Chapter Eight

 Aegis's Point Of View.

The gloomy atmosphere of the hospital had become comforting. Elias mated Velma two month ago and I was paying for it. In blood. Miss Evangeline disagrees, she calls it the evidence of something greater. Something else I was slowly losing. My life.

“She’s lost too much blood Miss Evangeline. If she continues like this, she’ll be dead by the next full moon” A nurse said.

I’ve never seen this one around. Or maybe I have- my brain was beginning to lose its resillience.

I felt another wave of blood coming through. It should be painful but I can’t feel anything.  I’ve grown numb, unresponsive. I was finally broken.

“ No, don’t say that. She’ll make it, I know she will”.Evangeline responded optimistic as always.

 No, she won’t. Look at her”.

I chuckled in my mind at that. I was surely a sight to see. I was rushed back to the hospital a day after I got to the pack. That day was the first time he mated her. The matebond was taking the effect out on me because the rejection was not fully done. Elias rejected me but I didn’t reject him. The symptoms started slow. First it was just a couple sores and scars. Then it became more frequent and the effects compounded. I started bleeding uncontrobbly. The sores appeared and disappeared each time. My ears began to secrete pus and  my voice cracked until I could no longer speak.

The nurses and healers tiptoed around what was happening but I knew what was happening. The matebond is draining out my lifeline.

“She will. And until she does, I don’t want to see you in here again. Get out”

The nurse hissed loudly dragging her feet to the door before slamming it shut.

Another strangled chuckle escaped me startling Evangeline. 

“Aegis can you hear me.”

I couldn’t answer her. But that didn't stop her.

“ I know you’ve probably grown tired of me coming in here to talk to you everyday”. She smiled sadly ad grabbed my hand. “I remember the day you were brought in here. You had so much life. So much light in your eyes and now I’m sitting here watching you lie in a bed with your eyes wide open but unseeing, your body awake but unfeeling”. 

“It’s sad really. I hate them too Aegis, I hate them for you. I hate them for doing this to you.”

A tear rolled down my eyes and she was quick to catch it and wipe it away, her own tears falling freely.

“ But that’s not what I came  here to do today. I realize I’ve not told you why I’m still holding on to you; a girl I don’t know.”

“So today’s story is about a girl I used to know.A girl just  like you. She was so happy. I can still see her jumping around. I still remember  dancing in the rain with her”.

She let out a painful sob and I didn’t dare move a muscle. Who was the girl?.

“Sorry about that. I just miss her so much”.She let out a sad laugh before she continued

“ Anyways she was a very happy girl until she met her mate. An alpha from a neighboring pack.When they met he already had a mate. She was heartbroken but she consoled herself that it was a mistake and that'll come back to her. That he’ll choose her. But that wasn’t the case, the woman he mated with was an Alpha first born.He wasn’t willing to let go of the position for his mate. And so he rejected her. On that same bed I watched her slowly lose her life.  Watched her bleed away. I watched the life in her slowly drain away. I watched my daughter die because of him. I held her dead body in my arms because of a man's selfish decision”.

She was bawling now. Waves of  heart wrenching sobs tore manically through her. The mass of greyish black hair on her head spilled out of its confines. It took a while for her to pull herself together.

“ And so I know that it’s selfish for me to ask you to hang in there. But that night you were brought in, I saw my daughter in you. I wasn’t able to save her but I’ll fight for you. Whatever your decision is, whether to fight or survive, I’ll be here.

“ There might not be anything you consider worth living for right now but I promise you’ll find one. Just stay, fight, survive. Don’t let them take the life from you simply because they can. Please fight”.

She left me alone after that.

 My life before him flashed through my mind like an old black and white movie. I thought of a mischievous black cat I adopted when I was 14. I thought of Mama Priscilla, stern old nurse that taught me how to sew. I thought of Helga, the Spanish omega that taught me how to proficiently curse in Spanish. I thought of an Aegis I used to know. 

What would she think of me now?.

A nurse cried to her friend in the distance and my wolf picked up on their conversation.

“I know right. It’s so sad.  I used to see her on Tiktok.She inspired me to chase my dreams. I watched every tutorial session, every dance videos. I wanted so bad to be like her. So happy and fearless. And  now she’s laying half dead on an hospital bed because of something she had no choice in. 

“ I  can’t believe someone would want to hurt such a lovely person”Her friend replied. “ The world is so unfair. I just can’t imagine what sh…..”.

A tap on my shoulder startled me. I looked down and it was a child. The girl had a soft,roundish face, with freckles and pitch black eyes that seemed to stare straight through you, like an antique doll. With far skin and thick curly hair, she was beautiful.

“ You have so much blood. Her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity and confusion. Are you a vampire?”. 

I started laughing and for the first time in a month I could hear myself. Evangeline and her nurses ran in staring at me in disbelief, mouth agape. They tried ushering  out the girl but she wouldn’t leave.

“ I need a run”. 

Evangeline turned to me in shock. “Aegis did you just……speak?

“ I need a run Miss Evangeline”.

She couldn’t hold in her tears anymore. A midst strong contradictions from the nurses, Evangeline led me to the pack forest.

So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I ran until I couldn’t feel my feet, then my legs, till tears streamed down my fears. I didn't know where i was, I just knew I needed to run. It felt like I ran for months, or even years. I couldn’t think straight. I soon stopped, I don’t remember where. Then I passed out.

I woke up in a bed. Next to me was the same little girl.  She saw my eyes open and I saw her eyes light up like  was a toy she saw for the first time. She got up quickly and hurried to me. 

“ You’re awake”. Peering into my eyes she touched my clothes “ There’s no blood but  still think you’re a vampire”. She held my hands till Evangeline came.

She broke down in tears seeing me sit up. The nurses came in each one in tears. Yes even the rude one. 

“ How long was I out?” I asked  awhile looking around.

“You’ve been asleep for almost two weeks”

“ I’m still tired”.

“Yes of course. You can sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up”.

“ Me too”  the little girl piped in still holding my other hand. 

In  a gloomy hospital room on a cold October night, a weird little girl and an old Irish Healer taught me to fight.