Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
One moment laughter falls from my lips, and my feet pound across the floor as I chase Kaitlin to her playroom to clean up. The next, I crash, feet sliding from beneath me as I stumble. My knees slam into the hardwood, but I barely feel the pinch of pain.
I can’t breathe. Can’t think.
The sharp sting of wrongness floods my body. It’s nauseating.
My hands meet the floor, lungs burning as I try to make them work, but it’s like my body refuses to cooperate. Something is wrong. It uncurls from deep within me, a primal instinct that takes control of my body and rips a roar from my throat.
Hands grip my shoulders, pulling me against a hard, warm body, but I shove them away.
I have to move. To go… where? I don’t know; I just know I need to leave.
Someone calls my name with a tear-stained, shaky voice, but I can’t look back to see who is there, worrying about me.
My existence narrows to a single thread.
It tugs at my soul, increasing in urgency.
Stumbling down the hall toward the garage, following the misty gray connection.
I’m stopped, a hand gripping my shoulder tight.
I whirl, baring my teeth, ready to fight, but then my Alpha is there.
His bark cuts through the insistent pulse long enough for a tear to slip from my eye.
“Help.”
That single word gets him moving. He always knows what I need, so when he climbs behind the wheel of Manny’s car, I slide into the passenger seat. My heartbeat pounds in my head, so loud I can barely hear the roar of the engine as he backs us into the driveway. “Which way?”
Closing my eyes, I focus on that thread and point to the right. Toward Omen’s house. Or the highway. Starburgh, if we drive far enough. He guides us there, hands tight on the steering wheel as he flicks glances my way every few seconds.
I’m a mess. Crying and shaking, unable to speak.
None of it makes sense, not until we round the bend leading to the highway and see our car stopped on the side of the road.
It’s still running, the lights shining into the trees that line the other side.
The driver’s door is ajar, the interior light revealing the overflowing back seat. And no one inside.
Shepherd slows to a stop, throwing on our hazard lights in case another car drives by.
He swallows thickly, turning wide, panicked eyes toward me.
I kick my door open, not bothering to close it as I dash around the front of the car.
My heart stops, steps stuttering when I see the outline of someone lying on the pavement by the open door.
Shep catches me before I fall, steadying me with a hand wrapped around my wrist.
We close the distance together, hearts racing and a whirlwind of worry volleying back and forth through our bond.
Manny lies on the ground, eyes closed and chest shuddering with each breath.
Sobbing, I drop to my knees and crawl to him, gently cupping his cheek with my hand.
He’s been beaten, the dark red spots already blossoming into bruises.
Blood leaks from the cuts on his lip and brow, and a glance down his body tells me those aren’t the only spots.
“Hot Stuff, stay with me. I-I need you t-to open those pretty eyes and tell me y-you’re okay. ”
Shepherd stands rigid beside me, phone pressed to his ear as he barks at the emergency dispatcher. He’s on alert, attention snapping between Manny and our surroundings. If whoever did this is still nearby, my Alpha is going to tear them to pieces. I’m going to help.
Manny groans, head turning against my palm. The eye that isn’t swollen shut blinks open. He’s dazed, most likely concussed. Where the fuck is the ambulance?
“F-Foster?” My name croaks out, followed by a pained hiss. His eyes pinch shut, and I cry harder. “Y-you can’t be here. Gotta leave. Too… dangerous.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I promise him. “Shepherd is here. Our Alpha will protect us.”
His head shakes, concern for me sliding through our bond. Now that we’re here, I realize it was the pain in his bond that sent me into an Omega Panic earlier, forcing me to follow his bond until I found him.
Sirens wail in the distance, growing closer, and I let out a shaky breath. My thumb rubs his cheek, careful of the cuts and bruises on his face. “It’s all going to be okay.” Whether my promise is to him or to me doesn’t matter as long as he survives.
