Page 146 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

I could have joined her on the bed. It was plenty big enough. All the beds in the pack clinic were large enough to hold two people. It was so mates could stay together when one was sick or injured, since the mate bond helped werewolves heal faster.

But I was too scared to jostle her and mess up her stitches. With her being human, I wasn’t sure how much longer her healing would take than a werewolf.

A scratch sounded at the door, followed by a mindlink from Nolan. “Can I come in?”

I sat up from my half laying on the bed position. I stretched my arms and cracked my neck to relieve some of the tension from the not-very-comfortable way I’d been lying.

“Sure,” I linked him back, getting to my feet to let him in.

I opened the door, and he trotted in, still in his wolf form. It was probably because he’d ripped through his clothes when fighting off Haven’s ex. But it was also probably because his wolf needed to see for himself that his luna was okay.

He walked to the bed, his nose nudging and sniffing at Haven’s hand that still reached out towards where I had been sitting. He whimpered as he looked at her bandages, then moved to the foot of the bed and lay on the floor, his head resting on his paws.

“My wolf was getting anxious,” he said. “I needed to see her. Be closer to her,” he explained.

“I understand,” I replied. “She’s your luna. Our luna.”

“I’m still pissed at myself for letting that asshole get away.”

“Seb will find him.”

“He shouldn’t have to even look for him. He should be dead already.”

My lips twitched with a bitter laugh. “He’ll get what he deserves when Seb finds him and brings him here.”

“Good.”

I sat back in my chair and took her hand again, my thumb stroking her smooth skin. Touching her had always felt different—better—than any other touch, but now, with the mate bond in place, it was second to none.

Nolan and I sat in silence, both of us in our heads and thoughts. I pulled out my cell phone, thankful my dad had given it to me before he went home for the night, opening it to my text messages with Haven. It had fallen onto the lawn when I’d shifted to get to the pack hospital.

I scrolled back to the beginning of our messages, to the first text I’d sent her when I’d invited her to coffee. I read them all, all the way to the most recent, the messages from her during the week I had ignored her so we could fulfill our plan to trap Timothy. So many messages I had left unanswered. So many reasons for her to no longer wish to be with me.

She’d wanted me with her at the height of her fear and pain, but what would happen when she was coherent and not caught up in the moment? Was it just the mate bond making her want me with her, making her seek my touch and comfort, or did she want me because she wanted me?

“What if she rejects me?” I asked Nolan, my voice shaking even in the mindlink.

“You’d deserve it,” he replied, lifting his head and narrowing his eyes at me.

“I know,” I agreed. “I fucked up.”

“Damn right, you did.”

I chuckled at his candidness, even though it wasn’t a funny situation. But he was already acting like a true gamma. Mad at his alpha because his alpha hurt his luna.

“Does it hurt?” I asked, looking over at my sleeping mate.

“Rejection?” Nolan asked, and I nodded. “Like a bitch,” he said. “And it will probably be worse for you because you already have a connection with her.”

I clenched my jaw and exhaled through my nose so I wouldn’t growl at him. He was just being honest, just preparing me for the worst-case scenario. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.

“I’ll be there for you, though, if she does,” he added. “Just like you were there for me.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

“But Wes?” he said. I turned my head to him again. “I don’t think she’ll reject you. However, I do think you’re going to have to grovel. For real this time.”

I shook my head, dropping my chin to my chest, not sure whether to laugh or cry at his words.

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