Fated (Forever Book 2)

by Regan Ure

  “You love her,” he said. “Love her enough to let her go.”

  Shock and anger at his words rushed through me and I wanted to hit something or somebody.

  “Keeping her alive like this isn’t for her, it’s for you,” he told me, his voice hoarse with his own grief. “Let her find the peace she deserves.”

  I looked at him with disbelief. He stood there for a few more moments before he turned and walked out, leaving me alone with Keri. I slumped down in the chair and breathed in a deep breath, trying to process everything he’d just told me.

  Let her go? I couldn’t let her go. I needed her.

  Cade? I called to him through our mind-link.

  I’m here, he answered seconds later.

  I need you in the medical center, I told him.

  I’m on my way, he replied.

  In my mind I was already formulating how I was going to keep Curtis from switching off the machines. I wasn’t taking any chances that someone would do that without my consent.

  What’s wrong? Cade asked through the mind-link as he walked into the room and saw my expression.

  “Curtis doesn’t think that Keri is…going to wake up,” I explained, trying to keep my emotions from bubbling over.

  “He wants to turn off the machines,” I told him. He didn’t look shocked, but I could see the sympathy in his eyes when I looked at him.

  “What do you need me to do?” he asked despite the fact that even logically he knew that in some way Curtis was probably right.

  “I need you to keep watch over her to make sure no one tries to switch off the machines,” I told him. Cade was the only one that I truly trusted with this.

  Despite the fact that Kyle was just as devastated about Keri as I was, I was scared he would be swayed and I wasn’t taking any chances with the life of my mate. Any mistake I made now would have a lifetime of trying to live as half a person.

  “I’ll watch over her,” he promised me and I felt a small amount of relief that I had someone on my side. I was putting my whole life in the hands of my friend who’d earned a lifetime of my trust.

  Kyle walked in and he looked between the two of us.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. He frowned at the tension.

  “Curtis is talking about turning off the machines,” I managed to say without breaking down.

  Kyle glanced at Keri in the hospital bed for a moment and I saw the determination set into his features.

  “Over my dead body,” he swore and he stormed out of the room.

  He was probably on his way to tell Curtis that same thing. I did feel slightly more relieved that he felt the same way I did.

  “I know you have a lot going on,” Cade said, “but this pack needs a leader.”

  I looked at him with slight puzzlement. They did have a leader—they had Keri.

  “It’s been three days and we have no idea how long it will be before she wakes up,” he explained softly. “Curtis is too busy with the medical center and watching over Keri to fulfil his role as the beta.”

  Everything he was telling me I already knew.

  “Keri loves this pack enough to have put her life on the line for them,” he said softly, and I nodded. “I know that you want to spend time with her, but this pack needs someone to pull them together.”

  I rubbed my forehead as I tried to figure a way to do what he was asking and still spend every moment I could with Keri.

  “The longer this pack goes without a proper leader, the weaker it becomes, and you know what that means,” he added.

  I nodded my head. I understood. If a pack was considered weak it would become a target. Deep down inside I knew I couldn’t allow that to happen. Keri had put her life on the line for them.

  “Okay,” I said. I didn’t have a choice.

  I would just have to figure out a way to juggle my time with Keri and my time handling the pack. I’d been an alpha of my own pack and I knew exactly how to run one efficiently. My consolation was that I was doing this for Keri so when she woke up, her pack would be ready for her to take over.

  “Get me a knife,” I instructed Cade and he disappeared out of the room.

  I sat down beside Keri and cradled her hand in mine. I was dreading the slight cut I was going to have to make in her hand to join her pack, but I didn’t have a choice. It needed to be done.

  Cade returned a few minutes later and handed me the knife. I glanced at Keri and I felt a moment’s guilt at the thought of hurting her. It was the only way for me to join her pack. Mixing your blood with the alpha’s blood was the only way to join their pack, so I couldn’t even try and do this with Curtis, her beta. It had to be her.

  I cut my hand first and then as gently as I could, I cut her hand. I clasped her hand in mine and our blood began to mix.

  “What are you doing?” I heard Curtis ask behind me, and I turned to look at him.

  “I’m joining your pack,” I informed him, still holding Keri’s hand in mine. I looked back to our joined hands and I could start to hear the noise of thoughts flitting through my mind. It had worked. I was hearing the thoughts of her pack.

  I released Keri’s hand and Curtis handed me a bandage, which I wrapped around her hand. Once I was done, I released her hand. I stood up. As much as I wanted to stay with Keri, there was a lot of stuff that I needed to do. Cade was standing between Curtis and me with his arms crossed, glaring at Curtis.

  Curtis stood tall with a clipboard in his hands, ignoring the anger emanating from Cade.

  “Look, I’m sorry about before,” he said, his eyes looking between Cade and me.

  I was still angry that he’d even suggested switching off the machines, but I was willing to give him a chance to say what he needed to.

  “The part of me that is her friend doesn’t want to lose her and I can’t imagine my life without her, but the doctor in me knows that things aren’t looking good at all. As a friend, I keep hoping she will wake up, but as a doctor I know the chances are she won’t.”

