Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
“The gashes ran deep, but the slices were clean, and by some miracle, her artery hadn’t been hit,” Dr. Russo told me as he removed his gloves. “It seems Selene was watching out for your mate tonight.”
“It does look that way,” I agreed, keeping my eyes on her finally peaceful face.
“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but you should stay with her. The bond should help her heal. It already is,” he added. “She will probably have some scarring since she’s human, but the bond is a powerful force. The closer you can be to her, the better, but be mindful of her injury.”
I nodded and scooted the chair closer to the bed, taking her hand into both of mine instead of just the one and leaning my elbows onto the mattress.
“And you should try to sleep too, Alpha,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder.
He opened the door, and a smile appeared on his face as his eyes scanned the hallway.
“The future luna is already well-loved,” he said to me over his shoulder.
I rose to my feet and moved to the doorway as he stepped out, and my eyes watered at what I saw.
Nolan sat in wolf form next to the door, proud and tall and ready to defend his luna. Rachel sat next to him, her hand on his back as she stroked his fur absentmindedly. My dad and mom held hands as they sat on two chairs across from the door. Reid leaned against the wall with his arms around a crying Maddie, and Maya sat on the floor, biting her nails.
Even Nicole and her new mate Alton were there, standing a few paces away from my pack members. I gave them a nod to thank them for their support, then turned to go back into Haven’s hospital room.
I knew I would need to talk to my dad and find out what happened with Pierce after I ran out of the packhouse, but that could wait until later. Because my priority at the moment was my mate.
I leaned over her and kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger as I breathed in her jasmine and plum scent. Then I settled back into my chair, taking her hand again as I readied myself for a long night.
WESLEY
I tried to sleep like Dr. Russo suggested, but I couldn’t get more than a few minutes at a time. The chair was cold and uncomfortable, and my mind moved a mile a minute as I sat in the almost silent room.
All the events from that evening played over and over in my mind as I tried to figure out if there was anything I could have done to change the outcome. And the only solution I could come up with was to have never agreed to Alpha Tim’s proposal in the first place.
Which, I didn’t even know what had happened with all of that. It wasn’t my priority, and I knew my dad would handle it and fill me in.
I could have joined her on the bed. It was plenty big enough. All the beds in the pack clinic were large enough to hold two people. It was so mates could stay together when one was sick or injured, since the mate bond helped werewolves heal faster.
But I was too scared to jostle her and mess up her stitches. With her being human, I wasn’t sure how much longer her healing would take than a werewolf.
A scratch sounded at the door, followed by a mindlink from Nolan. “Can I come in?”
I sat up from my half laying on the bed position. I stretched my arms and cracked my neck to relieve some of the tension from the not-very-comfortable way I’d been lying.
“Sure,” I linked him back, getting to my feet to let him in.
I opened the door, and he trotted in, still in his wolf form. It was probably because he’d ripped through his clothes when fighting off Haven’s ex. But it was also probably because his wolf needed to see for himself that his luna was okay.
He walked to the bed, his nose nudging and sniffing at Haven’s hand that still reached out towards where I had been sitting. He whimpered as he looked at her bandages, then moved to the foot of the bed and lay on the floor, his head resting on his paws.
“My wolf was getting anxious,” he said. “I needed to see her. Be closer to her,” he explained.
“I understand,” I replied. “She’s your luna. Our luna.”
“I’m still pissed at myself for letting that asshole get away.”
“Seb will find him.”
“He shouldn’t have to even look for him. He should be dead already.”
My lips twitched with a bitter laugh. “He’ll get what he deserves when Seb finds him and brings him here.”
“Good.”
I sat back in my chair and took her hand again, my thumb stroking her smooth skin. Touching her had always felt different—better—than any other touch, but now, with the mate bond in place, it was second to none.
Nolan and I sat in silence, both of us in our heads and thoughts. I pulled out my cell phone, thankful my dad had given it to me before he went home for the night, opening it to my text messages with Haven. It had fallen onto the lawn when I’d shifted to get to the pack hospital.
I scrolled back to the beginning of our messages, to the first text I’d sent her when I’d invited her to coffee. I read them all, all the way to the most recent, the messages from her during the week I had ignored her so we could fulfill our plan to trap Timothy. So many messages I had left unanswered. So many reasons for her to no longer wish to be with me.
She’d wanted me with her at the height of her fear and pain, but what would happen when she was coherent and not caught up in the moment? Was it just the mate bond making her want me with her, making her seek my touch and comfort, or did she want me because she wanted me?
“What if she rejects me?” I asked Nolan, my voice shaking even in the mindlink.
“You’d deserve it,” he replied, lifting his head and narrowing his eyes at me.
“I know,” I agreed. “I fucked up.”
“Damn right, you did.”
I chuckled at his candidness, even though it wasn’t a funny situation. But he was already acting like a true gamma. Mad at his alpha because his alpha hurt his luna.
“Does it hurt?” I asked, looking over at my sleeping mate.
“Rejection?” Nolan asked, and I nodded. “Like a bitch,” he said. “And it will probably be worse for you because you already have a connection with her.”
I clenched my jaw and exhaled through my nose so I wouldn’t growl at him. He was just being honest, just preparing me for the worst-case scenario. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?