Ocean's P.O.V.

A faint heartbeat.

Everyone's head whipped towards her lifeless body. Most of my enforcers took a step towards her. My eyes locked with Aaron's. He burst into action.

"Clinic. NOW. She's fucking alive."

Hope lasted for only a semi-second. I couldn't feel her. Pushing my emotions aside I concentrated on that feather light heartbeat. Picking her up as carefully as possible, we sprinted towards the road. I saw Levi and two other running back towards the cars. 

She jerked in my arms every time my foot hit the ground. The world hazed around me. Green and brown colours blurred into linear lines, as they passed by.

I didn't remember getting into the car or who was driving it or how it got there. My body numb. My actions were mechanical. All I could think about was to get my mate to safety. He usual tanned complexion appeared pale. 

Her feather light heart beats were ten to twenty second apart. It was unnatural. I hated that I couldn't fell her. I hated that her eyes were now closed shut. I just needed to see her stormy grey eyes, see her smile. 

She was perched up on my lap while the car sped over the limit, consuming away the miles that lead home. Her hair tie had come loose so I took it out. Her long hair was tangled with twigs, leaves and dirt but I didn't care. She was still the most beautiful person in the world to me.

I tried to untangle them from her hair. One by one. 27 of them. I counted, to keep me sane. To have one thing to focus on. If I didn't, I might have been howling in agony. A small pile of debris scattered across the SUV floor. 

Afterwards, I smoothed the tangles down making sure not to tug it with too much force. I remember a dream from weeks ago, after she moved in with me. It was a dream of us, tangled in the sheets. The room was bigger than my whole house with gold and antiques décor. I remembered thinking of it as chambers.

We were covered in sweat from head to toe. Her head lazily rested on my shoulder and our breaths intermingled above my chest. Her thigh draped over mine, feet wriggling lazily against my shin. She drew images on my pectoral muscles that sent tingles straight to my di-

She playfully swatted my chest. Uh-uh, no more. I can't. A small smile touched my lips in real-life. She felt so warm and delicate under my big hands. Not the cold and limp form that was crumpled in my arms. 

I remember running my fingers through my long silky hair. It smelled of frankincense then, whereas now it smelled faintly of jasmine, heavily mixed with woods and grass. My stomach dropped. I remembered waking up early that morning, leaving without saying a word, coming home later than usual. I didn't want the connection between us to get stronger.

It didn't even make sense any more. Why did I do it? At first I kept telling myself it was to protect her from the pain of knowing that death was inevitable for us. Then, when a month flew away it just became easier to keep it myself.

 She was so pure I didn't want to taint her. Gulping loudly, I brought her even closer to my body. Trying use the heat to keep her warm. I didn't take my eyes off her even when the car entered the rocky patch of our land. It swerved around trees, bounced on uneven ground but it made it to the clinic in record time. 

A.J. opened the door, allowing me to rush into the Clinic.

Blurry forms moved towards me, distorted voices reached my ears but everything was ignored. I raced past the reception are, right in to operating room and laid her down on the gurney.

"She's... her heartbeat. It's too far apart." My throat hurt. The scar itched, tightening it's hold.

"You need to go hun, I'll-"

"I'm not leaving her. I can't." I choked on my own saliva and kept repeating myself. "I can't." Firm hands tugged on me, pulling me away from her. I fought back, holding on to her with the little energy I had left. 

Her torture took a toll on me too and I realised that I had been running on fumes. Dizziness took a hold of me, causing me to stagger back. My hand left her arm. Fingers lazily grazed away. Familiar bodies surrounded me and soon my back hit something soft. I couldn't keep my eyes open.

Then a sharp object prickled my arm knocking me out straight away.

****

Continuous beeping noises woke me from deep slumber. Groggily, I tried to remember what was going on. I knew I wasn't in my bedroom because my bed wasn't as soft and neither did I have the that absurd noise in my room.

Naya.

