Alec’s

Alec

Sadie's scream has me freezing in my tracks, not sure what the fuck was going on. One minute she bumped into me, looking confused as hell, and the next she was clutching her head and screaming. She stops screaming her lungs out, and before she can hit the ground, I catch her.

"Sadie?" I shake her, but I get no answer from her.

Her eyes were closed. Her long lashes fanned her rosy cheeks. This close to her, I can see tiny freckles spread across her nose. How come I never noticed them before?

"Sadie?" I call again. "Come one, wake up?"

She doesn't.

Gently picking her up, I rush her to the pack hospital. Something is wrong. The way she clutched her head in pain a few minutes ago was a dead giveaway that something isn't right.

I kept my eyes forward. Doing all I can to make sure I don't stare at her very naked and soft body. Sadie had curves. Something I didn't realize I liked until I saw her standing in front of me.

Usually, I'd go for the slim, with long legs and tiny boobs. Sadie is around five feet, five inches tall, meaning I tower over her. Her breasts aren't' tiny and aren't big. They were perfectly in-between. Probably a C-cup, if I were to guess. She had a small waist that gave way to perfect curvy round hips... And then the juncture between her hips.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

I stop myself and push those thoughts away. Gritting my teeth against the sparks from the bond, I forge forward, busting into the hospital.

"Alpha," a nurse rushes to me before bowing down in respect.

"I don't know what's wrong with her," I grit out. "She just fainted."

She looks at Sadie curiously before her eyes focus above mine. "Don't worry, I'll get the doctor to look at her."

The moment she goes to take Sadie from me, a growl leaves my lips, surprising both of us. I'm caught off-guard by how fierce and protective I suddenly am.

"I'll get her to the doctor myself," I hiss. "Show me the way."

She quickly nods before scrambling to lead the way. Her steps are quick and fast, as if she's trying to get away from my imposing aura.

"You have to admit that having her in our arms feels amazing," Knox whispered softly.

It does. It fucking does, but how can I admit it? Just a few weeks ago, I was still in the 'Hate Sadie' band. A few weeks ago, I would have killed her without a second thought. A few weeks ago, I was convinced that I was still in love with Lola.

Now she's my mate. The bond is pushing and pulling us together. Making me crave her in ways I never thought possible.

"Things with her feel different," Knox continues, oblivious to the tension inside me. "The mate bond between us is stronger than it was with Lola."

"Maybe because Lola wasn't our real mate," I supply sarcastically.

We get to the room and I cut off the mind link before placing Sadie on the bed.

"Doctor Willson will be here in a minute," she says, while covering Sadie with a sheet.

I didn't like that she's in this state. I didn't like that my mate was suffering, and I couldn't do anything about it... which, by the way, is hypocritical of me given the suffering she went through at my hands.

I watch her. My eyes refused to leave her face, even for a second. These past few weeks have been so confusing. I don't know what to do with Sadie. I don't know what the fuck to do with what's happening to

us.

It's driving me crazy that the bond is so much in control. Knox is right; it wasn't this strong or hard with Lola. I guess that's why I fell for her. The bond wasn't pushing me to be with her. It wasn't riding us to the point of insanity. I fell for her without the influence of the bond. With Sadie, things are different.

The bond is pushing things between us. How the hell are we supposed to know whether what we feel is actually real or influenced by the bond? I know that as mates we are supposed to give in to the bond, and I probably would have if things weren't a mess between us.

My mind is torn between thinking about the pack and about Sadie and Aspen. No one else even registers. Not even Piper.

That's why I was out this early in the morning. I couldn't fucking sleep. I needed to clear my head, so I went on a run.

For as long as I can remember, everything has always been about the pack. About the curse. Piper had it easy with our parents because she had no responsibility towards the pack. For me, things were different.

From the time I was ten, I remember my dad telling me that breaking the curse was my responsibility. That it was up to me to save the pack. Even though he knew the prophecy, he still pushed me to find another way to break the curse. He would always tell me that I didn't have to wait for my mate to come and save the pack.

My days were spent in the library trying to find solutions, while others my age played and were allowed to just be kids. I had this huge weight already placed on my shoulders. My conversations with my dad were always about that fucking curse. That is all he was ever interested in.

"What do we have here?" Doctor Willson's voice pulls me away from the troubling memories.

It's been so long since I've thought about them.

"Could you please check her. She just fainted. I don't know what happened," I tell him as he comes to stand near Sadie's bed.

He nods his head and begins checking her. It takes a couple of minutes but when he is done, he turns to face me.

"So far, there is nothing wrong, I can tell." He informs me.

"She screamed before fainting," I point out, because his diagnosis didn't satisfy me.

"That can be due to many causes. We will have to wait for her to wake up before we can get more information."

"She also seemed disoriented," I add.

I wanted to argue. I mean, I know we werewolves do go for runs. It's normal. What is not normal is showing up dirty and confused. Sadie looked like she didn't know what the hell had happened. "Is she a sleepwalker?" he asks, his eyes shifting from me to Sadie's still form.

"Not that I know of."

"Like I said, Alpha, we will have to wait for her to wake up. I need more information from her before I can do anything. From what I can tell right now, she just seems exhausted, and more rest will be good for her."

I sigh before nodding my head. This is Doctor Willson. Our pack's best doctor. If he says there is nothing he can do for now, then that's true.

"Clean her up and get clean clothes for her," I instruct the nurse, and she rushes to do my command.

I could have left; she was now safe, but for some reason I decided to take a seat on the chair next to her bed. All the while fighting the need to hold her hand.