Chapter 15
The night was anything but peaceful for Damian. His mate rested for the most part, thanks to the muscle relaxant Harley and Trinity had convinced him was for her own good, but his own Wolf became increasingly restless as the night went on. His mate’s breaths were eerily shallow. It was unsettling to not hear an occasional growl or the deep raspy breaths known to Wolves as they slept. Damian sat with her, held her paw, stroked her fur, and whispered his love over and over. But the lack of response had been driving him crazy.
On several occasions, he felt himself nodding off. He’d get up and pace, stomping across the creaking floorboards in hopes of waking himself enough to not doze again. Even the obnoxious sound of Trinity’s snoring wasn’t enough to keep him awake as daybreak drew nearer. Giving in to his need to close his eyes, Damian squeezed into the bed next to his mate, curled his body around her Wolf, and wrapped his arm gently around her middle, careful not to touch the tender spot under the bandage.
The sunlight blared into the room, waking Damian and pouring its warm glow on his mate’s fur highlighting her beautiful coat. She looked angelic, but the brightness of the sun didn’t stir her.
A well-rested Trinity made her way into the room to check on the Wolf. “Good morning, Alpha Damian.” Trinity’s voice was full of cheer.
“Morning,” Damian grumbled.
“Did you get any rest? You look exhausted.”
“If I got any sleep, it wasn’t much.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully after we get back to the Pack later today you can get some sleep.” She turned and faced her patient. “Let’s see how this little lady is doing.”
Trinity pulled her scope on, then moved the drum into several spots until finally pressing and holding it against the chest cavity.
“She’s doing pretty well today. Her heart seems to be beating stronger, and there’s no sign of fluid in her lungs,” Trinity said as she wrapped the stethoscope behind her neck. She slowly peeled the bandage from the wound on the Wolf’s belly. She and Harley had discussed stitches, but thought it was best not to put her through that since the cut hadn’t really warranted it.
“And I can see the wound is looking pretty good, too. No sign of infection.”
“That’s good news. So we’re definitely leaving today? How’s Jordan doing?”
“I haven’t heard the definitive answer from Alpha Thor, but I’m sure if they both can be moved, he’d prefer to get home as quickly as possible. I’ll be heading over to check on Jordan in a few minutes. Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“You need to eat. You aren’t sleeping well, and that’s bad enough, but we all need you, your mate needs you, to be mindful of your own health.”
“I’ll get something later. Not now. But thanks for being concerned. If you don’t mind, please, just let me know how Jordan is doing.”
“You could walk over with me,” she said.
“I’m not leaving my mate. I need to be here, by her side,” he grumbled.
“Fine. I’ll return shortly.”
Trinity pulled on her sweater she’d tossed over the back of a chair the night before and disappeared through the door, closing it slowly behind her.
Damian had settled into the chair next to the bed where his mate lay. From his seat, he was able to see Chuck sitting on the neighboring cabin porch with his father, Thor. They appeared to be deep in discussion. They were both hunched over the table, rubbing their hands furiously along the surface. Damian glanced out the window in their direction a few times, but wasn’t able to decipher what they might have been talking about. He was certain the problem Chuck had told him about one of the homes was at least a possible topic.
Chuck’s eyes lifted, and he glanced at the cabin where Damian was. Thor pointed and gestured, making large circles and moved his arm up and down, then left to right. Chuck nodded his head, and Thor stood, clapped him on the back, and then pulled him into a quick hug. The kind of hug Damian had seen his father dole out on numerous occasions.
Damian knew eventually his father would make his way to the house he was in, but the world inside of the confines of the four walls where he sat were his only concern. He returned his attention to his mate. He quickly became hypnotized watching her chest expand with each intake of breath, then lower with each exhale.
The knock at the door startled Damian. He stood and ran his fingers through his mate’s fur before telling her he’d be right back. He turned and made his way to the door.
He wasn’t surprised when he pulled the door open. “Good morning, Father.” Damian took a step back to let his father enter.
“You look tired, son.”
“I am. I didn’t get more than a few winks last night.” Thor stepped inside the room and Damian closed the door behind him.
“How’s Jordan doing? Did you talk to Trinity? Are we leaving today? I saw you with Chuck; did he tell you about the house?”
“Son, let’s sit down.” Thor’s voice wasn’t the booming, thunderous one Damian had become accustomed to over the years. Instead, it was softer, more like he’d heard when his father spoke with his mother.
They both took a seat on the sofa. It was located against a wall so Damian could see his mate resting, yet back far enough that she wouldn’t be disturbed by their conversation.
“Jordan’s doing better. For some reason, he kept calling out for someone named Mindy last night, Harley said.”
Damian chuckled at his friend’s subconscious mind calling for the waitress they’d met.
“I’m sure you’ll fill me in on the joke eventually. But regarding your friend, his vitals all show he’s able to be transported without much issue. I couldn’t be happier that Trinity will make the journey back with us. And speaking of Trinity, yes, I talked to her. I understand your mate is well enough to travel, yet she thinks she’s still quite weak. So we’ll have to be mindful on the way back.”
“I’m so glad we’re leaving today. It was nice of Xavier to let us stay, and for me it’s the second time sleeping over, but these beds aren’t made for men our size. Maybe if we were six to ten inches shorter, or small in stature like the Mountain Lions, it would be more comfortable.” Thor laughed, and Damian joined in.
“Chuck stopped by. He told me about the house that has to come down. I’ve given him instructions how to proceed so you won’t have to worry about that. All you need to do is focus on your mate. She’s the most important person to you right now,” Thor said.
“I can do whatever is needed to rebuild the house. I’d like to learn. Maverick may even be interested, too.”
“Nonsense. You won’t have time to build houses as Alpha, but I do think it would be good for Maverick. It’s always good to have highly-skilled laborers in the Pack. Chuck is invaluable to us. I’ll let him know Maverick will be his apprentice.”
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. It was Trinity, and one of Xavier’s guards was following closely behind her with a tray full of food. When he set the tray on the table, Damian’s mouth watered at the sight and smell of the breakfast meats, eggs, and pastries. His stomach rumbled to life.
“I’m going to leave you to your meal, son.” Thor patted Damian on the shoulder after he stood up, then turned his attention to Trinity and the guard. “Thank you both for making sure my son eats.”