  I pressed my lips together as I listened to him. It hurt every time he told me the odds of her waking up. Fuck the odds. She was going to wake up.

  Scarlett entered the room and her observant eyes took in the strained scene in front of her.

  “What’s going on?” she asked as she looked at Cade.

  “Curtis wants to switch off the machines,” he explained as he continued to glare at Curtis.

  Scarlett turned to look at Curtis, who was standing just a few feet away from her.

  Before any of us could react, she stepped forward and punched him in the face. Cade grabbed her by the waist and pulled her off Curtis before she could land another shot.

  “Calm down, Scar,” Cade told her and he held her firmly against him. As hard as she fought him, she couldn’t break free from his steel grip.

  “If you touch those machines, I’ll kill you,” she promised Curtis in a threatening tone, and his eyes were glued to her as he rubbed his cheek where her fist had landed.

  I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Scarlett had attacked Curtis. Although he’d apologized, he still deserved it for saying it in the first place.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to Scarlett, understanding why she’d hit him.

  “She’s your friend. Why would you even suggest that?” she asked, her eyes searching his face. Even though she wasn’t fighting to break free from Cade, he still held her against him.

  “As a doctor, I know how hopeless this situation is,” he said softly.

  We all wanted Keri to recover, but he was the one with the medical background and the knowledge to realize that it wasn’t looking good for Keri. I didn’t care, though. I wouldn’t give up on her.

  “She’s a fighter,” Scarlett argued. “She’ll pull through.”

  She said it with such determination, even I believed her. Scarlett looked back at Cade and I saw her true fear as she wavered for a moment. He kissed her on the forehead.

  “She will wake up,” he re
assured her softly.

  Seeing them share a tender moment felt like a knife slice through me. I let out a breath and turned to focus on Curtis. I needed to sort out the pack so when Keri woke up everything was running smoothly.

  “I need to talk to Curtis alone,” I told Scarlett and Cade. Cade gave a brief nod as he released Scarlett but kept his arm around her waist as he led her out of the hospital room. Despite Curtis’ apology, Scarlett gave him one last glare before she left. Being on her bad side was never a good idea.

  “I know you’re doing everything you can but our pack needs a leader who can pull them together and keep things running smoothly until Keri wakes up,” I began to explain.

  “Thank God,” he said, sounding so relieved. “I can’t be beta and run the medical center. It’s just too much.” I hadn’t expected that. “I only accepted the role because Keri asked me to. I was the only person she’d trusted enough to depend on. It was never supposed to be a permanent arrangement,” he explained, rubbing his forehead.

  With traitors in her pack, I knew it was hard for her to know who she could trust.

  “I’m not cut out to be a leader,” he added. “And I’m not the best person to run this pack while Keri can’t. She would want you do it.”

  There was a moment’s silence.

  “As of now I’m making you beta,” he said.

  Unlike the alpha title, the beta role could be changed easily.

  “I don’t want to take over the beta role. I just wanted your permission to help run the pack while you ran things here,” I explained as I ran a hand through my hair.

  “You’re a better fit for the role,” he explained. “Besides, she would want her pack in the best hands and those are yours.”

  There was no doubt about it—I was more than qualified to lead this pack.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. I didn’t want to force him into a decision he didn’t want to make.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded his head, looking visibly relieved.

  “I’ll organize the pack so we can make the announcement,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said as he hurried out of the room.

  I took a deep breath and released it. I wasn’t nervous about taking over the role as beta. I was finding it hard to handle that I had to be away from Keri. Reaching out, I touched her hand. The feeling that spread through me eased any fears that I had.

  Thirty minutes later I was standing outside the medical center, facing my new pack, with Curtis standing on the one side of me and Kyle on the other side. Curtis had just made the announcement that he was relinquishing the role of beta to me and I watched the reaction from the pack.

  Cade and Scarlett had promised to watch over Keri. Despite Curtis’ apology, I still didn’t trust him enough to leave Keri without someone to watch over her. Kyle had given Curtis a piece of his mind and lucky for Curtis he hadn’t used his fists to reinforce the message like Scarlett had.

  Kyle had offered to help me with the running of the pack and I’d accepted. I knew that he was a great leader. He wanted to protect Keri’s pack like I did. We both loved her and we’d do everything we could to keep her safe as well as her pack, which was now my pack.

  Some looked nervous about it and others looked hopeful. I would prove I was worthy of the job.

  “I know you don’t really know me,” I began to say, “but I will do everything I can to keep everything running smoothly until Keri is able to take over again.”

  I began to issue orders. Everyone was to get on with their usual daily tasks and everyone was expected to start training again. With a potential attack looming, everyone had to make sure they were in their best fighting form.

  Surrounding packs would look at this pack as a weakened and easy target because their alpha was injured, so I had to ensure that all the pack members were fit and ready to fight. There would be an attack and I needed to make sure the pack was strong enough to fight it off.

