Ariadne: Almost an Alpha | ✓

Chapter 38 - You Won

Chapter 38 - You Won 

When I finally look up, everyone is already standing up and out of their seats. Mateus is already halfway to me, having jumped down from the seating area and into this level. A bunch of people rush up the ramp from the lower level.

Another spectator follows Mateus' actions. It's Bram's mate. As she jumps into the lower level, she transforms, landing on the arena ground on all fours. Instead of going to her mate, she runs straight at me. Her actions are reckless, and she's tackled to the ground by a group of wolves before she can even get to me.

The whole stadium is in absolute chaos.

Mateus gets to me at the same time as the medics do. Neither he nor the medics ask me what I want before they start poking and prodding at my wounds. It's kind of irritating. My wounds aren't that dire that I need urgent attention. The main problem is the blood, and anything they put on won't last through a change. It's also going to be a hell of a lot faster to fix my dislocated leg once they don't have to deal with the extra joints of my current situation.

I start trying to limp my way to somewhere I can get a little privacy, and they stop me.

I glare at Mateus. He's got to know I don't like this. He pointedly ignores my gaze, so I have to wait for them to stop bandaging my side before I can go back underground. They stop me again and put me on a large stretcher. Dylan, James, and Vincent join. I refrain from snapping at all of them as they transport me to the official medical facility on the pack grounds. There, they ask everyone to wait in the front, and I finally get some peace from my friends fretting over me. I'm put in a room and am told that I can finally shift. One woman approaches Mateus like she's going to tell him to leave as well, but one look from his intimidating stare, and she stops.

"You can't interfere," she says, and he nods.

I shift, and it's painful. The skin around my wounds stretches and shrinks underneath the hasty bandages, and the bone in my leg tries to snap back into place but fails. It ruins any healing I had accomplished. I end up in a crumpled, naked heap on the ground. My more major wounds have reopened, and without any fur to stop it, the blood starts dripping down my skin. Mateus and the medics immediately reach for me, and I'm picked up and placed on the bed.

The medics start poking and prodding again. They bandage my wounds more permanently. Everything is more painful now, and I can't hold in my winces as they start touching the areas around my wounds. Mateus grabs my hand. When they get to my leg, I have to clench my jaw to stop from screaming in pain. I clench Mateus' hand so hard I'm surprised I don't crush it in my grasp. I begin to feel slightly lightheaded.

"Humans usually go under anesthesia to put hips back into place," the doctor says. "I think it's a good choice in this case. We'll probably stitch up few of your other injuries to promote a faster healing process. I think we'll be able to remove most of them by tomorrow morning, but they'll still give you some pain. That deep bite on your side won't be fully healed for at least another day after."

I nod.

Some nurses help me into a hospital gown, and I laugh at them. It's not like I'm going to get any modesty back now.

Everyone in the room hears my laugh and looks at me like I've grown another head. Little do they know the one I've got now feels like it's spinning rather uncontrollably.

"We'll give you a minute to yourself while we prepare everything," the doctor states before all the personnel leave.

Now that the no one is here to stop Mateus from interfering, he starts examining me.