Chapter 26: Care

Her eyelids flutter open, the bright light shone in them, and she groaned before closing them again. She flipped onto her back after a few seconds and looked up at an unfamiliar white ceiling. Althea raised an eyebrow, suspecting that she had awoken at Anthony's house after leaving the birthday party.

She bit her lower lip as she pushed herself off the bed. Her back and head were in excruciating pain as if she'd been run over by a train. She suspects a hangover.

"You're awake," a deep, dull voice said. Althea turned around to see a tall man with white irises and numerous tattoos. She blinked a few times, trying to recall what happened the night before, but she couldn't.

She took a quick look around the room; it was a little sloppy, and the paint was peeling off the walls. It was a small studio apartment. "F*ck, did I hook up with a jerk?" she wondered. "Who are you?" she asked, rubbing her forehead to try to relieve her excruciating headache.

"Don't pull that sh*t on me," he sneered. He was rude, and she flinched back. She looked at him again, from his toes to his head, and his eyes reminded her of something, but she couldn't remember what. I felt as if I should know something about those white irises. She exhaled, attempting to slow her heartbeat.

Althea exhaled, attempting to slow her heartbeat. "Look, I don't know who you are, but if we had a one-night stand- it didn't mean anything; maybe I was just drunk last night," she said truthfully, her gaze fixed on the ground. She was extremely embarrassed by her current situation. Althea should just leave, but she has no idea where she is.

The man approached her and crossed his arms in front of her. He was born, and she had to admit that she had chosen a hot one. "F*ck, Althea, don't fuck with me," he hissed into her ear, pulling at her hair.

Althea winced and shifted back into the bed. "W-wait! H-how do you know my name?" she stammers, terrified. It was useless, she told him last night, but it still made her shudder.

"Are you fucking dumb? Because you're my mate," he huffed as he sat at the edge of the bed. She frowned and sniffed the air; he had the most pleasurable scents.

"He was correct, I am his mate since I can smell it," she thought to herself. "But why don't I remember you?" she wonders.

He looked surprised, "You don't remember me?" he asks, his eyes wide with surprise.

Althea then slowly nods, her face warming up. She was overjoyed to finally meet her mate, despite the uncomfortable situation.

"Oh my god," he exhales, pulling his hair back in frustration. She then moved closer and tried to touch his arm, causing his head to turn towards her and him to check her.

"How about we go out?" he asks, his face devoid of emotion, as she suspects he isn't one for emotional responses.

She nods again, a light smile on her face. He and she get out of bed. She looks down and notices she's wearing a small shirt. "Do you have any clothes I could borrow?" she asked, biting her lip as she drew the front of her shirt down to hide some of its details.

He nodded, opening a cabinet and pulling out a dog-hooded sweatshirt with ears, which she thought was adorable. She's curious when or why he got that. Then he took out some black jeans with a chevron pattern on them. He approached her and handed them to her.

"Cute, why do you have these in the first place?" she asked, walking over to an open door that she recognized as the restroom. Even though he was her mate, she still had some self-esteem.

He looked down at the floor, and she noticed a sadness in his eyes for a brief moment, or was it just her headache? "There's no reason," he said, turning to sit on his bed. She nods, preferring not to bother him about it.

She hurriedly changed into the clothes he had given her. They fit perfectly because he bought them specifically for her. She wished it were so, but she barely knew him. She's implying that she only met him today.

But it is a memorable day of her life because she never imagined she would meet her soulmate. She then wonders how Anthony will react to this; she is sure he will be overjoyed for her.

Althea then walked out of the restroom, her lip slightly bitten. She should probably ask her mate's name if he looks up at her. "I'm sorry for bothering you, just what is your name?" she asks awkwardly.

He sighs and says, "Allan," that's all. She nodded, thinking she'd heard that name before but couldn't place it. Her nausea will be the end of her patience.

Allan stands up and grabs her wrist, dragging her out of his run-down apartment. She then ran after him, ignoring his firm grip on her wrist. He was either thrilled or overprotective, which works for her. It simply means he is concerned.

They leave the complex and get into a car. They ride for about fifteen minutes before arriving at a large structure. The sign said Harrison Hospital, which she read. She raised an eyebrow, "Why are we in a hospital?" she inquired, slightly concerned. "You will understand later," he says as he walks away from her. She then got out and followed him closely, her curiosity piqued.

They walk right past the waiting area and into a doctor's office. He appeared to be on leave.

"Hello, Allan and Ma'am, please come in and close the door behind you," says the doctor. They walk in as she silently closes the door behind her, strangely standing by it. "Could you please sit on the bed, Althea?" the doctor asks. She hops onto the mattress, slowly nodding. She assumed she had come to be examined. She wishes he had consulted her first, but she supposes it's fine. They will eventually find our balancing point.

"Althea, can you remember any events in the last 30 days or weeks?" the doctor asks, pulling out a piece of paper and placing it on a whiteboard.

She paused for a moment to reflect and then recalled. "I've just been going to school like any other college student," she says with a smirk.

He nods, jotting down some notes before asking another, "Are you feeling anything out of the normal?" he asks, staring at her attentively.

"Yeah. I've had a big headache since I woke up, and I feel like I should be recalling things, but I'm not. I think I was so drunk last night," she laughed, but he just ended up giving her a serious look.

He gets to his feet and places the whiteboard under his arm. "Will you come with me to check your brain, Althea?" he asks.

"Sure," she says, not sure why this was necessary, but oh well. This is not the place to ponder the meaning of life. But it felt like she should at times.

After an hour of queuing up and having her brain scanned, the doctor returned to the room where she and Allan were sitting quietly. "So?" Allan inquired, hoping to hear something from the doctor.

"Let's talk outside for a minute," the doctor says, gulping. Allan follows him out the door and they have a conversation. She stood up and put her ear to the door, but she couldn't hear them. They must have assumed she would eavesdrop. Who wouldn't want to? She meant they just examined her and she never found out what was wrong with her.

They soon came in, and Allan seemed to be tense as he glanced at her. "Come on Althea, let's go out to eat," he pulls her away from him.

"See you for your next checkup!" the doctor exclaimed as they walked out of the hospital.

When they got into Allan's car, she had to ask him, "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked, perplexed.

"Not a thing," he says after a brief pause, gazing to the left rearview mirror. She bit her lower lip; if he wasn't hiding something from her because she suspected something was amiss, he wouldn't have felt compelled or looked to his privilege. If only she had known.