“Ben?” Dominic asked again, and the word was enough to snap Benjamin back to the present. Dominic never called him Ben.
Benjamin shook his head and took a shaky step backward. His mate let him go, but he hovered close, as if afraid Benjamin was about to fall on his face. He wasn’t completely wrong—Benjamin was grateful for the attention and shit, he couldn’t believe he’d met his mate while wearing a hospital gown just after breaking out of the infirmary. At least he’d showered and the hospital gown was clean.
“I’m fine,” Benjamin said, waving at Dominic.
Dominic didn’t look convinced. “The last time I talked to Jared he said you were in for at least another week in the infirmary. Why aren’t you there?”
“I, well, I decided I’d had enough and left.”
Dominic closed his eyes, breathed out, and opened them again. “You ran away from the infirmary.” He made Benjamin feel like a naughty child, and Benjamin giggled.
“Uh, yes?”
“Was that Jared who was yelling at you?”
“Yeah. He saw me while I was leaving. He’s probably looking for me.” Benjamin was surprised he still hadn’t found him, and he knew it wouldn’t take him long.
Dominic walked to the door and opened it. Benjamin closed his eyes. He really didn’t want to go back to the infirmary. It probably made him a brat, but he’d already been there for a week, and he just wanted his bed and his room. It wasn’t too much to ask for, right?
“Are you all right?” someone asked, and Benjamin blinked his eyes open.
His mate was looking down at him, and holy fuck, he was tall, freakishly so. He was also muscled, and it might have scared Benjamin if his mate’s eyes hadn’t been soft and worried.
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but since you ran away from the infirmary, you should probably sit down.”
Benjamin’s knees wobbled as if to point out how right his mate was, and he nodded. His mate gently took his hand, wrapping his other arm around Benjamin’s waist, and pulled him along until they reached the couches. He deposited Benjamin on one of them, making him feel like he was precious. He’d normally balk at that, because he hated it when people had to take care of him. That was one of the main reasons why he’d left the infirmary. But this was his mate, and it was different. He was the one man who Benjamin felt like he could let go with.
Benjamin slumped against the back of the couch, and he wasn’t surprised when his mate sat next to him. He leaned against his mate’s side, smiling a bit at the small gasp of surprise that came from him. His mate didn’t push him away, though. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Benjamin’s shoulders and pulled him close.
Benjamin was so short next to his mate. He wanted nothing more than to bury his nose into the space between his mate’s neck and his shoulder, but he couldn’t get there, so he made do with pressing his face against his mate’s chest.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” a loud voice asked, and Benjamin winced. He’d never heard Jared sound so angry, and Jared didn’t usually swear.
Benjamin slowly turned his head until he could see Jared, and fuck, yeah. He was clearly angry. His face was red and if looks could kill, Benjamin would already be six feet under. “I wanted to get out of there,” he said, weariness pushing heavily on him.
“There’s a reason why I want you to stay in the infirmary.”
“I know.”
Jared took a deep breath and shook his head. “You need to come back. I have to check your wounds and make sure you didn’t open them again.” He looked at Benjamin’s lap. “I also need to put in another catheter.”
Benjamin groaned. He was feeling loopy, but he didn’t know if it was from the pain or the painkillers he’d taken before leaving. Or maybe it was just because he was an idiot. He’d known he probably shouldn’t leave the infirmary, and he was the first to admit it hadn’t been a good idea, but then hindsight was 20/20 and all that shit.
“Can you not talk about catheters and my dick in front of my mate, please?” he whined.
His mate tensed under him, and Benjamin wondered if he’d made a mistake. He looked around the room, even though he really wanted to bury his face against his mate’s chest and forget about the world, and sure enough, everyone was looking at him. “What?” he asked before pressing his face against his mate’s chest again.
“Your mate?” Dominic asked.
Benjamin waved at the chest under his cheek. “Him.”
“Lucas is your mate?”
