Aaron looked up. “What? I told you—”
“You’re wrong, Aaron. It’s the wrong call. Bring the pack in here now.”
When he stared at her, too depleted and hopeless to move fast enough, April ran to the living room again. The haze had burned off; everyone was on their feet as though ready to charge forward.
“He needs you,” she said. “All of you. He’s got no strength left, but he told me you bring him strength. Come on. Hurry. Please hurry.”
While she spoke she motioned to them, led them back to the table where their alpha lay. If it were possible, he looked worse in the seconds April had been gone from the room. She took his right hand and held it to her heart, willed him to feel her warmth and her heartbeat, willed him to glean strength from the presence of his mate.
The pack followed her example, moved in so the whole room was packed. Closest to Malachi, surrounding the table, stood Ezra and Willow, Trevor and Kelsey, Robert and Ann, Cassius and Sydney. The Sterlings, who had taken him into their family when he came here as a pup. And…April looked around the room.
“Arlo?” she said. “Rebecca?”
The old wolf and his mate had been pressed into a corner, though not likely on purpose. The pack shifted around, parting as they could, to make space for Arlo and Rebecca to come near.
“Talk to him, all of you,” April said. “Touch him and talk to him. He needs to know you’re here.”
Rebecca set her crinkly old hand on Malachi’s head. “You’re too young for this, alpha pup. You’ve got so much life ahead. The pack you love is here with you. Please stay with us a long time.”
Kelsey grasped his ankle through the blankets. She was crying freely, and her words came along with her tears. “Mal, please don’t go. Please. We love you so, so much, and I hope you can feel it.”
Trevor set a hand on Malachi’s shoulder. His shoulders shook with sobs so hard he couldn’t talk. Ezra didn’t touch Malachi but put an arm around his brother. Quietly he said, “Mal, I know how strong you are. I know you can hear us and smell us. I—I hope it’s not more stress on you. I hope it brings your strength back, like April said.”
Everyone remained jammed into the room for at least an hour. They took turns talking to Malachi. His breathing grew easier and deeper while Aaron kept track of his pulse. At last Aaron said, “His pulse is stable.”
A cheer went up.
Another ten minutes and his body heat began to return. Then, when April squeezed his hand, Malachi squeezed back. Finally, as daylight crept up the horizon, as the world outside the windows began to turn gray with morning, Malachi opened his eyes. This time the pack’s loud cheer included a “whoop-whoop” from Kelsey and many boisterous howls that echoed off the walls.
When the room grew quiet, Aaron said, “Welcome back.”
Malachi reached up from the blankets with his left hand and grasped Aaron’s wrist. His voice was faint. “My pack—all safe?”
“We’re safe,” Aaron said. “Who do you think was making all that noise just now?”
“But my pack— Aaron, my pack—”
“Your pack is right here. Look around you. Catalogue our scents.”
With groggy desperation, Malachi looked around the room as best he could from where he lay. He found April first, as though some magnet drew his gaze to hers. She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, and he squeezed back. A deep rumble filled his chest and continued as he found each person that gazed down at him, one at a time. But the tension around his mouth didn’t ease.
“The pups—I can’t smell the pups. I can’t—”
“The pups, Lucy, and Jeremy are in the safe room. That’s why you can’t smell them. Everyone is safe,” Aaron said slowly, patiently. “All the pack are safe. Every adult and every pup.”
Another deep growl came from Malachi’s chest, this one speaking deep emotion to his pack, relief and protection and love. His agitation calmed, and a smile at last made his eyes warm again.
Aaron said, “Just a quick check, although it seems pointless now.… Can you tell me who you are?”
A slow smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. “Malpha.”
Laughter and amused rumbles filled the room. Aaron grinned, then said, “Full name?”
“Malachi Jackson Fuller.”
“Birthday?”
“July seventh, I’ll be thirty-one.”
