Fenrir stays by Lovetta's side for the next day, not allowing anything to happen without him there. He only gets up once or twice to use the restroom, taking his lunch and dinner in the room. Ella stays throughout most of the day, helping when she can. Healer Serena comes and goes, checking in every hour and doing various spells to check on Lovetta's progress. Lovetta's bandages are changed frequently but she sleeps through all of it, only stirring once or twice. It isn't until the sun is setting behind the trees that Lovetta begins to wake up.
Groaning softly, Lovetta blinks and tries to sit up, her mouth dry and her body aching. Fenrir is immediately by her side, watching her every move. Ella jumps up and sprints down the hallway to fetch Healer Serena. "Fe-Fenrir?"
"Yes, mate?"
"Are-are you hurt?" Fenrir can't help but smile at the groggy words of his mate, shaking his head.
"No. I'm not hurt. Only you would ask about someone else while you're in the hospital. How do you feel?"
"Like crap but I guess that's expected," Lovetta tries to joke. She knew that Fenrir felt bad about what had happened. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" Before Lovetta can answer, Healer Serena comes in and nudges him to the side, pouring a Blood Replenishing potion and a Pick Me Up potion down Lovetta's throat and asking how she feels.
"Hungry. Gross. Sore."
Healer Serena smiles a little bit and does a spell, checking the young girl's vitals. "You're going to be alright. You may have some slight scarring but you're going to be just fine. Can you try to squeeze your fingers?" Lovetta nods and, while it takes a moment, she manages to open and close her hands to Healer Serena's satisfaction. "That's a very good sign, it means there's no extra damage. You'll take a while to heal but you'll make a full recovery. Your left arm will take longer to heal as I'm guessing that was the arm that was on the top, so it took the brunt of the attack. Ella has gone to get your dinner. Do you feel up to eating?"
"Yes please. How long have I been asleep?"
"Pretty much all day. Your parents have been worried sick. It wasn't until Miaya told them to go and help with the children that they finally left my front door step." Healer Serena didn't seem to care for Lovetta's parents much but Lovetta couldn't figure out why. Maybe they had been friends when they had lived here last? Who knew. Ella comes rushing in a few moments later, Lovetta's parents close behind. Ella barely has time to set the tray down on Lovetta's bed before Peter and Adolpha swarm Lovetta's bed, asking a million questions in one fell swoop. "Will you please step back from her bed? She just woke up and needs some space!"
"Will you calm down Serena? I'm her mother!"
"And I'm a Healer, in case you've forgotten." Adolpha and Serena glare at each other, neither one backing down.
"Yes, I remember. You're mom and dad's pride and joy" Adolpha rolls her eyes at her younger sister, backing off her daughter slightly.
"Wait, mom and dad? You're sisters?" Lovetta's eyes can't help but widen and everyone looks at her as if she were slow. It was true the two women looked similar, sharing the same chocolate brown hair, but Lovetta had figured that was just a coincidence.
"You hadn't told her that I was your sister?" Serena asks, hurt flashing in her eyes. Adolpha has the humility to at least look slightly sheepish, shifting her weight slightly.
"It simply hadn't come up yet." Serena purses her lips and stuffs her wand in her waist band, preparing to leave.
"If you need me, Lovetta, please call for me. I'll be in the house the rest of the night." Lovetta nods, her ears slightly pink, and Serena leaves the room, shooting one last glare at her sister.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I really didn't know." Adolpha shakes her head and gently touches her daughter's knee.
"You don't need to apologize, Lovetta. It isn't your fault. I never told you because my sister and I don't necessarily get along." Adolpha gives her daughter a slight smile and tries to brush it off, "how are you feeling?"
"Okay." Lovetta brushes off her mother and turns to Fenrir who was trying to restrain himself from pushing Adolpha and Peter out of the way. "What happened last night?"
"Yes, I would like to know that too" Peter's voice comes across offended and he quickly tries to apologize.
Fenrir sits on the end of Lovetta's bed and sighs heavily, "I want to first say that this never should have happened and how sorry I am." Lovetta and her mate make eye contact and Lovetta immediately registers the hurt in his hazel eyes. She tries to reach down and take his hand, but Fenrir stops her, gently taking her hand. They weren't exactly close but after him protecting her last night, it finally seemed to click in Lovetta's head how much he was willing to protect her, what lengths he would go to for her. "After we left you and Healer Serena put magical protection over the room, my father and I met up to give the Alpha Order to the pack. Right before, my father told me that only he was going to do it. That I wasn't ready." Lovetta gives Fenrir's hand a small squeeze, trying to help him keep his cool. Fenrir gives her a grateful look and continues, "so I didn't give the order. I'm guessing that's how Jacob was able to break past the Alpha Order. Though my father does not want to admit it, he is not as strong as he once was. When I smelled you, my more wolfish side was immediately interested and came to your aid. When I saw him attacking you… I'll be honest, I don't remember much of the fight with him. That can sometimes happen if my wolf side takes over completely. After I was able to clear my head a little bit, I decided to stay and protect you in case any other pack members tried anything. Clearly you did something to appease my wolf."
"After you attacked him and it was clear, I bowed to you… Your mom said to always show you respect since you're an alpha and that it would help keep you calmer." Fenrir gives her a smile and leans down, placing a small kiss on her hand which sends shivers up her arm.
