Filed to story: The Alpha’s Pen Pal Book
“Thanks,” Taryn says, coming to my side.
My T-shirt drapes off her body, covering her upper body and hanging below her adorable butt, hiding those pretty pink panties from sight. But I know they’re there.
My smile grows, and my wolf puffs up with pride at the sight of my girl in my clothes, with my scent covering every inch of her, inside and out. Besides a mark, a female in her male’s clothing is the most visible, tangible claim a male can make on his mate, especially when others will see her wearing them.
I plop into a chair across from Sebastian and next to Nolan and pull Taryn into my lap, one arm around her waist and the other resting on the smooth, warm skin of her upper thigh.
“Sebastian helped me come up with some variations of the same questions I asked Dominic,” King Malachi says, tapping a sheet of paper. “Being an alpha, he knows how to work around the words in a command, so we hope if we hound him, chisel away at his defenses, he’ll slip up, or we’ll catch him off guard with the wording of the question.”
“That makes sense,” I say with a nod. “Should we head back now?”
“The cleaning team just sent a crew over to sanitize the observation room,” Haven says, her lips twitching. “It will be a few minutes at least.”
“Right,” I say, my wolf preening again.
We did that. We claimed our mate and left our combined scent all over that room and all over our girl. My fingers brush along the inside of Taryn’s leg and she purses her lips, her body tensing as she holds in her reaction.
“The other issue I brought up,” Dr. Russo says from where he leans against the wall behind King Malachi, “is the wolfsbane and liquid silver or whatever else it is that’s in his system. Because he’s restrained with silver cuffs, his natural lycan healing is slowed, and he can’t filter the poison from his system. And because we’re not one hundred percent sure what the other element of the poison is, we don’t know all the effects it has on his body. It could be that the poison in his system is making it easier for him to lie while under the king’s command.”
“But he told the truth about commanding me to leave and be his luna,” Taryn says. “Why tell the truth about that and not the rest? Why not lie about that too?”
“To throw us off. Keep us confused. If he admits to one thing but not the others, it looks less suspicious. And he knows the king would figure out he was lying about that. All he’d have to do is talk to you,” Seb says.
“So, what? We just wait until the poison is out of his system?” I ask. “That could take hours. Days, even, since we don’t know what the other ingredient is.”
“There is another option,” King Malachi says, glancing at Wesley and then at Taryn.
“No,” I say, wrapping my other arm around her, realizing what they’re suggesting without them having to say it. My wolf growls in my head, his ears laying flat against his skull and his teeth bared. My lips curl, too, and I shake my head. “No way. She is not going in that room with him and she is not touching him.”
“He’s sedated. Unconscious. I dosed him with a heavy sedation medication formulated specifically for lycans. He won’t wake up,” Dr. Russo says.
My head continues to shake, and the hair on my arms and neck stands on end. “Fuck no. Not my girl. Find someone else to do it. Another healer.”
“You would be in there with her,” King Malachi says. “Right next to her. You can touch her, or hold her, or whatever it is you need to do to keep your wolf calm and your instincts at bay. And Wesley and I will be there too.”
My nostrils flare and I turn my head to him. “Right next to her?” I ask, and he nods. “The whole time?” He nods again.
My throat bobs and I close my eyes, focusing on my breathing and the heartbeat of my mate in my arms. She is quiet, her hands rubbing my forearms as I think. She doesn’t argue or push, even though I know her thoughts. Instead, she waits. She puts her trust in me as her mate, respecting my instincts to protect her and our family.
I exhale through my nose and move my hand over her stomach, my mouth pressing into her shoulder blade. “Will our pup be okay?” I ask, my voice softened by the T-shirt.
“She will be just fine,” Dr. Russo says, his voice soothing and understanding. “You have each other’s mark, and your strength and presence will ensure that Taryn and the pup will remain unharmed. She can draw on your strength through your mate bond so she isn’t weakened or drained from the healing like she was the first time.”
I take another slow breath, in and out, my fingers tracing over Sour Patch. Taryn covers my hand, a small pulse of warmth skittering across my skin, and I sigh. “Fine,” I say through my teeth. “Fine, but she’s not staying in there any longer than necessary. And I have to be touching her the entire time,” I add.
“Of course,” King Malachi says.
“And only if Taryn is okay with it.”
I lift my head from her shoulder and meet her eyes as she turns to look at me. I open myself to her, showing her all of me—my worries, my fears, my love, and most of all, my trust. She trusted me and respected my concerns and my hesitations, so it’s only fair I give her the same trust, the same respect. It has to go both ways for our relationship to thrive and bloom.
She nods. “I want to help. We need answers.”
I sigh and hug her, biting back my growl. Trust. Respect. Love. I can protect her as she heals this dickhead. And then we’ll have our answers and he’ll be out of our hair for good.
“Is the room clean?” Malachi asks, glancing at Haven.
“Yes,” she says. “They just mindlinked me that they finished.”
“Let’s head back in there then,” Wes says.
Taryn gets off my lap, and I clasp her hand in mine as we all walk back to the now-clean observation room. Wesley opens the door to Dominic’s room and we follow him, King Malachi, and Dr. Russo inside.
My lip curls in distaste as the door slams behind us and I look at Dominic, unconscious in the prison hospital bed. “How long will it take?”
“However long Taryn needs,” Dr. Russo says.
I sigh and shake my head. “Let’s get it over with.”
Taryn moves to Dominic’s bed, and I position myself behind her, my hands on her hips and my face against the back of her neck. “Don’t take too long,” I whisper.
“I’ll try,” she says.
Then she closes her eyes and lifts her hands. Calming, healing power flows from her, her entire body glowing instead of only her hands. She places them on Dominic’s chest and exhales, sending her light and power into his body.
My arms wrap around her as she works and focuses on healing him. The golden warmth spreads to me, drawing energy from me, using my reserves and my strength as a beta werewolf to fuel my mate’s magnificent gift. It’s fascinating, the way it wraps around me and twists within me so she doesn’t drain herself, and I press my nose into her nape, smiling against her skin.
It doesn’t matter that it’s Dominic she’s healing—I’m honored my mate possesses this rare talent and that I’m the one who gives her power so she stays strong. She could take every ounce of strength from me if she needed to. Whatever she needs, whatever she wants from me, it’s hers.
“The poison is almost gone,” she says, taking a deep breath.
I push more of my energy to her, following the lead of the golden light flowing around and between us. It slows from a rushing river to a babbling brook, skipping and hopping over stones, and then to sticky sap oozing from a tree.
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?