The Quiet Luna

Chapter 2. Torin

I let out a sigh of relief the moment we crossed the border into our territory. Wynne drove straight to the pack hospital, and I carried the girl inside, linking the doctor to meet us in the first exam room.

Dr. Patel let out a startled gasp when she walked into the room and saw the girl in my arms. “Alpha, what happened to her?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I was hoping you could help figure that out.”

The girl was watching the doctor with wide, curious eyes. She looked a little wary, but she wasn’t making any move to protest.

“Put her down on the bed, Alpha,” Dr. Patel told me. “I’ll do the examination and let you know what I find out.”

I placed her on the bed, but before I could move away, she grabbed my hand in a surprisingly firm grip. Unshed tears filled her eyes and she shook her head at me violently.

“No one’s going to hurt you, I promise,” I told her gently. She glanced at the doctor then back at me and squeezed my hand even tighter. “Ok, I’ll stay.”

“Alpha, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dr. Patel said slowly.

I shot her a warning look. “She is obviously terrified. She’s my mate. I’m staying.”

Dr. Patel looked startled for a moment before regaining her composure. “Mate?” she asked quietly. I nodded in response and turned my attention back to the girl.

A nurse came in to take pictures for documentation before announcing they needed to wash the girl to see the full extent of her injuries. She began to move her, but she clawed at my arm in desperation. Her fear and pain came through the mate bond clearly, making my stomach clench. I picked her up and cradled her to my chest.

“Alpha, we need to get her in the shower,” Dr. Patel sighed.

“Fine, I’ll do it,” I gritted out. I took her to the bathroom and set her on the chair in the shower stall. She gripped my arm tightly, and I smiled at her. “I’m not going anywhere,” I promised. “I’m just going to get you clean, ok?”

The only sign of acknowledgement she gave was slowly releasing my arm. Her incredible green eyes watching my every move as I turned the water on and let it warm up. She flinched slightly when I began washing her, but soon relaxed as the water carried the grime away from her. I ground my teeth together and tried to focus on making her feel good, but the cuts and bruises that covered her delicate body made me want to take my time making Alpha Drake scream in torment. Finally, I washed her long hair, running my fingers through the tresses to gently untangle them and massaging her scalp. Her eyes closed and she leaned into my hands, a small smile playing on her lips. I tried thinking of unsexy things, trying to control my hard on, but only managed to be partially successful. It felt too good to finally have my mate with me. To touch her, even though I knew I had to be gentle with her. She’d already been through so much, that was obvious.

After drying her with a towel and slipping a hospital gown over her, I carried her back out to the exam room where the doctor and nurse were waiting, and laid her back down on the bed. Her eyes were sleepy as she blinked up at me. I ran my thumb along her jaw, trying to ignore the bruises that were obvious now that she was clean. The doctor began her examinations, carefully poking and prodding every inch of her while I whispered reassuring words. Even in this state, half-starved and beaten, she was incredibly beautiful. Her long brown hair hung to her waist in soft waves. Her skin was alabaster white where it wasn’t purple and green with bruises, and unbelievably soft. Her full pink lips seemed to be perpetually turned up in a tiny smile. But it was her eyes that captivated me the most. They were an impossibly light green and shimmered like rare jewels while she watched everything in the room, occasionally glancing at me for comfort.

The doctor took a few vials of blood before covering her with a blanket and motioning me aside. “It’s not great, Alpha,” she started. “I estimate her age to be around nineteen, and the abuse she’s endured… quite frankly, I don’t know how she survived it.”

I held my breath knowing I would need to hear details I really didn’t want to know. “Just spit it out, doc. I need to know.”

She sighed and glanced at the bed where the girl was dozing peacefully. “She’s been beaten, severely, as well as r*ped. By the extent of the damage, I would say this has been going on for years,” she paused while I fought for control. Hunter wanted to kill something, and I knew my eyes were flashing back and forth in our struggle for dominance. “I think she has enhanced healing,” Dr. Patel continued softly. “Maybe not as fast as ours, but she’s definitely not human.”

