Page 38 of The Wolf's Mate

And they are. Because of my cousin and the pack Luna.

“You did great, Hettie. Thank you for protecting my mate. I owe you my life,” Thorne says to Hettie, reverence and respect shining in his eyes.

My girl blushes. “She’s my friend. I protect my friends.”

“Hettie.” At the sound of her name, she looks up at me through dark lashes. She sways on her feet, and in an instant I’m by her side. “You need to sit.”

Hettie doesn’t argue with me, which only proves how shaken she really is. I take her back to the other room, careful of the broken glass as I navigate her to the small couch. It sags under our weight, and we sink into the cushions.

“We need to talk about what happened.” The last thing I want to do is push her, but with Michael on the loose, we no longer have the luxury of time. “I wouldn’t ask you about it right now if it wasn’t important, Dove.”

“I know.” Her voice is so small. Hettie’s larger-than-life personality pales to a dying ember. I hate seeing her like this. Hate knowing she was scared and alone.

“Michael came here. He’s working with the Nephilim, Rip. He admitted it to me. He…told me he hopes we have extra beds for those bitten. What does he mean by that? What happens when a rogue bites one of our pack members?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “This is the first major attack on our lands. Usually we can contain it before they reach the city. My guards have been bit, I’m certain, but nothing has happened to them.”

Yet, I think but don’t voice.

“Michael implied something bad is going to happen. But I couldn’t get any more out of him. He got so close to me, and I just reacted. That ax you gave me? I brought it down on him. I wanted to kill him, Rip. I never had this feeling of bloodlust before, but I wanted him dead. I wasn’t strong enough, though, and he—” She gestures to the mark on her face, and newfound anger flares to life. I suspected that was Michael’s doing, but hearing it confirmed intensifies the hatred I have for the rogue bastard.

Michael will die.

And soon.

“I’m so sorry, Rip. This is all my fault.” Then Hettie shatters my heart into a million small shards. The dam holding back her emotions finally breaks. She puts her head in her hands and sobs. “I was brought here to help, but I’m only making things worse. Ender was wrong. I don’t belong here.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it?—”

“It’s not!” she cries, looking up at me with tear-stained eyes. “Michael told me he came here for me. Told me this wouldn’t stop until I came to him willingly. I don’t know why he wants me, but he does. If I stay here, more people will get hurt. Or worse. I can’t, Rip. Don’t you get it? I came here to get away from people I’ve hurt. I can’t fucking do it again. I refuse!”

Hettie breaks down, curling into herself. Her shoulders shake with her sobs, and I can’t take it. “Hettie.” I lose all pretenses of control and drag her over to me. She puts up a weak fight, but I cage my arms around her as soon as she’s in my lap.

“I need you to understand something, Dove, and then we will never have this fucking conversation again. This isn’t your fault.”

Hettie opens her mouth to argue, but I’m faster. I clamp my hand over her lips, and she lets out a strangled cry. My mate attempts to bite me in hopes I’ll let go. Jokes on her though, because I fucking love it.

“If you want something to bite, Dove, I’ll give you my neck later. Mark it up as you see fit.”

She glares up at me, but her scent gives her lust away. She likes the thought of that.

“I don’t give a shit what Michael said,” I continue while I have her attention. “None of this is your fault. And don’t for a second think I’m going to let you sacrifice yourself for this pack. Michael’s a liar. Once he has you, there’s no stopping him from killing every one of us for you to watch.

“What’s going to happen is we’re going to rid our pack of this disease and the rogues. We will also take care of the Nephilim. I don’t have the answers about how we’re going to do that, but I know we will find a solution together. Because we are going to survive this shit and come out on top. Do you understand me, mate?”

I let my hand fall away from her mouth, giving her voice back. There’s a new hardness in her expression that wasn’t there moments ago. “I understand, Alpha. Together.”

At this moment, I feel like I can take on a herd of Nephilim and rogues. I lean down and press a firm kiss to her lips. “Good,” I say once I pull away. “Now let me clean you up.”

“Shouldn’t we check on the pack first?” she asks.

“No. Let me take care of you.” The need to clean her up and make sure there’s no other injuries on her she’s trying to hide from me is strong. “Thorne and Tallie will check in on the pack. We will join them later.”

“But—”

“Argue with me, and I swear I’ll spank that ass and drag you back to our room anyway,” I growl. “Now let’s go.”

“Spanking sounds fine with me, actually.”

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