Matters of the Heart: Kyle and Viola

Chapter Three:

Viola’s POV:

“Pass me the scalpel, please.” I say, examining the marked place of incision on my patient’s stomach.

I am busy performing a surgery to remove an obstruction in this pup’s gut. Apparently, he swallowed a couple marbles that were left around on the floor at his home.

“People should really be more careful around their pups!” Ely chimes in and I roll my eyes, with a smile on my face. My wolf hates parental negligence.

I look at the hand passing me the scalpel. It’s Mitch’s hand and the surgical gloves are pulling tightly at his fingers.

“Here you go.” His voice replies and I can see amusement in his eyes, causing me to blush. I wonder if he knows how good looking he is?

I remember when he walked into the clinic a few weeks ago, with his large frame and broad shoulders. I couldn’t help but blush at the realization that he was the male wolf that I was spying on that evening by my window.

“Thank you, Mitch.” I reach for the tool and feel his fingers lightly brush against mine, causing my mind to feel hazy.

This is how it has been with Mitch. We work together almost all day, so our time follows a similar schedule. We have gotten to know each other in our time off and I can tell that Mitch is really passionate about medicine. He comes from a long line of esteemed doctors, so he has big shoes to fill in his family. Unlike most of his family, who focus on neurology and pharmaceuticals in wolves, he focuses on pediatric care. His passion for helping pups and the way that I have seen him handle the pups in the clinic, makes my heart melt.

I finish off the last of the stitches on my patients and watch as Mitch cleans up the wounds.

“Another successful operation, Viola. You are truly remarkable.” Mitch says to me and I blush at his compliment.

"I have a renowned assistant." I say back to him, offering him a wink.

The nurses come in to wheel the pup back to the room and Mitch and I move on to take our surgical attire off and throw it in the medical bins.

“Dinner in thirty minutes?” Mitch asks, side eyeing me while we lather our hands in soap. I smile at him and nod, before washing away the last of the surgery from my body.

“Great. I’ll pick you up at your door.” He continues to say, before smirking and walking away. Mitch really has made an enormous amount of effort to get to know me and become my friend.

I go to my office to write up a medical script for the pup and switch off my monitors, turning to close the door and make my way home. It’s been another successful day. I smile, rememebering that this place is my dream.

Walking along the path back to the palace, I think about how I am so looking forward to the idea of having company and a friend that I can call my own. I love Sam, Melody, Flora and Xavier, but they are all in couples, you know?

“Viola?” A voice calls out and I stop in my tracks. I can see Flora gesture for Xavier to go inside, before making her way to me. I don't feel like talking with her right now.

“Hi Queen Flora.” I reply, bowing my head slightly. I can feel her frowning at me.

“Viola, you know to just call me Flora. We are friends.” Flora goes in to say and I sigh.

“How have you been, Viola? You are so quiet these days. We have invited you for visits, but you don’t respond?” she continues and I can feel my eyes welling up, but I smile through it. This is why I didn't feel like seeing her. It hurts too much to see all of them and not think about my mate AND Kyle, who both abandoned me.

I don’t know what to say to my friend. I know Xavier made mistakes, but he loves her now. She ultimately has her mate and they are happier than ever. My mate left me, he never came back and on top of that, my best friend has been ignoring me. Nobody will ever understand, I shout out in my mind and shake my head.

“Goddess, Viola. You are looking thinner. What is wrong, my friend? Please speak to me!” Flora pleads and I can see the pity in her eyes as she strokes my shoulder.

I know she means well, but I have no interest in having pity from anyone. I just want to move on and try my best to live a happy life.

“Look, Queen Flora, I am really busy with work. I am also tired. I don’t have time for silly, little sleep overs and gossip-filled dinners. Not all of us are royalty and not all of us can waft through our days with no worries and living in the lapse of luxury. Some of us have important things to do, that don't involve dressing in the finest and attending luncheons.” I say, a little too bluntly to my friend. I can see her flinch at my words and I automatically go in to apologize.

“ Flora, I’m sor…” I begin, but she stops me.

