The Hybrid
Chapter 44 - Need

Vulcan Romanov’s P.O.V.

I pull my fangs out of Aurora’s neck and lick away the blood that has spilled out from the bite. Drawing back, I see that the bite is still an ugly shade of purple-almost black. My hope begins to diminish when I hear my mate’s heartbeat, it’s frighteningly slow. A short pause of three seconds will occur before the next beat and it is fucking with my mind.

She isn’t breathing normally, in fact it’s so slow and uneven I thought I had lost her at first. Her eyes are shut, hiding those beautiful grey orbs I long to see. I hold her tighter to me, flinching when I realize that her body heat has dropped significantly.

“Please, don’t leave me. I won’t be able to live without you.” I whisper, my voice cracking at the thought of Aurora not being in my life anymore.

She’s my second-chance mate, my light and my moon. She gives me hope every day. How will I function without her? Surely, the Moon Goddess can’t be so cruel as to take even my second-chance mate away from me? What have I done to deserve so much pain?

Wiping away the tears I have shed, I pull off my shirt and dress her in it. We are on our way to a pack here where Aurora will be treated until she is fit to come back home. The Alpha is an ally of mine and I’m grateful that he has extended a helping hand when he found out I was searching for my mate. Jezebel and Doctor Petrova will be waiting for us to arrive to determine the severity of the situation.

I want nothing more than for Aurora to wake up.

Nothing else.

I knock on the partition, telling Indigo to open it up. Whilst the screen slides down, I adjust a blanket on my mate’s body to keep her warm. We are about fifteen minutes from the pack. Both my beasts are silent, releasing occasional whines and howls of pain and sadness.

“Is she...?” Indigo trails off uncertainly, glancing at me through the mirror.

“Passed out when I marked over the bite.” I mumble back, still staring at my mate for any signs of movement when I know for a fact that she won’t be waking up any time soon.

“Aurora will be fine. She’s still breathing, we just need to have faith in the Moon Goddess.” Damon speaks quietly, his shoulders tense as sadness radiates off him in waves.

Indigo and I nod in agreement. If the Moon Goddess takes my mate away from me, there is no stopping me from following Aurora to the moon.

“Link with Dr Petrova and tell her to get a room set up. I want everything ready for my mate, there will be no delays to her treatment. Call Jezebel and make sure she’s there.” I growl darkly, watching as Indigo nods.

All we can do now, is hope.

I’m the first one to race out of the car and towards the pack infirmary as soon as it skids to a halt. Dodging people on my way, I yell for Dr Petrova and Jezebel, following their replies to the Alpha suite. Laying my mate down on the bed, I explain the situation as Indigo and Damon come up behind me.

Dr Petrova begins to run some tests as Jezebel walks closer to my mate, observing silently. I begin to grow increasingly frustrated when she doesn’t speak for what feels like forever. Growling, I run my hands through my hair in stress, hearing the nurses tell everyone else to leave and give them some space to work.

When they come to me, I glare at them fiercely. Hell will have to freeze over before they take me away from what’s mine. I hear the hesitant footsteps of everyone else who has followed fade until the Alpha wing is silent except for the sound of doctors and nurses rushing back and forth.

“If Aurora was destined for death, she would have passed by now. The fact that she is yet alive, although barely, brings me hope. However, the state she is in right now means that...” Jezebel trails off with uncertainty, giving me a knowing look.

“She could die within the next few days...Fuck!” I roar, punching the wall beside me in anger.

I’m seeing red.

Cursing loudly, I step forward and sit down in the accompanying chair beside her bed. I watch on helplessly as everyone runs tests and checks on Aurora, who is lying still. Her chest moves up and down slowly as she breathes. It’s not a nice sight, to see my mate on the brink of death and being able to do nothing for her.

What if my new mark doesn’t work? What if it only worsens her condition?

I growl in frustration, raking my fingers through my hair. I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Jezebel comes back into the room, carrying books and pulling a cart of potions, powders and unusual items behind her. I know she is going to perform some spells right after the check-up is done.

“She’s stable Alpha, but I’m sorry to say that it doesn’t look good with her condition right now. Her body has slipped into a comatose state because of shock and it’s going to take time for the venom to flush out and be replaced by your mark. We’re going to try our best, but it’s up to Luna Aurora to wake up.” Dr Petrova smiles weakly, hooking a drip into Aurora’s arm before leaving the room with the nurses behind her.

It’s silent for a long while as I stare at the tiled floor of the room, knowing what is coming. I don’t want to even look at Jezebel, because if I do she will prove me right. I hear her sigh after a few more minutes before she moves to stand behind me and grip my shoulder.

“I can’t leave her. Don’t make me.” I whisper out, hoarsely.

“And I can’t try and help her if you don’t, Vulcan.” She murmurs soothingly, rubbing my shoulder encouragingly.

“What if...What if she never wakes up? What if she...” I trail off, fearing the possible outcome.

“If you think like that, you’re going to drive yourself mad. Think positive and good things shall happen. Have faith.”

I shake my head, my chest aching in sadness. “Please, just make her better again.”

Jezebel squeezes my shoulder in reassurance. I sigh and stand, leaning forward to press a kiss to Aurora’s lips, which are now cold. Lingering for a few moments, I inhale her intoxicating scent and revel in it before pulling away and walking out the door, letting Jezebel do her job.

She is a witch with healing power and the ability to connect with the Gods to determine someone’s future. I just hope she will be able heal my mate or ask the Moon Goddess what exactly she has in store for me now. My bitterness is increasing with each passing second that Aurora remains in a coma.

I wait outside the room while she is in there, it has been some time now. The elders and the pack’s Alpha have come and gone, we have discussed the situation and they are now back to their rooms to think of solutions that can save my mate. I refuse to even leave the same building as her and I frankly don’t give a shit if they are offended to walk down here instead of me going to them. My mate matters more than any other person.

