She sighed and held tight to his hand.
Come back to me.
Pain throbbed through Caesar’s body in slow waves like the surf hitting the beach.His leg ached the most, as if his bones had come unhinged and had to be reattached.
He opened his eyes, blinking against the overhead lights.The sterile scent of the clinic tickled his nose, and he knew he was in Doc Paula’s home in the wolves’ private living area.
It was chilly in the room, but he felt warmth at his side and a hand gripping his.
Sera.
He turned his head and found her seated next to the hospital bed, her fingers linked with his, her head resting on her arm.Her eyes opened and she blinked suddenly, catching his gaze and smiling.
“Oh!You’re awake!Thank the stars!”
He squeezed her hand and then gave a gentle tug, and she climbed up onto the bed next to him carefully.He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m so glad to see you,” he said.“Were you hurt?”
“No,” she said, tilting her head to look into his eyes.“You saved me.”
“That’s what mates do,” he said.
Sera’s eyes shimmered.She opened her mouth to say something when Doc Paula walked into the room.“Good morning, Alpha.I heard you talking, I’m so happy you’re awake.How’s the pain?”
“Manageable.”
“That’s such a male answer,” she said with a chuckle.“I ran bloodwork about an hour ago, and the poison is gone from your body.The lingering pain will disappear with your accelerated healing, but if you want to hurry the process along, you can shift.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” he said with a grunt as he sat up, adjusting himself on the bed so he could look at his leg, which was still throbbing like it had its own heartbeat.
“One shift should do the trick,” Paula said.“But if you have any issues like pain that won’t go away, give me a holler.Otherwise, he’s all yours,” she said, looking at Sera with a kind smile.
“Thank you for everything,” Sera said.
“Yes, thanks,” Caesar said.
“It’s what I do.Take care, you two.”
“Dad?”Lucius called from the outer room.
“Come on in, kid.”
His son walked in and smiled in relief.“No lie, Dad, that was some scary shit.How about you don’t go trying to shuffle off the mortal coil again, okay?”
He chuckled.“I promise.But if Sera’s life is on the line, or anyone in our family, I won’t be able to keep that promise.I will do whatever necessary to keep our family safe.”
Sera smiled at him.“You’re the sexiest male on the planet.”
Lucius wrinkled his nose and then shook his head.“Need a hand?”
“Clothes would be great.”
Sera secured a pair of scrub bottoms for him, and Lucius helped him to his feet.He felt like he’d gone a few dozen rounds with an actual lion, but he was alive and mostly healed, thank freaking goodness.
“Where should you shift?”Sera asked.
“What time is it?”he asked.
