The Scared Mate

"Bring here back to the clinic," Eric said.

This time but some cuffs on her, Eric added mentally to Dr. Knolls.

Eric decided to head back to his house and not the clinic. Whatever this girl's problem was it didn't concern him. He pushed the image of her sunken face out of his mind. She was Wyatt's problem, not his.

Wyatt

Wyatt looked over at his passenger's seat. He had reclined it all the way back and buckled her in, but he still wished he could have made her more comfortable. She hadn't awoken since this morning's events, Bridget insisted he stayed until she did, but Eric was making it clear his patience was running out.

She desperately needed to put on some weight, Dr. Knolls what surprised she had survived this long being so malnourished, but outside of that there was no reason to keep her on the other pack's land. Wyatt had already let his pack know they were coming and thought his own doctor capable of assisting with that.

Wyatt rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the road. He couldn't stop glancing over at her, part of him willing her to awaken and part of him praying she stayed sleeping over the two-hour trip. After a few more minutes of thinking about the pros and cons of each option a small moan came from the girl's lips. Wyatt felt his heart race. She was waking up.

Her head rolled from side to side and her moan turned more into a groan. Wyatt cleared his throat.

"Don't move too quickly," he said.

Apparently that was the wrong this to say. She shot upright in her seat and went for the door handle.

"Please don't do that," Wyatt said. "The doors are all locked. I'm driving about 70 mph and if you did manage to get out of the car you probably wouldn't survive at this speed. Just try and stay calm. You got yourself so worked up earlier you passed out."

She plastered herself against the door, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He didn't dare stop the car, sure she would make a run for it then. Instead he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a bottle of water, setting it next to her on the seat.

"Before we left the Bloodmoon pack the Doctor filled your stomach," Wyatt said. "It was with a feeding tube, pretty much pure nutrients. He said you might have a dry mouth when you woke up."

She turned her head away from the window. Wyatt tried to keep his eyes focused on the road and not on her.

"He said you hadn't eaten in some time," Wyatt continued. "We have to get you to put on some weight. You can trust me, there's nothing wrong with the water."

Wyatt knew he was babbling, and could feel the girl's eyes on him. Before he dove into the million questions running through his mind he had to get her to show some form of trust.

"We're going home," Wyatt said. "Well to your new home, my old home. I'm the Alpha of the Eights. Which makes you the new Luna. That tall blond guy, that's Eric, he's the Alpha of the Bloodmoons. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the North American packs, but the Eights are a smaller pack. We're called the Eights because about one hundred years ago there were only eight members left, everyone thought we were going to fade out, but with perseverance and hard work we recruited new members, realigned our focuses and prospered. Now there are two hundred ten of us, eleven including you."

The girl started to cough. Wyatt reached over and grabbed the water bottle. Leaving one hand on the wheel he unscrewed the top and took a drink before handing it to her.

"See, nothing wrong with the water," Wyatt said.

He felt her grab the drink with a shaky hand and in his peripheral vision saw her start to chug it down.

"Easy," Wyatt said. "Don't drink too fast. The good Doctor warned about pacing yourself, it might be a little easy for you to throw up."

She seemed to listen to him and the gulping sound faded away.

"I'm Wyatt Baxter, why don't you tell me your name."

No response. Wyatt sighed.

"Not much of a talker?" Wyatt asked. "I apparently can rant away. I'm sure you have a million questions though. Ask me whatever you want."

Still there was silence from his traveling companion. Then a new question came to mind.

"Can you speak?"

He felt his heart breaking. The Doctor said she was miraculously fine, except for the weight issue. Wyatt had tried to block out thinking what she had been through in the past. He wanted to focus on the future and giving her the best life possible from here on out. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, but something had to be said.

"I don't know where you've been, or who hurt you," Wyatt said. "But please believe me when I say I will die before any more harm comes your way. You're my mate, the one person made for me. I am so so sorry that I didn't find you earlier. I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, in whatever way you see fit."

The silence in the car was heavy. Wyatt wished he knew what she was thinking or how she was feeling. But then she opened her mouth and with one simple word he felt better.

"Charlotte."

