Pain.

It was steady and thick, pulsing, pumping in time with my heart. It settled in my hands and wrists, both motionless and oddly numb, yet I could still feel the pain. I tried to move my body, feeling heavy, as if pinned down underneath a thick, hot blanket that threatened to smother me.

All I managed was a weak whimper that croaked past my dry lips, throat burning as air rasped through my lungs in painful pants. A chair scraped back, alerting me of another person in the room before heavy steps thumped my way.

I struggled to wake fully, to catch a decent breath, stilling as my head was cradled and moved back, stretching my neck so I could breathe easier.

Another whimper escaped as sensation returned in my hands, causing them to shiver uncontrollably. A beep sounded above my head along with a deep sigh before warmth seeped through my veins and blissful numbness spread through my body like wildfire.

My ears picked up a mechanical buzzing as I moved slightly, feeling a pinch of pain coming from where an IV was connected to my arm, another one attacked to the veins in my neck. I swallowed weakly, too numbed to do anything else as the medication that rushed through my system doused the sharp spikes of upcoming pain.

"How is he?"

Eyelids fluttering, I swallowed again in reaction to the voice, a soft sigh coming from my right. "He's waking up. They spent fifteen hours on his hands and another five on his wrist. Doctors had to quit because he was losing too much blood."

Drake.

A door closed softly, followed by footsteps that tapped over tiles, coming to a stop next to the bed I was on. I was barely aware of my surroundings, could feel the tubes down my throat, could feel my lungs struggling to follow the oxygen that was pumped into my body.

The room was quiet for a while, save for the steady motions of the mechanical ventilator as it pumped air into my lungs in a steady pattern. A finger trailed over the inside of my elbow, making me twitch slightly.

"Is he okay?" The other voice asked softly, oddly familiar. Drake chuckled, placing his hand fully on my arm before I felt his breath near my cheek.

"Kyle, I know you can hear me. I don't want you to worry about anything now, just give your body and wolf time to recover. You have a pain pump attached to your neck, so stop resisting the medication and relax."

Another whimper slurred past my lips and I hated it. Hated how weak I've become. Just a small show of affection, a helping hand and I acted like a pup desperate for attention. Drake squeezed my arm slightly, my head too woozy to try and fight his silent command or the drugs that were quick to drag me under.

I woke several times, well, if you called it waking. It was a struggle to become aware of my surroundings, only to have pain flood my shaking hands until the pump beeped, releasing drugs that knocked me out.

When I finally, truly woke up, it was to soft voices and movement in the room. My eyes were heavy but this time they opened after a slight struggle, blinking up at the surprised nurses as they just finished wrapping up my hands.

"That was quick. Good afternoon Kyle, are you fully awake this time?" The blonde on the left asked while her colleague calmly walked to the door, calling for one of the doctors. I blinked tiredly, croaking and realizing that I was breathing on my own.

A warm smile was sent my way as she turned to speak softly to the doctor as the man looked on with a distant look in his eyes before blinking. Within a few minutes, doors opened and footsteps announced the approach of Drake, who smiled as soon as he saw me blinking back at him.

"I'll take it from here Doc. Much appreciate the help." Drake nodded respectfully to the man, who didn't seem all too pleased of letting his patient go before he sighed softly to himself.

"Well, seeing as there isn't much more I can do, Kyle needs to rest. No shifting the next couple of weeks until his body is ready, both physically and mentally. And no pack orders, Alpha." I swallowed thickly, thankful for the nurse that came to my side with a glass of water and a straw, allowing me to take slow and delicate sips.

Drake didn't even seem offended, merely nodded his head in agreement before he walked towards the bed, lifting me with ease. "I'll bring him over for his check up by the end of next week, Martin. And thank you."

Martin sighed, removing the glasses from his nose as he waved the nurses out of my room. "You're welcome, Alpha, though I'd prefer that you didn't steal my patients out from under my very nose." His serious tone belied the grin on his lips as the doctor nodded gently towards me, "Though in this case, he needs the pack's help more than mine."

He gave me another reassuring look before glancing at my bandaged hands. "Do try and be careful with any exercises and make sure that once the wounds have healed, he attempts to stretch and use his fingers."