“Lucas? It’s a pretty name. A pretty name for a pretty man.”
Dominic chuckled and looked at Jared. “What’s wrong with him?”
Jared huffed and crossed his arms on his chest. “Apart from the fact that he’s an idiot? He took his painkillers just before leaving the infirmary. They’re obviously working.”
“So he’s stoned,” someone else said, and Benjamin blinked at John. He hadn’t even noticed John was there when he’d come in, but then he’d been distracted by running away and meeting his mate.
And thinking about mates, Lucas still hadn’t said anything.
Benjamin looked up at him, suddenly worried about what he’d see on Lucas’ face, but Lucas looked both in awe, surprised, and soft. Soft wasn’t a word Benjamin usually associated with guys that had to be something like eleven feet tall—but the expression on Lucas’ face as he looked down at Benjamin was exactly that.
“Hi,” he croaked, never looking away from Lucas.
“Hi,” Lucas answered with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“So I guess you’re my mate.”
“That’s what I thought I heard you say.”
“I hope it won’t be a problem for you.”
Lucas’ eyebrows rose on his forehead. “Why should it be a problem?”
Benjamin shrugged. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first person not to want me around. Besides, you’re you, and I’m me.”
“That didn’t make much sense.”
“It’s the painkillers.” Benjamin waved in Jared’s direction. “He said I should take them if I hurt, and I was in pain after my shower.”
“Probably because you shouldn’t have been taking it,” Jared butted in. “You need to come back to the infirmary. I have to check your wounds and you need rest. This little stunt might have hurt you more than you thought it would.”
Benjamin pouted. “I don’t like the infirmary. It’s lonely, and not like I usually like it. The lonely, I mean.”
Being stuck in his infirmary bed was even lonelier than his usual life was. At least when he was the one closing himself off in the library, Benjamin could come out and slink around the house, watching people. It probably meant he was a freak, and he certainly felt like it, but it was enough for him to watch people interact to feel less lonely. It was a good compromise between his social awkwardness, his desire to keep people away so they couldn’t hurt him, and the bone deep loneliness he sometimes felt.
“I’ll come with you,” Lucas said, his chest rumbling under Benjamin’s cheek.
“Of course you will. You’re my mate.”
Lucas chuckled and tried to untangle himself from Benjamin’s hold, but Benjamin wasn’t about to let go, not even if he was getting sleepy as fuck. He tightened his arm around Lucas’ waist and held on, more like a koala than the fox he was.
Lucas didn’t have any problems getting up, though. He was huge, and he held Benjamin as if he were a doll. Benjamin let him, knowing Lucas wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Sleep was much easier to come now that he was in his mate’s arms, and he didn’t even care about the thought of being stuck in the infirmary again.
* * * *
Benjamin—or Ben, Lucas didn’t know what the man in his arms wanted to be called—was so very light. Lucas didn’t have problems hauling him up from the couch they’d been cuddling on, and he followed the doctor who’d come looking for Benjami
n to the infirmary. Dominic followed, his face a mix of worry and happiness that Lucas didn’t understand.
There were a lot of things he didn’t understand at the moment. The only thing he was sure of was that Benjamin had said Lucas was his mate, and Lucas was having a hard time believing it.
The doctor waved toward the bed once they entered a private room in the infirmary, and Lucas gently put Benjamin down on it. He had a hard time, because Benjamin didn’t seem to want to let go of him even though he was asleep, but he managed, and he took Benjamin’s hand so they could still touch each other.
He honestly wasn’t sure which one of them needed it most, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He looked at Dominic, who had followed them, feeling guilty about the fact that he wouldn’t be able to help. He’d been hesitant about saying yes before, but he’d probably have agreed in the end. There was no way he was agreeing now, though, not after Benjamin.
“I suppose you won’t be able to help me,” Dominic said.
Lucas looked at Benjamin, at the way Lucas’ hand seemed to swallow his. They were so different it was hard to think they were soul mates and destined to be together, but Lucas wasn’t about to complain. “I’m sorry.”