Charlotte

It took several deep breaths for Charlie to center her thoughts. She had made it this far and wasn't about to give up. Blindly escaping had been unsuccessful and the guy driving the car had a point about her splattering when she hit the pavement.

He kept right on talking, but she wasn't paying any attention to the words coming out of his mouth. She eyed him up and down, he was lean but toned. Her strength was far from full and there was no way she would be able to outrun him. It was obvious he was trying hard to hide the sad look on his face, but Charlie could see it. She felt a pang of guilt. She was the cause of that pain.

Guilt was soon replaced by anger. He was her mate, she knew that before she saw him. That was her first mistake, following his scent. At that point she was exhausted and starving, mistaking the delicious aroma for an all you can eat buffet. She had given up on the idea of a mate years ago. Fate was cruel. She didn't need him or want him now.

"We're almost home," he said.

Home was not a word that brought Charlie any sense of comfort. This man's idea of home meant a pack land, and that meant other wolves who would likely try and block her escape. She had to be clever about this, bide her time and strike with efficiency.

They pulled off the main road and his speed dropped. Charlie grabbed the door handle. Instincts were kicking in, telling her to force open the car door and make a run for it. He noticed her movement.

"Please don't," he said.

She pulled her hand back and he smiled.

"I'm going to take you straight to my house, I mean our house," Wyatt said. "The rest of the pack is very eager to meet you, but I told them they have to wait. My Beta will be there, his name is Tristan, you met his sister Bridget. She's the Luna of Bloodmoon."

A stoke of good luck. Charlie was used to pack houses. It would have been unheard of for the Alpha, or any member of the pack, to live alone. Maybe getting out of here would be easier than she thought.

"I'm sure you're not very familiar with the workings of a pack," Wyatt said. "Again, that is my fault. I will make it up to you, I promise."

Charlie was too familiar with the workings of a pack, she felt a shutter work it's way through her body as flashes of her former Alpha came to mind. She reached behind her and grabbed her shoulder, remembering what it felt like when he had stabbed her there for the first time.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Wyatt said. "I won't bring up the past again, unless you want to tell me about it."

Charlie felt her eye's go wide. Why in the world would she tell him anything?

He started babbling again, but Charlie turned her attention back to the window. There was one long road to the main drive, then he started turning down smaller paths. The trees here were dense, but she was used to thicker. She counted the turns and tried to memorize the way back out, focusing so much on the directions she didn't notice the car was coming to a stop.

"Here it is," Wyatt said. "Before you get out, I was hoping to make one request. I know that you're uncomfortable and have been through a lot, but I just want to help you. I can do that best if you give me a chance. Please don't run. Dr. Knolls seemed to this the best way to keep you safe was to sedate you for some time, but I really don't think that's best. Please don't run."

Charlie kept a blank face and nodded her head. If this guy thought she should be grateful because he didn't drug her he had some crazy ideas about appreciation. He did give her a smile and for a moment her heart fluttered and she had the urge to throw herself in his arms. She closed her eyes and forced the feelings away. You've come too far, worked too hard to get caught up over a man. Freedom is yours.

Charlie opened her eyes. He stepped out of the car and walked around to her side, he opened the door and offered his hand. Charlie looked down and unbuckled her seatbelt, needing to avoid touching this man as much as possible. She had to focus on the layout, start plotting the best escape route, not try and ignore whatever sparks or feelings a mate was sure to ignite.

He got the hint and held out his arm, signaling for her to get in front of him. She was sure he expected her to take off, the man didn't seem like a complete moron. When she looked up she was shocked at the large house. It was the size of the main house of her old pack. Images of the older building came to mind and Charlie's feet froze in fear. She felt her stomach muscles clench when the memories of the basement flooded back. Her Alpha, lining up the different chains and blades he was going to use that day. She almost let out a scream when Wyatt brought her back to reality.

"I know it's a little big for just one person," Wyatt said. "I built it myself, started on it when I turned eighteen. I always planned on filling it with my family, hoping to have a lot of kids. Do you want children?"

Charlie looked over at him. He gave the charming little laugh he gives when he's nervous. He brought his hand up and ran it through his hair, another tell of his edginess.

