Gavin awoke slowly. His eyes blurry; he could barely make out his surroundings. The soft mechanical beep of nearby equipment drew his attention. He tried to move his hand to rub his eyes and felt the sting of needles imbedded in the soft fleshy part of the back of his hand. He winced as he lifted his sore and tired hand to rub his eyes, ignoring the discomfort in his hand as he did so.
He felt lost, confused and disoriented as he lay in this soft sterile bed. He glanced around the room as his vision soon became clear. It was a simple hospital room. He laid up in a white bed with monitors and equipment. The soft beeping he heard was his heart rate, a steady staccato among the otherwise quiet room. He tried to remember why he was in the hospital to begin with, and it took a few minutes before everything came flooding back to him.
The war, the battle at the academy. His friends, all excited for the inter-academy competition between the academies of Allario and Daedalus. His battle against the alpha were-lion shifter Erick Lyons. His exhaustion after the battle, laid up in the infirmary, being yelled at by Erza for his reckless behavior.
His cheeks flushed red as he remembered something else from that day. Her words and admission. Pregnant with his child. Joy filled his heart as he recalled that hushed conversation moments before the battle for survival began. Then the nightmare memories started. The depths he had to go to ensure their survival. Using necromancy. Summoning up a vast army of the dead to fight for him and protect the academy.
He remembered the final battle, using the forbidden spell, "Super nova" and causing catastrophic damage to the arena to kill the enemy leader and forces. The utter exhaustion his body felt once the Alpha Overdrive skill ended. The last thing he remembered was seeing his grandfather rushing to his side as he collapsed on the ground.
Then a sudden chill ran down his spine. That wasn't the last thing he remembered. He was dragged away by Koray again. The god wanted another conversation with him. He had difficulties remembering exactly what all the god wanted to talk about.
As he struggled to recall the exact conversation the beeping of his monitor began to speed up. Beating a steady rhythm faster and faster as bits of the conversation played out in his mind.
"Your mate has been taken." Was the last thing that Gavin could recall the god saying. "Get with your grandfather, he will have found a way to track her down," he was told.
His blood ran both cold and hot at the memory. How long was he out? How many days had passed since she was taken? Was it the same blonde-haired man that he fought against with his grandfather? How did he survive if that's the case?
He began to feel his anger building as his thoughts ran in circles. Someone dared to take what was mine. Someone dared to commit the worst crime imaginable to Gavin. She was a living human being. Not some trash. She was his mate, mother of his unborn child.
He felt his aura surging through his body. It was wild, chaotic and dangerous. Days of rest had fully replenished his body and mana. It was surging out of control as a result. He tried to focus, to keep it in and was unable to do so. Grief racked his body as he refused to imagine the worse case scenario. No. That wouldn't happen. He would find her. He would rescue her and protect her at all costs. He would burn this city to the ground if it meant he could find her.
He let his anger fuel his tired and weakened body. He allowed his mana to surge through the room and beyond. The normally invisible waves of mana a vibrant dark red as it lashed out around him. The impact of the mana cutting deeply into the walls and doors in the hospital. He was not some weak, helpless human anymore.
He was an Alpha Were-Wolf. He had the blessing of the god Koray. He had the AI system Veronica by his side. He was trained in magic and shifting. He had access to several of the forbidden magics. He pulled the needles and monitors off his body, the constant beeping died off instantly in response as he yanked, blood leaking from the minor holes in his flesh. He didn't care. Let his blood fill every step as he forced his body to stand, pushing himself off from the hospital bed.
He saw red as he stood for the first time since he passed out. His rage was palpable; all consuming as he focused on the one objective. Finding the key to his heart, and his sanity.
He shifted into his large, imposing were-wolf form. Fur black as midnight manifested over his body as his limbs elongated. He felt the familiar burn fill his blood as his body responded to the command, the need to shift and rip heads off bodies until he found his mate and unborn child.
He stood there in the hospital room, filled with rage and hatred for the True Lords Army. They would not get away with this. They wanted a war? They would get a bloodbath instead. He threw his head back, his mana spinning out of control as he unleashed a haunting howl to the sky. He poured his rage, his grief and his horror into that one howl. Where would he start? How would he find her?
Desperation mixed with fear gripped his heart like a vice as he began to think and plan. His ears picked up voices calling from the hallway.
"Gavin, buddy. You must calm down. We are with you!" the voice sounded familiar. But in his rage and grief he couldn't place it with a face and a name.
