Chapter 13 Markus

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since I carried a bleeding and almost dead Ama into the hospital. Goddess, the sight of her pale and barely breathing has haunted my nightmares every day since. And the guilt, don’t get me started on the guilt. She was here, in our pack for seven years. For seven years she was held captive by her parents. Not only was she held captive, but she was beat, if the scars are anything to go by. Her back and arms are covered. Both old and new. Goddess, how had she survived seven years of hell.

In these past two weeks, Cal’s and I life has turned completely upside down. Our father attacked James as he escaped from the pack house. He had not renounced our pack until he was over the boarder, ensuring that no one would attack him on his way off our lands. James had been rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery. Uncle William had to stop doing stitches on our mate to save our beta.

After Amalie and James were stable, I sat with Ama and Rose while Cal went to deal with Ama’s family. The three had been dragged to the cells in the pack house basement. They were still being held there until Ama woke up and decided what she wanted to do with them. Calyx came right back to the hospital after he dealt with the three. He scooped up Rose and held her. I could feel the rage coming off him and Zviad in waves. That night he told me what he found in the basement.

The next day, I went over and took Rose’s and Ama’s things from the basement. I had asked Rose what she wanted from her old home because I was going to burn that place to the ground. Rose was adamant that Ama had a treasure box hidden somewhere with pictures and treasures in it. Rose wanted us to get it before destroying the place. I was slightly concerned when she asked if she could like the house on fire once the treasure box was found. That had Calyx choking on a laugh, his first real laugh in years.

I decided that I would wait to burn the house down. Hell, I was pretty sure that Ama would want to light the match as she held onto Rose. We would burn the place to the ground and then have marshmallow. Could a three-year-old eat marshmallows?

And then there was the absolute perfect little pup in the world. Rose was a ray of sunshine and happiness. She had spent the first week glued to my or Cal’s hip. She jumped at every loud noise in the pack house. It was so bad that we had to stay with Uncle Mike and Uncle Will at nights so that way Rose could sleep. On the bright side, she had become attached to Uncle Micheal. She had taken to asking for rides on his lap as he wheeled himself around his home, the pack house, and pack lands.

It wasn’t hard to figure out that the pup had been through hell too. She jumped at loud noises. She had taken shelter behind Calyx once when James, now fully healed, and Nick took to wrestling and arguing. Rose had cried that they were mad and going to hurt her next. Through tears, she said that the winner would hit her next. Rose had explained that they would beat Ama first and then her. So, a rule had been put in place, no wresting or yelling in front of Rose for now.

For two weeks Cal and I had been going to the hospital. We had been taking turns sitting with Ama as she was in her coma. It was supposed to be Cal’s turn, but Aziz wouldn’t rest. Knowing that he was still mad at me, I went to the hospital to sit with Cal and Ama.

Cal had raised an eyebrow at me as I plopped down in the chair on the other side of the bed.

“Aziz?” Calyx asked as if it explained everything.

“Aziz,” I agreed.

The pair of us had been talking for a few hours when Rose burst into the hospital room. She was a bundle of excitement. James and Nick trailing in after her. “Guess! Guess what we did!” Rose shouted as she danced at the foot of the bed.

I was about to respond when Ama’s heart monitor started to beep more rapidly. Calyx and I zeroed in on our mate. Her eyes shot open, and she tried to sit up.

“Mommy!” Rose sobbed as she saw Ama awake and moving. She ducked under one of Nick’s arms as he went to grab her to keep her out of the way. Rose was successful in climbing up, onto the hospital bed when James was able to grab her and keep her out of the way. “Mommy!” Rose sobbed again.

Ama growled. It was a deep and primal growl. It effected James as he had a hold of Rose. “Let my pup go!” Ama stated, her voice hoarse from disuse.

“She’ll be okay,” Calyx tried to sooth.

Ama didn’t seem to listen. She fought harder to escape. She was ripping the I.V. out and other sensors that had been placed on her to monitor her vitals. A few of the worse wounds started to bleed that hadn’t healed.

“Stop, please, Ama,” I begged. She was hurting herself.

“Mark?” Amalie croaked as she finally saw me.

“It’s me, Ama. It’s me. We finally found you,” I said, my hands on her shoulders, trying to keep her in the bed. I ignored the sparks that flew through me from the mate bond.

“Mommy?” Rose continued to sob.

“I got her,” Calyx spoke up.

“Cal?” she asked in disbelief at seeing my brother here as well.

“Hi,” he whispered as he brought Rose closer to the bed.

Ama was about to reach out and take Rose when the door slammed open. We all were jumping at the noise.

“Everyone out, I need to check and make sure Amalie is okay,” Uncle William stated as he walked into the room.

“Dramatic much,” James snipped.

“Yes, I am when one of my patients wake up from her coma,” he growled as he pinned a glare at our beta. “Now out, all of you.”

I started to argue, loudly. Calyx was getting ready to argue as well, just not as loud as me.

“I don’t care that she is your mate. I need to talk with her and do a thorough run through,” he growled.

“Uncle Will,” I whined.

“No, out,” he ordered again.

Rose started to cry in Cal’s arms. I heard him say, “She will be okay. Uncle Will needs to check her over first and then we can go see her.”