"I guess it's a little soon for that question," Wyatt said. "The front door is unlocked, go on in and I will give you the tour."

Charlie walked towards the door, her head cleared when she realized this house looked nothing like the old pack house. It may have been large, but the outside was modern and openly designed as a single family home, not the apartment style the old lodge was. She could picture a loving family sitting on the oversized front porch, little children playing with toys while happy parents looked on from the built in swing.

There was a pain in Charlie's heart at the image, because she knew that would never be her life. That future had vanished years ago. Charlie needed to get out of here, imaging what her life would have been was causing too much pain. She had given up that dream a long time ago.

With one hand she gripped the doorknob and pushed it open, hoping to get the tour over with quickly and find the best route for escape in the process. As she stepped inside a loud noise followed. Charlie felt her heart race as she looked up. The sound was familiar.

"Kill her, traitor, worthless," all the voices chanted. They were getting louder making it harder to focus.

Her pack was here. They had hunted her down and found her. Charlie didn't wait a second before turning and running. She had forgotten about the Alpha standing behind her. She ran smack into him before tumbling to the ground. When she looked up at him the face of her mate was gone. In it's place was Alpha Evans, her former tormentor. Wyatt was a liar, this had all been a trap. Charlie felt like her heart was going to explode before everything went black.

Wyatt

Her hair cascades down her shoulders in princess like waves. She looked so peaceful, even though his king sized bed dwarfed her. Wyatt looked at her beautiful face, there were now tubes in her mouth and nose, her skin looked almost translucent. The skin was so thin the white of her bones was shining through.

"Eric's Doctor said she would be fine," Wyatt said. "Just needed to put on some weight."

Trish put her stethoscope back around her neck. The older wolf looked tired. She squinted her eyes and pressed the bridge of her nose.

"I don't understand," Trish said. "Our new Luna is a medically anomaly."

"Is she going to make it?" Wyatt felt like he'd asked that question too many times over the last several days.

"I think so," Trish said.

She walked away from the bed and pulled over a chair. Wyatt reached over and grabbed Charlotte's hand, knowing it was giving him more comfort than her.

"By all means she should be dead," Trish said. "I'm shocked that she didn't pass on months, if not years, ago. Wolf or not her body has survived a lot of trauma. The surprise put more stress on her heart, which I believe momentarily gave out and caused her to collapse."

Whoever thought it was a good idea to throw a welcome party was going to have a talking to, Wyatt would deal with that later.

"If she put on some weight then her heart wouldn't have to work so hard," Trish continued. "At least that's my guess."

"Your guess?" Wyatt asked.

Trish stood up from her chair and walked over to Charlotte. She pulled the shoulder of the shirt Charlotte was wearing down and slightly turned her over. The little bit of exposed skin showed a deep scar.

"By our nature we don't scar," Trish said. "But her pack and torso are covered with these. If her body was weak enough it couldn't completely heal from these attacks that tells me whatever she has been through was ongoing. She should have weakened enough that her whole body shut down. I don't even know if an Alpha would have been able to survive this sort of punishment."

Wyatt reached out with his other hand and ran his fingers over the exposed scar. This was his fault.

"But she did survive and was running around," Trish said. "I would give her some forced rest and relaxation, with no stress whatsoever."

"Forced?"

"Keep her sedated, keep the feeding tube in place," Trish said. "That's what will give her the best shot. If her heart is giving out that's not a good sign. Like I said earlier, I'm surprised she's even alive. I'd love to perform some additional tests, figure out what she...possesses that makes her this strong."

"I don't care why, I'm just glad she is," Wyatt said. There was no way he was letting anyone poke or prod her unnecessarily. "It's hard to keep her sedated, the last time didn't work so well."

"We'll have twenty-four hour monitoring of her," Trish said. "If she starts to stir I'll make sure more drugs are administered. I think she needs at least a week, if not two."

"Whatever you think best," Wyatt said. This wasn't the course of action he had hoped for, but he wasn't about to gamble with her health. "I want her to stay here, bring whatever you need from your office. When she wakes up I want her at home."

