Beloved

10

The ambulance reached the neutral territory hospital at the same time an influx of injuries from another territory were being treated.

The paramedics were met with staff at the incoming station. Dante mentioned his name and was told a room was being prepared. Staff were on their way. There was a transfer cot waiting. The paramedics carefully shifted Gaia to the waiting cot and left.

Dante kept a hand on her as the paramedics gave him room to do so, gently taking her hand in his when they were left alone.

"Dante. Dante Black."

The gruff baritone was familiar, though a bit deeper than the last time he'd heard his childhood friend. Dante raised his head, scoping the area he'd heard the voice call from, quickly locking eyes with the young alpha of a neighboring territory approaching him.

Damian approached him bearing splatters of blood on his exposed skin, he was wearing gym shorts, a simple tee shirt and slide sandals. He'd obviously been in battle recently. Probably it was his pack that was here being treated in the emergency care.

"Damian. It's been awhile." Since Damian's eighteenth birthday the previous year, in fact. Damian had been devastated to not have found his mate on his birthday, and had turned to focusing on finishing up the school year and learning the family trades, stepping back from contacting friends in the process. An alpha's duty was to his pack, and a wise alpha trusted his goddess to provide him a mate he was worthy of.

"Is this your pack? Were you under attack?"

"Yeah it has been awhile. We just had a skirmish with a few rogues. They're getting bolder all the time. Hey, you just had the big birthday! Did you find her? Your mate? Is this her? Is she okay? Were you attacked, too?" Damien was standing a respectable distance away, but still Cordut growled when the alpha, ally or not, tried to peer at the small form on the cot behind Dante.

"Whoah, hey, I'm looking for my own mate, I'm not going to take yours, my guy." Damian held up his hands, knowing full well he would be no match for Dante's hybrid wolf.

Staff arrived, surrounding the cot Gaia lay on, and began to unlock the cart to move her. Cordut didn't appreciate all the unknown wolves around his hurt mate, and it took everything Dante had to push him down so Gaia could receive the care she needed.

"Yeah, I just found her and my wolf's a bit overprotective. I guess we'll be on the alpha's floor. Come up after you're done down here, if you can. Let's catch up."

"Yeah, will do."

Dante nodded at Damian and followed the staff rolling Gaia's cot down a hallway to an elevator. They were headed to the elites floors where the alpha suites were located.

She would have a private room, large enough to host visitors. There was a refreshment stand with a small refrigerator and a microwave, and a couch that unfolded to a bed, so he could be comfortable, too.

While the nurses got Gaia hooked up to the monitors, Dante sent a few emails making certain Gaia's classes were cancelled for the week. Just because his beta and gamma held authority to order it in his name didn't mean it wouldn't be questioned.

The doctor met with him before leaving. She didn't say much he didn't already know, other than they were giving Gaia a heavy enough dose of pain meds she would be out for at least two days. He knew Gaia would heal best if he stayed near her, but the doctor surprised him by saying he could leave her room for short periods. He could step out to have a meal in the cafeteria, or take a walk on the grounds. They just didn't want him leaving the hospital.

He understood.
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At the end of the day, Darla and Lucas met at their lockers as they usually did, only this time they were more concerned than ever they didn't know anything about their friend.

They were so absorbed in trying to piece together the snippets they'd overheard in the halls between classes, they weren't aware of Colton standing behind them until he asked if they would help him fulfill a request from the alpha.

Darla gasped and smiled at him, "Yes! How can we help." Earning her his signature mega-watt smile.

Lucas turned, giving the Beta his full interest, "You'll let us see Gaia?"

"Yes. But first, I'd appreciate you putting all of her books and notebooks she uses regularly in this bag for me."

Darla and Lucas quickly complied, then closed their lockers and followed the Beta to the parking lot.

"How'd you two get here?"

"Darla and I both drive."

"Perfect. Okay, Lucas, you take this bag to the hospital. Gaia's on the alpha's floor in a private suite, so just say you're there for Dante and they'll let you right up." Lucas took the bag Colton proffered, and headed to his car with a wave to his friend.

