The Rebellious Omega

Blair

POV

The drive to the Silver Wolf Pack was filled with silence. Sarah's face was a picture of misery as she sat in the back with me, while I held on tightly to what little composure I had. I couldn't understand how Braedon had been injured so severely and I glanced down at my stomach, putting a protective hand over it. I refused to believe that this might be it, that he might be slowly fading from this life. I needed to be strong, if only for our pup, and as the car slowly drifted and came to a halt, I blinked the tears away as James opened the doors in a rush, Sarah practically falling into his arms as he gave me an apologetic glance. I felt more alone than ever as I saw them embrace, wishing I had someone to do the same for me.

I climbed out stiffly. James led us straight into the hospital, where many of the nurses and doctors gave us curious glances. None of them looked as though they were filled with hatred and many of them were happy or relieved. According to James, they had been relieved when their Alpha had been dispatched and the women they had saved from being trafficked were being looked over as we walked past, right into Braedon's sterile and cold hospital room.

I stopped in my tracks, my throat constricting tightly. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It almost bowled me over in shock. His body lay on the bed, n**e, except for a sheet that covered him, his ribs and abdomen tightly bound with white bandages that had already bled through. He was hooked up to several machines for various purposes and I saw the IV as he was given a blood transfusion. I felt fear wash over me. This was worse than anything I had imagined on the way here. His eyes were closed. I could see his chest moving and I moved closer, feeling my body trembling.

"Braedon" I whispered, reaching out to touch him with a shaking hand.

Silence. Sarah gave a sob from behind me. I grabbed his hand and felt how cold it was, instead of the usual warmth that came from it. "Braedon," I said a little louder, and a doctor who was rapidly taking his vitals gave me a look of sympathy as she cleared her throat and fixed her eyes on me.

"You must be his mate," she said gently.

I nodded quietly, my gaze fixed on my mate's pale face. The doctor cleared her throat. "The wounds beneath the bandages are quite extensive, but it's not that, that we have to worry about so much" she attempted to explain.

I cast a look over my shoulder at James, confused. He looked away, still holding Sarah as she wept into his shoulder. "I'm sorry then what is it that's causing so much damage? Why is he in such bad condition?" I asked a little harshly.

The doctor sighed. "He suffered a grievous head wound. He has swelling on the brain. We're going to have to operate to see if we can relieve the pressure, but I'm afraid that for the moment, your mate is" She hesitated, while I stared at her mutely, willing her to speak, to say the words she was struggling to say "your mate is currently in a coma Luna Queen."

Whoosh. The air left my lungs. I swayed, feeling dangerously lightheaded as I struggled to draw in oxygen. James rushed to catch me, depositing me safely on a chair beside Braedon. I found my voice "How, I mean, you didn't say that he had a head wound?" my voice was slightly accusing as I turned my head to look at him.

James winced "He was thrown around quite a bit during the fight with the rogues. On one occasion he did hit his head, hard against a tree but stubbornly kept fighting. In the end, a large tree branch fell on him, after he'd been wounded on the rib cage. I thought it was just the stomach wound until we got him to the hospital, otherwise, I would have informed you. I did not know that he was in a coma, not until now" his voice trailed off, filled with regret and remorse.

"You said rogues attacked him," I said dully "it sounds odd that there were so many in the forest" I added, staring at my mate, my hand stroking the palm of his hand.

"This pack has been dealing with rogue attacks for the last few months. Braedon was reckless in dashing after the Alpha into the forest without paying attention to his surroundings, or perhaps he assumed there were less rogues than there were" James said heavily. "Or he was arrogant enough to presume he could take care of them all," I said staring down at my mate with a sigh. James nodded tightly.

Sarah stepped up, a hand to her mouth, sobbing. "Oh Braedon" she cried, looking devastated.

"When does he go into surgery?" I asked quietly.

Sarah let out a small sob at the question, looking as though she was about to faint at any moment. James quickly moved to hold her, using his arms to keep her upright so she wouldn't collapse to the floor.

"We plan on taking him in the next hour, we're prepping the theatre as we speak," the doctor said solemnly.

"Will he wake from his coma, with the pressure eased from the bleeding?" I asked numbly.

The doctor bit her lip "There's no way to tell for sure. It may help, but I can't make any guarantees Luna Queen. I'm sorry, I wish I could, I wish I could give you better news. I'm sorry" she apologized "all we can do is see what happens after the surgery." I nodded. "What are the risks?" I asked.

"Without the surgery, he'll die," the doctor said simply, "but there are always risks associated with surgery. The surgery could kill him," she said lowly as I fought back my tears "but without it, his death is imminent."

I felt hollow. Everything was surreal. Part of me wanted to curl up into a ball and weep, but the other part of me reminded myself that I was a Luna Queen and that I couldn't afford to show such weakness in front of pack members. It was the most difficult thing I had

to do. Sarah was beyond consolable. I glanced at James "Perhaps it would be better if you took Sarah somewhere to rest" I said heavily "Stress is not good for the baby" I added delicately and tried not to wince at the irony. After all this stress could not be good for my pup either and yet, I would not be leaving Braedon's side.