Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Hours.
Four terrible long hours just sitting in a car waiting, anticipating and longing to arrive.
The minute Niall and I got back to the Alpha house, he quickly explained everything to Jared and Asia while I packed a few things for us.
They were already waiting at the door when we got back. Every wolf in the pack heard my howl, and that included them. I wasn't surprised when I saw Asia's concern though; any wolf could understand what a howl like that meant.
We didn't know how long we would be gone for, but I knew for sure that if it was more than three days, I had to let Niall go back home. I need my mate, but a pack needs its Alpha and I couldn't keep him from his pack any longer than three days.
This seemed to have the worst timing ever. Just when I am a day away from having my heat this happened. It's like the universe has a vendetta against me or something.
"Hey it's gonna be okay" Niall whispered from beside me. He held my hand with his free one, and everything in me wanted to believe him but I couldn't.
I simply nodded and focused my attention on the trees rushing past me in a blur. The speed that Niall was going surely trimmed a hour or two off our journey, so I knew we were close by. But strangely it wasn't fast enough to soothe the burning in my chest.
"I just hope she's okay" I mumbled, my legs shaking like a leaf.
"She will be," he assured me. I hoped he was right.
The anticipation was killing me. I was close enough to feel the link to them , but no one was responding to my mindlink. I was still a Brightwater pack wolf until Niall mixed his blood with mine to make me a Truemoon Pack wolf, so even though I could mindlink with Niall through our mate bond, I still could link my family and anyone in this pack once I was within linking range.
Only if they were answering.
It just scared me even more. Was it that bad to the fact that they all shut down their links? I couldn't think straight.
Victoria's a human, she doesn't heal as fast as wolves do. The chance of a wolf surviving an accident is higher since we heal faster. But Victoria? I couldn't wrap my head around it.
I gasped in shock and despair as I spotted something. We were just a mile or so away from the border patrol, and there laid Victoria's car. Niall slowed down so we could get a better look at it, but it only wrenched my heart even more to really see it.
It looked like it turned over a few times before landing on its side, but the only thought in my head was how Victoria even managed to survive that.
"Go faster," I mumbled out in a shaky voice. I was never a crier, but I couldn't help the few tears that trickled down my cheek.
I sighed in relief when I noticed that we passed the border patrol, but it also made me more anxious.
"We're almost there, don't worry" Niall said sweetly. I knew he didn't like to see me hurt, so he would try anything to calm me. I nodded in response as we drove towards the pack hospital with my heart in my throat. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
This is it.
The minute the car stopped in front of the hospital, I was out and rushing towards the door before Niall even shut the car off. I bolted towards the emergency room, where I saw my family there with worried looks on their faces. Eight faces turned towards me when the sound of my steps caught their attention.
Ashley immediately welcomed me in her arms, and that's when the tears came fully.
"Ssshh it's okay Zoey. It's gonna be okay" She cooed soothingly, but even I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
I could feel all the sadness radiating from everyone. Victoria is the life of that house. We all knew it.
I heard hush greetings coming from behind me, and I turned around to see Niall greeting Luka.
Luka.
Poor Luka. He looked so broken--so scared. This was definitely something I'm seeing for the first time. I escaped from Ashley's grip to hug him. He didn't deserve this. Not again.
Victoria wasn't Luka's first mate. He had a mate before he met Vic, but she died a few years after they met. He was literally broken, but that's when he found my sister. She brought back the life in him even before he realized that he had imprinted on her. I knew she was literally his heart in the form of a human being, and even though he had Levi, I knew it would break him if he loses her too.
And Levi, my nephew. He was only thirteen. He didn't deserve to go through this. I lost my mom when I was eleven, so I knew how scared he must've been feeling.
I released Luka and wrapped Levi in a bone crushing hug also. I could see that he was trying to be strong. But the minute I held him, he broke down. Him and I are the only ones who have direct blood relation to Victoria, and though his love for her might outweigh mine by a little, we both understood each other's feelings completely.
"It's okay Levi. She's a fighter" I tried to convince him for his sake. But he was here and I was not, so I had no idea how bad it was.
He simply held onto me tightly and buried his face in my shirt. I took the chance to really look at everybody else. All their faces basically resembled each other, and that's when I knew for sure that Victoria had to be okay.
She was too selfless to leave us. She loved us more than anything in this world, and no matter what, she would fight to keep us happy.
For the first time since I got that phone call, I had hoped that she was going to be okay.
She had to be.
It felt like hours since we were all sitting in the room. We had a few calls from Luka's brother and sister, Emma and Ty, in England while we waited. They all had an unbreakable bond that I could never understand, so I knew this was hard for them too.
They insisted on coming home, but Luka assured them that he would keep them posted. Ty had to run the biggest pack in England after all; that's not something you can just leave from doing like what Niall did. And Emma was the Beta's mate, so if she left, he would too. Whenever I went there growing up, they always seemed so busy so I knew they couldn't leave so suddenly.
But we all had the same wish: that she would be okay.
Luka didn't know what exactly caused the accident, but the wolves at the border patrol heard the chaos and brought her to the hospital after contacting him. None of them had seen her since she left for town this afternoon, so we all anticipated how badly she was hurt now.
I sighed deeply and snuggled closer in Niall's shoulder, still holding onto Levi who was snuggled next to me too. Niall kissed my forehead for the umpteenth time and whispered sweet nothings to me. It helped that he was here with me, and I was glad he was such a supportive mate.
All our heads snapped up when we heard the emergency room door open, and the doctor came into view with a comfortable look on his face.
He gave us a gentle smile before closing the door behind him. I already felt relieved seeing that he didn't look regretful, and I felt like I would've actually kissed him in gratitude.
"She was hurt real badly, but she will be okay" He informed us, and we all breathed out a breath in sync.
"Can we see her? " Luka asked with a shaky breath and hopeful eyes.
"The anesthesia is just wearing off. But it's late, I suggest you guys go home and rest. She'll be strong enough to see you all tomorrow. For now, I'll allow only immediate family to see her"
I shared a look with Luka, knowing that meant only the three of us. Everyone else expressed their gratitude to the doctor before leaving Luka, Levi, Niall and I in the hallway.
"I'll stay here and wait for you okay? " Niall whispered before leaving a kiss on my lips.
"Okay. Thanks Niall, for being here." I mumbled in his shoulder.
"Of course Zoey. You're my mate. Your happiness is my happiness and your grief is my grief. I will always be here for you okay? "
"Okay " I kissed his cheek and stayed in his arms a little longer before heading to the door with Luka.
I took a deep breath and followed closely behind them inside the room. There on the small hospital bed laid my big sister. She looked broken, hurt and she was still asleep.
But the only thing that mattered was that she was going to be okay.
My sister is gonna be okay.