Chapter 28
Hayden got out of the shower and dried off. The whip marks had finally healed. Swathes of red scars littered his back but the scabs were gone and the bruises had faded to light green blotches. One week down, two to go.
His ribs were so much better. The new doctor, Dr. Milton Stone, said they were all knitted properly back together but still delicate. No rough play, plenty of continued rest. He could even breathe freely. His lungs were officially back to normal.
The removal of Dr. Lina Finch to the dungeons had been a shock.
Hayden had liked her. At least, he’d liked what he’d seen.
When the Deltas had searched her office, they found four vials of Colloidal Silver.
She could have killed ten wolves with that amount.
They’d also found correspondences with the two witches Hazel had killed.
That investigation had set off a second round of investigations into other pack members. Thirteen had been found guilty of treason. The whole Blood Moon Pack had been in an uproar, not with the Alpha for protecting his people, but in anger for the ones bent on betrayal.
This pack was different from the Ice Claw Pack.
Betrayal had been an everyday occurrence there.
Navigating relationships within that pack had been complicated, dangerous.
Feeling 4,000 people band together in solidarity against the traitors had been refreshing.
In a way, it had been exhilarating. Hayden’s new family didn’t take treachery lightly.
They expected social norms. They demanded the safety and freedom to live their lives in peace, and if danger threatened, they stood together to take care of it.
Drake knocked on the door, “Hayden? You okay?”
Hayden smiled and squirmed a little. Just the sound of his voice made him want. “Yep. Almost dressed.”
“Good. Breakfast is here.”
The awareness of his mates and had grown over the past week.
It wasn’t full on mate-bond but the beginning was there.
Elder Kent said that could happen, the early feeling of the mate-bond under intense circumstances.
Elder Kent hadn’t been surprised Jaxom and Drake could sense it.
They were strong, powerful. He was surprised Hayden was catching hints of it.
He’d been so injured. His body ravaged from beatings, starvation and wolf’s bane.
That combination usually repressed a wolf’s sensitivity.
Despite the injuries and looming threat of being marked for death, this had been the best week of his life.
He was completely in love, or at the very least infatuated, with his mates and their families.
Drake’s dad, Chip, had come almost every day to hang with them.
Hayden had been surprised to learn Drake had been in an orphanage most of his life.
The guy had lived his own personal hell.
Maybe that was why he was so gentle with Hayden.
Jaxom’s mom came a few times a day. She always had some sort of tasty tidbit to nibble on.
Hayden felt like he was constantly eating.
Just before he showered, she’d brought them a fruit basket and commanded him to eat every piece.
Jaxom said she was dying to give him a hug but the unfulfilled mate-bond prohibited physical contact with anyone but Jaxom and Drake.
They barely tolerated the doctor and they’d completely taken over playing nurse now that he wasn’t hooked up to an IV.
Hayden stretched and felt the pull of muscle through his spine. Ribs expanded and protested a little bit. It felt so good. Another day pain free. It was so odd to never have had a week where he wasn’t hit.
“Yummy, sausage gravy and biscuits.” Hayden sat down at the table as Tarra passed him a full plate.
“Eat every bite, little bro,” she said. “I have a present for you after.”
“You’re going to spoil him rotten,” Asher teased his mate.
“You’re just jealous.”
“You know what she got me?” Hayden asked Asher. Those two were always giving each other a hard time.
“Yeah, and I’m jealous,” Asher grumbled around a mouthful of sausage gravy and biscuit.
Hayden itched his palm, but the spot didn’t go away. He turned his attention back to his food but his other palm was starting to itch, too. The food tasted weird. He ran to the bathroom and threw up as the itch turned to mild burning. It was traveling up his arms and across his shoulders.
“Hayden?” Jaxom said as he opened the bathroom door. Must have been the mate-bond thing because they were usually so respectful.
“I feel funny,” Hayden said as he looked at his hands. Light perspiration was beading up on his palms. They hadn’t changed color but they felt like he was holding his hands too close to the fire.
An intense spasm of muscles in his abs had him doubling over in pain. Fire seemed to be rippling in waves up and down his body. Jaxom’s gentle hands steadied him from hitting his head on the toilet.
“Is it the wolf’s bane?” he asked.
“It burns, fucking burns,” Hayden moaned. It burned so bad he was shaking in pain all over.
“Asher, call the doctor,” Jaxom yelled out the door. “Let’s get you out of here before you hurt yourself.”
Jaxom’s strong arms hauled Hayden upright. The skin on skin contact felt good. Soothing tingles against the agony of burning nerve endings. Hayden had enough muscle control to slip his arm up under Jaxom’s shirt. Wherever skin connected, pain reduced.
“You want my shirt off?” Jaxom asked as he helped Hayden stumble to the couch.
“Yeah, ah fuck, fucking hurts.” Hayden groaned as Jaxom got his and Hayden’s shirts off. Hayden clung to Jaxom for dear life, face planted against his strong chest as the wave raced down his legs and fired back up his body.
“This worse than your doses?” Drake asked as he pressed up against Hayden’ back, shirtless. The reduction in pain had Hayden relaxing like a limp rag into Jaxom’s arms.
“Yeah, worse,” Hayden gasped.