Paramedics guide me out of the way, ignoring my growl of protest. Shepherd steps in, pulling me back to his chest and purring until I stop trying to fight everyone. I watch through teary eyes as they check him over and load him onto a stretcher.
“We have a dash cam,” I hear Shep tell the officers. “I’ll get the footage to you as soon as we get to the hospital.”
I want to ride with Manny, but my Alpha is in protective mode and won’t be able to handle not having eyes on me.
So, we pile back into the car and follow the ambulance into the city.
On the way, he calls Pack Graves and asks them to grab the car and take it to our house.
He asks them to sit with Hannah and the kids, worried that this was a distraction so that Colin could get to her.
Fuck, I hadn’t even thought of that!
His hand grips my thigh, rubbing soothing circles. “Let’s call her,” he tells me, already dialing.
“Shepherd? What’s wrong?” Her voice is shaky, likely feeling the mess of emotions in our bonds. I hate her being home alone, but I can’t be there when Manny needs me.
Our Alpha quickly explains the situation, blinking back tears when Hannah sobs. “We’re pulling up to the hospital now, Wildfire. I’ll call you as soon as we know more. And Hannah? Do not leave the house. Omen and her mates are on their way. Please let them protect you.”
Hurrying into the building, we’re directed to a waiting room.
I can’t sit still, feet carrying me back and forth as we wait for news.
Years of work in the ER fly through my mind, creating a list of everything that could go wrong.
All the ways I could lose my mate. My heart hurts, shredded into hundreds of pieces and waiting to be stitched back together again. I can’t lose him. I just can’t.
“Pack Wilson?”
My head jerks toward the door, locking onto the nurse waiting for us. I move on instinct, following them into the back. A curtain pulls aside, and there he is, hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor, and wearing one of those awful pale green paper gowns.
“The doctor will be in momentarily to update you.”
I think I nod, but I’m too focused on my mate to know for sure. His hand is warm as I wrap mine around it, needing a point of contact to stop myself from crawling onto the bed with him. He doesn’t stir, but I’m less worried now. As long as his heart is beating, we can figure out the rest later.
“Gentlemen, my name is Doctor Mikaelson. I’m the attending in charge of your mate’s care.
” He uses a laptop to pull up Manny’s chart and reviews everything with us.
The more I hear, the sicker I feel. Broken ribs, a punctured lung, a concussion, and that’s on top of the cuts, bruises, and road rash.
Blinking back more tears, I grip his hand tighter, careful not to pull the bandages wrapped around it.
“What are our next steps?” Shepherd asks. I trust him to listen, and I know the staff will give us paperwork with instructions. Hell, most of this is stuff I already know. I just have to be clear-headed enough to remember it.
More time passes as I sit beside his bed, begging him to wake up again.
At some point, we’re moved to a private room.
That’s when the police arrived. Shepherd recognizes the one in plain clothes, and he steps into the hall with them.
Rage flashes through our bond, and my stomach sinks.
Either they didn’t catch whoever did this…
or we already know the person responsible.
The same person who has stalked and taunted us for weeks, evading the agents hunting him.
I watch his face as he rejoins me, hands fisted at his sides. “That fucking piece of shit did this, didn’t he?”
Shepherd nods, a war brewing in his golden-brown eyes. “Colin, his parents, and Hannah’s mother were all visible on the front and rear cameras. They didn’t catch the assault, but it’s enough to bring them in.”
“If they can find them.”
“That’s not the only good news,” he tells me, leaning his head against my shoulder and sighing. “Both their vehicles have plates that can be tracked. And only one belonged to the Boyds. They have a lead this time.”
We sit in silence, with him leaning on me while I cling to Manny’s hand.
“They have to catch them,” I whisper, letting broken emotion filter into my voice.
Another tear drips down my cheek. I’ve cried so much that my eyes are swollen and irritated, but I don’t care about the discomfort.
I want this to be over. For our family to be safe.
“They will.” Shepherd grits out, rubbing his head along my jaw. “And if they don’t… we will.”