Chapter 23
“Hold her down!” the doctor shouted to Maggie as Ansel entered the room. Karin tossed and turned on the bed, her wails growing more intense. “We have to keep her still.” He looked up at Ansel. “Sir, we need your help.”
“Grab her legs, I have her arms,” Ansel said to Maggie. Working together, they pinned Karin to the bed. Her head rocked back and forth as she slipped in and out of consciousness. “Look at me, Little Wolf,” he coaxed. “Just focus on me.”
“It hurts,” she mumbled as she calmed. “Just, please…” She closed her eyes, and her breathing shallowed.
“No, Karin,” he said, releasing her arms. He craned her neck. “You can do this.” He removed the hair from her face. “If there is anyone I know that can pull through this it’s you. Do you remember when we were younger, and we went on that dare spree?” He chuckled sadly. “By the end, my hair was blue, and you had poison oak.”
A painful smile formed on her lips, and she opened her eyes. “Y-you didn’t look too bad with blue hair,” she said. “B-but I had to stay home from school for a week.”
“And I stayed with you the entire time. I ended up with poison oak too…right in the middle of my back. It was pure torment.”
Karin gave a strangled laugh. “D-don’t complain. I put calamine lotion on it whenever you needed.”
“That you did.” He hugged her gently. “See? That’s why you can’t die. I can’t be trusted alone with myself. What happens if I get poison oak again?”
“You’ll be fine.”
He placed his forehead on hers. “No I won’t.” Karin slowly closed her eyes. “Come on, stay with me. No giving up.”
“Sir?” the doctor said. “I need to put her under. It’s the only way.”
“Okay.” Ansel kissed her forehead. “You can sleep, but no giving up.” Karin smiled, but her eyes remained closed. Taking a thick needle, the doctor injected the anesthesia, and Ansel placed her back onto the pillow. “What now?” he asked the doctor.
“Now, it’s up to her. She needs to be in the hospital and given something stronger so we can see what we’re dealing with. I’m not equipped on hand to handle this type of thing. It’s a wonder she’s still alive but is a good sign that she is fighting to be here.”
“Is it possible to bring everything needed here to her villa? Whatever needs to be done, I will take care of it.”
“Sir…” The softness of the blue in Ansel’s eyes made the doctor stop. He nodded. “I will try my best.”
“Thank you.” Leaving the room, Ansel returned to his gammas. He peered around, spotting Cherry. “Take your men and leave,” he said.
She glared at him. “Gladly. Let’s go.” Gathering her men, she paused. “Remember what I said. You aren’t Alpha yet; your father still has the role. And kings have a way of getting what they want, and you aren’t an exception.”
Ansel’s nostrils flared, and he felt Jeff come to the surface. “Cherry?” he said and walked over to one of her gammas. Grabbing the man by the throat, he lifted him from his feet and snapped his neck. He dropped the body at Cherry’s feet. “I will burn Moon Shadow to ashes if she doesn’t survive.”
Later That Night
“Come in, Maggie,” Ansel called from his office, sensing Maggie at the door.
Cautiously, she opened it and walked inside. “You wanted to see me, sir?” He leaned back in his chair, and she looked down at the floor. “I overstepped today and I’m sorry. I hope for leniency but will take whatever punishment given to me.”
“Jesus,” Ansel grumbled. “I’m starting to think I really need to work on my people skills.” Maggie looked up, and he motioned for her to sit across from him. “Honestly, am I really that bad?” She pursed her lips, and he nodded. “Go on. Please.”
“Well…you did kill two massive gammas today. From what I was told, you even snapped one of their necks like he was a chicken.”
Laughter erupted from Ansel for the first time in the day. “Yes, well, I do have a bit of a sadistic nature. What I mean is, am I that bad to you all?”
“Absolutely not,” she replied quickly. “You have always been kind in your own way and made me feel honored to work here. It’s just…”
“Yes?”
“Since the arrival of Lady Karin, you’ve been more present. You talk more and spend more time at the manor doing things that seem to make you happy. Like playing the piano. We all agree, it’s nice to see.”
Ansel clasped his hands in front of him in thought. It wasn’t the first time it had been brought up that he had become a lot more expressive since Karin’s arrival. “Well with the way she vexes me, I really have no choice but to give her a hard time back,” he said jokingly, though she could hear the sadness weaved in his words. “Anyway, I called you in here because I wanted to thank you again for what you did today.” He smirked. “That stance you took reminded me of a certain lead gamma. Has your husband been training you?”