Finally, a bit of good news. Humans were fine, but it was always difficult for them to accept our existence and way of life. “Why can’t she talk? Is it psychological?” I asked. I yearned to hear her voice, to talk to her.

Dr. Patel chewed her lip and glanced away again. Crap. “It appears her vocal cords have been severed. I can’t be certain without more tests,” she rushed to continue when I growled, “but that’s my best guess right now.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She didn’t need my anger right now. I looked over at her sleeping on the bed. She looked so small and fragile. I had to protect her no matter what.

“I’d like to keep her for observation,” the doctor’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Maybe hook her up to an IV for fluids.”

I shook my head. “I’m taking her to the packhouse. You can check on her there, and I’ll bring her back here every day if that’s what you want, but I need her close,” I said, not inviting conversation on the matter.

Dr. Patel sighed knowing it was pointless to argue with me. “Fine. But she needs to eat. She’s malnourished. You need to go slow with her, though. She has a lot of healing to do, physically as well as mentally. Obviously, she can’t talk to the pack therapist, but maybe you should.” I scoffed. “I’m serious, Alpha,” Dr. Patel said firmly. “Not only will this be hard on both of you, but she would be the best option for you learning how best to help her.” F*ck, she had a good point. I nodded and walked back to the bed, needing to touch her again.

The instant my hand brushed hers, her eyes flew open and she stared at me. “I’m going to take you home now, ok?” I told her softly. “The doctor will follow up with you, but I want to show you your new home.” She blinked at me, but her hand squeezed mine, making me smile.

I started to pick her up again when the nurse’s voice stopped me, “Alpha, wait! I brought her some pajamas,” she said handing me a bundle of soft purple fabric. “I thought the Luna would be more comfortable in this instead of the hospital gown.”

I thanked her, and quickly changed my mate into the purple pajamas. She seemed a little confused but also a touch amused by the situation. I lifted her back into my arms and carried her out to the car where Wynne was still waiting.

“Is it that bad?” he asked after reading my expression.

“Worse,” I growled out. “I’ll tell you later. Right now, I just want to get her comfortable.” I slid into the back seat again, nestling her on my lap. Now that she was clean, I could smell her intoxicating scent, and I took deep breaths letting it calm both me and my wolf.

When we got to the packhouse, I carried her inside and up to the Luna rooms. They hadn’t been occupied since I’d taken over the pack five years ago, but I had standing orders to always keep them ready. Now I was grateful for my foresight. Her eyes went wide as we walked in the room and I laid her gently on the bed. Her eyes darted around the room in awe. She seemed most fascinated by the bouquets of colorful flowers, and I made a mental note to always have flowers in here for her.

“This is your room,” I told her. “If you need anything, my room is just through that door there,” I pointed to the door that connected our rooms. “I’ll… get you a bell or something so you can signal for me.”

Her hand clutched in a fist and she rubbed a circle over her heart. My own heart felt like it stopped beating. “What’s wrong? Does your chest hurt? Do I need to get the doctor?” I could feel the panic clawing at my stomach.

She shook her head sadly and touched my arm. My skin tingled under her touch and instantly calmed me. She took a deep breath and smiled slightly, dropping her hand back to the bed.

“I’ll bring you some soup,” I said. She nodded as her eyes slowly closed and I realized she’d drifted off to sleep again. I sat on the bed and watched her sleep for a few minutes. This was not how I had envisioned finding my mate, but she was here now. I would keep her safe and we would figure out the rest later.

“Mate is strong,” Hunter said, full of pride.

“Yes, she is,” I agreed. “But let’s give her time to heal.”

Hunter snorted in our link. “I know she needs time, I’m not a savage. Let’s go kill Drake.”

I had to admit, killing that son of a bi*tch sounded like a great idea. “There’s a process to these things, you know that.”

He huffed, but didn’t say anything. I rolled my eyes at him and got up to get her some soup. It took effort to pull myself away from her, but I told myself she was here. She was safe. And she was mine.