Page 97 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

The sign on the wall for the bathroom is visible at the far end of the room.

“You’re not okay!” Terrence tries to grab me, but I’m already running. The door opens easily; I shut it behind me and lock it. And promptly begin to throw up.

I’ve never vomited blood before, but the sink is now stained with it. My belly is burning, as if a thousand knives are stabbing me on the inside. Clutching the edge of the sink, I try to stay upright as I empty the entire contents of my stomach. The blood is a dark color. In between throwing up and ignoring the pounding on the door, I stare dimly at the clots of blood.

That’s not a dark red.

It’s black.

I’m vomiting black blood.

I don’t get much time to ponder this new development as the urge to throw up overtakes me again. I retch, and more blood comes out. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I look up into the mirror and see a clammy face staring back at me.

But my eyes…My eyes are amber, just like Robert’s are when his wolf is staring at me through them. My heart nearly stops, and when I blink, they’re back to normal.

Am I hallucinating?

I have to be.

My trembling fingers touch my face under my eyes.

The burning sensation is fading now, but the pain is still there, tender, throbbing.

My hands tighten on the marble of the sink, and I hear a cracking sound. Confused, shaken, I look down and see large cracks in the marble stemming from where I’m holding on to it. My hands jump away, almost as if the marble just burned them.

My breathing is already uneven, and now I feel a thundering sensation inside my head as I stare at the sink’s cracked white marble.

What is happening to me?

Suddenly, I realize there is no one pounding on the outside of the bathroom door anymore. Before I can consider what that means, the door is yanked open, the lock breaking, and standing in front of me is a wide-eyed, drenched, and furious wolf Alpha.

Chapter 20

Robert Montgomery

I never thought the day would come when I would be annoyed at being stuck in meetings. I’ve always been a workaholic. When you’re always working, you don’t have time to think about which parts of your life are lacking.

But now, these meetings simply seem like they’re interrupting my time with Charlotte. She told me she’d be heading to the animal shelter tonight. I don’t want her around that vet, Ricky. He’s not human. I don’t know what he is, but the day Charlotte was attacked, he realized that I had figured out he isn’t a human.

I didn’t even get the chance to confront him. As soon as I walked him out, he told me to give her my blood if I wanted her to heal. While I processed the abrupt instruction, he disappeared. I tried going to find him at the shelter, but once again, I couldn’t find it.

I don’t want Charlotte being someplace I can’t access, but the darkly possessive side of me that always comes out when it concerns my woman might drive her away. Charlotte isn’t foolish; she’s quite level-headed. But despite how fragile she is, she will never let me cage her in order to protect her. That’s why I gave her the gun.

The meeting is close to wrapping up when I see her name pop up on my phone. I decline the call, planning to call her back as soon as the meeting ends. But the text message that gets displayed next has me going still.

I’m already out the conference room door, dialing her number.

The call connects, but for a moment there’s silence, and then she begins to speak.

Only it’s not to me.

I’ve never moved faster in my life.

Charlotte’s location tracking is always turned on, and at my request, she downloaded an app that helps me pinpoint where her phone is. But that’s not the only thing sending me in her direction. My wolf also knows where she is. It’s like a pulling sensation on my soul. She’s not far, but she’s not safe, either.

I don’t bother with the car.

I run.

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