18. Hettie
Chapter 18
Hettie
T he infirmary is just as sterile as the last time I was here. It’s cold, and death lingers in the air. The sound of sickness is everywhere. In every cough. In every moan. In every cry. I hate it. It seeps deep into my bones, making each step feel heavier than the last. I’m transported back to the hospital my father stayed at for his final days.
Rip squeezes my arm, and I tilt my head up to get a good look at him. He pulls me closer, offering me silent comfort. He must have picked up my emotions from the bond. After telling him a little about my father, Rip knows better than anyone how uneasy I am around medical facilities. But this is a necessity.
Since the attack two days ago, he hasn’t slept much. Neither have I. He’s been busy dealing with his patrol, making sure that what happened two days ago doesn’t happen again. It’s more difficult than ever because we have fewer wolves daily. I wish I could help more, but I feel limited in what I can do .
I’m not a wolf. I don’t have the abilities that come with being a wolf shifter. I’m just a human.
Rip thinks I’m capable of more. Ender too, or else he wouldn’t have brought me here, but I’m still figuring out how I fit in here.
“Are you okay?” Rip spares me a quick glance. He’s distracted, has been for the last few days, but he’s not forgotten to check in on me. It feels…nice.
“I’m fine.” It’s not a lie, exactly, but it’s not fully the truth. I’m still shaken up from the attack and Michael’s ominous words. But right now, we have other things to worry about. A sick feeling stirs in the pit of my stomach at what the doctors might inform us of today.
Rip and I aren’t alone. Thorne’s there too, and, by my request, so is Tallie. Call it trauma bonding, but the last two days, we’ve been inseparable. She keeps me calm, and I think I do the same for her, especially when both Thorne and Rip are otherwise occupied. Which has been a lot in the last forty-eight hours.
Lucielle, the lead healer in charge of creating a cure, is also with us. She wears her white lab coat like armor, wrapping her arms around herself. I remember Rip explaining that her husband was one of the first to die from the curse. Being back at the place where the love of your life took their last breath is the worst feeling.
Her ivory-colored skin is even paler than the last time I met her. She looks like a ghost wandering these halls. Perhaps she is. Too many memories linger here, and not good ones. Despite the heartache she is forced to endure again, she keeps her head high as we walk into the only available room left at the infirmary, which happened to be a breakroom for the healers.
An older man awaits us, though I don’t catch his name when Rip introduces the beta as a healer. The beta’s glasses are slightly askew and sit low on his nose. Dark circles lie underneath his eyes, and he runs his hand through hair that needs a good washing. This beta requested his King Alpha and Luna, but that’s all any of us knows.
“I’m afraid I have some damning news, King Alpha.” His grave tone gives way to my earlier fears, and I reach for Rip just as he threads his fingers through mine. It’s a new development between us, reaching out for each other during trying times. He grounds me in a way no one else has before, and I hope I can do the same.
“Out with it, then. What is it, beta?” Rip’s agitation simmers through, but he is doing his best to hold it back.
“We had hoped the injured wolves from the attack would show progress. Unfortunately, none of them have healed. With injuries like theirs, they should have left the day they were admitted,” he says.
“So why haven’t they left yet?” Rip asks what we all want to know.
“We believe, and maybe Healer Lucielle can help confirm this, the bites from the rogues caused the curse to set in on these wolves. This is a new and very concerning development.”
Everyone stiffens at the news. It’s like a punch to the gut. Fighting rogues now would be nearly impossible. Lucielle doesn’t look surprised though, just sad. “I feared this would be the next natural progression. If you can take me to a patient, I can start my assessment.”
“Do you need anything from me, Lucielle?” Rip asks as I squeeze his hand gently.
The beta woman sighs and shakes her head. “Prayers, King Alpha. I need your prayers.”
Sweat pours from my face. I shrug off my coat, letting it fall to the ground. The cool air provides me an instant reprieve, and I bring the ax down on the marked target again. It’s off by a quarter of an inch, and I groan. That’s the closest I’ve made it, but the weight of the ax is throwing me off.
“That’s not bad,” Rip says, checking my mark. Effortlessly, he pulls out my ax from the wood, handing it back to me like it weighs little more than a feather. To him, it probably does. But I feel like my arms are about to fall off when he hands it over.
We’ve been at this for over an hour now, though I swear it feels like weeks. “I better have the strongest fucking arms after this,” I mutter, groaning as I heave the ax over my shoulder.
Rip smirks. “You’ll be a fierce warrior.”
Not yet, but Rip is determined I become one. After hearing the news about our wolves yesterday at the infirmary, he got it into his mind that I need to become a damn Olympic lumberjack and insisted I learn how to use this weapon. I argued for a lighter weapon, like a dagger or a gun, but they had none—so I’m stuck with this hefty thing. The last two days have been ax training sessions, which have left my body sore in places I didn’t even know could get sore.