Wyatt leaned down and gave her hand a kiss before standing up. He pulled out his phone and saw five missed calls from Bridget. Before he could call her back he had to take care of some pack business, starting with finding out who ignored his orders and thought throwing a party was a good idea.

Eric

The familiar vibration of a cell phone woke Eric up. Bridget shot upright in bed, her face dropped when she saw the sound was not coming from her own phone. Eric reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his device.

"Hello?" Eric said.

"Good morning Alpha," Dr. Knolls said. "Sorry to call so early, but you told me to contact you as soon as the results came back. I tried to link with you but your shield is still up."

Eric almost always had his shield up, unless there was a major concern happening. The only person he wanted with easy access to his mind was Bridget.

"Meet me at my office in fifteen minutes," Eric said.

He ended the call and sat up in bed. Bridget's black hair was tussled from the pillow, but it was obvious she hadn't slept.

"I'm sure he will reach out to you when he's got time," Eric said not trying to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"It's been a week," Bridget said.

"Wyatt has his hands full," Eric said. "Have you talked to Benny?"

"My brother won't tell me anything," Bridget said. "He thinks I'm a member of a rival pack or something, all he'll say is Wyatt is fine and Charlotte is fine."

"Benny is a good Beta," Eric replied. "And he's right. This is your pack now, care a little bit more about them and less about your old Alpha."

"Wyatt is my best friend," Bridget said. "We've never gone this long without speaking."

Eric stood up and walked over to the closet, pulling on a t-shirt and some pants.

"Maybe it's time you found a new best friend," Eric said. "A female one."

"Who was on the phone?" Bridget asked. Eric wasn't surprised she was changing the subject.

"Cliff," Eric lied. "He wants to talk about the rogue issue."

"Was another one sighted?"

"I'm not sure," Eric said.

"You spend a lot of time worrying about rogues, I've never even seen one," Bridget said. "At the Eights we didn't really see them as a threat."

"Well the Eights is a small pack, Bloodmoon is a large pack," Eric said. "Consider yourself lucky you've never met a rogue. They're mean, crazy, and would have no problem eating your throat just because they feel like it."

"Why?"

Eric walked back over to the bed. Bridget had the sheet clutched to her chest. In the months they'd been together she never asked much about his business or pack concerns. He was glad to have her attention on this.

"A wolf, any wolf, without a pack goes crazy," Eric said. "It's in our nature to want to bond together. The longer they're alone the more insane they become."

"Why don't all the rogues get together and form a new pack?" Bridget asked. "Then they wouldn't be rogues any longer."

Eric laughed. Bridget dropped her inquisitive face and looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," Eric said. He sat down on the bed. "Most rogues did something to get kicked out of a pack. By the time they find each other they're too unstable to even bond. Then on top of that they would need an Alpha, but I doubt there are any rogues out there with Alpha blood. While a strong wolf could try to lead without the Alpha instincts it would be hard to command a group of bad, crazy, people."

Bridget bit the corner of her lip and scrunched her eyebrows.

"What if a rogue finds their mate? Would that calm them down?"

Eric shrugged.

"I've never heard of a rogue finding a mate. Why are you asking?"

"It's just...Do you think that Wyatt is in danger? I mean Charlotte is obviously a rogue right?"

Eric felt his temper flare. He stood up from the bed and started towards the door.

"What?" Bridget asked.

"For a split second I thought you actually cared about what happens in your own pack," Eric said. "But again it was just concern for Wyatt. Well let me ease your mind. The man is a wimp, but even he is safe from a 90 pound girl."

Eric didn't wait for a response. He walked out of their bedroom and headed towards his office. On his walk he passed several other wolves who lived in the pack house. One look at his face told them to leave him alone. When he arrived at his destination he pushed open the door. Dr. Knolls jumped up, surprised by Eric's announcement. Eric walked around his huge mahogany desk and sat down in the chair.

"It's already been a rough morning," Eric said. "Please tell me you have something that will make me smile."

Dr. Knolls handed over a file. The man's hand was shaking. Eric didn't mean to take out his anger on the doctor, but didn't see anything wrong with keeping his pack members on their toes around him. He flipped through the pages and looked up at the Doctor.