  I looked at Kyle and he gave me a nod. He was going to oversee the training in the gym while I focused on the security around the territory. It was hard trying to keep my mind focused on anything other than Keri, but I had to. Curtis left me to go back into the medical center.

  I walked to the meeting room to have a look at the territory maps to be able to formulate the best way to position the guards.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Blake

  Concentrating on keeping Keri’s pack safe kept my mind busy but there were still times my mind gravitated to her and I felt a fear that was becoming more real each day that she remained in a coma.

  I was standing by the open gates, mind-linking with the one set of guards that I’d positioned on the border to look out for anything suspicious. So far no one had spotted anything that would put my fear into a reality. There had been no sign of the rogues, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they came back.

  Everything is quiet, Zac, one of the guards, mind-linked with me.

  Feeling that everything was taken care of, I turned to go back to check on Keri.

  The closer I got to her room, the louder the raised voices became. Confused, I stepped into the room to see Cade holding Scarlett back as Curtis watched her with fear from the other side.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, taking in the scene.

  “He suggested switching off the machines again,” Scarlett spat angrily, straining against Cade’s hold.

  I gave Curtis a stern look as I turned to face him. Didn’t he learn anything? I felt relieved that I hadn’t left Keri alone in his care. Scarlett and Cade had taken turns watching over her for me.

  “Really?” I asked him with disbelief. We’d already covered this only two days earlier and he had the stupidity to bring it up again?

  “Just listen to what I have to say,” he demanded as his gaze moved between Scarlett and me.

  “Calm down, Scar,” I heard Cade whisper to Scarlett, and I heard her take a sharp breath.

  “I’m listening,” I told Curtis with a steeliness to my voice. I’d already told him that there was no way I was going to let him switch off the machines and I couldn’t believe he was still talking about it. At this rate Scarlett was going to do more damage to him than just a punch to the face.

  “I have an idea,” he began to explain. His full attention was still on the angry female being held behind me. “With the injuries that Keri sustained, her body has struggled to heal.”

  I nodded my head.

  “She has been in a coma for the last five days and she hasn’t improved.”

  There was heaviness in my chest when he spoke aloud what we all already knew. It was one thing knowing it but hearing it said was reinforcing the fear that she wasn’t going to make it.

  “Werewolves are different from humans although most injuries sustained by werewolves are treated the same way as we would a human.”

  My forehead creased as I tried to follow what he was trying to tell us.

  “But the werewolves aren’t humans. We heal faster and we’re stronger.”

  His eyes moved to mine.

  “Spit it out,” I demanded as my patience ran out.

  “The machines are breathing for her, they are keeping her alive…I think it might be the reason her body isn’t healing itself.”

  I frowned as I considered what he’d said.

  “How sure are you?” I asked with an arched eyebrow, even though I had a suspicion that I wasn’t going to like his answer.

  “Well, the thing is…I’m not sure. There’s no way to know for certain if that is the case. It’s just a hunch I have,” he replied.

  “So you think switching off the machines is going to do what?” I asked calmly, trying to keep my mixed emotions hidden inside.

  “I think if we switch the machines off, her body will be forced to heal itself.”

  I heard a growl behind me and knew it was Scarlett.

  “Shh, Scar,” Cade said, soothing her softly until she quietened down.

 
“What happens if we switch off the machines and you’re wrong?”

  It was a pointless question because I already knew the answer, but I was still hoping that somehow I was wrong.

  “If her body doesn’t heal itself, then she’ll die.”

  I rubbed my hands over my face. It was an impossible choice.

  “What do you think will happen if we keep her on the support?” I asked, needing another option. Switching off the machines and potentially losing her was, to me, not an option.

  He was silent for a few moments.

  “She’ll stay in a coma and she’ll never wake up.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh as I turned to face Scarlett and Cade.

  Two choices. One choice would leave her the way she was. My eyes moved to Keri. She was alive but she wasn’t living. I rubbed my forehead as I contemplated the only other choice. We removed her from life support but there was a good chance she would die. My eyes moved from Keri back to Scarlett and Cade. Gone was Scarlett’s anger, and Cade held her as she leaned against him. Her eyes met mine.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Scarlett replied in a hoarse voice.

  I needed someone to give me the answer because I wasn’t sure I would be able to make the choice.

  “I need a minute alone with her,” I said out loud and quietly they left me alone with my mate.

  I sat down in the chair beside Keri. The constant beeping of the machines keeping her alive reminded me that she wasn’t breathing on her own. All my fear and anxiety disappeared the moment I took her small hand in mine. Her hand was warm and I held it to my lips to kiss her.

  “Hi, baby,” I whispered hoarsely as my emotions began to filter through to the surface.

  “You need to wake up,” I pleaded softly, needing her to know how badly I needed her to live. Contemplating a life without her was like dying a slow death that I didn’t think I could endure.

  Was having her like this better than not having her at all? I closed my eyes, feeling the overwhelming responsibility of her life in my hands.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I admitted to her, feeling defeated.

  I looked over her still face and took in her paleness. She wasn’t getting any better with the machines.