Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Xander POV
She looks so weak and vulnerable, lying deadly still in the hospital bed, connected to the IV, her long hair splayed across the pillow and her body now dressed in a plain white hospital gowns feel my throat constrict tightly, my concern evident, as Xavier sits on the opposite side, holding her hand which now seems almost too delicate, pale, and papery thin. I rub my eyes, perched on the edge of my own seat, remorse on my face.
“I should have pried harder about why she was moving so funny 1 muttered, shaking my head regretfully as Xavier glanced at me sharply “I knew something was wrong, but I just let it be because she was proving to be so stubborn.”
Why hadn’t I tried harder to pry out of her what was wrong? Why had I let her persuade me that everything was fine?
“Look where that led to Xavier snarled, angry not just with me but himself, gesturing at our mate with a scowl “She’s lying in the hospital with numerous injuries and a fever now because we were too blind and too daft to see how hurt she was.”
He sounded just as angry as I was with myself. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, glancing up as the doctor in charge of Regan’s recovery began to join us, a tentative expression on his face. I did not like the expression on his face or the timidity of his nature at all. It did not bode well for Regan.
“Alpha Xavier, Alpha Xander, if it’s all the same to you, I would like to discuss Regan’s condition with you both, he said. quietly
“You’re going to break patient confidentiality?” I queried, glancing at Xavier who was equally stunned by the doctor’s actions. We had thought we would have to use our Alpha tone to get the doctor to do that, but it appeared that in this instance the doctor was more than willing to cooperate with both of us without us having to resort to threats. He shook his head. “In the usual circumstances, you would have to order me to,” he said wryly, reading our minds “but in this instance, I’m willing to make an exception based on my findings on her injuries. Considering she is to be the future Luna…” He trailed off and we nodded in understanding.
“How bad is it?” Xavier’s voice is quiet as he pushes a loose tendril of hair behind Regan’s head, his touch unusually gentle, He looks up at the doctor questioningly. I too, want to know the answer to the question.
The doctor hesitated. “Her injuries are extensive,” he said slowly and numerous. She has several broken ribs, minor bruises, and scabs, grazes all over her.”
“Those will all heal though?” I asked softly, glancing at Regan who had yet to reawaken while she still had her fever.
He sighed and pinched the top of his nose. “The broken ribs will take a little longer to heal, but the bruises and the grazes are already beginning to fade. My concern is the other abuse she has suffered” he said looking us both in the eyes.
Other abuse? I glanced at Xavier who looked just as uncomprehending as I was. I coughed. “I know that in some instances Regan has been hit by the pack members” I began, feeling contrite but also surprised it had taken this much of a toll on her body.
Not just the pack members, as Xavier and I were guilty of it as well. I flushed as the doctor stared pointedly at us both, raising a brow and suddenly looking fierce.
“I’m not just talking about a hit here or there,” he said solemnly and a little irritably, causing us both to stiffen in surprise. “Those would not have injured her to the extent that she now is No, Regan has suffered from physical abuse over what I would say constitutes several years now” he said, looking down his clipboard. “She’s had several fractures that have rehealed several times, she’s malnourished, so I would hazard that she’s not getting enough food or the proper nutrition” he added, causing me to glance at Regan and take note, for the first time how thin she is in places, even with the curves she possesses. “She’s also severely dehydrated and suffering from a fever brought about by constant healing of her injuries without the assistance of a wolf. The body can only withstand so much” he advised us with a shake of his head “and I’m amazed that Regan’s has withstood as much as it has.”
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Chapter 39
“I never knew she was going through that much” I staminered, feeling despicable as my brother bowed his head and fell silent, his eyes filled with pain.
“She alluded to it. My brother’s voice was strangled as he spoke his voice hoarse. “She told us we didn’t know what was happening in our own pack and she meant this, She’s been physically beaten for years and nobody bothered to stop it.”
“She’s been hospitalized several times. Her situation has become so drastic that once Regan realized the nurses were beginning to identify her from her visits, she stopped coming as often, which also would have led to this condition.”
The doctor looked apologetic as he gave us the news. Immediately my anger rose and I lost control of my temper.
“Fuck” I shouted, standing up and staring at the doctor. “Why didn’t anybody step in? Why didn’t you inform the Alpha or Luna? Didn’t you care what was happening to her? Didn’t you give a damn? Look at her I roared, gesturing wildly. “She could die because of you. Because of us” I amended, running a hand over my eyes and feeling slightly broken.
We were terrible mates. The worst kind. Blind to everything that Regan had been suffering and filled with our own self- importance. I felt disgusted with myself.
“With all due respect Alpha Xander, we could not. We were under strict instructions from Beta Johnathon that we were to keep all records sealed and to keep silent regarding Regan’s condition. We feared that speaking up may make it worse for her, so we stopped informing Beta Johnathon that she was still coming here. He believes she stopped coming a long time ago and we have not bothered to correct that.”
“We failed her” Xavier’s voice is matter of fact as he looks down at her mate “Each one of us has failed her. She didn’t have anybody to go to, did she?” he asked the doctor who shook his head.
“The blaming of a child for what was not her doing seems to have caused a cataclysm of events in this pack in which the victim has become the one assigned the blame,” the doctor said cryptically. “I know not how it started, but Regan became the scapegoat for Celeste’s death and since then, she’s done nothing but suffer for it. Even at the hands of those who swore to protect their pack members” he said sniffing and looking aggrieved.
My shoulders slumped at the accusation. Everything the doctor said was right. Our own mother and father had failed Regan No wonder she was so cautious aboul becoming our mate. If I were her, I wouldn’t want a damn thing to do with me, or with Xavier. No wonder she wanted to leave this pack. I felt sick just remembering how we signed that document, forcing her to remain with us, without hearing her side of the story or why she wanted to go. It must have been her last hope for leaving and we killed it. How could she even stand to be near us?
“Will she wake up?” my voice is shaking.
The doctor casts a grim look towards our mate. “There’s no way to tell. Physically she’s healing, but emotionally? She’s been through so much trauma and so much pain, that this might be her body’s way of dealing with it now. It’s shutting down so that it doesn’t have to deal with any of it anymore. Who could blame her?” he asked sympathetically. “If she does wake up, she’ll need time to recover from her injuries and to rest properly without more harm. Can you guarantee that will happen?” he pins his eyes on us, narrowing them as he waits for the answer
“She’ll get all the rest and recovery she needs. I don’t care if I have to carry her everywhere” Xavier said emphatically, staring at the doctor and almost snarling at him.
“I’ll see that nobody disturbs her while she rests if she wakes up. She’ll have all the sleep and leisure time she needs” I told the doctor honestly who just nodded tersely in reply
Even if I had to lock her in a room to do it. Regan needed to recover from these injuries and prevent herself from being hurt again. I would ensure nobody bothered her, except myself and my brother. Her mates
“I wish you luck then. Wanting to live is only part of the battle and with what she’s endured, she might not be strong enough to want to come back” he said being brutally honest.
1 swallowed hard, feeling my heart skip a beat.
Sat, Jan
Chapter 32
He left Xavier and I standing in his wake, glancing down at our tate and wishing we had the ability to turn back time.
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10:17 Sat, Jan 11
