Chapter 6: An Alpha's Wound

Elizabeth watched over the wolf, Firian, the entire night. Or the rest of it, at least. It had been two in the morning when they'd brought him in. She'd gone to bed before seven last night, so she'd had plenty of rest to see her through the rest of the night.

James had sent the other wolves out. The one that had brought the wolf in had to be ordered out, though. But the Alpha himself had stayed till the sun rose, helping her when he could. They hadn't spoken. Elizabeth was aware that he was the Alpha, now, so she had to be more careful around him.

Besides, they had a wolf to care for. A dying one, by the look of it. Elizabeth had tried to care for him as best as she could, but before James left she had to tell him the truth of what she felt. He wouldn't survive.

James had simply asked her to do her best and make Firian as comfortable as she could.

Elizabeth had applied willow tree bark over his wounds. They would take away almost all of the pain, and it would stop his body from going into shock from the wounds, but they would do little else.

She also placed a wet cloth soaked in snowdrops on his forehead, to ward off any headache. She mixed a few herbs into a poultice and applied it over the wound to fight the infection, but she wasn't sure how much help it would be.

She kept changing the mixtures and cloths every few hours to keep them at their full strength. That would give him the best chance to survive, but truthfully, his life was in the hands of the fates now. They chose whether he lived or died after this.

She would have to scrub her rooms after this was over; there was so many new wolves' scents in her place now. She wasn't used to it. She wasn't sure she liked it.

Being an orphan almost all her life, she hadn't been around other wolves often. She didn't mind the company, but her instincts still told her to protect her territory, however small it was.

Her old territory had been a small home in the woods, isolated, far away from the territory of any pack. She'd built the cabin from the ground up herself, when she'd stumbled on the clearing one day. Before that, she'd lived wherever she could, in the cracks between the worlds.

A wolf without a pack was a dangerous thing, an outcast no one wanted. And even once she'd built her home, she still hadn't been safe. Wolves had attacked her before, rogues looking to start their own packs, to make their own territory. Even with a roof over her head, and access to food, she wasn't safe.

She had to join a pack. And to do that, she had to first be valuable. So she'd put herself through school, to become the best healer she could be, and then she'd heard of the Moirai pack, looking for a healer.

It had been a perfect match. But she'd had to give up her home. And the place she knew her fiancé would come back looking for her.

It had been a tough decision, but she wouldn't be safe there any longer, in her little home in the woods. She hoped he would understand, and she hoped he would still be able to find her.

Elizabeth heard a knock on the door, and was surprised to answer it and find James back again so soon.

"How is he?" James asked.

"Stable," Elizabeth answered, letting him in. "But not exactly recovering yet. I still have hope though."

James nodded, standing over him. "What can I do to help?"

Elizabeth was about to refuse, then considered it for a moment.

"I want to go get some more willow bark. I don't have any more at the Healer Rooms, either. And some snowdrop, those help best with the pain. I know they dot the woods close to here. Will you watch him for me? I won't be gone long." Elizabeth promised.

"Of course," James agreed.

Elizabeth thanked him, gathered a bag to put her ingredients, and left.

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James sat down on the bed beside Firian. Besides the injured wolf's scent, he could also pick up Elizabeth's scent, stronger than Firian's, on the blankets. It wasn't too strong, of course, she'd only slept a few nights here, but it was there.

James lifted her discarded shirt to his face, her scent overwhelming his senses. He had wanted to come and see her today, he knew that much about himself. What he couldn't understand was why. What drew her so much to him?

James stood as he heard the front door open, but was surprised to find, instead of Elizabeth coming through, it was Bass.

"There you are," Bass exclaimed. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The wolves want to know the new rotation for the guard patrol. Should we send out a tracking party, in case the Alpha wasn't alone? Maybe some of his loyal pack members went with him?"

James put down the shirt he'd been holding, when he caught Bass's gaze on it.

"What are you doing here?" Bass continued, without waiting for a list of instructions.

"I'm checking in on your cousin, Bass," James answered, his voice tired.

"That's what we have the Healer for," Bass retorted. "You've been here since we brought him in, except to go shower, I see."

"He was hurt defending our pack, Bass." James retorted sharply. "I wanted to see how he was doing for myself."

"Why exactly did we even bring a healer to the pack, if you're just going to hover over the sick patients all the time?" Bass challenged. "Or is there another reason you're spending all your time today in the healer's rooms?"

James frowned, "I understand you're anxious and worried for your cousin, but remember who you are and who I am," James warned his Beta.

Bass seemed to recover himself and moved to sit before his Alpha.

"I'll see that he is moved, safely, to the Healer's Rooms," Bass placed his hands on his Alpha's shoulders. "Please, the safety and lifeblood of the pack is in your hands. You need to be caring for the entire pack, not watching over the healer trying to save one soldier."

James shook his head. Bass was right, he had to care for the whole pack. Whatever his fascination with Elizabeth was, however he felt he knew her, that they were connected, somehow, couldn't distract him from his duties. From who he was.

Without another word, James headed back to the Alpha's Hall.

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Elizabeth returned home to find both James and her patient missing, and Bass waiting, leaning against her kitchen counter.

"Why don't you have an emergency bed set up in your rooms yet?" Bass demanded angrily, as she walked through her door.

Elizabeth was taken aback, "What?" She asked. He had to be joking. "Where's Firian? And where's James?"

Bass almost didn't seem to hear her.

"You've been here almost a week, and a simple bed to set up in your rooms for the emergency cases is too much work to ask from you?"

Elizabeth flashed to the laundry she'd been doing non-stop because her healer room didn't have a simple support staff.

She thought of retorting but bit her tongue. This was the Beta, and she'd already been treating the Alpha like a servant, she didn't need to upset the Beta as well.

"I'll have it done today," Elizabeth answered him.

"There's no point now, is there?" Bass demanded again. "He's already been moved to the Healer's Rooms."

"I'll be ready for the next one," Elizabeth promised.

"And now you're wishing ill fate on the pack," Bass answered shortly. "Do you even want to be here? You know what," Bass held up a hand to stall her answer. "I don't want to hear it. Just get to him at the Healer Rooms, and care for him from there."

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James arrived at the Alpha's Hall to find Katrina waiting for him.

"Where have you been?" She demanded. "You've been missing half the night and most of the day."

James shut his eyes and tried to block out the headache he could feel forming. "Katrina, please," James started. "Not know."

"I'm trying to plan our wedding here, and you're either being non-existent or acting absolutely miserable," Katrina started. "I feel like you're just shutting me out. Why don't you at least tell me what's wrong?"

James knew he should be confiding in her, she was going to be Luna to the pack, after all. But for some reason, he just couldn't. And in any case, how was he supposed to explain to her the effect the Healer was having on him?

How was he supposed to tell his fiancé he couldn't stop thinking about another woman, even in his dreams?