My eyes snapped open. Sitting up, I looked for her frantically. She was lifelessly laying on the only other bed in the room. Wires sprouted out of her chest and arms, attaching itself to the beeping monitors and the clear liquid bag that hung on a drip stand next to her bed. 

Her heart beat was normal unlike before. When I tried to move, I noticed the needle that was shoved into the back of my hand. An identical bag was attached to the end other end of the clear wire. A blue posted with my name on it was stuck on top of it.

Ocean,
Don't take out the tube.
Roll the drip stand if you need to.
You need the full bag of glucose. 
I left a comfortable chair next to her for you. 
-with love Adeya.

She knew me all too well. After my parents died, I spent majority of my time with Adeya. She lost her son that day. An elite enforcer of my father's time. Young and courageous. He taught me how to fight. 

Always kind and smiling. He died protecting me after my parents were shot. Since then Adeya took it upon herself to take care of me. She saw her son's death as a purpose. Saving the young alpha, a nick name he used to tease me with.

I followed her instructions without question. That's the least I couldn't do. It took me a while to manoeuvre myself over to her. She looked so small and fragile which she was anything but. 

My hand immediately reached for her face which was warmer. Hot water bottles and heat packs were stuffed under the blanket. I tried to be tender whilst grazing my rough knuckles down her pink cheeks.

A cold sadness seeped into my soul.

I couldn't feel her. There wasn't one single shred of connection left between us and yet I stilled loved her. I guess I didn't need the earth spirits to tell me she was mine. Feeling helpless I sighed resting my forehead on the back of her hand. 

The other one had a needle at the base of her upper arm. I kept listening to her heartbeat. No matter how strong and steady it was, I needed to see her eyes open and hear her voice for reassurance. But one thing was for sure, that she was alive and yet I might have just lost her forever.

Aaron's scent entered the room before the sound of his knock. I mumbled a 'come in' without lifting my head.

"How are you holding up?" The uncertainty in my Beta's voice when the Alpha is absent, was unacceptable.

"Alright. How's the pack holding up?" I needed to know if any hunters got in. My pack was left vulnerable because of my actions. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

"Do you remember anything?" Images flashed in my head. Snippets of blurry colourful motions. The only person I remember clearly was my mate in my arms. "Everyone is well and accounted for."

"I don't..." I tried to remember everything that happened after I collapsed the first time but I came up empty.

"Joshua shot him in the head. Then Jesse saw him vanish under the black robe. He picked it up on the way back and put it in a zip lock bag."

"What good is that going to do?" Resentment simmered under my skin. We never could get near him let along catch a scent.

"Scent maybe... I don't know. This is the first time we have something of his. With blood drops on it." He pushed. The word blood had me turning around. "Yeah. There is a scent this time. He might be able to obscure his body odour but not blood."

"That doesn't work unless he bleeds." My optimism fizzled out quickly. He sighed when I turned away from him. "Well... Dad put in an immediate curfew the minute we left. The guards and security has checked everything and everywhere. No sign of foul play."

"You checked the WHOLE vicinity?" Our territory is huge.

"You've been out for over 24 hours and we have just about over a thousand members. So yes, security, enforcers, guards and everyone did their part to protect the pack." His tone irked me but I was too drained to confront him about it.

"You would have done the same for your mate." It was the truth.

I knew he wanted to say I wouldn't have drove her away in the first place but he held his tongue. He would have been right. Regret kept its tight grip on my throat. 

One word from me could have change the course of action. None of this would have happened. She wouldn't be laying in the clinic fighting for her life.

"How's Joshua?" I wanted to wring his neck.

"He's the in the next room. He will be discharged tomorrow. You should go see him. He's still a kid, his mother hasn't even come to see him." He scoffed. The only reason Joshua was on my elite team because of his sniper skills. 

He could have been half dead and still shoot with extreme precision. Sighing, I got up. I need someone to be with her when she woke up. Her and Aaron were friends, hence waking up to a friendly face would be less daunting.

"Stay with her." I commanded.

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