Page 32 of Marked By the Alphas

After a while, I gave the signal for the warriors to retreat and we made our way back to the clearing where most of the fighting had happened. Almost immediately, I transformed back to human, wincing when my shoulder screamed in protest at the action.

Ignoring the throbbing pain, I scanned the clearing, trying to take account of the men we had lost. The clearing was littered with mangled bodies and the stench of death was overwhelming. I noted that we had lost some of our pack members, but not as many as the other party had. Nevertheless, I felt a pang go through me the way it always did when I lost a warrior.

“Where’s Rhys?” Kai asked and I turned around to find that he had also transformed back. His naked form was littered with various scratches and gashes, but they didn’t look too serious.

“Over here!” I heard Ekon shout in front of us and we rushed over.

“Rhys!” Kai screamed out first as we both rushed over to him.

Rhys who had now transformed, was currently sitting on the ground, with his back to a tree. He was clutching his side, and I knelt beside him. There was a massive gash that ran down his side and the sight of it caused dread to fill my veins.

“Rhys?” My voice was shaky as I spoke and he raised his eyes to mine, his gaze flickering.

“Don’t worry. I’m okay. Just a little scratch, nothing I can’t handle,” he rasped, in an attempt to sound playful, but his wordswere filled with pain and I could immediately see through his facade.

“He’s losing a lot of blood. We need to get him help or he won’t make it,” Kai instructed.

Chapter 17

Elara

The tendrils of a familiar pine scent snagged at my senses, pulling me from the depths of sleep. The surface beneath me felt incredibly warm and soft, and I sighed softly, burying myself even deeper into it. I opened my eyes, and the scent hit me harder, sending a shiver down my spine as it reminded me of my nest that Kai had built for me in his room during my heat. Disoriented, I blinked and the opulent surroundings of the room finally blurred into focus.

I could remember the terrifying nightmare. Silas had sent his hunters to find me, and in the dream, they had chased me relentlessly. I could still feel adrenaline and pure fear that had run through my veins as I fought to escape capture. The wider awake I got, the more my memories flooded back to me. I could remember Kai's strong arms holding me close, and the soft and comforting murmur of his voice as he brought me here. His warmth had been a stark contrast to the cold dread that had coiled in my stomach.

Where was Kai? The blinking red lights of the alarm clock on the nightstand flashed at me. It was close to two in the morning.

I pulled myself to a sitting position before I stumbled out of bed, my bare feet sinking silently into the thick rug. Curiosity warred with apprehension as I moved toward the door, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

The silence in the house as I stepped out of Kai’s room was oppressive, and it was broken only by the distant hooting of an owl. He should be in bed. Taking a deep breath, I ventured out into the hallway, my hand trailing nervously along the cool wall. The ornately carved doors to the other bedrooms were shut tight and I approached Rhys' room first since it was the closest.

I knocked softly on the door and pressed my ear against it, hoping to pick up on any sounds coming from within, but there was nothing. I knocked again, louder this time, but after several seconds, there was still nothing. I twisted the doorknob, and the door swung open. The sight of Rhys' empty bed had my heart dropping down to my stomach.

I quickly moved to Rowan’s room, and when I found his bed to be equally empty, the unease that had begun building up in me multiplied. Panic filled me. I moved to the home office at the end of the hallway, and when I also found that it too, was empty. I knew there had to be a problem. It might have been the nightmare from earlier, or maybe the constant paranoia that had stuck with me ever since escaping Silas, but something just didn’t feel right

Living with the Alphas for the last couple of months meant that I was somewhat familiar with their routines, even though I didn’t know for sure how everything worked in the pack. I knew that Rhys and Rowan had a patrol routine every night, and although they rarely had to be out at the same time, it wasn’t completely unusual that they would both be gone. Kai, however, never had to be on patrol. I had asked at some point about that, and I could remember how he had playfully told me that he valued his beauty sleep too much to be out patrolling late at night. So it sent chills down my spine to think that they all needed to be out of the house at this ungodly time of the night.

Taking one tentative step at a time, I descended the stairs, my grip tight against the railings. Downstairs didn’t look or feel any better. It was as empty and as silent as the rooms upstairs and a creeping feeling crawled up my neck.

Just as I contemplated returning to Kai's room, the front door suddenly burst open, shattering the peaceful silence. My heart leaped into my throat at the sight in front of me. A very naked Kai trudged into the house, his face etched with pain. There was bruising across his abdomen, but he wasn’t the one that held my attention. He and Rowan were supporting Rhys as they came through the door. The Alpha’s face that usually always held a teasing smile, looked pale and a horrifying gash ran down his side. Rowan was also battered and he seemed to be bleeding too.

“It’s okay. We’re fine. Anyah will be here soon. She just needs to attend to some of the warriors that need very urgent attention,” Kai offered, and I swallowed heavily.

“You all look like you need urgent attention. Especially Rhys,” I said, trudging after them as they hauled Rhys up the stairs.

Terror threatened to overwhelm me, but the healer within took control and I forced myself to remain calm. I needed to help them before Anyah could get here. The noise must have woken some of the maids up because I saw as they peeped through the door that led to their quarters with the same horrified look I was sure I had on my face.

“I need fresh towels, warm water, antiseptic and healing salve,” I instructed, my voice surprisingly calm when I spoke.

We all settled into Rhys' room, and once he was properly situated on the bed, I began cleaning every inch of his injuries. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop my cheeks from turning pinkas I ran my hands over his naked body. Decency was not a thing amongst werewolves, so I had seen a good bit of nakedness in my life, but it was different with the Alphas. I could feel myself heat up just from the knowledge that I was the only clothed one in the room. As I worked on Rhys, the weight of Kai and Rowan's stares hung heavy on my frame, and I could feel their eyes on me, following my every movement.

I tried my best to focus on Rhys, ignoring the throbbing worry in my heart as I cleaned his wounds and applied healing oils and salves with a practiced efficiency, hoping that it would help until Anyah could get here. But my mind was a whirlwind as I worked. What happened? Who did this to them?

“How are you feeling?” I asked and he offered me a smile, but the fear that had settled at the bottom of my stomach did not allow for me to return it.

“Much better, especially after feeling your touch,” he said softly and I felt the heat rise up from my neck and spread to my cheeks and ears.

“You need to rest. I’ll come check on you again soon,” I responded, pulling the quilt higher up his body before turning to Kai and Rowan to usher them out of the room.

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