Paris's POV

"Why? Why did you do that?" I asked, trying to fight the urge to panic, as I struggled to pick her up the right way. The wrong could have her fracture to become worse, and I wasn't taking my chances.


"I didn't mean to. I wanted to chase after you, and it just happened."

"Chase after me? For the love of God!" I cried, as I gently lifted her off the ground, "there." I sighed, "Let's get you to the hospital before you generate a fever."

I turned a twenty-minute drive into ten. I would have gladly let her use the infirmary back at home, but it didn't have the tools that would be needed to mend her broken leg. When all of the madness they were facing was over, it was something I would have to lay my focus upon.


"Ma'am, it appears that you have a fractured ankle. But never you worry, this can be fixed." the doctor said, smiling at her, but she was sweating profusely and looked pale. Despite what was going on between us, I truly did feel sorry for her and reached out to take her hand in mine.

I couldn't think what Ember would say if she saw us right then. I mean, when you thought about it, the worst had already happened.


"we'll give you anesthesia to numb the pain before we begin the procedure, is this okay?" Kate managed a nod before the doctor clapped in what seemed to be excitement, and I worried if he was okay in the head.

"very well, let's begin."

I exited the room while they prepped Kate for her casting, and decided to walk around the hospital a bit to clear my head.

It was close to two hours before I was invited back into the room, and by then, Kate had a white hard p.o.p and wore a forlorn expression. At the very least, she wasn't crying.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I walked toward her and took the chair close to her bed,

"not really," she answered, and I made a face as I looked at her cast,

"It'll heal up in no time, you'll see," I said, trying to be optimistic. But I didn't have the faintest clue about being a female wolf. I didn't know how fast their healing powers could be.

"it'll heal even faster if you stay close to her. The both of you are mates, if I'm correct?"

I looked at the doctor like he was crossing a line, which in retrospect he actually was, "that's neither here nor there." I said and watched him raise a nervous hand to the back of his neck.

"Perhaps. But you're usually, in situations like this, there is always speedy healing when one has their mate close to them. But if that isn't the case right now, never you worry, because healing is bound to happen regardless. We werewolves are a quick lot, you know?" he said, and gave Kate a wink, to which she simply smiled weakly,

"thank you, doctor," she said and turned to me when the doctor left the room,

"by far the hardest two hours of my life," she said, shaking her head, and I could only look at her,

"what had come over you to make you throw yourself down the stairs that way?" I asked, still trying to understand the buffoonery. Perhaps that was not such a very good time to discuss it, but I was completely at a loss here.

She sighed and looked down at her casted leg, before shrugging, "I suppose the sight of you walking away from me the way you were made me panic. You know how I feel about you. You might have the luxury of options in Paris, but no such delusions exist for me. There's only you. Perhaps that made me lose my senses, as well as my footing."

"you can't keep letting such things happen. Look how it nearly cost you your life."

"I know, but if it's any consolation, it's brought you here with me. It makes me see just how much you worry for now."

"I'm here because regardless of everything, I still feel very responsible for you. Left to me, I'd really much rather not be in this situation. So fix up your act from here on, and stop using your life as a bid for attention."

A nurse came in at that moment to tend to Kate, and I angrily stormed out of the room at that point, no longer able to breathe that same air.

While she tended to Kate inside, I paced outside, trying to understand what direction in life I was going to take. Because how, just how was I supposed to leave a woman who had no desire to be left? How was I supposed to walk away from a woman who had a vice around my neck? And who else was I bound to blame except myself? Because once upon a time, I had the love of the woman I now wanted to die for, but I had tossed her to the side, claiming it was the will of the fates that made me behave the way I did.

Perhaps it wasn't, perhaps it was too, but the truth remained, that I was a man who was done for.

I was still caught up in my internal monologue when Kate wheeled out of the room, the nurse standing behind her,

"the nurse might take a while, do you mind?"

Did I mind? I asked myself as I looked up at the nurse and then back at Kate, before finally shaking my head.

"take your time."

"Thank you," she said with a smile, before letting the nurse wheel her in.

"Great," I said, completely resigned to a day at the hospital. And just then, I caught a whiff of Ember's scent, but even when I did a 360 turn, I still couldn't set my sights on her.

"but it couldn't be a mistake." that much I was sure of.

Kate's POV

I looked at Paris in utter distress and helplessness. I had hoped that this injury would make him soften toward me, at the very least, it would make him regard me with less aggression. But jokes on me.

It seemed to me that Paris's anger was a never-ending well. A bottomless pit that could never be satisfied and I was at a complete loss of what to do about it.

There was a knock on the door that had him taking a step back, and when the nurse walked into the room, he took that as his route of exit and I was in too much distress to call after him.

But I was sure of one thing, If he wouldn't stay because he cared about me, he sure as well would have to stay because he felt obliged to. Either way, it went, I had no plans of letting Paris go.

The nurse gave me some lifestyle changes they felt would serve me for the time being, as well as exercises she believed would see me while in this state. She also recommended a therapy program in case I ever felt sad and needed to talk to someone while I was in my cast. I took the pamphlet willingly, but there was simply no way to tell her that the only genuine cause of my sadness was a lack of Paris's love.

Once she was done with me, she opted to wheel me out of the room, so that I could be with Paris, but when we got outside the room, Paris was nowhere in sight.

"Paris!" I called out, looking down both ends of the corridor, but nothing. Had he really left me alone in this hospital? Could he have been that cruel?

No, that wasn't possible. I chose not to believe that It was actually possible.

"don't worry miss, he probably left to settle the bill or something. But I'll go in search of him for you if it'll make you feel somewhat better. Is this okay with you?"

I looked up at the woman and nodded slowly, "Yes, please." I said in a small voice,

"alright. I'll also return with the decided crutches. Hold on a bit, excuse me."

I fought the urge to groan outwardly as the woman went in search of Paris. I would have gladly gone. However, regardless of the fact that I had willingly inflicted myself with this fracture, the pain, and how immobilized I was were all real. I couldn't go searching for Paris even if I wanted to. and heaven knew I wanted to. I was left with no other choice but to pick up my phone and begin to call Paris.

Dialing his number again and again like a woman who couldn't live without him.