Was this how it felt to be anxious? Heartbroken?
She laid painfully still, barely breathing with her hands cuffed to her back.
"Mate?" He called out but his voice came out shaky and breathy, startling the shit out of him.
He blinked but didn't waste time pondering on why he suddenly sounded so weak as he strode towards her.
Dropping to his knees, he touched the cuffs and unlocked it, breathing a sigh of relief as the metal thing fell to the floor with a clang.
"Number 3...shit! Mate?" He called gently, easing her hands back to her sides, rolling her to face him.
He shut his mouth against the growl rumbling in his chest at the metal gag he had commanded Iris to put on her.
How could he do this to her?
His hands hovered over her swollen face, his eyes going in and out of focus as he resisted the urge to touch her face when all he wanted to do right now is hold her in his arms.
Guilt. He felt it eat right into his heart.
How could he do this to his better half?
"Mate?" He called again and this time more firmly but her eyes remained shut.
Immediately touching her now bluish upper lip, the iron rod loosened slowly till it rolled off mouth, a drool of saliva going with it.
Without hesitation, he lined his slender fingers over her still parted lips before snapping his fingers in the air with enough energy that his wrist almost snapped.
"What is this?" He thundered the moment a maid materialized from the shadows.
"I do not understand what you ask of, Alpha."
"Shut the fuck up!" He growled, turning his neck to glare at the maid who stood a little behind him.
"Why wasn't she served?" He asked initially wanting it to be a yell but his voice broke as he looked back down at the weakened human in his hold.
"I am sorry Alpha but you asked her to be gagged and nobody can go against..."
"Fuck off and get me some water this instant!" He bellowed and the maid eased back into the shadows.
Carrying her gently from the cold floor, he placed her in the middle of the queen sized bed in the room before snapping his fingers in the air again.
"Get me a healer."
There was a knock on the door almost instantly.
"The healer is here, Alpha." The chubby woman with a permanently bent back hurried to his side but he just nodded at the lady on the bed.
"What are you still standing for?" He boomed.
"I can't heal humans." She bowed even lower.
Resisting the urge to kick something, he ordered in a forced low voice. "Then do something!"
"She just needs water, food and enough rest."
Snapping, he bent over and wrapped his hand around the healer's throat, his hiss of words following.
"What do you think you are doing?" He asked, glaring at her face.
"Telling you the truth." The healer replied calmly in a voice already used to the Alpha's explosive behaviour.
"How the fuck does she need water, food and rest if she is unconscious." He hissed right into her face forcing her to straighten her back to meet his now mismatched eyes.
Only then did the healer show a bit of fear, sweat trickling down her face.
"She is...not..." As if thinking better of it, the healer clamped her mouth shut.
"She is not what!? Speak!" His eyes blazed, squeezing even tighter as it darted back to the still body on the bed.
Opening her round eyes really wide as if it would stop her from choking to her death, the healer finally consented.
"SHE IS NOT UNCONSCIOUS." She blurted out loudly and hurriedly.
"What!?"