"That was a very smart choice. I'm glad you learned something from your talks with my mom." Lovetta's cheeks warm up slightly and she can't help but smile sheepishly.
"What's going to happen to Jacob now?"
"Right now, he's banished to the woods. His mate will tend to him. He will be back in a week for a trial before the Council, myself, and my father."
"Can-can I come?" This question catches everyone's attention and Lovetta's face flushes even more.
"Of course, you can, if you're feeling better by then."
"I feel fine now Fenrir, really." Lovetta gingerly picks up the spoon for her soup and tries to scoop soup some to eat, dropping the spoon. "Well… Maybe not that much better but I will be by the meeting."
"Alright love. If you feel better by the day before, then you can attend and give your side of the story in front of the entire Council." Fenrir gives her a slight smile and cleans up the spilled soup with a napkin, tossing it into the trash can. "Do you want me to help you?" Lovetta blushes slightly, embarrassed that she can't even feed herself, and shakes her head. "You don't need to be embarrassed. Would it help if it was Ella or your mom?"
"Ella, do you mind helping me?" Lovetta sheepishly asks, her ears red.
"Not at all." Ella takes a seat next to Lovetta and helps support her hand as she eats. Fenrir stays in the room but takes a few steps back, giving them some room. "After this do you want to try to bathe?"
"Please. I don't think I've been this gross since I first got here." Lovetta and Ella both lightly chuckle over this. "How's Tyler?"
"He's good. Mad at Jacob but rightfully so I think. We just hope that the Council isn't too harsh on him and punish him by death or permanent banishment."
"They wouldn't do that, would they? I mean, it was an accident." Ella and Lovetta both look over at Fenrir who was scowling now.
"They have the right and a part of me wants them to, but I think that they'll kick him out of the running for Beta and possibly demote him for a while. I don't really know though. This isn't something we thought possible." Fenrir shrugs and leans against the wall, crossing his arms. Lovetta couldn't help but think about how muscular his arms look and pulls herself away from looking at him. "Whatever they decide will be fair I'm sure. There's a lot of people pissed off at him. It's one of the reasons he's been banished for a while, partly for his own safety so no one takes it out on him."
"Why would they do that if they know a trial is going to happen?"
"Just like a few days before we shift for the full moon, a few days after we're a little high strung sometimes. Especially the younger generations. There tends to be one or two fights that break out a few days afterwards." Adolpha explains for her daughter, shooting a glance at Fenrir. "Especially the higher up you are in rank or even potential ranking."
"Tread carefully Omega. From what I remember, you were a frequent fighter before you left." Fenrir growls out, smirking slightly. Adolpha bows her head to him and smirks a little, as if remembering those days fondly.
"I can't picture you fighting." Lovetta admits aloud, catching her parents' attention. "Well, as a wolf I could because you guys say you like to fight in wolf form. But as a human? I can't imagine it."
Peter chuckles a little and gives his daughter a smile, "your mother once fought a woman because she looked at me for too long. Who was it again?" Adolpha sheepishly blushes and murmurs a response that Lovetta can't hear but makes her father say "that's right! Wasn't she seventeen at the time?"
"It had been her birthday the day before." Adolpha admits, sharing a smile with her husband. "What can I say? You were my mate and I was very young at the time. I couldn't help my wolf." Peter chuckles slightly and kisses Adolpha's temple, the two sharing a soft smile. It reminded Lovetta of how they had been before they had come to live with the pack, and it made her smile. Glancing over at Fenrir, she couldn't help but wonder if they would ever get to that point in their relationship. "I'm not the only one who has fought someone for staring at their mate I'm sure."
"Tyler fought with Steven over me" Ella admits, blushing slightly.
"That's true. It was as soon as you two found out you were mates. Tyler was pissed at him." Fenrir chuckles a little bit, smiling.
Ella's face flushes, "he was just trying to be polite." Lovetta raises her eyebrow, silently asking what happened. "Steven is a good friend of mine and he often would help me carry things back when I worked in the orchards. Well, Tyler saw that he was helping me, and his wolf got mad that I had chosen another male to help me. Afterwards, he admitted that had it not been so soon after the full moon and so soon after we'd found out we were mates, he wouldn't have done anything like that."
"I was about to say, that doesn't sound anything like Tyler." Lovetta says with a smile, finishing the last bite of food. Her belly felt extremely full of the food and she sits back in her pillows.
"Being someone's mate will make you be extremely protective over them; it is just in our nature to be like that." Fenrir gives her a knowing look.
"That's why you reacted the way you did with Jacob last night." Fenrir nods and stands up straight, stretching his back and yawning. "Have you slept at all since last night?" He doesn't answer immediately but his face says it all, "Fenrir! You need to sleep!"
"Don't patronize me, Parvulus."
"I'm not patronizing you; I'm simply trying to make sure that you take care of yourself. I want you to go and get some sleep. Please?" Fenrir stares at her for a minute before relenting. He crosses the room to her and places a gentle kiss on her forehead, sending shivers down her entire body.
"You get some sleep too, okay?" Lovetta's face flushes again but she nods, squeaking out that she would. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Fenrir says goodbye to the others in the room and leaves. Lovetta watches him go before looking back at her parents and Ella, who were all grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh nothing. You're just as red as a strawberry is all." Peter chuckles with the other two when Lovetta turns an even pinker shade.
"I told you he wasn't that bad." Ella teases in a sing song voice.