Lycan's Mate (His Claim) Chapter 60

Fiona's POV

I stared up at the ceiling, my eyes tracing the little figures that appeared before me as the light of the morning sun fought its way through my closed curtains. Another day. Another day having to deal with this inevitable pain and feeling of emptiness consuming my very soul. I thought the pain would become easier to indulge with every passing day, but time has proven me wrong. It felt as if I was being eaten up alive slowly from the inside out, and I hated it. The more I thought about it through the constant sleepless nights I had to endure every so often, the more I regretted my decision. A little voice in the back of my head constantly begged me to pack my bags and return to my home, but the stubborn one always won. It kept saying that I had done the right thing. A person of my strength and confidence would have never been able to lead a large pack like the Black Forest one. I am not fit for the part. So one can say that I had done them a favor.

It's been two years already and it's the middle of August. In just two months, Blake would be taking the title as Alpha as soon as he becomes of age. Probably with a she-wolf at his side. The mere thought sent an overwhelming surge of pain to pierce through my limp body. It instinctively flinched as his dark eyes filled my mind. They looked so sad, helpless. That's how they appeared the last time I had seen them before the plane took off. It was a horrid memory that still haunts me to this very day, but I knew he would do fine without me. Me? Well, I guess one can say I'm at least surviving.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I turned my head to stare at the small clock on my night table to my left. It read: 7:12. Time to get ready. My shift began at 8:00. Lucky for me I wasn't one of those type of girls that took hours just to get ready. I guess my uniform helped it make it that much easier.

Reluctantly, I twisted my body, allowing my legs to dangle off the side of the bed as my arms lifted my upper body with the little amount of strength that still resided within me. I made my way towards the bathroom at the other end of my small bedroom, closing my eyes shut as my hand switched on the light, nearly blinding me. I opened my eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust before staring at my own reflection. My face was pale, a large contrast against my dark brown hair and hazel green eyes. My skin clung to my cheekbones, my face practically mimicking that of a skeleton. I had to admit, I looked awful. My appetite had practically seized to exist for the past year, which meant that my body was a lot skinnier than it tended to be.

Running a shaky hand through my hair, I began to remove my sleeping attire before stepping into the bathtub. The bathroom wasn't in the best condition as a decent one should've been, but at least the hot water worked fine. Winters here weren't exactly the best and neither were the summers. It was either too hot or too cold, but I still managed to get by.

I pulled my hair back, relishing the warm water as it made its way down my bare back from the shower head above. The tension from the previous night began to diminish as my body ultimately began to relax within the humidity of the bathroom. Standing there for a few more minutes, I began to cleanse my body, trying my best to awaken it for a brand new day. It's no use though. No matter the amount of coffee I would digest or the freezing cold water that would splash along the length of my spine, my body would consistently stay numb. It had become a familiar feeling, so I no longer questioned it. Instead, I ignored it with ease and stepped out of the bathtub to get ready.

After brushing my teeth, I laid out my nurse uniform out on my full sized bed. Sadly, I had to get accustomed to sleeping on a smaller sized one due to the amount of space my apartment provided. But then again, I've never been the one to prefer extravagant things either, so getting used to the new changes was pretty easy for me.

Putting on my uniform, I grabbed my small bag which contained my cellphone, wallet, and lip balm and made my way through the small living room and into the kitchen on the other side of the apartment. The living room only contained a small couch, a wooden coffee table as well as a small TV. The walls were painted a faded green color and some of it was stripping off the walls, revealing the old, beaten down wood underneath. It wasn't much, but I was grateful for it. Grabbing a granola bar from the pantry, I made my way towards the door with my keys in hand. Unlike when I lived with my dad, I was able to drive to work in my very own car. The perks of living on your own. I had to admit, I missed the little amount of company I had with him. Despite the small amount of time we spent together, it was always nice to know you had somebody around. Here in New Jersey, I was completely on my own.

As I made my way down the steps of my building (which only had two apartments actually, one on top and one on the bottom), I couldn't help but stare off at the park that lied in front of me. On my days off, I would love to just stroll around, getting lost in thought as I made my way through the trails. More than once had I gotten so preoccupied with my thoughts that I would literally get lost. It was fairly large in size, one of the best things about this neighborhood, so now you know why. Then again, I tend to get distracted easily.

Turning on the ignition of my old Toyota Corolla, I turned into the street and sped down the road towards the Lincroft Senior Home. I was grateful enough to be offered a position there right after graduation since I had done my internship there as well. The man in charge of the facility was really kind and encouraged me to take the position. It was in my second nature to take care of others so I found myself getting easily acquainted with the old folks there, one in particular. I always looked forward to playing checkers with him during my break. His stories from his younger years always captivated me and I used to find myself sitting on the chair across from his for hours at a time. It was all worth it though, despite the huge pain I would have on my butt whenever I got off of work. Who is this man that I'm speaking of, might you ask? His name is Joel, but he insists on calling him Joe. Just to bug the old man a little, I tend to call him Joey. He despises that.

A small smile spread across my face as I pulled into the parking lot. Parking in my usual spot beneath a shady tree, I grabbed my bag from the passenger side before exiting the vehicle. Double checking to make sure that my car was properly locked, I walked through the automatic sliding doors, smiling up at the receptionist like I did so every morning.