“No, Viola. You don’t get to just say what ever you want to me and then pretend it’s all okay. I have never done anything to you. I have always been there for you. Goddess, Sam speaks to me everyday about how concerned he is! He doesn’t know what to say to you anymore, because he said you just don’t allow for proper conversation. I thought he was over reacting, but I can see now that he is right.” Flora begins, her friend-voice slightly laced with the authority of a queen. I hang my head at her words.

“This isn’t you, Viola. Avoiding family, ignoring friends, missing weekly meals and spitting back in defense. You don’t look like yourself either. You have lost weight, I can see your eyes are dull and everybody says you don’t smile anymore. Viola, I am worried for you. As a friend I am worried about your well-being, your heart and your happiness. As a queen, I am worried for your wolf and more importantly, I am worried about how all this is affecting your work.” Flora continues and my eyes widen at the last part.

“F-Flora, I would never- I would never let my personal life get in the way of the clinic!” I answer back, feeling pain at the thought of my own sorrow seeping into my work. I can see her posture soften at my remarks.

“Viola, I know.” Flora sighs.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re going through and I wish that you would trust me enough to tell me, but I also know that I cannot force you to tell me anything. Just know that my arms and my door is always open for you.” Flora concludes and pulls me into a hug.

I feel a tear fall from my eyelid and wipe it away. I know Flora means well, but how do I tell her, or any of them, that their great friend is ignoring me and on top of that, that my mate just never showed up.

I pull away and we say our goodbyes. My mind feeling blank as I make my way to my room. I feel my cheeks redden and my eyes sting, as I continue my thoughts and let my worries cloud over me. As I make my way through the halls, I notice a large body in front of my door.

Oh my Goddess, I completely forgot about Mitch!

I quickly wipe at my eyes, but I must look like a mess. He senses me approaching and turns around. His smile is beaming and pure.

“Viola, I tried knocking, but there…” Mitch begins, but the longer his eyes run along my face, the slower his words become, before eventually coming to a halt.

“Oh, Viola.” He whispers, pulling my tiny frame into a warm embrace. He squeezes me so slightly and I can feel all his concern and comfort in his hold. I can’t help but let out a sob, creating a wet patch on his grey sleeve.

I’m not sure how long he stays still, just holding me, but eventually my tears dry out and I pull away.

“Sorry about that, Mitch. Goddess, if you just give me five minutes we can still go for supper.” I say, feeling embarrassed by my tearful outburst.

“How about we just chill here tonight? I’ll order some pizza and we can just relax.” Mitch asks and I nod, preferring the idea of a relaxed evening.

I open my door and we make our way in. I excuse myself to go into the bathroom and put on some sweatpants and a jersey. I also quickly splash my face.

When I come back out, I can smell the smokiness of the fire and see Mitch poking some flames.

“Hope you don’t mind?” he asks, pointing to the fire and I smile. I love my fireplace in the winter time. Its my favorite thing in my room.

I let him finish playing with the embers and soon he joins me on the loveseat.

“Sorry again, Mitch. I don’t know what came over me.” I say, looking down into the fire and avoiding his gaze. His lack of response and the feeling of his burning gaze makes me turn to look at him.

My breathing hitches as I see the concern, empathy and admiration in his dark, brown eyes.

“Viola, you’re the strongest she-wolf that I have ever, ever met. You never need to apologize for crying, or feeling vulnerable. You walk around Mainland, helping everyone else everyday and I am glad that I can be here for you when you need help. I am not sure what’s eating you up, but I am here if you want to talk.” Mitch says, making my heart beat a bit faster.

I look back to the fire and close my eyes.

“On my eighteenth birthday, five or so months ago, I met my mate.” I begin and I feel him stiffen.

“Well, not really met him. My mate must have sensed me when I wasn’t around and he came into my room, while I wasn’t here and he left me a note. The note said he would come back for me one day. He also left me this necklace.” I say, sighing out and fiddling with the pendant on my neck. I can see Mitch looking between my neck and my eyes. I can sense unease and confusion in him.

“Well, he has never come back and you know how werewolf laws work. Its impossible for a mate to be separated, knowingly, for longer than two months. So, I assume he has either passed away, or maybe he just didn’t like what he saw and rejected the bond.” I say, my cheeks becoming red with emotion, but my eyes staying dry.

“I always thought that a mate would be a blessing, you know?” I conclude and look at Mitch. I can see pain in his eyes too, making me curious.

