Page 69 of The Alpha's Bullied Mate

“I won’t let you,” the demon howled again.

A bloody haze seeped from every pore of Hayden’s skin. He fell to his knees, screaming in pain as the demon was slowly ripped from his body. Patches of skin tore off as red, smoky hands clutched at him, trying to pull their way back in. A tornado of red formed in the circle of salt. Rocks shot out, striking the four women as they completed their chanting.

Hayden was jerked backward. Something burst from his chest, like a ripe tomato exploding. He was flung out of the circle, knocking into Mica. She fell, her hands yanked from the others. Hayden lay limp above her as a roaring, screaming static burst from the red tornado.

Then it was siphoned away. It funneled into the stainless steel bottle. Tess jumped into the pit and slammed the lid on it. Silence fell, so deafening that Mica could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Echo and Elin had been thrown free of the circle at some point. They stirred, groaning with pain.

Mica’s body ached. Her hands clutched Hayden’s back, but she was trapped beneath him. Tess clawed out of the pit and staggered over. Between her and Elin, they rolled Hayden off Mica. She pushed herself unsteadily to her knees, cupping his face with her hands.

His eyes were open, but there was no sign of recognition in them. His mouth hung slack. Blood bubbled from his nose and mouth. More leaked from his eyes and ears. Mica’s heart jumped to her throat as she stared at him, unable to make herself check for a pulse. There was no life in his eyes.

“Hayden,” she breathed. “Hayden?”

“He’s breathing,” Echo said.

That didn’t mean he was still alive.

“Elin, run for help,” Echo ordered. “Tess, get some blankets from the house. He’s ice-cold.”

Mica bent over her mate. She pressed her lips to his gently, but couldn’t make herself move. Echo said something to her. It didn’t matter what it was.

“Come back,” Mica begged, her voice so low it was almost silent. “Come back, Hayden. I love you. You have to know I love you.”

Chapter 36 - Hayden

Sounds of laughter drifted through the open window. Hayden stiffly pulled himself into a sitting position. Though it had been almost a month since Mica saved him from Zealuv, he was still in rough shape. The demon had nearly made good on his threat to kill him, rather than let Mica have him back. He’d spent the last month in the hospital, connected to dozens of machines.

And now that he was home, he was being told to stay in bed. Never mind that he was healing rapidly; if he had set so much of a toe out of his bedroom, Mica would have been on him in an instant. And not in a good way, either.

He grabbed the binders containing the pack finances, grunting. Okay, yes. His guts had had so many microtears that he’d needed four transfusions. There were so many hairline fractures in his skull that the doctors had originally been afraid it would turn to mush. And yes, Mica was quite right that he needed to have much more bedrest to heal from Zealuv’s possession.

His wolf was restless in his chest, although in pain as well. His wolf form wasn’t as badly injured as his human form was, which was how he’d survived the process. He did need to stay quiet and allow his body to recover. It didn’t sit right with him to stay still, though. So if he couldn’t be out in the pack taking care of business, he could at least work on the paperwork of being an Alpha.

Monroe had let the pack resources fall into a terrible state. Their finances were almost completely drained, and they owed massive amounts of money to neighboring packs. It would take a long time before they were back in a good place.

The door opened and Mica slipped into the room, carrying a tray with her. She smiled when she saw him sitting in the bed. “Oh, good. It’s time for lunch.”

Hayden smiled back at her. “How is the pack?”

“Food first,” Mica told him firmly. She put the tray on the nightstand. The meatloaf, potatoes, and steamed broccoli smelled heavenly.

“It’s not blended,” Hayden said in surprise.

“The doctors say we can start reintroducing solids into your system,” Mica answered. She gestured to the food. “So I made sure everything was soft and easy to eat. The broccoli is soggy, so I’m sorry about that. But hopefully, it’ll be the first step to getting you back to chowing down on ribs and steaks.”

Hayden took her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. “Thank you.”

He carefully started to eat while Mica gave him an update on the events in the pack. All of the possessed wolves had had the ritual performed on them. Finn, who was fully recovered, reported no signs of new possessions. Hayden wasn’t convinced that the demon threat was entirely over, but it seemed that they had a reprieve.

“Did we lose anyone in the rituals?” Hayden asked.

Mica nodded. “Two. But they were able to say goodbye to their loved ones before the ending. We’re still in our recovery. I think we’re going to make it, though.”

“Has Ryder had any trouble from Spencer?” The former Beta still wasn’t fully convinced that Monroe had been possessed.

“So far, no. He’s stayed in his house and only leaves when he runs out of food. He tried to bully his daughters intoreturning home, but the three of them refused. They’ve moved in with Mom,” she added.

“How is Echo?”

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