Page 114 of Broken Bonds

I never want to see the expression he wore in that waiting room again. I never want him to feel that pain again, that oh-so-fucking-familiar pain I know all too well.

“I’m here, big guy. I’m sorry for scaring you,” I croak against his lips when he pulls back, looking at me with relieved violet eyes.

“Don’t ever do that to me again, Baby Doll. I think you aged us all, but me for sure,” he rumbles in an unsteady tone, tears in his eyes.

I nod, and he leans back, blowing out a breath.

“How do you feel?”

“Thirsty,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.

Forde jumps up quickly and grabs a hospital cup full of ice water and holding the straw to my lips. I take a few sips, closing my eyes when the cool water soothes my dry throat. He sets it on the table to the side when I’m finished, taking a seat in a chair that’s been pulled close to my bed.

When I look away from him, Rion and Link are there, staring at me with terrified expressions, so I hold my hands out for them. They practically jump to grab them, kneeling at my sides and pressing kisses to my knuckles.

“You scared the shit out of us, Sunshine,” Link whispers, a look of pain crossing his features.

“We thought we were going to lose you,” Rion croaks out, his throat bobbing as his swallows.

“I’ll go get the doctor. And Jillian,” Forde mutters under his breath, kissing me on the top of my head, before walking out.

“Come here, you two,” I say when it’s just us three and they move closer to me so I can pull their faces to mine, one at a time, to kiss them.

They both rub their cheeks against mine, scent marking me, and I sigh and close my eyes. And then they pop right back open as I gasp.

“The babies! Are they okay?” I ask them frantically, wincing when I try to sit up and the worst pain seizes my stomach.

Rion keeps rubbing his cheek against mine, but Link pulls back slightly, his chest vibrating as he purrs for me.

“They’re okay, Ray. And so fucking perfect, too. They’re beautiful,” Rion whispers in my ear.

I look at Link, and he nods.

I blow out a breath.

“I thought it was a dream,” I whisper, laughing under my breath.

“What?” Link asks, tilting his head.

“I saw them. I saw my alphas. Oh! Oh, they had messages,” I say, sitting up slowly and clapping my hands as I smile at both alphas next to me.

“What?” Link asks again, eyes wide and trained on me.

Before I can answer him, the door to the room I’m in is shoved open.

“Move!” Jillian hollers, shoving Link out of the way and collapsing on top of me softly and sobbing into the blankets.

I wince again as a sharp pain tugs where I imagine my incision is, but I won’t tell her to move. Instead, I wrap my arms around her, a smile still on my lips as I rub my hands up and down her back.

“You bitch. I told you that you weren’t allowed to leave me and then you go ahead and do it, anyway. I should confiscate your friend card until you learn how to properly use it!” she wails against me, and I roll my eyes.

So dramatic.

“I’m still here, Jilly. I’m okay.”

She sits up and narrows her eyes on me.

“Yeah, and you’re lucky, too. Because I was getting ready to find a way to storm the other side and drag your ass back if you weren’t.”

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