Dominic shook his head. “It’s fine. I wouldn’t expect a mated man to accept. It was a stretch anyway, since you’re not trained.”
“What will you do?”
“I’ll talk to John. Maybe some of his friends can help.” Dominic looked at Benjamin. “Take care of him. He’s had a hard past few years, and he’s not completely out of them yet.”
Lucas wanted to ask what had happened, but he wanted Benjamin to tell him when he felt ready, so he just nodded. He did need to know why Benjamin was in the hospital, though, but he wasn’t sure if he’d get answers if he asked. That wasn’t going to stop him.
“What happened to him? Why does he have to stay in the infirmary?”
Dominic patted Lucas’ shoulder. “Jared will tell you everything. I’ll be in my office if you want to talk.”
Lucas looked at Benjamin again. “I’ll probably have questions.”
“My door is open whenever you’re ready to ask them.” Dominic smiled. “Welcome to the pride.”
He left, and Lucas felt completely lost. Only hours ago he’d been thinking he was going to grow old and watch his best friend stay young, yet here he was, apparently a shifter’s mate, and he didn’t know where to begin.
He looked at Jared, who had gathered the stuff he needed and brought it near the bed on a tray. Jared noticed him looking and nodded at the hospital gown Benjamin was wearing. “I’m going to lift it.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Are you a shifter?”
“No. I’m human.”
Jared relaxed. “Great. I don’t want you to think I’m trying anything with Benjamin.”
Lucas was confused. “You’re his doctor.”
“Yeah, well. Some shifters are very possessive. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t try to tear my head off when I get Benjamin half-naked and touch him.”
He put gloves on and peeled the hospital gown up. Benjamin wasn’t wearing anything but bandages under it, and Lucas looked away. He didn’t know how Benjamin would feel at Lucas seeing him naked, so he wasn’t going to look, no matter how much he wanted to.
“I covered him,” Jared said, and Lucas blinked down at him.
Sure enough, the sheet was now up to Benjamin’s hips, and the hospital gown was gone. Benjamin’s chest was covered in bandages, and Jared started to slowly peel them off. Lucas watched as dark pink stitched wounds appeared and frowned. “It looks like he was stabbed.”
“He was. There was an attack last week. He killed one of the attackers, but he was stabbed in the process.”
Lucas couldn’t believe frail-looking Benjamin could do anything like that, but the proof was in front of him, and he felt ridiculous for being so proud of someone he barely knew.
There was a knock on the door and Jared yelled to enter. A blond man came in, arching a brow at Lucas, then at his hand that was still holding Benjamin’s.
Jared waved the man inside. “This is Lucas, Benjamin’s mate. Lucas, this is Noem. He works with me in the infirmary.”
Noem came closer and pressed his lips together when he got near the bed. “What happened?”
“He decided to take a hike,” Jared said.
“A hike?”
“He showered, took out his catheter, and tried to slip out of the infirmary. I noticed him and he hid in Dominic’s office.”
Noem nodded and looked closer at Benjamin’s chest, pointing at a wound close to Benjamin’s heart. “This one is worse. He probably pulled on it or something, because the stitches are broken. Idiot.”
“Can you help him?”
“Yes.”
Noem rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and extended his hands over the wound he’d indicated. Lucas watched as Noem’s hand started glowing, first lightly, then more strongly as the seconds ticked by. He didn’t know what was happening, but he kept his mouth shut and watched.
Noem’s hands became normal and he moved them away, leaning forward to look at the wound again. Lucas gaped. The wound had been oozing blood only seconds before. It had been open, not much, but enough to hurt, but now it was neatly closed, as if days had passed. “What are you?” he blurted out, looking at Noem.
Noem looked at him. “A Nix. You’ve never met one?”
“Huh, I met a guy with pink hair, but I didn’t know he could do this.”
