“He’s in the next room, Shade,” Taffy answered, gently pushing me back down. “Rest. The pack doctors are keeping an eye on him.”
“No. You don’t understand. I need to get to him now. Help me get this stuff off,” I begged, motioning toward the devices connected to me.
I grabbed one of the stickers on my chest and tore it away, sending the alarms on the machines into a frenzy. I ripped more of them off and was reaching for the IV in my arm when Taffy grabbed my hand.
“Shade! Stop!” she ordered, her brow pinched in worry. “You’re not thinking straight. You just suffered a traumatic event. Let me get Dr. Eirny. Have her check you over and make sure everything is all right. Then I promise I’ll take you to Caelan.”
“Ineedto get to Caelan now, Taffy. He won’t wake until he knows I’m there. You have to trust me,” I begged. “If I don’t hurry, he could cross over the veil.”
“What does that mean?” she asked nervously.
“He could die, Taffy.”
I watched as Taffy’s expression morphed from concern to determination. I knew I could count on her. As a beta of the pack, she would never let her alpha down.
“Okay, but we have to hurry before—”
The door burst open as Dr. Eirny rushed in. Her glasses hung off her nose as if she’d barely had a moment to set them on her face. Her discerning gaze dropped to where Taffy and I both gripped the IV tube.
“What are you doing?!” she exclaimed, rushing over. “You aren’t trying to remove that, are you?!”
“Dr. Eirny, I can’t explain now,” I huffed. “But I have to get to Caelan. He won’t heal unless I’m by his side.”
I didn’t care if I sounded insane. Caelan was all that mattered. Nothing else was important.
Dr. Eirny eyed me warily. “How did you know he wasn’t healing?”
“I just do,” I replied. “Now, will you help me get this thing out of my arm?”
She straightened her glasses, peering at me over the frames skeptically before finally relenting.
“Fine. Maybe your presence is the answer,” she sighed. “Ever since we stabilized Alpha Caelan, he’s shown no further signs of improvement. His body should have healed by now, but it seems to have stalled. But you don’t need to take out your IV. It’s portable.”
She rolled the stand away from the bed so that I could stand.
“Oh,” I said softly, swinging my legs over the edge. “Thank you.”
“Come on. I’ll take you to the alpha’s room,” Dr. Eirny said as Taffy helped me out of bed.
Every part of me hurt and my legs shook as I tried to get to my feet, so I leaned heavily against Taffy as we shuffled to the next room.
Dr. Eirny swung open the door, and the sight before me nearly broke my heart in two. Caelan lay peacefully in the hospital bed, the gentle beeping of the machines the only sound.
A strangled sob slipped out from between my lips. “Oh, Caelan.”
Dillon had been on a chair next to him, watching his alpha carefully, but he quickly jumped to his feet and rushed to help Taffy guide me into the seat.
I took a deep breath, my gaze sweeping over my mate’s form.
He looked better than I remembered, the most severe of his wounds having healed in the time we were unconscious together on the battlefield, but it hadn’t been enough. Dark bruises and angry red scratches still covered him.
I did this to him. I didn’t give him a chance to get away. I’m the reason he was out there in the first place, fighting Huxley. If I hadn’t fallen for Sunny’s trap, Caelan wouldn’t be in this state.
I quickly wiped away the tear that had begun to slip down my cheek before reaching forward and grabbing one of his hands. I clutched it between mine, willing him to feel the electric sparks of our bond flowing through him at my touch.
“Caelan, it’s Shade. I need you to come back to me,” I begged, clearing my throat as emotion tried to choke my words. “I know I was called away for a little while and you wanted to wait for me, but I’m back now.”
“Called away?” Taffy whispered, her brow furrowed in confusion.