“Yes,” she said meekly. “Henry said it was important for me to go beyond defensive training. His only requirement for me working in the manor was to know how to spill blood when needed. For my protection and yours.”
“Wise man,” Ansel said. “Perhaps I should make you a gamma.”
She chuckled. “No sir. I don’t think it would fair too well if I bested my husband in front of everyone.”
Ansel laughed again and for a moment felt a little lighter. Enjoying the conversation, he made a mental note.
Make it a point to talk to the staff more.
“Thank you. I needed that laugh,” he said.
“Anytime, and Sir, I know that Lady Karin will be alright. I can feel it.”
He tilted his head at her, and she returned his gaze. “You know she’s my fated mate, don’t you?”
“Not at first, but I slowly started to put the pieces together through your interactions. And once I saw the mark behind her ear, I knew I wasn’t imagining things. I promise I didn’t tell anyone anything, and I won’t. She’s been so kind to me. You both have.”
“Thank you. I’m thrilled she has found a friend here.”
“So have I.” Ansel nodded, and she stood. “Please let me know if you need anything else, Sir Ansel.”
“I will.” He watched her walk to the door and stopped her. “Maggie, do you dream?”
“Sir?”
“When you’re asleep, do you dream?”
“Sometimes.”
He paused for a moment. “Do you think they mean anything?”
“Depends on the dream, I guess. Some I think are important while others are fleeting things that pop up in our mind. Nonsensical things but make for interesting thoughts.”
He processed her words and exhaled. “Goodnight Maggie.”
“Goodnight, sir,” she said and closed the door behind her.
Ansel opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a notepad. Reading the repeated word, he couldn’t understand why he felt so strongly about the name. “Jemma,” he whispered, and his tears blurred the ink on the paper when the intense feeling hit him again. The little voice was still as clear in his ears as when he’d dreamed of the little girl with piercing blue eyes that seemed to control his every move only hours earlier.
“Daddy! Go find mommy. You have to find mommy. She’s not feeling well.”
Two Weeks Later
“There was an old woman from Nantucket who purchased a cucumber to fuc—” Ansel’s face turned bright red, and he quickly stopped reading out loud. “By God,” he murmured, scanning the pages of the book. “I had no clue you could get this creative with vegetables.”
A knock on the door made his face go almost purple. “Is this a bad time?” the doctor asked with amusement all over his face.
Ansel shut the book. “How much of that did you bear witness to? By the look on your face, I’m assuming all of it.”
The doctor entered. “Yes, but there’s nothing wrong with a little reading to get the blood pumping. Who knows, Lady Karin may like what you selected to read to her.”
“I was not reading that to her!” Ansel shouted louder than he intended. He tossed the book into the trash. “I’m going to kill Aron for giving me his light reading material.”
“Before you kill him, I think you should take into consideration that he’s only trying to lighten your mood.”
“I know,” Ansel said, sighing. “He has always been a good friend.” He looked at Karin on the ventilator. “How is she doing?”
“She still fighting,” he replied. “Which is a miracle. Her ribs were almost shattered, but thankfully she shielded herself enough that one didn’t pierce her heart.” He looked at Karin’s charts. “She must have one hell of a wolf inside her. Something tells me it took the brunt of the beating.”
“She did,” Jeff said.
Ansel peered back at Karin. “Do you think she will come out of it?”
“I do. She’s breathing on her own, and I plan to take her off the ventilator today. It’s going to take some time, and the road to recovery will not be easy, but I think she will make it.” He patted Ansel’s shoulder. “You should get some rest. I don’t think I’ve seen you sleep more than three hours in the past two weeks.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, Sir Ansel, you’re not.” He smiled. “The connection between fated mates is truly like no other. It’s no wonder that so many poems and literature are written about it.” Seeing Ansel go rigid, smirked. “What? You think I’m too old to notice what’s going on around here? You practically willed her to live, and she did. Only fated mates could be so connected.”
Ansel sighed. “This has become so much more complicated than it should have been.”
“Perhaps, or perhaps this is the start of something more beautiful than even you could have imagined.”
“Sir Ansel?” Henry called from the door, gaining his attention. “I need to speak with you. It’s important.”
Ansel looked at the doctor and he nudged his head towards the door. “Go. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
Nodding, Ansel left Karin’s room to speak to Henry, and immediately picked up on his discomfort. “What is it?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
Henry produced a manilla folder and handed it to him. “Sir, we finally found the truth about Karin.”