“Ah, Nysys. He can heal, but I decided to make a job out of it.”
“I saw.”
Noem turned to Jared. “How are the other wounds?”
“That was the only one that needed healing right now since you already had a session with him today. The rest can wait until tomorrow.”
“I’ll have another go at them anyway. He clearly isn’t going to stay here for much longer, so I might as well hasten the process. That way he won’t bust them open if he runs away again.”
Lucas couldn’t look away as Noem’s hands hovered over Benjamin’s torso. He moved them over every wound Lucas could see, and when he was done, it looked like days had passed. The wounds were still there, but they didn’t look like they’d reopen if Benjamin did something foolish again.
Noem was a little paler than he’d been before, and he rubbed sweat off his forehead. “Right. I’m going to go rest. Call me if you need anything,” he told Jared, who was covering Benjamin again. He hadn’t put the bandages back on Benjamin’s wounds, just put the hospital gown on him, and pulled the sheet up to his armpits.
“He should be fine. He’s probably going to sleep for a few hours,” Jared answered. He looked at Lucas. “You might want to go talk with Dominic now so you’ll be back when Benjamin wakes up.”
Lucas had no idea why he needed to talk to Dominic, but he did feel like he needed some time alone to think about what the fuck was happening in his life. “Will you call me if I’m not back yet when he wakes?”
Jared nodded and handed Lucas his unlocked phone. Lucas blinked at it, wondering why everyone suddenly was treating him like family, like someone they trusted. Was it that easy once they realized he was Benjamin’s mate?
It didn’t matter, not now, so he entered his number into Jared’s phone. Jared nodded and left the room after taking his phone back, leaving Lucas alone with Benjamin, and Lucas took his first good look at the man who was his soul mate.
He smiled, because they both had red hair, but that was all they had in common. Benjamin’s hair was all curls while Lucas’ was tamer, probably because he kept it short. Benjamin couldn’t be more than five foot ten, if he even reached that, and Lucas was six feet eight. Benjamin was slight and his skin was so very pale, freckles scattered over his nose and his cheekbones, while Lucas was muscled, thanks to the work he did at the ranch, and his skin was tanned, even though it was winter.
They were oppo
sites, but Lucas was glad. He’d never been into tall bulky guys. Benjamin was exactly the type of guy Lucas usually went for, and he could see them together. Hopefully Benjamin would too.
* * * *
Benjamin was alone when he woke up. He blinked and looked around the room, wondering if he’d dreamed or imagined what had happened earlier. Had he really ran away from the infirmary and found his mate, or had it all been in his head?
He couldn’t say he’d be surprised if it had. His painkillers made him loopy, but Jared had lowered the dose recently, and he’d never hallucinated before, not even during the first few days.
“You’re awake.”
Benjamin looked at Jared, who was hovering by the door. “Did I really make a run for it?”
Jared chuckled and came in. “You did. You didn’t get far, though.”
“So does it mean I really found my mate?”
“Lucas is in Dominic’s office.”
Benjamin sank deeper against his pillow. “I didn’t expect to find my mate when I ran from the infirmary.”
“I didn’t expect to find mine when I went out there because wendigoes were attacking.”
“Right.”
Benjamin squirmed, surprised he wasn’t in more pain. It was probably the painkillers, but when he poked at his chest, the only pain that was really bad came from the higher wound, the one he knew was deeper.
“Noem had to heal you. You tore one of the wounds open again, and he decided to continue healing the other ones too.”
“Does it mean I can leave and go back to my room?”
Jared sighed and started pushing up the hospital gown Benjamin was wearing. He covered Benjamin’s groin with the sheet and carefully examined the wounds on Benjamin’s chest. “I understand why you want to leave. No one likes being stuck in here with me. But did you really have to make a run for it?”
Benjamin pouted. “I asked you if I could leave and you said no.”
“Because you’re still hurt. Noem had to push himself to heal you.”
Benjamin Page 3
