my thoughts as he quickly examines her. "She's lost a lot of blood, and the wound isn't closing..." He stares at me, his eyes serious and curious, a silent question in them.
"I know," my voice comes out guttural, scratching my throat, my muscles stiff. "I didn't detect the essence of healing in her scent."
He nods, interpreting my answer as a sign that the cat is just a cat.
"In that case, her heart could stop at any moment. She needs a transfusion and..."
I growl low, feeling the tension rise through my shoulders and neck.
"Do whatever it takes."
My friend wastes no time. He calls a nurse and begins cleaning the cat's wounds with sterile gauze and saline solution, pressing them against the deep cuts.
The nurse, her face serious and focused, administers intravenous fluids, trying to stabilise her and prevent hypovolemic shock[3] , while Ethan performs the blood typing test.
They work quickly, with a calmness that I cannot feel.
The beast inside me roars, my hair standing on end and my heart racing, compressed with each beat, as if that little creature meant something to me.
The nurse walks around the table, accidentally bumping into me as she picks something up from the counter.
"You need to leave, Mark," Ethan says, his voice firm, without taking his eyes off the cat as he begins to suture the cuts. "We'll take care of her."
My hands are clenched, my thoughts spinning endlessly as I leave the room.
If we had more sentinels patrolling the city, maybe we could have prevented so many deaths. If I had alerted the community from the first strange appearance, if I had called for reinforcements earlier...
I should have done more!
And the kitten...
Guilt consumes me, like a crushing weight. I need to take care of her, I need to make sure she survives. My instinct demands it, and I cannot deny it.
When the door opens, Ethan comes out. He pulls down his mask, and exhaustion is written all over his eyes. But there is something else there, a lightness.
"She's alive," he says, and my chest relaxes, but only a little.
"What now?" I ask, my voice hoarse. "When can I take her home?"
Ethan stops, raising his eyebrows as if he hasn't heard me correctly.
"Take her home?" He stares at me as if a second head has just grown on me. "But when we suggested a pet, you said you didn't want one."
I cross my arms.
"Actually, I ignored the question and asked you to stop bothering me."
For a moment, he just stares at me silently, as if waiting for me to laugh and say I was joking. When he realises I'm serious, he shakes his head in disbelief and stifles a laugh.
"Right." He sighs. "Well, she needs to stay here for at least a day. I want to make sure the wounds don't get infected and that the transfusion goes smoothly. After that... you'll need to get ready."
"What do I need to do?" My voice comes out more anxious than I would like.
"First, a comfortable space. A bed for her. Food." He runs his hand over his chin as he lists them. "A litter box, of course. And patience, Mark. She'll need time to trust you."
I give a short nod, taking it all in.
"I'll take care of that. But besides dry food, what other foods can I prepare for her?"
"Homemade food?" He rubs the back of his neck, thinking.
"Well, she'll need food that provides the right nutrients.
Lean meats, cooked without seasoning, such as chicken and fish, are safe and can help, but everything must be balanced.
I'll give you a complete list of recipes and specific guidelines for cats. That way, you can do everything right."
"Okay, what else?"
He chuckles softly, shaking his head as if he still can't believe it.
“I'll email you everything. But first... Are you sure about this? I can take her to a shelter...”
My jaw locks and I control the claws that want to emerge.
“I'm sure.”
Ethan watches me for a few seconds, as if trying to figure something out. Finally, he sighs and shrugs.
“All right. I'll let you know when she's ready to go home. In the meantime, get the cabin ready.”
“Thanks, mate.”
He gives a half-smile, shaking his head, clearly trying to hide his amusement.
"Just wait until Ted finds out about this."
I snort, rolling my eyes.
"He's going to give me a bloody hard time, that's for sure."