Chapter 42 Whatever It Takes
1621words
As Alpha Blake and I continued through the forest, an uncomfortable feeling rose within me as we glanced at the limp bodies scattered around us. Alpha Blake had claimed that the attack was merely a message; these rogues were well aware they stood no chance of surviving the assault. I stood puzzled, wondering if they somehow knew about my mother's existence. I had already lost one parent at the hands of the rogues, and I wouldn't allow the past to repeat itself. Only a small circle—my most trusted wolves—knew about my mother. I figured it would be too dangerous for this information to leak out, as it could be seen as my weakness.
I directed a group of guards to discard the rogues' bodies and leave them outside the pack borders, assuming it would serve as a warning if other rogues even considered attacking again. I knew it was a vile action, but I deemed it necessary. Dealing with a rogue attack on the day of my coronation was embarrassing enough for all the Alphas who had come to witness it. Damage control would be needed later tonight and throughout tomorrow until our visitors had left.
Thoughts of Adeline enveloped my mind as I made my way back to the pack house where I knew she was safe and waiting for me. Without fully understanding what she was doing and solely concerned about my safety, she was slowly coming out of her shell. She was still timid and reserved, particularly around shifters who held status, but I longed for the moments when I noticed she pushed it aside—usually when she became defensive for herself or those she cared about. I noticed my pace quicken as I got closer to the pack house; I couldn't contain my excitement to see her and finally have a night of peace without disruptions or having to break into her bedroom.
My wolf grew more anxious once the pack house was in sight, but I shrugged it off, thinking it was the mating bond calling me to be close to our mate. Our mate—I chuckled at how ridiculous I had been until now, thinking I didn't have one. Only I was granted a mate who continued to amaze me in every way possible. I wasn't sure how much longer I could resist being fully mated to her.
My Beta Don stood outside the pack house with a couple of other Alphas who had stayed back to see my return from the borders. "Alpha Jaxon, that was an incredible show, and I'm pleased to have witnessed it for myself. Your wolf in battle mode was a treat to see," Alpha Jacob of Broken Ridge Pack said as he came forward and extended his hand. I thanked him for his assistance to Midnight Moon during a moment of crisis and spent a few more minutes in simple small talk, but my focus was lost with my wolf still stirring inside me. I excused myself, citing that I needed to deal with some pack issues. Beta Don gave me a knowing look and chuckled; he was well aware of where I was so anxiously headed.
I rushed through the pack house and made my way up the staircase, desire filling me to see my mate. As I neared the top, I heard loud growling and the sound of claws swiping coming from my Alpha quarters, as if a brawl was happening inside my bedroom. Panic surged deep within my chest. From the scents I picked up, there was more than one person inside. I struggled with the doorknob, turning it a couple of times, only to find it locked. Fuck, I remembered that I told Adeline to lock the door. Still, I was certain something was very wrong behind this door. With one quick thud, I kicked it down, and the sight before me made me shift instantly.
Commotion played out near the bay window in my bedroom—shards of glass scattered throughout the room. Two wolves battled fiercely, leaping and missing each other's throats. I quickly identified one as a guard from Midnight Moon and the other as a rogue, judging by his severely tattered fur and foul smell.
The scent of copper mixed with my mate's took over my senses. My eyes darted from the battling wolves to her fragile body lying on the floor, her dress violently ripped and tattered. Her eyes widened at the sight of my wolf, and she let out a weak whimper—our mate crying out for help, as my wolf instantly recognized. I scanned her body desperately to find the source of blood and noticed her leg had a piece of flesh missing, a pool of blood spreading around it. I let out a deep, alarming growl that made the bedroom floor vibrate and leapt toward the rogue—the pathetic excuse for a wolf who caused my mate pain.
I pushed by my guard with a single move—he had flown into the wall and onto a nightstand, not realizing the force I'd used. I took a moment, burning every feature of this rogue into my mind, certain neither he nor his spawns would make it through the night once I was finished. I bared my teeth at the marbled black-and-white wolf standing before me. He hissed and bared his teeth back. I considered different ways to finish him in a blink, but waited for him to pounce first, feeling his impatience rise.
He leaned back as if trying to gain more force and slung himself toward me, his canines reaching for my shoulder. Too slow, I thought, as I clung onto his neck mid-air, ripping the throat from his matted fur. I tasted his pungent, bitter blood as I launched his body outside the window.
"I need a pack doctor to my bedroom NOW," I mind-linked the entire pack, still aware of my mate bleeding out on the floor. I shifted back into human form and approached her; her whimpers weakened with each breath. I grabbed the back of her head to sit her up and help her regain consciousness. "Adeline, can you hear me? It's going to be okay. Hold on, sweetheart, the doctor is on his way." Her blue eyes struggled to stay open. "Please, Adeline, focus on me," I yelled, desperate to keep her awake.
Still holding her head, I called out to my guard, "Asher, I need towels now to stop the bleeding." My eyes stayed fixed on Adeline, hoping to keep her awake. I could feel the guard's head nod as he raced out and soon returned with a stack of towels. He placed them beside me, and I instructed him to hold her head up. Speechless, he placed his hand under her head where mine rested as I grabbed the towels. I rolled them into logs and wrapped them around her wound one by one, loosening the wraps slightly with each layer.
"I-I'm sorry, Alpha. I heard something break inside your bedroom as I returned from the pack border and rushed here as quickly as I could. The rogue had already bitten her by the time I got inside," he admitted with a saddened frown, regret clear on his face.
"We'll discuss this later. Right now, I need her stabilized," I snapped as the pack doctor hurried into the room. He threw his bag on the floor and began examining her. When he placed a hand on her chest to check her breathing, I let out an involuntary low growl at him.
"Alpha, I can't examine the damage if you don't allow me to touch her," he said, panic rising in his voice. I locked eyes with my mate, who was losing consciousness. Her eyes rolled back, and her eyelids slowly closed.
"HELP HER NOW," I growled, baring my teeth at the doctor. "She's losing consciousness," I told him, panic rising as the walls seemed to close in on me at the thought of losing her right here on my bedroom floor. The doctor pulled out a needle filled with red liquid and injected her as he unwrapped the wound.
"It's not a big wound, but she's lost a lot of blood," he said, gazing down at her face once more. "The epinephrine shot should have kicked in and caused her to wake up, but I'm sorry, Alpha, I don't think she's going to make it." His words were accompanied by a ringing sensation filling my ears.
My face flushed; I couldn't bear to lose her. I knew I would slowly die without her—the pain would be unbearable. Beta Don ran into the room, and I heard his breath catch in shock as his eyes met Adeline's lifeless body. My wolf urged me to mark her right there, as she lay unconscious.
"What if I mark her, doc? Would she regain consciousness?" I pleaded desperately, willing to try anything to keep her alive.
He paused, confusion on his face. "If she was your mate, yes, there would be a good chance of saving her. But you're not her mate. I'm afraid an Alpha's mark does not hold that kind of power over his wolves. It would also bind you to her as long as she's alive, making it impossible for you to mate with Luna Beverly," he said.
My eyes briefly met Beta Don's before I felt my canines enlarge. There was no other option. I had planned to take her as my mate regardless. I had only wished it had been on mutual terms and not while she lay on her deathbed. I leaned into my little mate's limp body and felt her soft, tender skin surround my sharp canines as they pierced into her neck.
