She looked vulnerable when she was asleep. I couldn't help but smooth back the soft inky black bangs from her forehead. She fought hard not to be sedated, but if I didn't do it, she'll hurt herself even more.

The mate bond locked into place the second I looked into her eyes. Her big eyes reminded me of a small doe. Large and innocent.

But underneath those layers, I could see so much more.

My mate was far from simple, and trust wasn't something she didn't give easily.

At the touch of my fingers against her forehead, she sighed softly and scooted closer to me without knowing. Her faint outdoor scent wafting into my nostrils and I greedily inhaled, feeling my soul with her scent.

A knock at the door broke me out of my trance. I turned my head just to see Ace walking through the door. His eyes moving to my mate first before returning to meet mine.

"How is she?" Ace asked.

"She fought the restraints when she woke up."

My gaze dropped to her wrist where I could still see the fresh red marks. They'll bruise and my heart clenched a little.

"She's pretty strong for a female wolf. I saw the way she fought off the guards. She was willing to die to escape. Luckily, the little one that came with her could be used to calm her."

A corner of my lip lifted at the thought.

"They look like they have been wondering in wolf form for a while. The defined muscles on her body are from working them for a very long time. Yet she's scrawny for a female. You could tell that they haven't had a decent meal for a long time. She's pale from malnutrition."

The thought of my mate going through hardship for years while I sat at home waiting for her—it made me feel guilty. I should have looked harder. I should have done more than wait.

"How are you?"

"Honest truth?" I glanced at Ace. "A little fucked up."

Ace chuckled quietly before moving closer to my side. He placed his hand on my shoulder in comfort.

"You and me both, brother."

Ace and Judah had recently discovered their mate. Ace found his mate at the resort. While Judah's mate lived under his nose for years until she turned eighteen. When I found out that they both had found their mate, I was happy for them, but at the same time envy filled me. I wanted what they had.

Ace stayed longer to update me on the little one. It turned out the two were siblings. The doctor did several blood tests on them to ensure they were healthy and ok. The news did not surprise me. Both my mate and the little boy looked similar in looks. Both with black hair and small facial features.

Once Ace left, I sat in the room alone and watched her longer. I couldn't stop looking.

Was this how it feels?

Absentmindedly, I touched my left chest. The regular thump beat against my chest. A normal beat, but every time my thoughts slid over to her—I looked at her sleeping form and my heart beats a little quicker.

Did she feel the same way?

Judging by the way she attacked me, I don't think she felt the same way. But that was impossible. She should feel the connection. Even I couldn't ignore the sudden urge to protect her above anything else.

I shook my head. Enough thinking for now. I needed to think what to do next. Clearly, it wasn't ideal to keep my mate locked up in the hospital ward for days. She needed new clothes and shoes.

With one last glance at her sleeping form, I stood up and walked out of the room. I stopped by the nurse's station to inform them of my absence and watching over my mate before leaving.

I walked to the packhouse storage room and rummaged through the multiple containers of spare clothes. Found several outfits that I thought would fit her and tiny white converses that were worn but were still wearable for her. I stuffed the outfits I found for her into a brown paper bag before returning to hospital wing again.

Upon entering the lobby, I could hear loud voices. Doctors and nurses rushing in the direction of my mate's room. Panic rippled through me and I rushed to her. I shoved everyone away. Her voice tugged at a feral protectiveness in me that possessed every muscles in my body.

"Move!" I roared.

Immediately, the hallway cleared enough for me to see inside. My mate was attacking a nurse. Blood everywhere. An animalistic roar mixed in with her screams.

Dropping the bag on the floor, I ran over to her. Grabbing onto her shoulders and pulling her away from attacking the nurse. Unfortunately, my mate saw me as a threat. She launched herself at me. Clawing at my chest with her hands.

"Tranquilizer now!" I heard someone ordered.

My mate's eyes widened and she fought harder. Kicking me in the stomach and thigh. She climbed my body, fighting for her life. I had to flip her and pinned her onto the ground. My bodyweight pressed her down. I grabbed her wrist and pinned them above her head.

Her chocolate brown eyes burned with a wildness that I have never seen before, but her body trembled in protest.

She was afraid.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see the doctor hurrying over with a tranquilizer in his hands. She fought me harder. Screaming and thrashing and unsuccessfully throwing me off her body. The nurse behind me whimpered in pain while others helped to get her out of the room.

Once the doctor knelt next to me, my mate whimpered and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. My body reacted immediately to her fears.

"No!" I shouted.

The doctor looked up at me in protest.

"We have to. She's uncontrollable. This would calm her down."

"I said no. Clear the room and close the door. Leave me with her."

"But Alpha-"

"Leave!" I snarled my command. Power seeped from my body and suffocated the room.

Immediately, they lowered their head and backed out of the room. My mate continued to claw at my hands and fighting me.

"Stop."

She shot her upper body off the ground to snarl at me. My firm grip on her arms stopped her from going any higher.

"You won't be able to fight me off you."

She fought harder and managed to free her right hand. With a quickness that I didn't expect, she clawed at my neck. Pain from the open skin stung, but it didn't matter. I flipped her onto her stomach and pinned her hands behind her back. Then I pressed my entire body over hers.

