You Rejected Me. Remember?

Astrea

By the time we arrived at the kingdom, the effect of the potion we drank had worn off. It was formulated in such a way that we remained in that state for a couple of hours. I heard that higher doses would be powerful enough to keep the person invisible for a longer period. Even as long as a full day.

We took Sarah’s mate to the infirmary. He was taken to the emergency room without any delay. His condition was awful, but luckily, the healers attended to him without any delay. After speaking with the healers, we went to the Palace to meet the Queen. She most probably must have met our friends already. We still had to report to her what we had heard and seen in the shack. Moreover, we should inform her about the unconscious stranger who was being treated in the Royal infirmary anyway.

“So you brought a rogue and admitted him into the infirmary?” The Queen cócked her eyebrows as she tapped her chin.

“Yes. We didn’t think he was a threat. From their discussion we could comprehend that he had tried to escape. Maybe he was trying to warn us? His friends were beating him up because he had deceived them. We listened to their conversation. We heard that he had tried to sneak out a vial from their boss. We attacked them and took him because I thought he would cooperate. We didn’t have much of a choice. He had lost a lot of b***d and was already unstable.”

“Vial? Boss?” She asked.

Nodding my head, I clarified everything we had heard and seen in the woods. Her forehead creased as she nodded, listening to every word I uttered.

“So we still have a lot to find out. They surely are plotting something big,” she glanced at her husband. “We must alert our warriors and all the packs. All of us must be fully prepared to defend our turf.”

Sir Elliot nodded.

“And what is with the b***d moon?” The creases on her forehead deepened as she massaged her temple.

“That sounds like some kind of witchcraft. I mean… I don’t know anything related to us and b***d moons? Do we have any connection?” Frowning, she glanced at Sir Elliot, who shook his head.

“Not that I am aware of. We can get help. We have Ava, her dad, and Amelia,” he pointed out.

“Yes. We need them. We can ask if they know anything about the b***d moon. And I need to know more about the rogue you brought. How is he?” She looked at me.

“Barely alive, Your Highness,” I told them honestly. Her eyes shifted towards Sarah.

“You seem to be uncomfortable. Are you okay, Sarah?” She inquired.

I glanced at her. Despite her blue grey eyes being glossed with tears, I could clearly see that she was striving to remain strong. She gulped as she clenched her fists. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out of her mouth.

My lips parted as I tried to read her expression. Guessing that she was finding it hard to speak, I glanced at the Queen.

“Your Majesty, he is her mate,” I told her. I heard a sob, making me look at Sarah. Tears were now streaming down her cheeks. It seemed to me that she had finally given in and ceased fighting against the tears that had been gathering in her eyes. My heart ached for her. Although she was obviously struggling to hold back her sniffles, she was failing miserably.

I felt my throat tighten. I felt awful. The nurses had told us that he was beaten up so hard that he was bleeding internally. That was in addition to a fractured skull and several minor injuries. Her heart must have shattered when they told us that they had little hope of saving him.

“Oh, my…” the Queen gasped and hastily stood up from her seat.

She enveloped Sarah in her arms and let her cry on her shoulders.

“If he is mated to you…”

“I want to give him a chance,” Sarah’s muffled voice broke my heart.

Sighing, “I’m sure the healers will find a way. Let’s go and see him now, shall we?” The Queen suggested.

Nodding her head, Sarah wiped her face. My lips stretched a little, offering a sympathetic smile when Sarah looked at me.

As we walked towards the infirmary, I held Sarah’s hand, offering her the support she might need. The Royal couple walked ahead of us. As soon as the healers saw us, they approached and offered their respects to the leaders.

“How is the unconscious lad who was brought here today?” The Queen asked. We were ushered towards the Intensive Care Unit, where he lay on life support.

“How is he?” Questioned the Queen.

“We need to do surgery on him. We hope to take him in within a couple of hours but there is a little problem, Your Highness,” the healer explained.

All eyes rested on her, carefully listening to what she had to say.

There shouldn’t be any restrictions. What could the problem possibly be? My heart thudded in my chest.

“Yes?”

“We need a donor. The b***d we have in our b***d bank doesn’t match with his…”

“Can I donate?” Sarah cut her in, her eyes wide and face wilted in sorrow.

