Or would it be even worse for me?
“This isn’t your fault, little omega.” The familiar drawl of my nickname from Hunter eased my panic. “The witch will figure out how to heal him, and we will be a completed quintet once more.”
Warrick, who had wisely remained on the periphery, was hesitant as he said, “The council is ready for our updates when we return. The Rogers pack and any witch working with them will pay for this.”
Hunter acknowledged that with a single nod, before he glanced around the street. We weren’t on a main road, but there were a few curious faces visible in the nearby houses. Word would spread quickly—the Reeve’s pack was worldwide famous, and no amount of Slade’s digital erasing would completely kill this story.
“We need clothes for Emmeline,” Finley said to Jewels as she scrambled from the car.
While his aim was no doubt to avoid seeing me naked, it was considerate of him to think of me at all. Jewels’ face remainedpale, and a twitch in the corner of her eye indicated that she wasn’t happy.
With a wave of her hand, the scattered remains of my torn clothes were repaired, looking clean and new as they folded themselves neatly on the seat. I’d wait until we were on the plane to get dressed, mostly because I had no more paper for my period. The blood was less potent when I was in my beast form.
Moving closer to Kellan, I gently licked across his cheeks as I whimpered. I wished he was the one who had shifted and destroyed his clothes, and I was the one unconscious.
My life wasn’t worth shit compared to that alpha—the world needed more Kellans.
I neededmyKellan.
This might not directly be her fault, but at their core, all witches were cut from the same cloth, so I had no sympathy for Jewels. She better figure out how to heal Kellan, or Hunter would be the least of her problems.
CHAPTER 11
EMME
The flight to Golden Claw took five hours. I’d never been on a private plane before, and I’d have been thrilled to explore the Reeves pack’s incredible jet, if it wasn’t for the fact that one of my favorite shifters in the entire universe was hurt.
Hunter had placed Kellan in the private bedroom at the back of the plane, and I refused to leave his side, lying next to him and whispering to him for the entire journey.
I had no idea if he could hear me, but I needed him to know that he wasn’t alone.
Exhaustion eventually got the better of me, and I drifted off holding his hand, only stirring when someone lifted me off the bed. “No,” I mumbled as my hand slipped from Kellan’s. “Kellan.”
A rich coffee scent surrounded me as Hunter drew me into his firm chest, his nose sliding along my cheek. “Kellan is right here with us,” he murmured. “You can sleep, and we’ll make sure he stays by your side.”
My exhaustion and Hunter’s comforting scent tugged me back into the darkness, content in the knowledge that this alpha kept his promises.
When I woke up again it was in a panic, worried that I’d missed an update. The rapid beat of my heart slowed when I felt the familiar heat of the alpha beside me. Kellan looked like he was just sleeping, his gorgeous face serene. They’d removed all his body armor and weapons, leaving him in just a plain white shirt. As I snuggled in beside him on the bed, it was hard to believe he suffered from any magical attack.
They had to figure out how to save him. There was no other option here.
A cramp in my gut reminded me that I was only day two-ish into my period, and as I glanced down hoping I hadn’t bled all over the bed, I noticed that someone had placed a towel under me.
Hunter no doubt; he was a surprisingly thoughtful entitled alpha.
Leaning over, I pressed my lips to Kellan’s cheek. “I’m here with you, Golden Boy.”
It was the hundredth time I’d whispered that to him, and I would continue to remind him until the witch figured out how to heal him. All magic had a price and a counterspell, but she was working on a limited timeframe. Which terrified me.
“I shouldn’t have killed her.”
I jerked my head to find Slade sprawled in a huge armchair in the corner, his long legs extended in front of him.Fuck.How in the hell had I missed a giant shifter just sitting there?
His face was impassive as he watched us, but his eyes blazed. “You probably saved the rest of our lives,” I reminded him, my voice broken up. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
His expression remained unchanged. “My first instinct is always violence. The dragon solves our problems with death and destruction, and now Kellan suffers due to my inability to find another path.”
Pulling myself up to sit, I kept one hand on Kellan’s chest, while patting the bed beside me with the other. Slade’s eyebrows drew together, as if he had no idea what I wanted from him, and I didn’t push. I let him take his time.
