The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 70

ADIRA I rushed to the infirmary, still in my robe and underwear. My hair was pinned up in curls still, and I had a full face of makeup on, but I didn’t care. It had been days since I tried to wake up Jori, and I had been starting to get worried that he would never wake up. I wanted him to fight, but in the end, he was the only one who could choose to live.

Today, he chose just that.

When I entered the room, Mark was already in the room with Doctor Zayla. Rie followed me into the room, just a step behind us.

“Mark shouldn’t see you before the ceremony,” Rie said, grabbing my arm before I fully made it into the room.

“It’s not like it’s a wedding. Besides, this is bigger than Mark seeing me.” I shook out of her grip and continued forward.

I stopped walking when I was next to Mark. I grabbed his arm and he looked down at me. His worry lines were showing, and I could feel his heart racing.

Are you okay? I linked.

Mark forced a smile. I think so. I’m not sure. I don’t know what to expect.

I nodded my head, feeling the same way. The Jori I knew was selfish and manipulative. He was pushy and angry. I didn’t know how much of that was Jori and how much of it was Xavier, and I was scared to find out. If Jori was still angry and wanted to cause problems, that would be difficult to process and deal with. I wanted so badly to believe Xavier was the one causing all of the issues for the past few months.

Doctor Zayla finished Jori’s check up and took a step back. “Your vitals look good. Your muscles are a little weak from lying in bed so much, so you’ll need to take it easy for the next few days. Short walks only, and no heavy lifting.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Jori’s voice was soft, which seemed strange. I was used to the confident Jori, not this calm, mellow Jori.

Zayla nodded and turned to us. “Let me know if you have any questions. I’m going to step out of the room for a few minutes.” She left, leaving Rie, Mark, and I with Jori.

Rie grabbed my arm, and her eyes were wide. Her hands were trembling, which made me realize she was afraid. I put my hand on her and gave her a small. “It’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen. There’s no need to be afraid.”

Rie sighed, and then her eyes glazed over for a moment. I looked at Mark, whose eyes were also glazed over, so I knew they were linking each other. After a moment, Rie gave me a weak smile. “Don’t take too long. We need to finish getting you ready.” With that, Rie left the room, so I turned my attention to Jori.

He was watching the interaction closely, and when I looked at him, his eyes were already on me.

“I don’t blame her for being weary of me,” Jori said. He knew Rie didn’t like him being around me. “I did try to kill you and Mark’s baby.”

Mark winced at his words. It was still difficult for him to think about what he almost lost.

I stepped towards Jori. “That wasn’t you. You didn’t have control over yourself. We don’t blame you for what happened.”

Jori laughed, and he almost sounded sarcastic. “I should have fought harder for control, but I would be lying if I said I did everything I could to fight it off.” His eyes shifted towards Mark. “I was angry. It felt like you were trying to take everything from me. Xavier was like this whisper in my head, feeding off the anger so he could feed off me, and I let it happen, because I was just so angry.”

Mark let go of me and sat in the chair next to Jori’s bed, so he was now at his eye level. “I get what you mean. I was angry for a long time about what happened. After losing my parents, you became my family, so when you didn’t believe me when I came to you about my grandfather, it hurt. I blamed you, and I didn’t want to be around you. But I’ve realized what happened wasn’t your fault. You didn’t even know what happened with your family history, so of course you’d react that way.”

Jori closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “You know, after you left the pack, I confronted my father about what you told me. He told me it was all true. He said your grandfather was an evil man who only wanted power. Honestly, I don’t know if that’s true or not, since I never knew your grandfather, but I should have apologized for the cruel things I said. I should have asked you to come back to the pack, but I was afraid.”

Mark took a moment to process Jori’s words before answering. “Why would you be afraid of approaching me?”

Jori scoffed and looked back at Mark. “It always infuriated me how much you underestimate yourself. You were always happy being my beta, but anyone who looks at you knows you were meant to be an alpha of a pack. Not only are you firm and strong, but you have the heart of a king. You would die for your people, and it makes people want to follow you. I was afraid that if you rejoined the pack, you would outshine me as my beta, and people would wonder why someone like me was left in charge of the pack.”

This time it was Mark who laughed. “I was happy being your beta, because I knew you would make a great alpha. I was never going to go after the pack. But when I found out what happened to my grandfather, I was desperate to understand why. My father should have taken over the pack, but he was killed. I felt lost, like I had lost my entire family for a reason I could never understand.”

I was starting to feel like I was intruding on a private conversation, so I wondered if I should leave and come back later.

Do you want some privacy with Jori? I linked Mark, feeling like an outsider.

Mark turned and grabbed my hand, pulling me closer to him. That was a clear no, so I stayed as moral support.

Jori laughed, which didn’t feel appropriate at the time. “Our family is pretty messed up, especially for two boys who used to be best friends.”

Mark laughed in return. “You’re right. Our friendship never stood a chance with that loaded gun.”

Jori’s laugh faded, and his face softened. “For the record, I’m sorry for my actions. I’m sorry for not being the friend you needed and turning you away. I’m also sorry for trying to take your mate away from you. I promise I don’t have any feelings towards her anymore.” He looked at me this time. “No offense.”

“None taken,” I quickly said. “I don’t feel connected to you anymore, either.”

Jori shook his head, smiling. “Just another loaded gun towards our friendship.”

Mark opened his mouth to say something, but then he thought better of it. “We really never did stand a chance, huh?”

“Guess not. For the record, I don’t want to be your enemy anymore.”

“That would be nice.” The tension in Mark’s shoulders left, and I knew this was a conversation he needed to have with Jori a long time ago. I was glad they were finally able to clear the air, but it still felt heavy in the room.

The two of them used to be best friends and things stacked up against them and broke the friendship. Maybe if they were more mature when it all happened, they would have been able to figure it out, but they had just been two teenagers with raging hormones. I understood why they didn’t know how to communicate and figure it out. I didn’t know how to handle things at that age either.

Silence filled the air, and I knew the two of them no longer knew what to say to each other, so I decided it was my turn. “Today is my luna ceremony. If you are feeling up for it, it would be nice if you came.”

Jori’s eyes fell to his lap. “I’m not sure that is a good idea. Rie looked like she was ready to murder me for what I did.”

“What Xavier did,” I quickly corrected.

“It was my face and my hands. I understand why I would receive hate from it.” Jori looked at his hands, and they were shaking under his gaze. I could see the guilt he was still holding onto.

I grabbed his hand. “Stop blaming yourself. You were put in a terrible position. You couldn’t control your body, but you still fought through it and broke free for a moment. That moment where you took back control saved my life. It saved our baby’s life. For that, I am grateful.”

Jori gave me a single nod. I knew he didn’t believe me, but I knew it would take time to move past the trauma he went through, and part of it would always sit with him.

“If you are feeling up for it, please come. Have some fun. You deserve a night off.” I stood up and let go of Jori’s hand, knowing there was nothing else I could do for him at that moment.

“I’ll think about it.”

Mark stood up after me. “Get better. Your pack needs you.”

“Yeah.” Jori’s voice was almost lifeless in response, which worried me a little. He clearly still blamed himself for everything that happened, and I was worried he would fall into a dark place.

Mark grabbed my hand as we left the room, and he pulled me out the door. The moment we were alone in the hallway, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. For a brief moment, I expected him to k**s me, but then his head fell onto my shoulder.

“Thank you for being there with me,” Mark whispered into my neck.

I stroked his hair and let him hold me for as long as he needed. “I will always be there for you.”