“Both,” Noah promised, already herding them toward the stairs. “Come on, I’ll let you pick which one to read first.”
They went willingly, though Rowan glanced back once, his expression unreadable. Smart kid. He knew tension when he felt it.
The second their footsteps faded upstairs, Lina stood and walked to the kitchen without a word. I followed, dread pooling in my stomach with each step. The broken table, Mary’s scent, Lina’s rigid spine, it all painted a picture I didn’t want to see.
She stopped at the sink, gripping the edge with white knuckles, her back to me. The silence stretched between us until I thought I might go insane from it. I could hear her heartbeat, too fast, smell the lingering traces of adrenaline and fear and rage on her skin.
Finally, she spoke, her voice conversational in a way that made every instinct scream danger.
“How was your date? Mary said you two had quite the evening.”
The words landed like physical blows. Mary had come here. She’d confronted my mate. She’d spun her web of lies exactly as I should have expected.
“Whatever she told you-” I started.
“Was very detailed,” Lina cut me off, voice cold enough to freeze blood. About your dinner preferences. About what came after. I’m glad you’re having fun while we’re prisoners here.”
“It was a lie.” The words tumbled out desperately. “The date was political theater, nothing more. The council arranged it. I spent two hours listening to her talk, then we had a rogue attack that kept us out all night-”
“I don’t care.” She turned to face me, and my breath caught.
There was a bruise on her jaw, already fading thanks to the bite’s healing properties, but unmistakably there. A cut on her lip. Scratches on her arms. Mary hadn’t just come here to talk. She’d attacked my mate. In front of our children.
My vision went red. The wolf surged forward, ready to hunt Mary down and show her exactly what happened to anyone who touched what was mine. Only Lina’s voice pulled me back.
“I told you this place wasn’t safe,” she continued, apparently oblivious to my internal battle. “Your psycho girlfriend provedthat when she forced her way in here and attacked me in front of my children. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” I forced the words through gritted teeth, fighting for control. “She’s nothing to me. You can’t go-”
“Watch me.” Her laugh was bitter. “And when your parents arrive next week to ‘eat humans for breakfast’ as she so colorfully put it, we’ll be long gone.”
I froze. Mary had told her everything. The manipulative bitch knew exactly which buttons to push, which fears to exploit. My parents’ reputation preceded them, and Mary had wielded it like a weapon.
“Lina, please. I won’t let my parents hurt any of you. And Mary…”
“Wants me to leave you alone so you can go back to fucking her,” Lina interrupted, and for the first time, her voice cracked slightly. “Don’t worry, I plan to-”
She swayed suddenly, one hand going to her temple. Blood dripped from her nose, bright red against her pale skin.
I caught her before she could hit the floor, scooping her into my arms despite her weak protests. Her body felt too light, too fragile, and my wolf whined at the evidence of our mate’s distress.
“The bond’s still settling,” I explained, carrying her back to the couch. “You’re pushing too hard.”
“Don’t,” she tried to pull away, but her strength was gone.
“Shut up and let me help.” I settled her on the couch, then grabbed tissues from the side table. The medical knowledge every Alpha was required to learn kicked in as I assessed her condition. “You’re hemorrhaging because the bite’s still integrating with your system. Fighting while your body’s still adjusting? That’s what causes this.”
I tilted her head back gently, pressing the tissue to her nose despite her attempts to bat my hands away. She was too weak to put up much resistance, which worried me more than I’d admit. The bond should have made her stronger by now, but the stress and physical altercation had set back her progress.
“Mary’s a trained wolf,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm while rage still simmered under my skin. “You could have been seriously hurt. She knows exactly how to fight, where to hit to cause maximum damage.”
“I held my own,” she said with a hint of pride that made me want to smile despite everything.
“I’m sure you did.” I maintained pressure on the tissue, monitoring the bleeding. “But you need more time to heal before you can travel. Your body’s still learning how to handle the enhancements. The strength, the healing, the sensory changes, it all takes time to integrate properly.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.” I sat beside her on the couch, close enough to help but far enough that she wouldn’t feel trapped. “You can’t travel like this. You could hemorrhage again, worse next time. The bond needs at least another week to fully integrate. Maybe more given the stress you’re under.”
