Chapter 15
Bennie
The Hemlock Wolf Pack, Star’s Territory
“They’ve been spotted,” Slyvin walked back into the room where my arm was attached to a needle draining blood out of my body.
I was just enough of a match to Brad that whatever antibodies made through the alpha gene would help him heal quicker.
I had wanted to go after Alby, but knew where he was headed.
Knew Raziel was already there doing the dirty work because he heard the small second cry over the pack link too.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I knew I could count on Raziel and Alby to take care of each other and for them both to get back to me in one piece.
Baby Oaklan rested on my bare chest, having skin to skin time while his carrier was prepped for surgery.
Delivering two bear cubs in his parents’ house wasn’t a healthy idea.
They didn’t know what they were doing and he had some tearing and some other complications.
Baby Oaklan was healthy and Baby Resin (Brad told us his name before being wheeled off to pre-op) sounded and felt healthy over the pack link.
Their sire hadn’t been on our pack link and that’s how his murder had gone unnoticed.
Not even Brad knew until it hit the pack link.
Clyde had dosed him with some strong anxiety drugs to help him stay calm.
“I’m proud of you,” Slyvin squeezed my shoulder. “I know how hard it was for you to stay and not follow them.”
“I… I knew they’d need to test every alpha they could get their hands on,” I said and meant it. “It’s so selfish, but Alby wants him to live. So, I stayed because there was a snowball’s chance in hell I could help and I knew that would make Alby happy.”
“It takes a stable man to donate blood to the man who pointed a gun at his mate,” Slyvin smiled.
“He’s barely had his babies,” I sighed. “Barely and they were holding one hostage. They’re lucky he didn’t turn on them and eat them.”
“From what I’ve heard, that would’ve been a mercy killing compared to what Raziel inflicted.
Though, you know my stance.” He shrugged.
“If they’re messing with the children, they get what they get.
I don’t think that baby has eaten since they forced Brad out of the house.
That alone… And we don’t know what they would’ve done with Baby Resin if Brad had died. ”
“I can’t think about that right now,” I said as a nurse came and pulled the needle from my arm.
“No jumping up quickly. We took a lot of your blood. Eat your cookies and drink your juice,” she said, putting a package of peanut butter cookies and an orange juice in my hands.
“Make sure he eats, Slyvin. A hemorrhaging carrier and two babies who need our attention is more than enough patients for one day.”
“Agreed,” Slyvin nodded, but I was already opening the cookies. I knew that Alby and Raziel would need me. I needed not to faint on them when they finally got to the hospital. I needed to be up and on my feet and headed into the ultrasound room with Alby. I needed to be there in case….
“No,” Slyvin said. “You’ll be there to see your cubs. It takes more than a little stress and a flight to injure tiger cubs in utero. He’ll need to rest and eat. We’ll all need to try to keep his life as stress free as possible, but your cubs will be okay.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I can too,” he squared his shoulders but there was no time to argue with him. All the chaos outside signaled that Star had landed.
“Stay and finish your food. They can come to you. They’ll bring a portable,” Slyvin said. “Star is here. Either he’ll light a fire under their asses or set their asses on fire. Either way, finish your snack.”
I barely stifled a laugh. He sounded so much like he did when I was a kid.
For a second, I leaned my head against his arm.
He wasn’t my birth dad. Hell, he wasn’t even my stepdad.
He was my brother-in-law but for everything the world might call him, he and Ryder were my parents and if life had to go the way it did when I was a baby, I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“You’re all going to be alright, kid,” Slyvin kissed the top of my head and for better or worse, I believed him.
A second later, Raziel, covered in blood, carried Alby, less covered in blood, into the room. The nurses immediately tried to push Raziel out to go clean up, but Slyvin stopped them.
“Leave them be. If the clean up of one bloody room is too much, the temple will have people come and clean it. You have my personal guarantee. It is my firm belief that Frost himself brought these young men here in this particular situation.”
“Well, if he did, he should’ve given us old fucks a head’s up, huh?” Star laughed, leaning against the doorway shirtless, clad in only jeans and socks.
“He has his ways,” Slyvin shrugged and shot me a dirty look when I fed Alby my last cookie. I might’ve donated blood but Alby was growing three lives inside of him. I’d wear myself down to skin and bones to take care of them.
“The normal Bennie?” Star asked from the doorway.
“Huh?” I grunted.
“The normal from Mama Dragon’s?” he asked.
“Please,” I said hopefully. Star took the orders and put them in on his phone.
It turned out that Alby did need a shower straight away because blood bred disease if left to dry for too long.
So, inside the bathroom attached to an inpatient room, we showered together.
Slyvin stood guard outside of the door so that Raziel could clean up too in another bathroom.
I kissed Alby all over. It wasn’t sexual or even scent marking.
“I was so afraid when you flew off. I was… I knew Raziel was there but.. I knew it was something you had to do. You had to see that they were gone. You had to…” there weren’t enough words in any language I knew to explain what I was feeling.
“Thank you for believing in me,” Alby grinned as I nuzzled against his belly.
“I… That was the first time I’ve flown like that.
That was the first time I knew I could fly.
I mean, a lot of babies from the Raven Hollow Pack are born with crow wings now, but still.
I was so mad, Bennie. Mad isn’t even the right word.
What if it was anyone else who opened the door?
What if they didn’t immediately notice the baby like I did?
What if they hurt him and the baby? Or they killed him and the babies were orphaned or… I was so mad!”
I nuzzled my face into his belly again. He smelled like hospital soap.
I wasn’t mad anymore. Brad’s parents were dead.
They’d raised two kids. One who was probably decent and one who was Chad.
If Brad turned out to be a good guy it was because he wanted to be.
They were gone now and everyone important to me was okay.
We’d all be okay. I nuzzled into Alby’s belly again, relishing in the tiny heartbeats that thrummed inside him.
Slyvin had been right. Our tiger cubs were okay.
He’d still get an ultrasound before we went home but we’d be okay.