Hade's Rose

Chapter 17: "We've found her"

"We've found her." Beta Dean sounded in King Hadrian's mind, once he'd been allowed entry. Himself, Gamma Stephan and Graham all stood together inside Birdy's house, blocking doorways and making the corridors feel miniscule. The 'patient' still being attended to by Birdy. It was now the middle of the night; the Gamma and Beta having visited the moment the report of the Luna's whereabouts reached them.

"Where?" Hadrian demanded, sitting up in bed with a violent motion (not that he'd been able to fall deeply asleep).

"Vale. Currently under house arrest, but she is unresponsive. Want us to transfer her to Ardel?"

"Yes. I'll meet you at the city gates with the medical team."

"Meet you in three hours."

"Dean... if anything were to happen..." Hadrian's communication paused, his Wolf suddenly dominating the link with a furious growl that threatened to start a headache in the Beta's mind.

"Of course, Alpha. On my life."

The mind link cut. Hadrian swung out of bed and dressed himself in his usual dark tunic. His hands slightly shaking as he tightened the drawer string of his trousers, being careful not to tear the fabric where claws were pushing through the pads of his fingers. As he did so, he was already sending various communications to the rest of his council, most were already awake (it had been a fairly sleep deprived twelve days for everyone).

Beta Dean had already arranged for a Royal escort and Gamma Stephan was in the process of arranging for the medical team to meet them at the city gates. Hadrian paused, sat back down on the edge of his dishevelled bed with his hands resting on his knees whilst he gazed up at the ceiling. His council, organised and reliable, had everything covered for this moment. This moment he struggled to appreciate was happening.

Gazing sharply around the room, the King fully noticed the chaos of his surroundings: a thin layer of dust coating the furniture; crumpled reports haphazardly lying amongst the bedclothes and foot of the bed; cups of abandoned coffee, leaving ring marks on bare wood and forgotten items of clothing. Frowning, Hadrian sent a request for his quarters to be fully cleaned by the morning.

Standing, he eyed the room afresh. Allowing himself to see it for the first time as not just his space, but a shared space between himself and his mate.

"Mate" Hadrian whispered, his eyes flashing amber.

He couldn't clearly picture her; he'd never truly seen her face. A quick flash of a surprised look before she had fainted in one of the cupboards; a study of her bowed head when she and Henry had disturbed him that day so many weeks ago.

Emotions that had been pushed down in the mad frenzy to simply find her before Withdrawal Sickness completed its course, now bubbled to the surface. Anger. Longing. Confusion. Hurt.

Hadrian growled into the empty space of his bedroom. He admired her of course, this stranger who'd managed to conceal herself for so long; all interviews of her family and peers revealed her intelligence. But, at the same time, dreadful fury simmered constantly beneath his skin: her brazen defiance of their bond and clear willingness to die rather than let herself be known to him. His Wolf could not comprehend the rejection, and neither could he.

She is unresponsive. The words played over in his mind, causing his protective instincts to overshadow his anger and hurt for now. She needed him. Despite all the pain, that is all that truly mattered. Hadrian knew that. There was no doubt in his mind about the accuracy of the mate bond; this belief is what separated his people from the barbaric Bane Pack. An odious and obscene poison upon his race, the after-effects clearly felt by himself now.

His mate will need constant medical supervision. Apparently, she had some kind of limp; a birth deformity of some kind, which was not very detailed in her childhood medical notes. This could be easily solved now that she need not lift a finger. Would it be impractical if he were to carry her everywhere? Hadrian mused.

Fur rippled over his skin, Hadrian's eyes turned amber and stayed semi-shifted. The agony of being apart was playing havoc on his mind and body. Pacing briskly out of his quarters, the Alpha King smiled grimly to himself. It was time his mate came home.