Forbidden Mate, Bound by Fate

Chapter 13

SYDNEY

Punches rained down, each blow suffocating me with pain. Agony ripped through my body as the pack members pummeled me, relentless in their assault. My strength faltered, my vision blurred, and Katrina's presence waned, her spirit weakening with every strike.

The silver collar around my neck seemed to be draining the life out of us, making us more vulnerable to the pack's attacks. I could feel Katrina's pain, her frustration, and anger as she struggled to break free.

But she was too weak, and so was I. The pack members' blows landed with precision, targeting our vulnerabilities. I felt like I was drowning, unable to escape the torrent of pain and hatred.

"Katrina," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Hang on, please. We can't give up."

But Katrina's response was faint, her presence barely a whisper in my mind. I knew she was struggling to stay with me, to keep our bond strong. However, the silver collar and the pack's brutality were taking their toll and draining my strength.

As the beating continued, I felt myself slipping away, my consciousness fading. Katrina's presence grew fainter, and I knew we were both on the brink of collapse.

I couldn't hold myself anymore. My hands were chained, holding me in place. The pack members kept hitting me, their punches and kicks hurting me badly.

But just as I was about to lose consciousness, I felt a presence, a powerful energy that seemed to command the room.

The beating stopped, and the pack members' angry shouts and curses died down as they stepped back in fear. I looked up, my vision blurry, and saw a figure standing over me.

It was an older man, his face stern and authoritative. He wore the traditional garb of the pack's elder, and his eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire.

"Enough," he said, his voice firm and commanding. "This is not how we treat one of our own."

The pack members hesitated to answer his question. Their faces are uncertain. Some of them looked away, shamefaced, while others seemed to be waiting for permission to continue.

The elder man's eyes swept the room, his gaze piercing. "I said enough," he repeated. "Leave her! Untie her.”

The pack guard freed me from the chains, but I was too weak to stand. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the cold floor, screaming in pain as my body throbbed with agony.

Slowly, the pack members backed away, their anger and aggression dissipating in the face of the elder's authority. I watched, dazed, as they dispersed, leaving me lying on the floor, battered and bruised.

The elder's eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw a glimmer of something there, something that looked almost like concern. But it was quickly masked as he turned to one of the pack members.

"Bring her to the hospital and make sure she's taken care of," he said. "We don't know yet what's going on here, but I won't have anyone suffering unnecessarily."

And with that, everything went black.

I don't know how long I was unconscious, but I woke up lying on a soft bed. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw an IV needle and dextrose attached to my arm. The bright light stung my skull, and I winced. I realized that I was in a hospital, surrounded by sterile white walls and the faint scent of antiseptic.

Memories of the pack's beating and the elder man's intervention flooded back, and I tried to sit up, but a wave of pain washed over me, forcing me to lie back down.

A figure moved beside me, and I turned to see a nurse smiling kindly. "Good morning, Sydney," she said. "You've been asleep for a while. How are you feeling?"

I took stock of my body, assessing the damage. My muscles ached, my skin felt tender, and my head throbbed. But I was alive.

The nurse handed me a glass of water, and I sipped it gratefully. "What... what happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"You were brought here after your punishment," the nurse said tactfully. "The pack elder intervened, and you were treated for your injuries. You're lucky to be alive."

I nodded and forced a smile, but a sharp pain shot through my neck. I winced, and a pained whimper escaped my lips. Then, I realized the silver collar still bound my neck, its draining effects weakening me and slowing my healing.

As I looked around the hospital room, uncertainty gripped me. How could I prove my innocence that I didn't seduce my own mate? How can I show them that I was the real mate of Alpha Gray and not Alexis?

The nurse seemed to sense my unease. "Don't worry about that now," she said gently. "You need to focus on recovering. The pack elder will want to talk to you soon.”

“Alright, thank you for taking care of me,” I weakly answered.

I looked at the nurse, my eyes searching for answers. "How long have I been here?" I asked, my voice still hoarse.

The nurse's expression was sympathetic. "It's been almost two days since you were brought in," she replied. "You've been through a lot, Sydney. You've got broken bones and fractured limbs. It's a miracle you're alive.”

I nodded, wincing as pain shot through my body. I was weak, and my injuries were severe. But I knew that the silver collar had made things worse.

"Why did it take so long for me to heal?" I asked, my mind foggy.

The nurse hesitated before answering. "The silver collar... it affected your healing process. Silver is toxic to our kind, and it slowed down your body's ability to repair itself. Even now, I'm not sure you're fully out of the woods.”

I felt a surge of anger and frustration. The silver collar and the beating from the pack members had almost killed me, and it had definitely made my recovery much harder. I was grateful to be alive, but I knew I had a long road ahead of me.

I shut my eyes, focusing on connecting with Katrina, my wolf. I reached out to her, trying to sense her presence, but it was faint. I could feel her, but she was distant, barely clinging to life.

As I looked deeper into the corner of my mind where Katrina resided, I saw that she was breathing, but she was incredibly weak. She lay still, her usual fiery spirit dampened by the effects of the silver collar.

The silver's poisonous effects had taken a devastating toll on Katrina, and my concern for her grew with every passing moment. She was the one who had suffered the most, and it broke my heart to see her like this.

"Katrina?" I whispered, trying to reach out to her. "Can you hear me?"

There was a faint stir, a slight movement, but it was clear that Katrina was struggling to respond. I felt a surge of guilt and regret, knowing that I had put her through this.

I vowed to do everything in my power to help her recover, to nurse her back to health. But for now, I could only wait and hope that she would bounce back, that the silver's effects would wear off soon.

I lay in bed with my eyes closed as I focused on my wolf, Katrina. She was still weak, her presence faint due to the lingering effects of the silver collar that was slowly killing us.

The nurse came near me, and I sensed her gaze on me. I opened my eyes to find her watching me with a curious expression.

"Sydney, you seem different," she said, her voice gentle. "As if you're communicating with someone.”

I froze because I realized that I had been caught in the act. The nurse's eyes narrowed slightly as she took a step closer.

“Do you have a wolf now, Sydney?” The nurse's question caught me off guard. Her eyes searched mine for answers, but I didn't respond.

I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. The nurse's question hung in the air, and I knew I had to tread carefully. If she discovered the truth about Katrina... I didn't know what would happen next.

Everyone in the pack knew that I didn't have a wolf and that I had never shifted. I remembered how the pack members had reacted when I told them the truth about being Alpha Gray's mate—their anger, their suspicion, their hatred.

For now, they only gave me a silver collar that was still around my neck, so they could control me, and I lost my strength. If they found out that I had a wolf, I was afraid they would give me wolfsbane, which could kill me and Katrina in an instant. So, I decided to hide the truth and lied to the nurse in front of me.

"I don't have a wolf," I murmured, quickly averting my gaze to hide the truth.