“Try again.” Rip points to the red X he painted on a tree trunk. “Right in the center.”
“I’ll ax you right in the center,” I mutter.
“What was that, Dove?”
“Nothing, Alpha,” I say sweetly—too sweetly .
Rip just smirks and gestures for me to go on. “This will be the last one. Then you can rest,” he promises.
Despite the way my arms scream in protest, I raise them above my head. I keep the red X in my line of vision, focusing all my attention on it. And then I bring the ax down hard, splintering the wood in the very center of the X.
I beam up at Rip, who returns the bright smile. Something akin to pride shines in his eyes, and I soak in the delight. “Good job, Hettie. If your target remains in a seated position, you’ll for sure hit them every time.”
My smile instantly vanishes, along with the fuzzy thoughts of my husband. “Asshole. I was actually starting to like you there for a minute.”
“Well, let me make it up to you,” Rip suggests.
“And how do you plan on doing that?” I raise my brow, crossing my arms over my chest. It only pushes up my boobs, and I see the moment Rip notices this as well. He takes in his fill and lets me know he’s looking too.
Finally, the man seems to remember the boobs are attached to a person and lifts his head to meet my gaze. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
I roll my eyes. “We have dinner together every night.”
“No,” he says. “We have dinner together with Thorn, Tallie, my Aunt Imelda, and sometimes others. I want you to myself tonight.”
Well, that is different. He’s right, though. It’s never just the two of us. We always have others around us for dinner, and I’ve never complained. But…if this whole marriage thing is going to work, we need time just for us that doesn’t involve lying in the same bed together.
The answer is easy. “Yes, Rip. I would love to have dinner with you tonight.”
The boyish grin that spreads across his face has me giggling. Giggling. Like a damn school girl who just spoke to her first crush. “Happiness looks good on you, Rip,” I beam once I’m able to control myself.
“Something else will look good on me too.” Just like that, the boyish grin is gone, replaced by a seductive smirk that has my panties flooded. He stares at me like he’s undressing me with his eyes. Normally this makes me uncomfortable, but with Rip? I feel desired.
Suddenly Rip’s gaze snaps away from me, and he straightens his posture, becoming a stoic alpha once again. My brow furrows, and I turn to see what caught his attention.
Standing a few feet away from me is a woman who looks to be around my age. She’s tan, with beautiful chocolate-brown hair that hangs down her back in natural curls. Despite the crisp air, the woman only wears a thin dress. On her hip is a child who can’t be any older than two years old, snuggling into his mother happily.
“King Alpha Rip. Queen Luna Hettie,” she greets both of us, bowing her head in respect. Rip mimics her motions, and I stand there like a moron. This is the first time I’ve heard someone call me a queen, and it feels…right.
“Omega Isla,” Rip greets. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, King Alpha. I’m sorry for bothering you, but I actually came here to speak to your mate,” she admits, turning her attention to me. My heart starts to pound loudly against my chest, but Rip reaches for me. His touch alone provides me with strength and stability.
Isla’s eyes turn glossy as a few tears roll down her cheeks. “I didn’t get the opportunity to thank you for protecting my son during the attack. Because of you and your bravery, Desmond is unharmed. I can’t thank you enough for keeping my son safe. ”
Desmond pokes his head up to peer around his mother. He holds a chubby hand up and waves before burrowing his head back into the crook of his mother’s neck. Isla holds him tighter, leaning down to place a kiss on the top of his head.
I don’t realize I’m crying until Rip wipes away a stray tear. I glance up to see nothing but pride and admiration in my mate’s eyes. “I’m so proud of you,” he mouths, and it takes everything in me to hold back the dam of tears threatening to spill over. Mescos has turned me into a damn crier.
No one has ever been proud of me in my life. Granted, I’ve never given a person reason to be proud of me, but my goal in coming to Mescos was to start over. It’s such an immense honor and confidence boost to have someone believe in you. It’s a feeling I could easily get addicted to.
I take a deep breath, hoping my voice is steady as I speak to Isla. “I’m glad Desmond is okay. You don’t need to thank me. He’s pack, and I will always protect the pups in our pack.” As I say the words, I realize how much I mean them. This pack is my family now. I’m here to protect them, and that’s exactly what I want to do.
Isla catches me off guard and hugs me. I tense but then snake my arms around her. We share this moment together. Woman to woman. Using the hug to convey everything our words cannot.
When she pulls away, Isla is still crying, but she beams at me. “I wanted to make sure I thanked you in person. I’ll leave you two to enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Isla says goodbye to Rip before leaving us alone. My eyes lock with his, and he pulls me in for a kiss. One I easily surrender to. “My Luna,” he purrs into the kiss.
And for the first time, I feel like one.