Drake nodded with a smile before moving me in a more comfortable position as he walked outside. The sunlight was a bit harsh after so much sleep and I groaned, squinting my eyes as Drake chuckled slightly.

"Shh, its okay." The chest against my ear rumbled as I struggled to wake up fully and blink past this sharp light. I smelled other wolves close by and blinked warily before offering Erina a weak smile.

My fingers tingled and twitched, making me squirm slightly and Drake's hold tightened reassuringly. "The nurses have given you an injection with more enzymes to boost your healing. By the time we're at home, those bandages can come off, though it'll take some time until the stitches will loosen up."

I blinked, glancing back down at my shaking hands and ignoring the conversation that started up between Drake, Cedric and Erina. My hands looked swollen and thick underneath the cloth, shaking and shivering from just holding them up. When I went to clench my fingers, I hissed between my teeth as pain zapped through the sensitive digits.

"Easy." Drake cautioned, giving me a pointed look before I sighed and relaxed, placing my wrapped hands in my lap. There was nothing I could do right now except sit here and let things happen.

I'm so fucking weak, it's disgusting.

A few moments later and I was placed gently in a soft couch, pillows stuffed beside me to rest my hands on and another one placed behind my neck. Erina was fussing with the pillows, making sure I sat comfortably before removing the bandages as I looked around the room.

I blinked, realizing I hadn't been here before. This part of the territory was new to me, the smell of antiseptics, medicine and, oddly enough, wild wolves filled the air. Apparently my confusion showed, because Cedric leaned against the couch, eyes fixed on his mate as Erina softly pulled at the bandages.

"This is the recovery center, for visitors and pack alike that have just received surgery or are wounded both physically or mentally." He motioned his head towards the window and I glanced at it, doing a double take when I noticed a few wolves in the distance.

Wild wolves. Not werewolves like the rest of us.

"Okay, let's take a look shall we?" Drake's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and to where my hands were now bared in his large hands. They curled in on themselves, not fully flattened yet not pulled in fists either.

Drake's eyes looked at the stitches, the scars that crisscrossed over my flesh before noticing the slight shakes. "Now, I need you to try and open your hand as much as you can Kyle. Take all the time you need, but you do need to try and move them as often as you can so they don't cramp up in that position."

I swallowed thickly, looking down at my hand, frowning when the first attempt didn't do anything. The shaking of my limbs intensified as I struggled, gritting my teeth together until slowly, my fingers spread out.

Sweat was collecting on my forehead while Drake made a soft noise of pride in the back of his throat, nodding slightly. "Okay, try the other one."

The right hand refused to co-operate, no matter how much I hissed and gritted my teeth until I sagged in the seat with an annoyed huff. Drake didn't seem all too concerned or bothered, merely nodded as he tucked me in before sitting beside me.

"Now, since we're here, I'm going to let you meet the other, wilder half of the pack. Cedric will let em in one by one and we'll see which one takes a liking to you. It's part of the recovery process, as they will help you connect and heal with your wolf a lot quicker than any of us can."

I blinked tiredly before rolling on my side, scowling at the limp hands that laid on the pillow. Now more than ever, I was weak and vulnerable. My body trembled and was nearly uncontrollable as every small action made sweat bead up on my body, muscles shivering and heating.

It almost reminded me of the weeks after my exile, where each step had been one too much, where I was forced to starve myself as I couldn't run, let alone hunt after prey. It had been a time where I was stuck in the limbo of fighting for survival or giving up and letting the elements deal with me.

And as Cedric opened the outer door, alerting the wild pack enough to have them investigate the area, I was stuck in that same space once more. Why should I fight? What did I have to fight for?

Everything would be far better if someone put me out of my fucking misery. But as I glanced at Drake, I just knew that I was going to be put under a very close watch.

If there's any God out there... you're one sadistic asshole, you know that? Just put me out of my misery already and stop toying with me.

Naturally, there was no response and I huffed before relaxing as much as I could while eying the doorway, wondering how a pack of wild wolves was going to be able to help me heal and recover.

You can't heal what's meant to be broken.