“I'm so sorry,” she chokes.
I hold my mate even tighter. “Don't apologize. You're safe now. You're safe here with me.”
“No,” she continues crying. “He gave me wolfsbane. I can feel it moving through me.”
“He shot you with it? I don't see any injury.”
Madeline shakes her head. “He fed it to a rabbit and I ate the meat. I threw up most of it, but my body feels like it's on fire.” She grips me tightly. “I love you, Nate. I don't want to die.”
Her body is almost too hot to hold. “You're not going to die.”
A man appears at the front door, holding a small case. “Where is the patient?” Then he takes one look at me. “Oh, shit—areyouokay?”
I suddenly realize I'm covered in my own blood with wounds still open. I look down at my side and shake my head. “I'm fine, just take care of her first. You must be the doctor?” I ask and he confirms with a nod. “She ingested wolfsbane.”
“Then we need to act fast.” He sets the case down and brings out a large syringe. “Madeline, do you remember me? I'm Dr. Gordon, your aunt's physician. You're going to be alright.”
He keeps talking to keep her awake. I watch quietly as he injects her. After a couple of seconds, she falls asleep. We both watch her, making sure she's still breathing.
“What did you give her?”
The doctor gets up and sighs. “It's an emergency treatment to help flush the wolfsbane out of her system.”
“Will she be okay?”
“Of course,” he states, putting my fears to rest. “You need to watch her closely and take good care of her, but she'll be just fine. She didn't ingest the wolfsbane long ago, so this treatment will work. It's a blessing her aunt has been sick with wolfsbane. This treatment isn't something we routinely have on hand.”
Once he's sure she's okay, Dr. Gordon attends to my wounds. My adrenaline is still too high for me to feel much pain from the stab wound. However, the bullet hole in my thigh throbs heavily.
“Thank you so much for helping,” I say as he finishes administering painkillers. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
The doctor nods. “Madeline needs to stay here. Moving her around won't help her condition.”
“So I can't take her to a more comfortable place? Like a bed?”
“She has to stay here at the house. You can move her to a bed, but it has to be here.”
“Understood.”
“She won't be able to transform either, but she should be strong enough to leave after the full moon tomorrow. That will help with her recovery.”
“Alright, thank you so much for coming, Dr. Gordon.”
I walk the doctor to the door and use the opportunity to get my phone from the car. When I get back, Madeline is still sleeping peacefully. I rest a hand on her forehead, where there's still a fever, but she's calmer and quieter now.
I lift her up and carefully carry her up the stairs to one of the large bedrooms. I set her down gently, putting a pillow behind her head and covering her with a warm quilt.
She mutters something I can't make out before going back to sleep. Once I'm sure she's secure, I call the alpha to give him an update.
“Nate, the doctor just called. He said you're not in the best shape either.”
“I'm a little banged up, but I'll live. We both will.”
“I'm glad you’re all safe.”
“Me too. Thank you for everything.”
“No need to thank me. I take it you were able to deal with the hunter.”