Werewolf Compilations
Chapter 103

Rae

I replace myself sleeping in, not waking up until noon. At first, I see the clock and think that it must be broken, but then I head downstairs and Gail and Theresa greet me.

"Someone was tired," Gail says as I sit down with Theresa at the table. "What time did you go to bed?"

"A normal time," I say slowly, still waking up. "I thought someone would wake me if I was still sleeping past ten."

"We would have, but Alpha Grant left a note to let you sleep. He said you needed rest."

"You do look well rested," Theresa chimes in. "We all need to sleep in now and then."

I nod and thank Gail as she places a plate in front of me. "How long will they be searching for camps for?"

"Usually all day, why? Are they searching for camps?"

I nod again, taking a bite out of the sandwich. "That's what James said. They're searching past the East border."

"Well, I'd assume he'd be back for dinner then."

We continue chatting and I decide to ask them if they know of any girls my age that may want to hang out sometime. At first, they give me a funny look. "What?" I ask. "I'm serious."

Gail straightens up, "No, No, of course we know. Aren't you friends with that Theodore one?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I want a friend that's a girl."

Theresa grabs my attention, "You know, all the young people go to the gathering. You can go to one and meet people I'm sure. My niece goes to every one."

"Oh, yeah," I mutter, not so enthusiastic, "those don't really go well for me."

"What do you mean? All the kids just get together and dance and talk and do whatever you guys do now."

How do I tell them that I'm not the average 'young person'? Thinking about any gathering, my pack or here, makes me experience uncomfortable flashbacks. I can't say that I didn't give it a shot, many shots at that. The gathering is just not for me.

After lunch, I remember the dairies and check my shelf, but they aren't there, so I return to the hidden door. The bookshelf is moved against the wall beside the door, exposing the handle and outline. James must have moved it for me. Now that I think about it, I don't know how he'd replace the diaries. He doesn't know where they are or what the others look like.

I enter and bend down to the shelf underneath the window, placing the first diary in its slot and grabbing the other two. I close the door on my way out, but leave the shelf against the wall, not wanting to break anything in an attempt to move it all the way back. The first time I just scooted it forward a bit and squeezed through, so I turn for the hallway but stop when an array of noises erupt from the other end of the house. I listen carefully and immediately make out the sounds to be voices, and not Gail's or Theresa's.

Leaving the secret room behind, I venture out into the commotion. As I near the kitchen, I see Gail walking out and heading for the living room. "What in the world-," she starts but stops and I hurry to her. "What is it?" I ask, coming up beside her but promptly being swiped by the scene. Two guards stand at the door while another stands at the bottom of the stairs while Will and another help James up the stairs. An unknown feeling grows in the pit of my stomach, but I don't know what it is.

"What's going on?" I call to the guards, handing Gail the diaries while I hurry up the steps. "James?"

Will looks back to me with James' arm slung over his shoulder. "There was an accident."

"An accident?" I ask, growing impatient and worried. "What do you mean? James?"

I trail behind them and slip past when they reach the top. First I see his face, then I see the blood. There is a cloth tied around his abdomen, soaked in blood. My eyes widen and my breathing speeds up, my head spins as I touch his face.

"It's fine," he mutters, "I'm fine."

Will snorts, amused.

They turn to his bedroom but I step in the way. "Put him in my room."

"Rae we-"

"Do as she says," James cuts him off, "she's your Luna for Goddesses sake."

I open the door for them and the two set him on the bed. James winces as he lays back, and the blood begins to drip down his side. I climb up on the bed beside him, my heart racing. Without a thought, I grab my pajama shirt from beside me and place it on top of the blood-drenched cloth.

"We have doctors on the way, we just have to control the bleeding," Will says.

I glare up at him, not able to control my emotions. "What happened? What did you do to him? Look at him! He won't stop bleeding! What happened? Oh Goddess he's going to die!"

"I'm not going to die," James breathes out.

"Shut up!" I shout. "I knew that stupid rogue hunting crap was a bad idea!"

"We've done it before, I mean, it's nothing new-"

"I swear, Will..." I seethe and he backs away. "All of you are a bunch of idiots! My mate's going to die, and I'm going to kill all of you!"

"I'm not dying, Rae," James struggles again and I peer down at him, my pressure on his wound growing.

"You won't stop bleeding," I say, my eyes watering. "You won't stop bleeding. I don't know what to do."

"Calm down," he brings his hand to my back, "the doctors are coming."

"Will someone tell me what happened then?"

"Damn, I don't even know," Will mutters, "these rogues just came out of nowhere. There wasn't even a chance of communication, they just attacked us."

"How many were there?" I ask, running my hand through James' hair, needing to nurture him and smack him at the same time.

"Four or five. They went straight for James, they obviously knew he was an Alpha."

The animal inside of me is hurting, I am hurting, these feelings are not only physical but mental as well. My mate is bleeding in my arms and there is a similar gash in my heart. It's not the same as before, wher he was with her, this feeling is pure sadness and anxiety.

I continue to sit with him until two strangers come in with supplies. I look away when they remove the cloth, knowing that the feeling will only get worse if I watch. So I lay down beside him, distracting him. I play with his hair, stroke his cheek, and it all comes naturally. There is a calm, nursing side to this bond. It is not only heartbreak and intensity, it is making the pain go away.

James may have abandoned me in my time of pain when he was that other man, but it doesn't make me pathetic to help him. Taking away someone's pain is a gift I will always cherish. And as I watch his eyes slowly close, I know that there is more to him, more than I am not seeing, more good.