Chapter 29

[The Mute Alpha - Chapter 29]

***

*Jax's POV*

My eyelids drooped as sweat dribbled down my body, mixing with the blood rolling out of the fresh wounds. My body burned and ached, the pain worsening by the second. I breathed heavily, but found it difficult due to my dry throat.

A hand clasped onto my jaw and forced me to look up. Angry eyes stared back at me, his jaw ticking. "Apologize," he repeated for the umpteenth time within the past few hours. Or days, I couldn't even tell.

"I-I'm..sorry," I rasped out, the words felt as if they scraped my throat raw on the way out. My body was done with this torture. My head lolled forward as I struggled to stay conscious.

A sinister smirk tugged on the man's lips as he finally got what he wanted. "All is not forgiven, Jaxton," he said as he dragged the blade over an already open cut.

I clenched my teeth as I held back a cry. "W-hat...do you want?" I asked, finding it weird to have words flowing between my lips. I was too tired and in pain to even care or notice. I doubted I would make it out alive, so what was the point to care?

"I heard there was an ambush on your friends," the man grinned, stepping back from me. "Apparently your Beta got quite the beating...I bet his lifeless body is rotting in the snow right now."

My head snapped up as I glared at him. "W-What?" My heart pounded faster at the thought. He'd better be alright... He was the only family I had left.

"I also heard that something else happened..."  The man moved towards the door as the dimmed lights flickered off. "I'll be back in a little bit." Then he left, leaving me in a pool of blood, sweat, and dread.

***

*Autumn's POV*

The ground seemed to move under my body. Was the avalanche still going on? My face felt way colder than before, meaning I wasn't in my wolf form anymore. I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. I stared up at the sky, which had faint colors of pink, orange, and purple. The thick clouds disappeared and the sun peeked over the passing mountains. I was definitely moving, and the sound of an engine caught my attention.

I tried sitting up, but the fast motion and stiffness of my body caused me to fall back down on my back. A thick blanket wrapped around my body, protecting me from the bitter air. I twisted my head and spotted a snowmobile hauling something next to me. Two bodies laid on it, covered up. Kian and Theo, I assumed.

The person riding the snowmobile was a woman, I could tell by her figure, and a fiery helmet sat on her head. I turned my head even further to catch a glance at the driver of the snowmobile I was on. I wanted to ask where they were taking us, but I knew they wouldn't be able to hear me over the roaring of the engine.

I laid my head back down and brought the covers up to my nose, shivering. Should I be relieved that they found us, or worried?

I didn't know how long it took before they finally stopped, but when they did I noticed we were in a small town. The snow on the ground glistened under the sunlight along with the small windows on the brick buildings. People walked around in parkas and other gear to protect themselves from the cold. I sat up and watched as the person dismounted the snowmobile and turned in my direction.

"Are you alright, miss?" the person asked through a muffled voice. I slowly nodded, acknowledging my stiff muscles. "We were out riding when we saw the avalanche. Had to make sure no one got injured. Fortunately, we found you guys before it was too late. You friend over there is in really bad shape. Looks like he was attacked by a wild animal or some shit."

The person had the scent of a human, so I had to be careful with what I said. They took off their helmet, revealing a man probably in his mid 40s. The woman copied his actions as well, and her blonde hair fell over her shoulders in perfect waves.

"There's a local clinic right over there, if you'd like us to take your friend to make sure he's alright. He's definitely lost a large amount of blood, so who knows if he will survive," she said, sitting her helmet down on the seat. She moved to lift the covering off Theo and Kian, revealing their nude, passed out bodies.

"Daniel, can you help me lift the injured one up?" the woman asked, looping one of her arms around Theo's waist while Daniel moved to his other side. It didn't even seem like they cared that he was naked right in front of them and that they touched him. The two successfully lifted Theo's unconscious form, whose head lolled back, and carried him towards the entrance of the clinic. "We'll be right back."

After they disappeared, I sat up, groaning from the pain coursing through my body. "Kian," I called out to the lump. Holding the blanket tightly against my bare body to protect me from the icy air, I hobbled over to the other snowmobile, ignoring my screaming muscles and freezing toes. "Kian, wake up!"

I reached out and shook his body until he bolted upright, his hand holding the back of his head. I noticed the cuts and bruises decorating his pale face, neck and shoulders. I probably had my fair share of wounds as well.

"What happened?" he asked groggily. "Where are we?'

"I'm not sure, but this couple found us in the snow and brought us here. They took Theo to the clinic, because he was in pretty bad shape," I answered.

"Is he going to be alright?" Kian whispered, a fearful glint in his eyes.

"I honestly don't know, Kian," I said softly, placing my hand on his slumped shoulder. "The only thing we can do is hope."

A few minutes later, the two humans returned to us. "You're welcome to stay in our guest room while your friend recovers. But first, I think you should get those injuries checked and cleaned before they get infected." Kian and I nodded in agreement as they helped us into the building. I sighed when the warmth enveloped me like a blanket. I ignored the curious and judgemental stares from the other people as they observed Kian and I's covered, beaten up bodies.

