Gabriel glanced between us, frowning. “What are you waiting for?”
“We haven’t asked Rys for permission to enter his territory, let alone his pack’s home.”Fuck. I should’ve called him on our way over here, but I’d been so busy bringing Elliot up to speed with everything that I’d totally forgotten basic pack etiquette. And so had Elliot.
“Really?” Gabriel sighed in frustration. “Is it that important?”
“Yes,” we both answered at once.
“Okay.” Squaring his shoulders, Gabriel faced us both. “This is my pack. As Rys’s soulbonded mate, I hereby give you permission to enter our territory and our pack house.” He raised an eyebrow, as if daring us to tell him that wasn’t enough, but I already sensed Elliot relax beside me.
He inclined his head. “Thank you.” Then, after slipping an arm around my waist to support my weight, he led us inside after Gabriel.
Rys was coming down the stairs as we entered the kitchen.
“Where is he?” I snapped, the urge to go to him flaring to life.
“I’ve put him in one of the guest bedrooms.”
“Did he wake up?” Gabriel cursed sharply when Rys shook his head. “This isMax, for fuck’s sake. He’s not supposed to be the one who gets hurt.” The flash of anger took me by surprise, but it shouldn’t have. Max was his partner, his friend. It was another reason I’d brought him here.
“His injuries were severe enough to needstitches.” Rys ground out. He closed his eyes, jaw clenched as he struggled to rein in his wolf. “Even with our advanced healing his body will need time to fix itself. Don’t expect him to wake anytime soon.” His eyes met mine, expression softening a fraction as his gaze swept over me. “Where are you hurt?”
“Just my leg,” I offered. “I’m fine.”
Elliot scoffed. “His bone had torn through his skin. I had to re-break it to get it to align properly.”
Rys snarled and I glared at Elliot. The last thing we needed was another pissed-off alpha. Not that Rys was anything like Xen; he’d never hurt his pack like that. But at the minute, he looked seconds away from charging out of here and doing something stupid, and Max would kill Elliot if anything happened to Rys because of something we’d done.
“Go sit down,” Gabriel ordered. “I’ll make us all a drink and then you can tell us exactly what the fuck happened.”
I hesitated. We did owe Rys and Gabriel an explanation, but the pull to go to Max was almost unbearable. I whined, the sound low and full of pain, and I couldn’t force my feet to move.
Rys stepped up to me and placed his hand on the base of my throat. Elliot flinched beside me, but Rys ignored him. “We can do this in the hall outside his room if you’d prefer?”
I nodded quickly, the relief immediate. “I need to be near him.”
Understanding flashed in Rys’s eyes. “Come on.” He turned to go back upstairs. “I’ll take you to him.”
I leant heavily on Elliot as he helped me up the stairs. Each step sent a jolt of pain through me, but I ignored it, my sole focus getting to Max.
Rys and Gabriel stayed just outside the room as Elliot and I went in.
I stopped a few feet from the bed, my heart in my throat. He looked so still. Unnaturally so. For someone usually so full of life and laughter, it felt all kinds of wrong to see him lying there not moving a muscle.
The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, and a sob escaped me as the enormity of his injuries sank in.
Elliot pulled me into a hug, his grip tight and comforting but it wasn’t the one I wanted. The one Ineededmore than anything in that moment.
“He’s healing,” Elliot rushed to assure me. “I know it’s hard to see him like this, but you need to remember that. Hewillget better.”
I let his words sink in, clung to them, because it was the only way I was going to find the strength to leave this room. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I walked over to the bed.
A lock of hair had fallen over Max’s forehead and I reached out to smooth it back. “Get better,” I murmured. “Do you hear me?” I trailed my fingers along his cheek, the soft stubble scraping my skin. “Because I’m not doing any of this without you.”
He didn’t so much as twitch and my heart sank.
Reaching for his hand, I grasped his fingers. “Come on, Max. I know you can hear me. You need to give me something or there’s no way I can go out there and do what I need to.” I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Please.”
I held my breath, not sure what I was waiting for because I knew he wasn’t going to wake up any time soon, but then his fingers twitched. The barest movement, but I knew I hadn’t imagined it, and a choked sob escaped. Tears filled my eyes, as I lifted his hand to my mouth and placed the softest of kisses on there. “Thank you.”