"Darla, you're going to follow me. We're picking up everything they're going to need for the rest of the week. Clothes, toiletries, laptops, chargers, favorite pen."

Darla chuckled, "Okay." She hopped into her car and made ready to follow Colton to the alpha's house.

__

The first hour sitting in the hospital was relatively easy for Dante. He went to the cafeteria since he'd missed lunch and sorted through his emails between bites of sandwich. The second hour he was back in her room, sifting through social media. When the third hour was closing in, his wolf started to get antsy.

Cordut wanted to sit beside her and hold her hand. He stood by the bed and looked down at her.

"What do you see in this weak little creature, anyway," Dante muttered.

His wolf snarled not weak

"Fine. She's not weak. What do you see in her?" He lifted her small hand in his and sat beside her.

Mate is my soul sense mate very strong protect mate

His wolf could sense hers already? That seemed... unusual. And what did he mean by 'very strong'? His sense of her was strong, or she was strong?

"Will you tell me about her wolf?"

His wolf growled and paced. Protect mate

Dante had only had his wolf for two weeks to the day, but he was learning his wolf didn't communicate easily when agitated. And Cordut had been plenty agitated since his birthday.

Dante held Gaia's hand for several minutes, giving in to the calm the tingles dancing on his skin brought. He was hoping it would calm his wolf enough he'd be able to glean some answers, but Cordut was not a verbose wolf.

Bored with trying to coax his wolf to cooperate, he turned his attention to the view outside the window. The suite looked out over the hospital grounds portion that included a garden walk. Visitors, staff and long term patients used the partitioned outdoors area as needed. There was someone currently being wheeled around in a chair, and a few young pups being watched by a nurse near a play structure.

Hearing a knock at the door he turned away from the window to open the door, finding Lucas on the other side, carrying a bag Dante recognized as belonging to Colton. He immediately realized his Beta had delegated tasks, probably to give both Gaia's friends an excuse to see her.

"Lucas Jennings." Dante opened the door wider to allow the boy entry. "Come in."

"Thanks alpha," Lucas entered the room and set the bag near a chair, "Colton had Darla and I pack up Gaia's books, and he sent me here to deliver them. I assume this means she's going to be here for the weekend? Can I know what happened? Can I see her?" He respectfully waited permission to step nearer his friend.

Dante gestured toward the bed, walking Lucas to the bedside. Cordut was prepared to step in if this boy got handsy. "She was attacked in the girl's bathroom."

"Who attacked her," Lucas asked.

"They're being dealt with." He'd made sure the principal expelled the girls for the remainder of the semester. It was late enough in the year they might not have to repeat classes, but their parents had been informed, and the transgression of attacking a minor pack member would be permanently in their records.

"They got her real good, didn't they," Lucas' voice was quiet. "Would you mind if I hold her hand for a little while? I promise it doesn't mean anything, she's just one of my best friends."

A low growl of warning emitted from Dante's chest, but he nodded. He left the bedside to go back to the window. The room behind him was reflected in the window, and he could clearly see Lucas, and if he focused he could make out what Lucas was murmuring to Gaia.

After a while, Lucas let go of Gaia's hand, saying he was going to get his own books from his car. He said his other friend would be arriving with the Beta, meaning Randal had followed his directions.

Not long after Lucas left the room, Damian knocked at the door. Dante let his friend in, and they sat in the chairs to catch up and reminisce old times.

Colton and Darla showed up at the same time Lucas returned. Colton, who also grew up with Damian, joined the two alphas.

Darla held Gaia's hand for a bit of time, then she and Lucas left the room to do their homework in the quieter visitor's area.

Right around the time the hospital staff entered the room to check Gaia's monitor readings, Damian perked up saying he could smell something exquisite, but it went away when the door closed.

Dante could only smell Gaia's summer beach house scent, and the mix of various undertones that permeated the hospital, recent occupants of the room. Colton was equally unaware of any other smells.