"Good morning, Fiona. How are you doing this morning?" The redhead asked with a bright smile, displaying perfect white teeth between her red, plump lips.

I smiled in return as I answered, "Morning, Clara. Better than usual."

Her smile faltered slightly as she took in my appearance. Her bright blue eyes examined my stature before meeting my eyes once more. With a simple nod, her delicate fingers began to type furiously on the keyboard before her, her eyes fixated on the screen. I knew my appearance had changed drastically since the first time I entered this place, and I knew very well that many people were beginning to notice. Especially Clara. She was truly a sweetheart and welcomed me immediately the second I walked in. Her tall frame seemed intimidating to me at first, but she was one of the first few people to make me feel at ease while attending the other patients.

I made my way around the desk and towards the back where I usually checked in and left my belongings in my locker. Twisting the lock a few times before hearing the familiar click, I pulled the door open and stashed my bag inside, hanging my light blue sweater in the process.

"Morning, Fiona!"

I jumped, spinning around before a small smile spread across my lips.

"Morning, Aurby. I see you're very animated this morning."

The dark skinned young woman nodded as she opened her own locker and placed her belongings inside. Aurby was about the same height as me, possibly a few inches taller, with dark skin, black hair and light brown eyes. Her hair was picked up in a tight bun, revealing her flawless features as she smiled brightly at me.

"You know it! It's almost the weekend and I'm excited for the mini-vacation I'll be having."

"That's right," I said, leaning against my locker as I tied up my wet hair in a similar style as her own.

"I almost forgot you'll be going out of town next week. It's not going to be the same without you."

"Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it. Now let's get going. You know how these seniors get if we don't feed them early in the morning."

I nodded in understanding before following her out of the room. For the first two hours, Aurby and I, along with another few nurses in the home, helped the patients out of their beds and into the cafeteria to serve them their breakfast. Most of them still had the capability of serving themselves without any sort of aid while others were barely able to raise their hands without having it fall back on their laps. It was a sad sight to see, but I tried my best to make them feel as comfortable as they could and try to make them smile. It was always nice to see them smile happily as they continued to eat their breakfast before I moved on to the next patient.

After making sure that all the patients were fed, I made my way back to the front desk where the paperwork for my set of patients were waiting for me in front of Clara. I skimmed them briefly, counting the amount of patients I had to serve today before feeling a presence appear to my left.

"Morning, ladies," a deep voice said that immediately made me look up and smile.

He was tall, over six feet I suppose, with light brown hair and bright gray eyes that shined beautifully beneath the lights of the room. He was already wearing his white coat above his usual formal attire with a radiant smile on his face as he looked down at me. His smile seemed to brighten some more as his eyes locked with mine, making me immediately look away and try my best to busy myself with the paperwork in my hands. It wasn't much of a distraction really.

"Good morning, Dr. Samson," Clara's melodic voice responded with happiness. I could practically imagine her fixing her hair as she continued to smile at the doctor in front of us. I couldn't blame her though, he was quite the handsome young man that practically made every woman drool. Even some of the female patients couldn't help but stare at him with admirable eyes.

"Morning, Clara." His voice seemed a bit bored as he said those words, but his tone immediately changed when he said, "Ready to start, Fiona?"

I looked up at him, my mind seeming a bit hazy as I stared into those gray pools that always seemed to captivate me. I nodded slowly, allowing a small smile to spread across my lips as my grip on the papers tightened. I already knew my cheeks were betraying me and showing a hint of red as I continued to stare at this man. A small, uneasy sensation began to form in the pit of my empty stomach. It was one I immediately recognized and I instinctively looked away, staring down at my white shoes as I said as loudly as I could,

"Let's get to it, then."

Relieved to find him making his way towards the left side of the building where the patients' rooms were, I followed close behind, jumping slightly as his voice echoed across the pure white walls of the hallway.

"Who is the first patient for today?" He asked, turning his head to gaze down at me.

Not wanting to get lost in those set of eyes once more, I looked down at the first set of papers and replied,

"Mrs. Westlife Happiness."

I heard a small groan come from in front of me and I couldn't help but look up just in time to notice him roll his eyes heavenward. I silently giggled, covering my mouth with my free hand as I continued to stare at his now slumped form. Mrs. Happiness seemed to have a crush on Dr. Samson, despite the obvious age difference between the two. She always insisted that he'd stay and talk to her for a little while, but her

"small talks" always consisted of a few hours, which is why I had decided to make her be one of the first patients he'd see in the mornings whenever she was on the list, just to get it over with and make up the excuse that we had other patients to see. That way, he wouldn't have to endure another long, and boring, conversation with the old woman.

Stopping in front of the door at the end of the hall to the right, he hesitated, his hand hovering over the doorknob before he reluctantly opened it wide, allowing us both to enter the woman's room. It was quite small, but enough space for a woman her age who didn't seem to like going out much. There was a small kitchen towards our right and a sitting area just in front of where we were standing. There were two couches with floral designs and a rug with a variety of colors underneath. The walls were painted a bright pink shade that made the room look oddly creepy. I was never a fan of the decorations that resided in these rooms, but then again, I wasn't the designer.