After a while, I ended up sitting in a room on a bed-like surface with a doctor in front of me. She treated my wounds by cleaning them, stitching and patching them up. "So what happened to you and your friends? I haven't seen injuries like these in a while," she commented as she finished up with the last cut.

I shrugged. "I can barely remember what happened. The last thing I remember was the avalanche," I lied with a forced giggle.

"Just take it easy for a while," she suggested, pulling off her gloves and tossing them into the bin by the sink. "Also, your friend Theo will have to stay here for the next few days because we need to keep him monitored."

I sighed, we didn't have a few days to kill. Jaxton could be close to death right now, or even already dead for that matter. Time was something we lacked right now.

By the time we reached the couple's house, Kian and I felt beyond exhausted as we stumbled into the spare bedroom.  Cream-colored paint covered the walls with some random paintings of snowy mountains and forests. A small bed pressed against the wall with a small dresser. On the other side of the room stood a small couch, which the woman, who I learned was named Janet, said was a futon. Some folded blankets sat on top of the cushion with a couple pillows.

"I'll take this, so you can have the bed," Kian offered as he pulled out the mattress of the futon. I nodded and sat down on the bed when I suddenly felt dizzy. A headache had already made an appearance, probably from dehydration, so Janet gave me some water to drink and an Aspirin.

"Man, my head sure hurts," I groaned out, flopping my arm over my forehead, which was noticeably hotter than normal. Maybe I got sick from being out in the cold, but then again, werewolves don't typically get sick.

***

I woke up with a start when I found myself covered in a thick sheet of sweat, which coated the sheets beneath me. I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen, making me cry out. Everything around me sounded muffled as my ears rang. I shifted around, trying to find a colder spot, but everything touching my skin burned. I whimpered, feeling around for something to relieve me of this burning sensation. Hands touched my skin, and I immediately shouted, thrashing my body away from their scorching fingertips.

"Autumn," a voice called out, but it sounded like my head was under water, and I could hardly comprehend what they said. "Autumn, are you okay?"  My eyes flew open, but the tears pooling in my eyes made my vision blurry. Someone loomed over my body, but I couldn't make out who it was. However, I assumed it was Kian because he was the only other person in the room.

When he reached for me again, I cried, "No! Please don't. Too hot!"

Kian disappeared out of the room, leaving me with my own cries. My hair clung to my forehead, and I could hardly move now. The thin fabric covering my body felt like thick layers, scorching my skin and making the tears roll down my cheeks faster.

I wanted to make the uncomfortable feeling go away, willing to do anything to force the pain to subside. I heard footsteps rush into the room as arms scooped me up. I whimpered as they carried me out of the room, clenching my thighs together as more heat consumed me.

My eyes squinted as bright lights blared in my face as we entered a different room, and the sound of rushing water filled my ears. Next thing I knew, someone submerged my body in ice-cold water, which somewhat helped subside the fiery sensation crawling over my skin, eating me alive. My face resurfaced the water, and although everything seemed incoherent at the moment, I was able to piece together some of the things they said to each other as I whined in the tub.

"What's going on?" Kian asked, worry evident in his voice. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah," Janet replied, leaning over me to slide the cloth off my body. Both Kian and Daniel glanced away. "She's in heat, meaning her mate is the only one who can actually make her feel better. Is her mate the one in the clinic?"

"Wait, you know what we are?" Kian asked. "I thought you're human..."

"Boy, we found you three completely naked in the middle of nowhere, covered in wounds created by some wild animal. And then you all are somehow still alive, especially the one recovering right now, who, by the way, should be dead." Janet answered. "My husband and I are retired hunters, but we only hunted the rogues threatening our town."

"Oh," Kian mumbled. "Well no, Theo is not her mate.'

"Then where is he? Because this only happens once a female meets her mate, but doesn't complete the mating process."

"I don't know exactly where he is. We're actually here looking for him."

Janet frowned and leaned over the tub to look at my teary eyes, "Honey, I know you're feeling very uncomfortable, but your only option is to wait it out because your mate isn't here."

"I-It burns," I stuttered, sitting up in the tub and leaning my head back against the porcelain surface. "I-I want Jax... Please make it stop." I closed my eyes when I felt a tightness between my legs along with a painful burn.

"I'm sorry," Janet tried to comfort, but she kept her hands away. "No one can touch you, because it will only make it worse." She stood up and dried her hands on a towel hanging from the wall. "The only thing you can do is sit there and try to relax. It will eventually go away."

I grimaced but nodded my head. Both her and her husband disappeared out of the room, leaving Kian leaning against the wall. He was about to leave as well, but my weak voice made him pause. "Please stay," I whispered. From the helpless look on his face, I could tell he was conflicted, but he ended up sitting down on the seat of the toilet.

A silence lingered in the air, the only sounds came from the sloshing of the water every time I shifted and the soft whimpers escaping my mouth.

"Can you talk to me?" I asked. "As a distraction?"

He looked taken back, but slowly nodded his head. "Alright," he agreed. "What would you like to hear?"

"Tell me your story," I answered quietly, closing my eyes once more and controlling my breathing in an attempt to calm my body down. "I want to learn about my future brother-in-law." The last sentence made a small chuckle leave his mouth along with an eye roll, which made a weak smile form on my face.