Jaxom squeezed to the edge of the chaise end of the couch. Hayden slumped next to him, trying to burrow into Jaxom’s strong body. Drake barely managed to sandwich Hayden, covering his back.
Cramp’s seized Hayden. He thrashed between them from uncontrollable muscle movements. His groaning filled the apartment.
“Doctor Milton is here,” Asher said.
“How ya doing, Hayden?”
“This sucks,” Hayden moaned.
“1 to 10, 10 being worst, where are you?”
“9. Ribs were worse but not by much. I keep cramping.”
Hayden arched his back as a flare scorched across his lower back. He was able to keep from screaming but his throat hurt. He felt like he was sweating buckets onto Drake and Jaxom.
“Where?” Drake asked.
“Lower back,” he gasped.
Every time Drake massaged the cramping muscles, they eased just a smidgen. The only relief was his mates pressed up against him. How did anyone go through this without some sort of mate-bond?
“I’m giving him potassium subcutaneously. I suspect poor nutrition is causing the cramps. It takes time to build up a reserve.” Hayden knew the doctor wasn’t talking to him and didn’t care. Not even the prick of the needle compared to the fire dancing across his nerves.
“What else are you giving him?” Jaxom asked.
“I’ve been researching different pain suppression treatments. This is a tincture of White Willow Bark. More times than not, patients have reported a lessening of symptoms. This is all still a guessing game. Testing overdoses of wolf’s bane is forbidden and rightfully so.”
Hayden didn’t feel that shot either. He was trying not kick Jaxom. His legs had taken up a mind of their own as the fire moved to his knees and calves. He hummed into Jaxom’s chest to keep from yelling in agony.
“Hayden, this will take about twenty minutes to get to work. Let me know if you notice a difference. Don’t worry if you report no difference. We’ll work the problem together, yes?”
“Kay. Why is it moving in my body?” Hayden jerked back against Drake as pain radiated up his ribs to his shoulder blades. Hayden’s raspy gasps sounded in the living room. His still sore ribs were screaming.
“Your body is pushing the wolf’s bane out of whatever pour it can find. How are the cramps?”
“Better,” Hayden readjusted closer to Jaxom. He felt Drake following and couldn’t have been more grateful.
“Tarra, please get Hayden a bottle of water with a straw.” The doctor was the epitome of calm while Hayden just wanted to scream.
“Drake, help me get us down to our boxers,” Jaxom tipped Hayden more firmly on his chest as Drake got their pants off. Hayden sighed in relief as he tangled his legs with Jaxom and Drake covered his back again.
“As the mate-bond deepens, and especially after your 18th birthday, skin contact will be critical. What Lina neglected to tell you was wolves without mates couldn’t handle the pain. Wolves with mates coped significantly better.”
“I think the bark stuff is working, too,” Hayden mumbled from Jaxom’s chest.
Tarra handed Drake the water bottle. “Here, drink, my love,” Drake held it so Hayden could sip.
“She’d have dosed me with the silver and claimed cause of death was wolf’s bane,” Hayden said as he pulled Drake closer.
“We do believe that was the plan,” Dr. Milton said. “I gave the first dose of White Willow Bark by injection. I’m leaving a pill bottle here for you. You can have two every hour during an attack. Your body will go through it that fast, but no more than that.”
“How long will it last?” Jaxom asked.
“I don’t know. Every attack is different. It all depends on how much is in the body and how much the body releases at a time. I’m not going far, just down the hall. Rest as much as you can and drink a lot of water, Hayden. The battle begins but I think you’ve already won the war with your mates.”
Hayden was grateful the living room cleared out of people.
He was alone with his mates. And the burning was down to an uncomfortable dull roar.
The feel of their bodies pressed tight against his wasn’t arousing at the moment.
The pain was too much, but their tingling touch was a major source of comfort.
“Please mate and mark me,” he finally whispered into the quiet. “I don’t have to mark you back but I can’t live without you guys. I know I’m a mess, but…”
“Awe Hayden-love, I’m sorry I made you worry. I’ve always intended to fulfill the mate-bond with you. I just wanted you to have a choice,” Jaxom said.
“I choose you,” Hayden said fiercely. A fresh wave crawled up his back soon suppressed by the massage Drake was giving him.
“I choose you, too,” Drake said.
“As do I. We honor the Moon Goddess by accepting the path she set before us. She’ll show us the way through.”
Four hours of grueling, relentless pain had wrung Hayden out.
They’d ended up getting a blanket to protect the couch from his sweat.
Afterwards, Drake had held Hayden up in the shower so Jaxom could wash him.
Hayden felt like a wrung out, dirty dishtowel.
Even the electrolytes drink was having no overt effect on his energy level.
The thought of walking anywhere in the apartment was beyond him.
Jaxom, Drake, sorry to interrupt, Hayden, Alpha Steven mind-linked them as they snuggled in bed. Hayden got a kick out of being included in these little chats. Rogues on the borders. I’ve got Beta Tim on the west. I need one of you on the east. Asher stays on guard. Who’s up?
Me, Drake said. I need a fight.
Figured, Alpha Steven cut the link with a chuckle.
“I’ll be back,” Drake kissed Jaxom. Then he kissed Hayden gently on the forehead. Hayden collapsed in Jaxom’s arms and fell asleep.