Alex’s face was glum. “I don’t know. An alpha’s body won’t start the healing process while there’s foreign material in the wound. If she were an alpha, we’d be going in for the bullet fragments, but with a beta, I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure what would be harder on her—leaving the bullet in or the shock of taking it out.”
“Take it out,” a calm, commanding voice ordered from behind them.
Jayna looked over her shoulder to see Sergeant Dixon standing there, concern on his face. The rest of Eric’s pack was gathered around too, but kept their distance. They looked just as worried as their commander.
Moe and Chris ran up then. Ethan and Kathryn followed behind, helping support Joseph. Blood ran freely down one leg of his jeans.
Could this get any worse?
“Take out the bullet,” Dixon repeated. “She’s a beta, but the same rule applies. The bleeding won’t stop until you get it out.”
The SWAT medics exchanged looks, like they really weren’t sure about this, but after a moment, Alex reached into his bag for a pair of long forceps and gently eased it into the wound above Megan’s bra. Jayna didn’t want to watch, but she couldn’t look away. She knew Alex was being extra careful because he didn’t want to cause additional damage, but it was all she could do not to shout at him to hurry up.
“Heart rate is dropping,” Trey announced urgently. “Get the bullet and get out of there before she goes into cardiac arrest.”
Jayna squeezed Megan’s hand. “Hang on, Megan.”
Suddenly, Dixon was down on one knee on Jayna’s other side. “Keep talking to her. You’re her alpha. If you tell her to fight, she’ll fight. But you have to be calm and you have to project confidence. She needs to feel your strength. Be the alpha she needs you to be.”
Jayna wasn’t sure she could do that. She looked at Dixon. Up close, he didn’t seem as scary as before. “You’re an alpha. Can’t you do it?”
Dixon shook his head. “I’m an alpha but not her alpha. It has to be you.”
Jayna looked down at Megan again. The bullet wound was bleeding even more now, and her face was pale and pinched.
“We’re losing her,” Trey said sharply.
The tears Jayna had been holding back ran down her cheeks.
Eric squeezed Jayna’s hand, placing his other one on her back and making gentle circular motions. “You can do this, Jayna. You’re stronger than you think.”
Jayna looked into his eyes, amazed at the confidence she saw there. She swallowed hard. If Eric believed in her, she would believe in herself. He hadn’t been wrong about her yet.
She glanced at Moe, Chris, and Joseph to see them regarding her with that same confidence.
She took a deep breath and turned back to Megan. “Hold on, Megan. Just a little longer, okay? Alex is almost done taking out the bullet. And when it’s out, the pain will be gone and everything will be all better.”
She waited for Megan to squeeze her hand, to give her some indication that she was listening, but her hand lay limply in Jayna’s.
“We’ll stay together and be a pack, Megan—you, Moe, Chris, Joseph, and me,” Jayna promised, fighting back another rush of tears. “We’re going to stay here in Dallas, and we’re going to find an amazing place to live. Big enough for all of us—Eric too if he wants. You’re going to have a room all to yourself, and my room will be right beside yours. We’ll put Joseph in the room farthest away. I know his snoring keeps you awake at night.”
Beside her, Eric smiled.
Jayna kept talking even after Alex had the bullet out and Trey announced that Megan was getting stronger by the second. Jayna had so many things to say that she couldn’t stop talking. Jayna told Megan how important she was to the pack and to her especially.
When Jayna stopped to a take a breath, she realized that both Eric and Megan were looking at her with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. Everyone else, including Moe, Chris, and Joseph, had moved away, giving them privacy.
“Wow,” Megan said softly. “I don’t think I’ve heard you talk that much since I’ve known you. When you get going, you don’t stop, do you?”
Jayna bent and kissed her on the forehead. “I guess I don’t.”
“We’re really going to stay here in Dallas, right?” Megan asked. “You weren’t just saying that, were you?”
Jayna glanced at Eric to see him grinning at her, even though he looked like complete hell. He was still bleeding from nearly every part of his body. But he looked happy.
“We’re staying if Eric still wants me to,” she said softly.
He leaned close to kiss her. “Of course I want you to stay. I love you, remember?”