The healer offered a kind smile. “We can try, but, honey, the chances of your b***d samples matching are minimal if you aren’t related or soulmates. Maybe if he was originally from your own pack…”

“I am… I mean, we are mates. I can give him the b***d,” Sarah sounded hopeful.

“Yes, I’m sure. I have seen this work before, I’m sure it will work this time too,” the Queen assured.

“That is perfect! Please wait in the lounge, I will make the necessary preparations,” the healer exclaimed.

My heart leaped with joy. Beaming, I squeezed Sarah’s palm.

“I just hope it works,” she whispered under her breath.

Hugging her, “it will. He will be fine soon. Don’t worry,” I assured her.

I waited beside my friend the whole time. Soon, the news of what had happened reached the ears of our friends and they too arrived at the hospital. Leo and Xander arrive too. What irked me was the two girls that I had seen in the library were following them around. It wasn’t my concern. I shouldn’t be worrying about them. Leo had solidified his feelings towards me. Although we were on a short break, nothing had changed between us. Besides, it wasn’t the time to worry about that. We had a more severe problem at hand.

We were thankful for the endless support the Royal couple gave us. The b***d was taken, and we waited in anticipation for any news. He was taken in for surgery as soon as they received the b***d. After waiting for three hours, which felt longer than usual, Elena, Rafael, and Arnold left.

Xander had to attend his special lessons and the two girls also left when he had to go. I was kind of glad that Leo stayed back.

“Go, Astrea. I’ll be fine. I will inform you what they say,” Sarah mumbled after some time.

“No, I can’t leave you alone,” I replied.

“But you must be tired after all that….”

I clicked my tongue. “Well, I wasn’t the only one and I want to be here for you.”

“I can stay here. Why don’t you girls go and rest?” Leo suggested. “I haven’t kicked anyone’s butt today.”

Sarah chuckled humourlessly. “But I won’t be able to rest even if I leave.”

“Then, we stay,” I stated.

Although the infirmary was bustling downstairs, the area in front of the operation theater was deserted. We were the only people in the waiting area, so it was rather reserved. Leo and I tried to keep her entertained until a healer approached us.

“How is he?” Sarah sprung to her feet.

“The surgery was successful and miraculously he is now stable. But it will take time for him to wake up and have visitors,” the healer who performed the surgery informed us.

“Thank God!” Sarah breathed out.

“He is named Patient R. Do you know his name?” She asked.

“No. We don’t. We found him beaten up in the woods and I… I just realised that he was my mate.”

Sarah told the doctor.

“Okay, that is understandable,” the healer smiled and walked away.

We stared at her retreating back for sometime. An eerie silence followed. So he was out of danger. We could finally breathe.

“I don’t even know his name yet,” Sarah sighed.

Wrapping an arm around her, “you will get there. Relax. Let him heal first,” I whispered.

“Yes, of course,” finally, I saw a genuine smile on her face. It now displayed signs of hope. “Thank you so much, Astrea.”

“What did I do?” I chuckled.

“Just being there for me means everything,” she glanced at Leo. “You too, Leo.” She paused for some time, her lips pulling into a thin line.

“I can’t believe you guys aren’t mates. You are perfect for each other,” she told us, making my heart skip a beat.

I glanced at him but quickly looked away. I will wait until we sort this problem out. By that time, he would have completed his shift, and then maybe we could make us a thing.

After Sarah’s mate was taken to the Intensive Care Unit, we went back to our rooms. When Sarah left, Leo walked me to the Palace.

“How I wish that we were fated,” he mumbled loud enough for me to hear.

I glanced at him. His deep eyes held several emotions which he didn’t voice. His eyes drifted towards my neck and the corner of his tugged, forming a little smile.

“I see you’re wearing the necklace I gave you,” he said.

Gleaming, I nodded. “I want to. It reminds me of you,” I said, taking the moon shaped crystal pendant which was hidden underneath my shirt. It rested on my chest, close to my heart.

Chuckling, “I’m glad. At least that crystal gets to be close to your heart,” he said, and looked right into my eyes.

“I can’t wait till I can finally claim you as mine,” he mumbled and slowly stepped away. I watched as he sped towards the main entrance of the Palace, my soul yearning for him. My heart cried out with each step he took.

Don’t go!

His final words echoed in my head.

I can’t wait till I can finally claim you as mine.

I heaved a shaky breath.

Me too, my love. Me too.