Chapter 3 Broken

“Why isn’t she waking up yet?” Caelum asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

“Give her time to recover, Alpha. I say she’s doing remarkably well,” Melanie answered calmly.

He glanced down at her sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, something he was sure she didn’t have with when she was in the clutches of that bastard. He balled his fists as murderous thoughts occupied his brain.

It had been two days since he brought her to his pack and although Melanie assured him numerous times that his mate was fine, he couldn’t get over the worry that he felt for her.

“Get some sleep, Alpha. I’ll notify you when she’s awake,” she coaxed.

His ruffled brown hair, the dark circles under his eyes, and the smell of alcohol in his breath told her that he had little to no sleep for the past three days.

He bent down and stroked Astraea’s face, then placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” said he before walking out the door.

Melanie’s face brightened seeing Caelum display a lover’s affection, something he hadn’t done for years. It was heartwarming to see him revert to his old self, even if it was but for a moment. She bowed to the sleeping woman then walked out of the room as well.

The woman’s eyes fluttered open, staring at an unfamiliar sight. Her body ached all over and she could still remember how she ended up in a near-death state. She was certain she won’t wake up again, from the severity of the punishment, but the pain reminded her that she was still alive. And along with the fresh memory was a warning.

She tried to sit up but when she moved her arm, she felt something shift underneath the skin. She turned her gaze on it and found a small tube emerging from a loosely woven translucent fabric that covered her elbow fold. A needle, its point of insertion hidden by the piece of gauze. The tube connected to a small medical-grade plastic bag that hung on a stand beside the bed, containing a clear liquid.

She noticed wires ran along the side of the bed with the tube and traced them to her chest, ending in small round patches. On the other end, the wires lead to a screen that showed varying lines.

Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion, waking up in a new room was a normal scenario for her but to be provided with medical aid was definitely a first. He seldom treated her wounds, and when he did he wouldn’t wait for her to fully recover before giving her new ones.

She looked around the room, which smelled of antiseptic. The white walls were bare, and the only furniture besides the bed was a chocolate brown couch aligned to it. There was a tall cabinet on a corner and beside it a circular side table.

She heard the door open and her gaze shifted at the stranger, who stood by the doorway with a smile on her face. The woman had her beach blonde hair in a tight bun, and rectangular glasses framed her pale blue eyes. She wore a pristine lab coat over a v-lined apple green blouse and high-waisted black slacks.

She immediately turned her head to face the other side.

“I’m glad you’re awake, Luna. The Alpha will be pleased to hear of this news,” the stranger said.

She faced the stranger and stared at her in shock, not knowing how to respond, her words not quite sinking in. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when she couldn’t find the words to reply.

The woman didn’t seem to mind. She closed the door and cautiously stepped towards her, then stopped halfway. “Luna, I am Melanie, the Head Healer of this pack. Alpha Caelum found you and brought you here three days ago,” she informed.

She tried to speak again and her voice sounded like she gargled a bag of nails. “I… no Luna.”

Melanie slowly shook her head. “I understand this is too much for you to handle all at once, Luna, especially since we are still strangers. But I hope you believe me when I say that the pack has been waiting for you to awaken, including the Alpha.”

Her brows narrowed, the woman must have gotten something wrong, she kept calling her Luna. Her Master told her nothing about this.

“Where…?” she asked.

Melanie’s chest heaved with pride as she answered, “One of the royal packs, the Blood Moon Pack, led by Alpha Caelum and now with you, Luna.” She waited for her Luna to react but she remained passive, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face.

“Luna?” she said, sounding worried, wondering if she said something that offended her.

“Melanie?” she asked.

“Yes, Luna.”

“Astraea. My name… is Astraea.”

She smiled in glee, her Luna had opened to her even if just a little, acknowledged her, and her excitement grew at the thought that she was the first to know her name. But her happiness was dampened when Astraea sniffled.

She immediately went to her side, looking her over for any signs of bleeding as she said, “Is something wrong, Luna? Is it the wounds? Let me get you a painkiller.”

“My grandmother is she…” Astraea stopped herself from finishing the sentence. She didn’t want to think that the only family she had access to was gone. All her life, her grandmother was beside her, her rock through all the suffering she was put through.

She took shaky breathes through her mouth to calm herself, she wouldn’t let the tears fall. But the thought of losing her gripped her heart that such was inevitable. She raised her left arm to cover her eyes and bit her lower lip.

Melanie felt sorry for her Luna but with all her years of practice, she was at a loss on how to comfort her. She knew the raid was successful, and that the warriors brought back members of the pack that asked for shelter. She could tell Astraea that her grandmother might be among them but she also knew how dangerous raids could be and she didn’t want to raise her hopes up.

So, she did what she could at the moment and held her Luna’s left hand gently, fighting the urge in her to cry with Astraea. She could only imagine what horrors she must’ve gone through.

Meanwhile, Alpha Caelum stood outside the door with a hand on the knob. He was about to enter when he heard Melanie utter the pack name, thought that she was introducing the pack, and decided to listen in.

The silence that followed made him hold his breath, thinking that his mate was averse to her being Luna, but when she spoke, he sighed in relief and heard her voice for the first time. It sounded scratchy, but he didn’t mind, as she introduced herself to Melanie. A part of him was jealous that she wasn’t talking to him first but he was aware that she’d prefer to talk to a less intimidating person.

Then seconds later, he heard her sobs and his heart ached. A need in him urged him to barge in, hold her in his arms, and assure her everything would be alright. But he held himself back, it was a bad idea.

He let go of the doorknob and backed away from the room. He went outside the clinic and breathed in the fresh morning air. Then he mind-linked his Beta.

“Luca, where are you right now?”

“On border patrol. We’re heading back as we speak. Do you need something?”

He hesitated in answering, debating on his decision. “The newcomers, was there an old woman among them?” he asked and heard laughter from the other end.

“Do you want them prepped and ready in your room?” Luca joked, laughing harder.

“Luca!” Caelum boomed and he immediately stopped. “She’s looking for her grandmother. I need to know if she’s alive and if we took her in.”

“They’re still adjusting to the pack but I could ask the omegas. What does she look like, besides grey hair and wrinkly?” his Beta teased.

Luca’s question made him facepalm. He didn’t think about that. “I don’t know,” he answered.

“Well… can’t you ask her? Even detectives need a start,” said Luca amused that Caelum didn’t think it through before asking him. He was meticulous, planning everything to the most minute detail. The Luna must’ve gotten his balls and brains mixed up, he thought.

“Just.Find.Her,” came Caelum’s reply and he replied with an, “Alright. But don’t blame me if I get the wrong one.”

“Try it,” he challenged and Luca laughed.

Like his Beta would mess it up. He might as well have been a detective with his keen insight and sharp deductive skills. Together they made a perfect team – neither one lacking in intelligence nor power.

He would’ve been a great Alpha himself, but he insisted on staying as his Beta when he proposed the idea.

Luca suddenly stopped and in a serious tone said, “Hey, Alpha, just a heads up.”

“What?”

“Don’t scare her,” he said then he cut the link.

Caelum chuckled to himself. “Now, why I do that?” said he to no one in particular.