"Really? Summer at the beach house is how you're describing your mate's scent?"

Dante nodded, "Mhmm. Summer at the beach house."

"Yeah she does, kinda." Damian shrugged and returned to regaling his friends with stories of his first year as alpha of the neighboring territory. The three men were laughing heartily at one of Damian's tales when the door opened once more, this time Angelica and Randal were entering.

Randal was hauling Dante's school bag and two cooler bags on his shoulders, and Angelica was carrying a covered dish that she set on the refreshment counter as soon as she stepped into the room. Angelica smiled widely at Dante and held her arms open, "Surprise! I made you dinner!"

Damian's eyes widened, his pupils enlarging the moment the door opened. He pushed himself out of his chair, and faced Angelica, "Mate."

Angelica paled, "What? No!" She screeched in defiance when Damian pulled her to his chest and settled his nose on her shoulder. "Dante, help me!"

Colton stood when Damian had, but he'd brought his hands to his head, watching the scene play out. Glass clanked as Randal let the bags drop to the floor. "This is new."

"Angelica! Angelica Crowly is my mate. Goddess Bless! If I'd only known it was possible I would've reached out to visit! Oh, Angelica, I'm so happy you're my mate! It's my dreams come true!"

"Damian, how about letting Angelica catch her breath," Dante urged. "She's not eighteen yet." He knew better than to try and pry an alpha away from his newfound mate, especially an alpha who'd been looking for his mate so long after his birthday.

Damian slowly relaxed his hold on Angelica, clearly confused that she didn't seem as excited to see him as he was to find she was his mate.

"I am not yours!" Angelica huffed and wriggled out of Damian's grasp, rushing to Dante's side, "Dante, protect me!"

Damian growled, his eyes showing his wolf was near the surface, shooting daggers at Dante. "Mate, Angelica, why are you asking another to protect you? You're mine to protect. What's going on, Dante?"

Colton and Randal quietly left the room, coaxing the gawking staff out with them.

Dante gestured to the chairs, inviting Damian to sit, also coaxing Angelica to sit in the chair he'd recently occupied, taking a seat on the couch opposite Angelica. He could see neither was very happy with the arrangement, but he wasn't exactly laughing, either.

"Damian, congratulations on finding your mate."

"I am not his mate! I'm your mate, Dante."

Damian's frown deepened at Angelica's words as he demanded through clenched teeth, "I don't want to have to ask again. What is going on? Dante?"

"When we were nine I promised Angelica I'd reject my mate and choose her if she wasn't my goddess-given mate."

Damian's eyes turned black as he held his gaze on Dante, growling "You found your mate."

"I did."

"It doesn't look like you rejected her."

"She's too young to survive rejection without assistance."

Damian blinked a few times as he processed the information. "You're planning to reject your mate and claim someone else's mate? My mate? You're planning to claim my mate? Or have you already claimed her?" His head swiveled to get a look at Angelica's neck, obviously straining to control his mounting rage.

Angelica snapped, slapping the arm of her chair. "I'm not your mate! I'm Dante's mate! Go find another!"

The possibility of losing a long-standing ally was very real, and would be a true test of Dante's diplomatic competence.

Dante remained calm as he explained, "I've not claimed Angelica as mine, but you should know she and I are second chance mates. I felt the affects of the bond with her before I realized Gaia is my true mate."

Damian's eyes widened and he leaned forward, tilting his ear toward Dante, "You feel a bond with my mate?"

"Tingles and scent are fainter with Angelica, but yes, I feel a bond with her."

Damian narrowed his eyes at Dante. He stood up.

Dante stood, tracking the flickering eye movement of his friend and growled a warning, standing, and following close behind Damian when he swaggered over to the bed.

"She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Damian slowly reached his hand out to touch Gaia's bed, his hand hovering close to hers, his eyes locked with Dante's. "What are you going to do if I feel a faint bond with your mate? Should I claim her so you can claim Angelica?"

"Yes," Angelica shouted at the same time Cordut pushed a half shift with a roar and pinned Damian to the wall in one move.