I did this to calm her down. My body weight should lower her heart rate and the mate bond was there. Even if she fought it, she felt it. It tingled and spread like wildfires, touching every single part of our body.

After several minutes, our irregular breathing slowed down. She stopped struggling, and I risked a glance at her face. Her eyes were closed tightly. It looked like she was fighting an inner battle.

"I'll let you go once you promise to calm down."

I watched her pull in her soft pink lips to bite. She was truly fighting a battle inside of her. Suddenly, she shrugged me off with one jerk of her body. She was telling me to get off.

I hesitated for a second but she shrugged me off harder this time. It was clear she was going to cooperate.

I slowly let go of her wrists behind her back, removing one finger at a time. When I finally let go, she scrambled away from me like I had electrocuted her.

She plastered her body against the wall and looked at me with wary eyes. At least she wasn't blindly attacking now.

I stood up from my kneeling position. Her eyes did a full sweep of my body. Stopping at the claw marks on my neck to my chest and arms. She had ripped the front of my shirt almost entirely.

She attacked like a wildcat, but the wounds weren't fatal. They'll heal in a day or two. I walked over to the bed to examine how she escaped the restraints. Lifting one to examine, I realized that the nurse had removed her restraints. She didn't break out of them.

"She let you out." I turned to look at her.

She avoided my gaze. Stared at the corner of the room.

"Are you going to avoid speaking to me forever?" I dropped the restraint and turned to look at her.

Her face remained passive. She was truly going to try to ignore me. I scoffed and shoved a hand through my hair. I've always been great with talking to people. An Alpha was born to lead and negotiate. Yet it seemed with my mate, it was all one-sided. She didn't bother looking or caring.

I walked over to her and crouched to her eye level. I gave us enough distance in case she attacked me again, but close enough to grab her if she escaped.

"I left you alone for a little and you managed to cause so much trouble."

Her eyes flew to mine immediately. An angry fire burned inside them. Her jaw ticked and her lips pressed together.

"Tell me what happened."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You want to leave?" I asked, already knowing the answer to my question.

I stood up and walked over to the brown bag and picked it up. I walked over to her and outstretched my arm.

"There are clothes in here with a pair of shoes. Put them on."

She looked at me with a wariness that was written all over her body. She didn't trust me at all.

"I tell you what, if you put on these clothes I'll take you to see your brother."

Her eyes widen a fraction. So, it seemed she would listen when it comes to her brother. Her hand reached out and snapped the brown bag from me before gradually standing up.

Her eyes flew to the door and then back to me. She wanted me to leave. I shook my head and crossed my arms.

"I won't leave you alone. You could change in the bathroom." The bathroom had no windows. No escape routes except through the bathroom door.

Her jaw worked hard that I could hear the grinding of her teeth before she walked to the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the hospital bed and waited. Picking at my torn shirt. She really did a number on me. Deciding to take it off completely, I pulled it up and over my head and tossed it in the trash. My gaze swept over the room and noticed the blood from the nurse.

My mate attacked a pack member. That would take some explaining. I'm sure by now the entire pack would have heard of the attack already.

I heard the shower running. I'm glad she decided to take a shower too, not because she stunk, but it meant she still had a little of humanity left in her. She hasn't completely turned feral. Hope? I could only cling onto the little things she gives me.

After a while, I heard the bathroom door lock unlocking before the door opened. She stepped out, dressed in a plain red t-shirt and dark denim jeans. Her inky black hair was still damp from the shower, but her skin looked refreshed. A blush now touched her cheeks.

My eyes swept over her pale exposed neckline, down her chest. I stopped for a minute when I saw the curves of her breasts outlined through the shirt. I didn't know what bra size she needed, so I grabbed what I thought may fit her. Then down her slender waistline to her curvy hips. She was beautiful, even dressed in the plainest clothes.

When my eyes finally went up to hers, I saw that she was looking at me already. I cleared my throat and scratched behind my ear.

"You look..."

She tore her eyes away from me and looked behind me. I sighed and walked over to her. I reached for her hand, but ended up startling her. She stumbled back and tripped on her own feet. I wrapped my arms around her waist immediately to stop her from falling. She grabbed onto my arms on instinct and our eyes locked and I immediately drowned in her eyes. It fizzle connection sparked between us. She stopped moving. Her eyes were bright and dark at the same time.

Then she blinked and pushed me away. I straightened myself up into a standing position.

"I'm going to hold your hand, little wolf. We will pass a lot of pack members. For their safety and yours, I want to keep you close. It is the only way we are able to leave this room."

She appeared to be debating. As if holding my hand was the last thing she wanted to do, but it looked like she didn't want to get nearer to me because she was afraid of the skin contact. It would strengthen the mate bond.

Her throat worked as she swallowed the knot in her throat before she nodded her head in agreement.

I outstretched my hand and waited for her to slip her hand through mine. Her gaze stared at my hand for a very long time before I watched her hand lifted slowly and gradually moved towards my hand. My heart beat faster with each passing second that she grew closer and closer. When the tips of her fingers touched my palms, I felt the current spread for my palms and I fought the urge to grab onto her hand.

Finally, she slipped her hand into mine and I closed my hand around hers.