The door to his hospital room opened and two figures stepped inside, covered in sweat as they struggled to enter the room.
"I know man," Jackson called out, his voice strained from the effort. "She's gone for the moment. But you have to calm down. You are hurting everyone in this hospital!" Jackson called out as he struggled to reach his friend and alpha. "You are hurting innocent people, that isn't like you!"
If Jackson didn't know any better, he'd swear that Gavin was even larger than he was before as a were-wolf. He didn't know if that was possible, but it was the impression he got as he witnessed Gavin's rage and fury exploding out from around him.
"You aren't the only one that cares for her and is afraid dude!" Helena snapped. Her own fury was now mounting as her eyes glowed red. Her own wolf was responding to Gavin's cry for vengeance and fury. She focused on her mana and allowed her body to shift. Beautiful silver fur manifested over her body as she stood facing Gavin. She refused to back down to her alpha. Gavin needed to be forced to see reason, even if it meant a fight broke out between them.
"You let her get taken!" he roared in fury as he lunged at Helena. In his rage fueled state he gripped her throat and pinned her against the nearby wall, leaving her feet to dangle helplessly. She struggled in vain to break the hold he had on her. She kicked and clawed at his arm, trying desperately to remove his grip.
That was when she noticed. His hands were trembling; the sharpness of his claws easing away from the flesh of her neck. Though strong, his grip wasn't painful as she maintained eye contact with her alpha. Tears spilled from his glowing red eyes as he felt lost holding her there. She reached a clawed hand to gently place it against his chest. "We will find her Gavin, I promise this. You are not alone. She is not alone. We are wolf. We are pack," she said as she tried to gently calm him down. He was in a very dangerous state of mind. The wrong word spoken, the wrong move made, and he could lash out in his grief and fury.
Tears fell down his cheeks as he looked at her. "I… I'm so sorry Helena," he said as he gently placed her back on her feet. He took a few steps back and asked Veronica. Can you tell if she is still alive?
He held his breath as he awaited a response from his AI companion. It took only moments for the response, but it felt like a lifetime. The connection formed by the magical bond is still there and strong. She is indeed still alive Master Gavin; Veronica's cool words felt like a weight of comfort in his turbulent mind.
He exhaled sharply as his mana appeared to weaken in the room. Gone was the oppressive weight that kept everyone pinned to the floor except for Jackson and Helena. He wrapped his arms around himself as he took a few more steps back from Helena, ashamed of his actions. He refused to meet either of their gazes as he retreated towards the bed.
The door opened before anyone could say anything and the Magi guards stormed in. Each of them had their arms raised defensively, palms glowing with unused magic as they searched for the source of the disturbance.
Jackson walked over to them as Gavin let go of his shifting ability and returned to normal. "Everything's fine. It was Gavin's magic that spun out of control for a moment there. He's deeply sorry for the trouble caused to the hospital and the panic caused to the staff and patients," Jackson said in apology as he looked between both the older Magi.
"He lashed out like a petulant child," one of them admonished as he glared at Gavin, tired and appearing weak as he leaned against the bed. Gavin had the forethought to bow low as he apologized.
"Please forgive me, I did not mean to cause that kind of chaos," Gavin apologized. He bowed his head low. He did feel a pang of guilt for causing that kind of panic and fear among the people. All he could think about in the moment was Erza. He had to find her and rescue her at all costs.
"Don't let it happen again boy," the man said as they both turned and left the hospital room. A nurse came hurrying in to inspect Gavin's injuries.
"I can't believe you ripped the IV's out of your arm like it was nothing. Who does that?" she chastised him. She pushed him back onto the bed as she gathered the wires and attempted to hook him back to the machines. He kept trying to swat her hands away without hurting her in the process as he argued with her.
"I cant' stay here. I'm sorry but I have to leave. I have important matters to attend to," Gavin protested as he struggled against his nurse.
She huffed at him as she narrowed her blue eyes. "Boy, you nearly died on us. Multiple times. You might want to think on that for a moment and let it sink in," she informed him. That seemed to take some of the bluster out of Gavin as he lay back in bed and allowed her to clean the old needle marks on his hand and arms. She hooked up new lines and soon the steady staccato rhythm of the heart monitor and vitals was heard once again.
"Boy, can you ever go someplace without causing trouble?" a gruff voice called out from the doorway.