Page 3 of Rejected Forced Mate
On the first night, Noah spiked a fever, and it reached its peak the next evening. I washed him with cold water as he writhed in the bed, and to my shock, one out of every ten nonsensical words he muttered in his haze of sickness was my name.
Did Noah somehow know I was there with him, or was I still on his mind all these years later? The latter possibility made me feel warm all over, but I quashed any lingering sweet feelings. That was another time, another life, and he needed me as a healer, not an old flame stuck in the past.
Finally, the fever broke on the third night, as I washed his body with cool water and silently prayed. With the infection defeated, I knew he'd wake up sooner rather than later. I both dreaded and looked forward to it, even though it felt foolish to do so.
Of course, he wouldn't feel any differently about me. He'd probably still be disgusted by the idea of me being his mate. But here, in my pack, under my care, I had the upper hand for the first time in my life.
When Noah finally opened his eyes, I was there, just like I'd been the entire time. I was well aware that I was running out of time to build my mental walls up. There was no doubt in my mind that he would have a million questions, but Noah still needed to heal, and I wasn't about to have him confess his love to me in some pain-killer-induced haze and then regret it the moment he was in his right mind again.
I allowed myself one indulgence and laid my hand on his as he dragged himself to consciousness. His grey eyes were surprisingly clear, like the wings of a dove and not a storm cloud as they were when he was angry, but there was agony in them nonetheless.
Like a typical Alpha, he immediately tried to push himself up into a sitting position, and I had to take him by the shoulders and slowly push him back down to the bed. He was bare-chested, and the animal side of me was screaming to look, touch, andappreciate his well-muscled chest dusted with dark hair, but the healer side of me had to win out to keep things professional.
Still, the heat of his body ran up my palms and into my chest cavity, and I made a mental note to wear gloves next time I had to touch him. Our mate bond, long ignored and withered, stirred, and I pulled my hands away from him in horror. No. No. I had grieved the loss of that bond years ago; I wasn't about to have it raise itself from the dead.
He said my name, over and over, asking me to stay with him. Noah didn't know it, but I was going to stay with him, just like I'd been doing during his entire recovery, but there was a desperation in his voice that told me he wanted more than just company. He wanted me to answer his questions, or just because he thought as an Alpha, he deserved my time and attention.
But he was also still in extreme pain. Noah told me his pain was an eight on a 10-point scale, but I knew his bravado as a male wolf meant it was probably much, much higher, and eight was pretty damn high to begin with.
The silly part of me that still had affection for him didn't want to knock him back out. That part of me wanted to keep him awake, saying my name, and allowing me to touch his warm skin. I felt like I was starving for any part of him or his attention, but I wasn't the gullible, lonely young wolf I once was. So even if my heart wanted to be near him, and even if his voice, raspy as it was, made me shiver, I upped his pain medication and watched as he fell into a deep slumber once.
Once he was out, I checked his vitals and all of his injuries once more. Noah was healing fast, his shifter DNA working in his favor. Joe, on the other hand, was prickly, wanting to know why another Alpha was in his territory. There had been toomuch upheaval in the allied packs for everyone not to worry. Noah was another sign of something ominous.
But I knew Noah. He was an asshole, but his pack was old and well-established. They'd been on the same land for generations, and while they had some antiquated ideas about how to run a pack structure and what to do with the women within it, there was just no reason I could think of that they would want to mess with a pack like Joe's.
He would wake up for a longer period soon enough anyway, and everyone could get their answers. For my part, I needed to keep my distance, because even his short, pain-addled words had made my blood run hot and the connection between us slowly awakened.
Once my job as Noah's healer was done, I needed to disappear. Because I knew if I stuck around until he was fully awake, I'd be in danger of falling for him all over again. And I refused to go down that path for a second time.
Chapter 3 - Noah
The healer's cabin, with only the nearly-silent Sage for company, was starting to feel like a cage. Once I was waking up with regularity, she spent less time with me, just bringing me food, medication, and using her magic to speed up my healing when necessary. No matter how much I tried to speak to her, everything that came out of her beautiful mouth was just medical jargon and vague promises that I would be able to return home in no time.
I had five years of questions to ask her, but the woman who was taking care of me seemed more like a Sage-shaped robot than my long-lost mate. If it wasn't for her delicious smell and the way our bond continued to strengthen, I would have begun to question my sanity. I was missing entire days of memory anyway.
But no. She was my Sage. She was just doing her damndest to ignore me.
She was spending less and less time at the cabin, and I took the opportunity once I was alone to get outside and breathe some fresh air. Or some space. Anything besides the suffocating silence between Sage and I. My wounds had closed, bones had stopped aching, but my wolf was still pacing close beneath my skin, angry about my injuries and frustrated beyond belief that our mate was denying us.
When I pushed open the door of the cabin and stepped out into the cool, sunny morning, it was like I was shaking off the last bit of frost that had kept me frozen to the hospital bed. I stretched, muscles aching and stitches straining, but it was so worth it. The forest was vast and green around mine, smelling of pine and not all that different from home. There was a noteof salt from the nearby ocean that really drove the point home that I was in another pack's territory, but there wasn't any wolf waiting to tear my throat out, either.
Not exactly welcome, but not considered an enemy, either. That was a fine position as far as I was concerned. Until all of my memory returned, being in a neutral position with the local packs was the best-case scenario.
All I had were a pair of generic gym shorts on, something provided to me by Sage so I didn't have to spend my days in a backless hospital gown with my ass hanging out, and my feet were bare. The ground was rough, covered in brush and deadfall, but my skin was thick and calloused.
Compared to the past week, it was downright fucking blissful.
I pushed myself even when my muscles complained, following the sound of birdsong into the trees. I'd been sitting still for so long that it was difficult, but I persevered, and eventually I was walking somewhat normally.
But I wasn't alone for long. I sensed him before he even spoke. "Up and walking, huh?"
The voice was a deep drawl, casual and nonthreatening, but Joe Longwood's power was obvious without him even needing to be threatening. I turned to find him approaching me on the path, expression neutral, and his hands shoved in his pockets. Even if Sage hadn't prepped me about the fact he'd be by to visit, I'd have known he was the local pack's Alpha.
"Yeah. Slowly." I paused and let him catch up to me. "You're the Alpha, Joe Longwood, right?"
"Yup." He jerked his head towards the path, indicating that we should keep walking, and he kept pace beside me."My wolf Sage tells me that you're Noah Aldrige, Alpha of the Silvervine pack."
Hearing her name coming from another man's mouth made me feel an unwelcome surge of jealousy, but I suppressed it, even if my wolf was furious hearing Joe call our Sage 'his wolf'. "Yeah, that's me."
