Chapter 48: Hansel: The implication
"Oh, please, guys," I scoffed, "That’s treason, my father is literally alive," I added, snatching the clothes from Thomas, my father’s Beta.
His eyes travelled past my shoulders and rested on Naya. I watched as his brows arched for a moment, taken in by her dishevelled appearance, before turning and whispering something to one of the maids who came with him.
"The Alpha is worried sick, of course," Thomas said when he turned back to me. "And you’re Alpha, Hansel. Just because you’ve refused to take up your duties doesn’t make you less than one."
"I am not an Alpha," I said vehemently, "I renounced that title a long time ago. There are so many men in this family that would willingly take it up, no questions asked."
One of the healers—an older woman named Maris—stepped forward. "Are you injured, Alpha? Though no one was able to spot you last night, are you still in pain?"
"I’m fine," I assured her. "Minor wounds, nothing serious."
"Still, we should examine you properly once we return to the pack house."
I nodded, giving her a dismissive wave as I turned back to Beta Thomas. "So, stop with the Alpha shenanigans. It’s getting old."
"Well, you have to take it up with your father, Alpha Hansel. No official notice has been given in this regard, so that everyone would address you accordingly. Who’s she? Your mate?"
When a werewolf mates with a woman, his aura stays with her for at least twenty-four hours before it recedes, and right now, mine was covering Naya like a cloak. Even if I wanted to lie that we didn’t spend the entire night fucking at every inch of the cave, my aura would prove me wrong.
"It’s none of your business," I murmured, desperately hoping the topic would change to something more normal. I didn’t want Naya to be more alarmed than she was. "I thought you asked that maid to go get some clothes from the car?"
"I did," Beta Thomas turned, perplexed when he saw the maid returning empty-handed. He immediately moved towards her and came back to me with a frown on his face.
"She said when she went there, Elon had driven away with the car that had the clothes. The guards there said he left a few minutes ago and didn’t mention where he was going."
Shrugging out of the oversized T-shirt I had on, I gave it to Naya, helping her slip it over her head. She was tired. I could feel the weariness through our bond, and it wasn’t helping that there was no bridge right now, so automatically, we’d literally be sharing each other’s emotional turmoil.
"Hey," I called out to her, lifting her head slightly. "Are you alright?"
"I don’t know," she answered tiredly, with tears in her eyes. "What have you done to me, Hansel? I can hear your thoughts. I know you’re wondering why Elon left. I know you didn’t answer Thomas because you didn’t want him to pry, knowing he gives feedback to your father... what is happening, Hansel?"
Beta Thomas cleared his throat, calling back my attention. "I’ll go ahead with the others; you can join us in the car."
"No!" I shook my head, drawing Naya gently to my side as I whispered to her. "I promise, there’s an explanation for everything, and I’ll tell you as soon as we’re back to the pack house."
She didn’t protest as I led her to the car. For the entire ride, she stared out the window listlessly. I wanted to bridge off our bond desperately, but I had no idea how to do that. I’ve never had a mate, so this was new to me.
In the car, she was quiet, staring listlessly outside the window as we drove. I could feel her despair, and I wished there was something I could do about it, but there was nothing. I was literally as confused as she is, only better.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the pack house. My father was standing on the front steps, looking agitated. As soon as he saw me, his face broke into a smile, and he hurried to where I was, thumping my back excitedly.
He was about to say something when he noticed Naya slipping out of the car.
His eyes widened with confusion as he turned to me. He was about to ask a question when Naya, who’d been walking towards the house, suddenly fell.
I moved before my brain could process what was happening. One moment she was upright, the next I was catching her before she hit the ground. Her body had gone limp in my arms.
"Naya!"
Through our bond, I felt nothing, just emptiness, like she’d shut down completely.
Panic clawed at my chest. I turned and ran towards the healer’s quarters, cradling her against me. Beta Thomas shouted something behind me, but I didn’t stop or slow down.
The healer’s building was on the east side of the pack house, but in a few seconds, I’d reached it. I kicked the door open hard enough to make it slam against the wall.
Healer Maris, who’d just arrived moments before us, came running towards me.
"What happened to her, Alpha?" she asked.
"I don’t know, she just fainted, please help her!" I barched.
Maris took one look at Naya and immediately started barking orders at the other healers. They cleared a bed, and I lay Naya down as gently as I could. Her face had gone pale, and her breathing was shallow.
"You said she fainted?" Maris asked again, already checking Naya’s pulse.
"Yes," I nodded, trying to catch my breath. The little race had sapped all the energy from me. "She was walking towards the pack house when she just collapsed."
"When did you mark her?" Maris asked, checking her pupils.
"Mark her?" I turned to her in confusion. "I didn’t..."
"You did, Alpha!" she murmured, shifting the collar of the shirt Naya had on to show me a red, now inflamed bite around her neck. "And also here," she said again, pointing to Naya’s wrist.
There was a mark, alright, but it didn’t look like a tooth bite; it was the symbol of the Sigil that was on the neck of every Raze that had ever manifested in the Ward family, including mine.
"I-I don’t know that. I don’t remember giving her that, and this too."
Maris stopped, a quirky smile playing on her lips. "When mates first discover each other, a lot of things happen, and most of them can be slightly unaccounted for. We had the Crescent Moon yesterday – it’s the moon for fertility, you know. A lot of babies were conceived last night, I’m sure."