“I also had a mate. Her name was Lila and she was the most beautiful, little wolf. I remember waking up one morning and smelling something intoxicating coming from outside my window. When I walked out, I saw a fragile crumple lying on the floor and immediately saw she was my gift.

She looked injured, so I rushed her to my fathers hospital and he started operating on her. She had drugs in her system, a collapsed lung and trauma to her abdomen. It later came out that she had scar tissue, indicating she had been repeatedly raped. It was only a couple days later that she told us she was kidnapped and sold for s*x, probably as part of that Were-Trafficking circle up North.” Mitch starts and I see his eyes become watery.

“She gained her health and I took her in. It was really difficult, trying to break through her emotional walls and gain her trust. She could also feel the mate bond, but her hatred towards men sometimes was stronger. Month by month, she started becoming more and more at peace in my company and we formed the most wonderful friendship. A year later, she started showing me her affections and I really thought I couldn’t be happier. We mated and marked each other and I was floating on a cloud. She even fell pregnant with my twin pups.” Mitch carried on with his story, his words becoming staggered and my heart clenching in anticipation. I place my and on his for reassurance. I can hear him take a deep breath.

“One evening, there was a knock on the door and when I answered it, it was a young girl, dirty looking, asking for Lila. I allowed her to come in and she spent hours talking to Lila in private. I didn’t ever find out what was said that evening, but it triggered a dark spiral in my mate. She started acting out, hurting herself and blocking me off emotionally. It felt like I was back to day one again with her. I thought things couldn’t get worse, but one day, whilst parking my car, the raw smell of metallic blood hit my nose and I rushed into the house, only to see Lila had taken her own life, killing my twins too.” Mitch finishes, rubbing his hand across his face to swipe away the tears. I gasp at his news and pull him into a hug.

“I am so, so sorry Mitch. I cannot even imagine what that must have and still be like for you.” I say, lacing each word with empathy.

“It happened a long time ago. I have come to accept the trauma that happened. I know Lila was a suffering wolf. My only wish was that the babies had survived, you know?” Mitch whispers, holding onto me and squeezing. I feel comfort from him, soothing my own sadness.

We eventually pull away from one another and I smile warmly at him.

“Your mate doesn’t know what he’s missing out on, Viola. Any male wolf would be lucky to have you.” Mitch says, taking my hand. I can’t stop the blush on my cheeks, adding to the red from crying.

“And your mate was stupid to let go of you. After knowing who you are and all that you offer, she missed out too.” I reply, squeezing his hand and meaning every word. Mitch didn’t deserve that fate.

Our hands stay in each others and I can feel the gruffness of his fingers. His dark eyes are staring into mine and I feel the genuine warmth swimming in them. I look down at our house and see how his rough fingers have begin running against mine, finding their way between my soft ones. I smile, feeling like his touch is bringing me a comfort. His touch showing me he accepts me, flaws and all, something my own mate couldn’t do for me.

I feel his other hand come up and rest under my chin, lifting my gaze up to meet his intense one. I try to say something, but before I find words, his lips flutter over mine. I can feel them gently rub against mine, making my heart thunder inside me. I close my eyes and lean forward, pressing them against his wet cushions. Our lips lock and I feel a warm pressure forming against me, making my hand squeeze his tighter. I feel his other hand run smoothly up the side of my body and cup my face, making me turn into his touch and moan. Our lips are moving in a dance, his tongue gently running against me and my tongue meeting his every so often. We continue, lapping up all the comfort we can offer each other. Two souls who have lost so much can finally gain something with each other.

I pull away gently, needing to catch my breath and I look up to see Mitch smiling and in his own daze. I cant help but chuckle at this.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, peeping open his eyes and panting. His mouth in a smile.

“You look like you just had your first kiss!” I giggle out and look at his handsome frame. He also chuckles and opens his eyes.

“It was my first kiss with you, Viola.” Mitch says, leaning in and giving me light pecks against my cheeks and neck. I can’t stop giggling.

“It was also my first kiss.” I giggle out, trying to catch breaths from his attack on my cheeks. This makes him stop and look at me. I can see he is confused by my statement.

“That was my first kiss ever.” I whisper again, smiling at the realization in his eyes.

Before I can respond, he crashes his lips onto mine again.