I hear footsteps to my left and know it’s my siblings based on their scents. They started making their way to Texas once I told them about her state in my dream and how we might have to stay at a pack so Aurora can recover. Nikolai and Caia soon take a seat on either side of me, silent as their worried gazes bore into my head. I sigh and lift my head, giving them a small, shaky smile.

“Natasha and Nero took the next plane over.” Nikolai whispers, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tries to be strong. The tears in his eyes prove otherwise.

Caia is no better. She is crying silently, tears streaming down her cheeks as she steps back from the window where you can see Aurora laying, unconscious. She sits down beside me once again and wraps an arm around my waist, hugging me tightly. Nikolai immediately follows by placing his arm around my shoulders, squeezing tightly.

“Will she be okay?” Caia whispers, wiping away a tear that slides down my cheek.

I nod weakly, knowing I have to be strong for them. They were too young to see how much Elizabeth’s infidelity ruined me but if they see how much Aurora’s comatose state is breaking me, they’ll freak out. The silence is disrupted by Nikolai’s phone going off and he pulls back to take it out, putting it on speakerphone.

“Nikolai? Where’s Vulcan? How’s Aurora?” Natasha rushes, the sound of a car driving in the background.

Nikolai passes the phone to me and I clear my throat before speaking. “Aurora slipped into a coma. Jezebel is in there right now.”

Her loud gasp filters through the speaker before her shaky voice responds, trying to give me hope. “Alright, okay. Aurora will be fine, just stay strong Vulcan alright? I’m an hour away.”

“Alright. Drive safe.” I reply, staying calm for her sake. I don’t want to worry her like last time, it will only cause her stress.

“Caia, Nikolai, take care of your brother.” She states before bidding goodbye and hanging up.

“Do you need anything? Have you eaten?” My brother asks just as Indigo walks up to us with a solemn look.

“I’ve got it. Eat when you’re ready, Vulcan.” Indigo speaks, his violet eyes lightening in sadness when he sees Aurora through the window. I shake my head, knowing I won’t be able to stomach anything, which has them protesting immediately. “You know she’s going to kick your ass if she replaces out so, you might as well eat the food.”

I chuckle lowly, knowing how my spitfire of a mate can get when she’s angry. Nodding, I tell them I will eat later. We wait in silence whilst Jezebel works away, hoping that when she comes out she will have good news.

A few minutes pass before the door opens and shuts, a worn out looking Jezebel taking a seat opposite us in the hall. She looks frustrated and I know she hasn’t found a solution on waking Aurora up. The hopeful feeling in me diminishes and I slouch back in my chair with a sigh.

“I worked on healing her and trying to facilitate the process of flushing out the toxins easily from her body but, she didn’t respond at all. Her body just took what I gave but I don’t know if it’s helping her or not. Usually, I know right off the bat.” She massages her temples, shutting her eyes tightly before opening them again. “The color of the bite on her neck is fading, slowly but surely, so that’s a good sign. I’m going to need a room to connect with the Gods.”

I nod, dejectedly. “Indigo, will you get someone to prepare a room for this?”

“Of course.” He replies before rushing off, knowing Jezebel will be in there for a day or two.

I stand to go to my mate again when all of a sudden, I double over in pain as soon as I open the door to her suite. Cursing loudly, I watch as Jezebel rushes over from the corner of my eye. But for some reason, my beasts come forward and snarl at her, warning her to stay back. Groaning, I fall to my knees as my beasts roar in my head.

In my search for Aurora, my pendant has lost its strength at keeping my beasts at bay, specifically my vampire. Now that Vladimir, my vampire beast, has come out to save his mate, he is feeling overprotective of her. Ruxin is also itching to take over and be nearer to Aurora but I can’t let that happen. She needs to recover and I know that if my beasts take over then they will hurt her, badly. Glancing upwards, I know Jezebel has caught on to what was happening.

“Call Indigo and the guards.” I rasp out as my gums start to ache, knowing my beasts are close to losing control. The last time I had let them both take over, I had killed and destroyed enough to hate myself for the rest of my life. If they come out now and hurt Aurora in any way, I will never forgive myself.

“Vulcan...” My brother trails off unsure, Caia beside him as they both stare at me in confusion.

“Listen,” I gasp, clutching onto the armrest of a nearby chair. “I’m going to be in the dungeons until Aurora wakes up. We’ll go back home once she is stabilized.”

“B-But why?” Caia asks worriedly, Nikolai matching her expression.

“No time...to explain. Natasha will tell you everything you guys need to know. Take care of my Aurora while I’m gone, yeah?”

They nod and I smile shakily, gritting my teeth in frustration when my form starts shaking and fur begins sprouting on my back, my clothes tearing because of my change.

Soon, I feel hands pulling me up just as my beasts come forward. They have about thirty seconds to throw me in a cell before I completely lose it. Relaying this to them, I look back at my beautiful mate one last time, committing every detail to memory, before my vision blurs as the guards speed away.

Just as I’m thrown into the cell and locked in, my beasts break out and take control, releasing the loudest roar I haven’t heard in a long time. It shakes the walls and brings tremors to the land and its people. I watch from the backseat as Indigo walks in and sighs, a broken look on his face, the very same one I remember when he found me drowning in my sorrows when the news of my parent’s murder reached me.

He makes his way over to the screen connected to the cell and flinches as my beasts slam into the walls of the cell repeatedly in a bid to break free and be with our mate. Silver is immediately doused over my body making my beasts release yells of gut-wrenching pain. But it’s only momentarily, for they are back at trying to break through the unbreakable walls again.

I only hope that Aurora will wake up soon, if not then I will surely go insane.