Page 148 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

“Gone,” I replied.

“Fuck.”

“Exactly.”

“Maybe he’ll lie low?” Nolan suggested, but he didn’t sound even the slightest bit convinced of that idea.

“That’s all we can hope for,” I said.

A wave of fear and panic washed over me, muted, but there all the same.

The slow, steady beep of the monitors picked up their pace until they filled the room with a cacophony of beeps and buzzes.

I turned to find Haven sitting up in the bed, her eyes wide as she looked around the room and pulled at the wires and IVs attached to her body, trying to remove them.

I stepped towards her, but the nurses rushed in at the same time, blocking her from me as they crowded around her, grabbing her hands to stop her from removing her IV.

“No!” she croaked, her feet kicking out at the nurses.

Her chest rose and fell in quick, shallow pants, her eyes darting around the room, flicking between all the machines.

I realized then the emotions I felt weren’t mine but hers. Nolan growled and snapped at a nurse, and I lunged forward, moving them out of the way.

“Leave her alone,” I commanded, my voice low but cold, leaving no room for argument or disobedience. “Let her go and move away from the bed.”

They all stepped away as soon as the order fell from my lips. Haven’s eyes moved to me, and a sliver of relief formed within her tangled mess of emotions.

“Please, Wes,” she whispered, her eyes looking around the room again, taking in the nurses, monitors, and the wires. “Please,” she repeated, her arms wrapping around her knees as they curled into her body.

Her breaths were still shallow, her body shaking as I walked to her slowly, taking her face in my hands and lifting her gaze to mine. My thumbs stroked her cheekbones, and I held her stare. Her eyes were still wide and glassy, but her gaze didn’t move from mine.

“Get Dr. Russo,” I told the nurses, my eyes still locked with Haven’s.

Her legs uncurled from her body, and she scooted towards me, her arms wrapping around my waist. I let go of her face so she could rest it against my chest, my hands moving to her back and rubbing up and down in long strokes.

“Yes, Alpha?” Dr. Russo asked as he rushed into the room.

“I’m taking Haven back to my house,” I told him.

“But—”

“Her wound is healing faster than a human normally would,” I said. “There is no blood on the bandage, and you haven’t had to change it at all since they placed it on her neck. Whatever else you need to do to monitor her, you can do at my house.”

“Wesley, that isn’t how—”

“Can’t you see she’s terrified?” I growled, glaring at him. “She doesn’t feel safe here!”

Her arms tightened around me, and I could feel her surprise at my understanding of the cause of her panic.

The hospital. Of course, the hospital gave her a panic attack. Before, when they’d been stitching her up, she wasn’t lucid. She was in pain and shock and had adrenaline coursing through her.

But after all that wore off, and she realized where she was—well, she panicked. And it made sense. The hospital most likely brought back memories of the worst day of her life, the day social services took her away from Jack and Shirley. From her family.

I’d heard all about that day, both from her and her parents—heard about how everything had happened and how awful it had been for her. I wasn’t about to force her to stay in a place that made her relive those moments.

“Is she stable?” I asked him.

“Yes.” He sighed. “Her IV antibiotic is done. I can do all her checkups from your house.”

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