Jacob

I sat in the waiting room, impatiently waiting for Robert, the pack doctor, to come out. Hoping Ana had just fainted from the beating those stupid girls gave her.. Seeing her like that had really caused me to stress as the thought of losing someone else scares me.

"Just leave me." The words flash through my mind. The way she said it makes me extremely worried about her. Her face sunken and swollen and bags under her eyes were prominent.

I didn't need to sense her distress; it was in her eyes and the way she acted. She couldn't look at me and despite what she had done, had hurt me, and even though I had tried everything in my willpower to avoid her. The way she looked at me, her eyes broken, made me need to know that she was okay.

"Fuck," I swear, annoyed at myself for distancing myself from her. Blaming myself for all the bruises and pain she must've gone through since we stopped talking.

We might not be as close as what we were as kids, but I never stopped caring about her. Seeing her so mistreated had awoken my need to protect her again. After having felt her small body in my arms as I cradled it against my chest, I knew I will continue to protect her.

The sound of a closing door makes me look up as I am pulled out of my thoughts. I see Robert walking towards me. I stand up as he approaches, a grim look on his face as he speaks to me. My mind immediately jumps to the worst possibility of what could be wrong with Ana.

"What's wrong with her, Robert?" I ask, panic settling in.

"It looks like Anastasia has met her mate," he starts, the words causing me to just stare at him. Shocked that she never told me, I realize how distant we have grown and how the years have flown for Ana to actually have been of age.

"Oh," I say, not knowing what else to reply to his unexpected announcement. My mind is unsure on how to process the news.

"Isn't that supposed to be good for her? Shouldn't it make her more energetic?" I ask, thinking about her sluggish movements from earlier.

A part of me envies Ana and is angry at her for what she did to me and the fact that she has a mate now.

"Well, usually it does," Robert says, answering me. "But in the Omega's case, it doesn't seem to help her."

I bite my tongue as he refers to Ana as Omega.

"So then, there is something wrong with her bond?" I question, tilting my head in confusion and wondering what it could be.

"Yes," he continues, "It seems to have been a recent connection; however, it seems as if Anastasia and her mate have neither accepted nor rejected each other. I'm not sure if this is because of Anastasia or her mate. In rare cases where both parties are unsure about the connection, there are consequences to the female wolf. If she isn't claimed or rejected within a month of the bond formation, her Omega could be weakened, her body could be damaged, and sometimes the body breaks down until the Omega dies."

Robert is reading off his notes as he says this.

Not noticing the look of disgust on my face. Who would let such a sacred gift go to waste? The idea causes me to reach out to my mate, the empty feeling causing my wounded heart to flare with pain.

"I see Doc, and her fainting and injuries?" I ask, remembering how light Ana had felt in my arms.

Her face was full of bruises, her nose had a minor cut across it and her breathing labored, almost as if she had a few broken ribs. I saw the blood on the sleeve of her sweatshirt as it hung limply in the air, her head thrown back, covered in blood. I assumed that was where the blood on her sleeve was from.

"Yes, it seems like the weak mate bond has caused her Omega to weaken," Robert says, putting his clipboard under his arm. A somber expression on his face as he looks at me.

"The Omega is too weak to do anything, and they have not nurtured the mate connection. This means that she hasn't been receiving the intimate interactions she needs. These social interactions and touches do not need to be received from her mate, but interactions with her mate are preferred, as their connection would be stronger.

However, it seems Anastasia hasn't received these interactions with anyone. Her wolf is missing her mate. She needs to be reassured," Robert explains.

His words cause my heart to break at the idea of Ana being all alone and her not receiving the reassurance her omega so desperately needs.

"What can we do to help?" I ask, hoping there is something to help her Omega, even if it slightly eases her pain.

"I suggest physical contact, intimate touches, even if small, could help her Omega gain some strength," Robert says, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he thinks about the best solution for Ana's situation.

"However, I advise we find her mate soon, as her wolf will need his presence to help her heal," Robert says, almost as an afterthought.

I just nod my head, knowing I will try to help her as much as I can. "Can I see her?" I ask, needing to confirm that she is okay.

"Sure, she is just down the hall," Robert says, before walking away.

I rush towards her room, hoping she is okay. I stand in the doorway, shocked at the sight before me. She is lying in the bed, her body small and frail, her pale skin looks lighter than usual, her red hair frames her delicate features, making her look like I phoenix.

It hypnotizes me as I walk closer, my hand taking hers as I sit on the seat next to her bed. She seems to be asleep, her eyes closed and her mouth is slightly parted. I look at her small hand in mine, squeezing it tighter, hoping the contact will help her Omega.

"Oh, Ana," I say as my eyes move up her arm toward her now clean face, her nose has a small bandage across the bridge, her right eye bandaged as the damage from her nose has left both eyes swollen, her left eye is essentially a large blue bruise.

Her lip has a bandage across it. I see the top of her collarbone as her sweatshirt bares some of it to me and I notice the bruises along there as well. I just stare at her and as I do, I notice all the bruises on her body, all the bruises she has tried and failed to hide from me.

My blood runs cold as each bruise is worse than the one before and I shake my head, knowing that I won't be able to change it. Instead, I simply focus on her and what her Omega needs. "You are gonna be okay now, Ana," I say, hoping that my words won't end up being a lie.

The door opening behind me causes my head to look up as I turn to focus on whoever entered the room.

I see Derek standing in the doorway, his green eyes wildly searching around the room, looking for something.

A soft squeeze of my hand causes me to look down. I glance up at Ana, her eyes staring into mine as she tiredly blinks, looking around the room. The machine beeps rapidly showcasing her wild heartbeat. Her eyes move past me, focusing on Derek, and the machine slowly calms.

Derek moves forward, transfixed by Ana. It seems his footsteps stop as soon as he catches my scent. A low growl starts in his throat. A warning.

I stay where I am, trying to ignore Derek and his weird behavior until I feel his hand on the back of my chair, gripping it as he moves it back with so much force, my chair with me sliding across the floor. The chair comes to a stop when it hits the wall. The impact causing my back to hit the hit and for the air to come rushing out of my lungs. Making me gasp.

I look at Ana, her eyes wide with fear as she holds the hand I was gripping; I see red marks on it from my hand being pulled away from her.

But the fear dissipates as soon as Derek places his hand on hers, gripping it in his.

"Ana, are you okay? I sensed your despair, and I had to find you," Derek asks. His shoulders relaxing as his eyes moved over her, ensuring that she was okay.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask, standing up and walking towards Ana again, confused at the weird interaction that is happening between Derek and Ana.

I'm stopped when I feel a hand on my chest, pushing me back again. I look up to see Derek staring at me, his mouth in a sneer. I hear Ana whimper and when I look over at her; I notice how Derek has used his body to shield Ana behind him, almost as if he was possessive of her.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he growls at me.