Chapter 3: Meeting

My mind kept on drifting towards the happenings at my place earlier. Even as I approached the pack infirmary, images of the Alpha as he stood there continued pushing forward. 

Focus, I kept on repeating the word in my mind as I gently walked over to see Janette. With sure, gentle and harmonious footsteps, I finally made my way into the infirmary.

The ground floor hallway of the infirmary stretched beyond. The walls on either side of the hallway were painted with an ultra warm white colour, that seemed to revive life somehow.  As the sole of my shoes came into contact with the clean baby blue vinyl flooring, the light sound of my footsteps could be heard.

My eyes snapped up to the calla ceiling whose colour matched that of the floor. The LED warm blue lighting made me feel comfortable despite the underlying nervousness.

I had walked through the hallway countless times and yet the smell of the air never changed at all. It always had an undertone of bleach and detergent. The hallways weren't busy at all, seeing that werewolves never needed medical attention unless they were badly injured, which was very rare.

Normal human infirmaries were always full of patients, medics and families coming to visit their patients. But this, this was totally different.

It was very clean for an infirmary, something that made a lot of pack members appreciate our Alpha.

The public facilities in our pack were always clean, nothing ever seemed in disarray. The assigned pack members had to make sure everything was in order, otherwise they would incur the wrath of the Alpha.

I passed several blue double doors on either side before I got to where Janette was. I knew for a fact that she was in the main female private hospital room. It was specifically designed for the high ranked female pack members.

I stood in front of the hermetic double doors for almost a minute wondering why she wanted to see me. Deciding that I had no choice but to get inside, I pushed my way past the doors, opening them with my hands.

The Beta was seated on a plastic chair beside Janette's hospital bed, as he held his mate's left hand on his right one. His eyes on the girl beside him didn't waver, even after my entrance. He knew I wasn't a threat at all, either that or he knew he could eliminate me in seconds.

The room was simple with walls painted a soft white. On the right side of the hospital bed was a light-filled window with blue window panes that lit up the entire room. 

'Tamina. ' Beta Jayson addressed me.

'Tamara. ' I answered back, maintaining my distance from the two mates.

'What? ' He questioned.

'My name is Tamara, not Tamina. This is the last time I'm reminding you of my name. ' I fired back, not afraid of him in the slightest.

'That is no way to talk to your Beta, you must apologise this instant.' He let go of his sleeping mate's hand and stood before me. He was angered by my actions, but was I supposed to let him call me a name that wasn't mine?

'You want to turn violent before your assaulted mate because of misnaming me? Any aggression towards me and you will remind her of what she has been through. '

'She's asleep, I wo...'

'Oh no, you expect me to keep quiet while you threaten to hurt me? My scream will wake her up before you even make another step. You know just how good your hearing is for the likes of you'

'Are you threatening me? ' He asked in plain mockery.

' Oh no, I merely warning you. You of all people know she needs as much sleep as she can get. Any slight yelling will wake her up and she won't take it easy if her sleep is disrupted. '

'Especially by you. ' I pointed at him, smiling slightly at my victory.

He cast down his eyes on the floor, with his lips set on a thin line. He didn't like it that I had told him off, but his love for his mate put his ego into sleep. After seconds of staring angrily at me,  he sat back on the chair. Mates weren't supposed to hurt each other, and in this situation, he wouldn't dare wake her up. He was ashamed of his actions, something that was very normal among mated werewolves.

Will I ever experience such a bond?

'Alpha Ryker said your mate wanted to see me. ' I stated, after a much-needed silence, walking close to her. She was now stirring awake, and before Beta Jayson could utter a word, her eyes finally opened.

She first looked at her mate, obviously admiring him. How I wished I'd have someone looking at me so lovingly. I always wondered if I'd ever had a mate. The pack had endlessly reminded me that I was different and different to them meant no mate. It meant no one would love a witch like me and their goddess would never pair me with anyone.

'You came. ' Janette's cheerful voice snapped me out of my thoughts. For someone who had gone through the hands of a maniac, she sure was happy.

She was no longer the terrified girl I had seen in the woods. No, this was a young woman, one that had found redemption in the hands of a Beta mate. Her eyes were a brilliant blue depicting the joy she was feeling inside.

'How are you feeling? ' I was genuinely concerned and worried for her. I wanted her to become my friend, a feeling that was quite foreign to me. I felt like I needed to keep her close to me.

'I am very okay Tamara ' She answered with a smile, beckoning me to come closer with her left hand.

She was beautiful, even with her face full of bruises, her beautiful smile made up for that.

'I wanted to say how thankful I am to you, I knew that I was going to die all alone. I was terrified for my life, honestly, I had already given up. But then you jumped down from that tree, and in that moment I realised that you were there to defend me. ' Beta Jayson squeezed her hand, assuring her that she was okay now.

'The realisation then turned into terror as he looked at you. For a moment I thought that we were going to die together but my heart just leaped, knowing that you were willing to lose your life defending me.

'Don't thank me Janette, clearly I did nothing to defend you. You should thank Alpha Ryker, he was the one who dealt with that vile man. ' Just thinking about him had my lips curling upwards in disdain and hatred.

'It doesn't matter Tamara, you had a choice to stay up on that tree and watch as that bastard abused me. And yet you chose to stand by me, a stranger. A person you didn't even know, you are indeed a good person. '

Janette brought a smile to my face, someone was finally thankful for my deeds. Not even once before had a pack member ever said a simple 'thanks' to me.

Yes, I had healed many of them, but they saw it as my duty. They never appreciated me, and to hear Janette acknowledge me made me extremely happy. I didn't know how good it felt to be appreciated until she made it clear how grateful she was.

Without thinking, I hugged her lightly while she lay on the hospital bed. She didn't push me back, instead, she hugged me back.

'I don't care how the rest of the pack members treat you, including my mate here. ' She nodded towards him before continuing.

'The only thing I know is that you were there for me when my family wasn't.  I refuse to treat you like they do Tamara, only I know how good, kind and selfless you are. ' Her words were heartfelt and for the first time since my mother passed on, I felt important.

'I see you came. ' That voice. What in the world was the Alpha doing here? Memories of what transpired earlier in my house came rushing back.

The way his hard on had felt beneath my fingers, the way he had held me from falling. Damn, how could a man turn my moods and feelings so fast? It was like my body was being pulled to him by something beyond my vision.

'Alpha. ' Both Beta mates addressed him at the same time, earning a single nod from him.

'Thank you for telling Tamara that I wanted to see her. ' Janette smiled at him.

'You should rest. ' He ignored a thank you and his Beta all together then turned to me.

'I have work for you. '

'I will see you some other time Janette. ' I smiled at her, I wanted to spend more time with her but well, I had no choice.

That was enough to bid Janette bye, following him quickly out of the room.

He kept on walking, he knew I was right behind him. I didn't exactly know where he was leading me, I just knew he had duties for me to fulfill. The hallways were still bare, only occasional pack doctors passing by minding their own business.

After walking for a while, he stood abruptly in front of a single door that was at the end of the hallway. Fishing keys out of his pocket, he opened it, urging me to step inside.

It was a simple room, more like an office. With a single mahogany desk, an office chair and a large leather couch. There were piles of neatly arranged papers on the desk, a calendar and a number of files.

It must have been used as an office sometimes, and for the Alpha to have the keys, it obviously was important. The Alpha shut the door behind him, and with the lock in its place, my mind finally registered how confined the space was.

Then he turned to me, with his lips pulling into a smirk