Page 54 of Rejected By the Alpha

“No!” I screamed as fear and loss overwhelmed me almost to the point of insanity.

Never had I seen a werewolf in such bad shape before, and the sharp contrast between the strength and command Killian had shown during the battle and the lifeless shell he was becoming was too much for my mind to handle.

Tears streamed down my face, obscuring my vision as I stroked his blond hair. If he could only open his eyes, I would know that everything was going to be okay again.

This has to be some cruel trick, I thought.We’re finally together.Everything has to be alright.

I was aware that other hands were touching Killian, but I couldn’t tell who they belonged to. All I knew was that he was slipping away from me.

“Leah, you need to let us help him,” Jasper said.

I looked up at him, pushing through the shock so I could comprehend what he was telling me. “Help him?”

Jasper nodded. “We’re taking you both to Nile’s house. It’s closest, and time is of the essence. April and Violet are going to help you get there, and we’re going to heal him. But I need you to let go so we can move him.”

I looked back down at my hands, realizing that I was still holding his head in my lap. I nodded mutely, allowing Nile and Jasper to lift him away from me.

A small sob shook my body as he was taken away, but the next second, two pairs of arms encircled me. The lunas werehere, wrapping me in their circle of protection and helping me toward the house where my mate was being carried.

“We’re here,” April said. “We’ve got you.”

There was nothing more they could say, but they didn’t need to. After years of being on my own and having to take care of myself, I finally had people looking out for me and my mate. I had to believe that he was going to survive this.

“I can’t do this alone,” I said.

“You’ll never have to,” Violet replied.

Chapter 25 - Killian

I woke up slowly, feeling the warmth of the bed I rested in and the quiet hum of chatter somewhere near me. My hand was enclosed in someone else’s. It took me a moment to realize it was Leah’s.

My eyes opened slowly, taking in the low lighting of the bedroom at Alpha Nile’s house. A group of people—the town doctor, Jasper, and April—was huddled around the foot of my bed, discussing my injuries. Leah sat by my side with her head bowed and eyes closed.

“Once the wolfsbane is fully out of his system, his recovery should be straightforward,” the doctor said.

“How long should that take?” April inquired.

The doctor shrugged. “As you know, werewolf injuries aren’t my specialty. My predecessor has far more extensive knowledge, but I have only just begun making headway on his notes.”

“That isn’t good enough,” Jasper said tersely. “His recovery is the most important thing right now—to all of the wolves in Pinedale.”

I saw the doctor’s eyes widen. This must be the new human doctor. Our own pack doctor had passed away fairly recently, as had the town’s human doctor.

“You’re scaring the poor guy,” I croaked quietly. “Don’t you know a calm doctor is a happy doctor?”

“Killian!” Leah sobbed, raising her head so quickly, I was surprised she didn’t get whiplash.

She smiled at me brightly, and I smiled back. The small movement of my face sent tremors through my body, and I hunched over in pain.

“What’s wrong?” she fussed.

“The poison is passing out of his system,” the doctor explained. “He’ll have side effects for a while, but the fact that he is awake is encouraging.”

When the shaking subsided, I took a deep breath. “You said it was wolfsbane?”

“Or something like it,” the doctor said. “There was a silver blade that slashed through your thigh, and whatever coating was on it went through your system. It isn’t wolfsbane, exactly. My instruments aren’t advanced enough to test all of its properties—nor do I have enough of the elements left on the knife—but they put the wolfsbane through some kind of chemical transformation to make it more potent for wolves.”

I sat quietly, taking in the information from the doctor.

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