Page 76 of Alpha's Unclaimed Mate

I continue to keep Leon’s eyes covered, keeping him tucked against my body.

The sound of sirens in the distance grows louder, and soon the paramedics arrive.

After the shooting stops, I grab Leon and step out of the car. Pema is one of the warriors, and she takes Leon from me to get him checked by the medic while I turn to Theron.

“Theron!” I call out again. He’s in a pool of blood, his face white, his eyes barely open. He still manages to look at me with a faint, pained smile.

I flop down to my knees, not even registering the way they scrape on the tar. While a medic hurriedly checks him, I run my fingers over his face, his hair, the way I know relaxes him. He immediately leans into my touch.

“Theron, please hold on for us,” I beg, my voice shaking. “Leon and I…”

He looks up at me, his eyes filled with pain but also something else—something that makes my heart ache. “My Seren-hen,” he murmurs, his voice weak. “Before I go, I want to feel your love. Just once.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” I tell him angrily, hating that he is even thinking of giving up.

His eyes hold a desperate, pleading look. “Please, just once. Can you kiss me?”

Tears blur my vision as I lean over, my heart breaking at the sight of him. I press my lips to his, moving them as gently aspossible, wanting to pour all my feelings into this brief touch.

When I pull away, Theron’s eyes flutter open and he manages a weak smile. In the commotion, I almost miss him whispering, “Thank you, my love. I’m sorry.”

The uniformed team carefully transfers him to a stretcher and loads him into an ambulance.

I quickly gather Leon into my arms and get in beside him.

I won’t let anything happen to my mate.

CHAPTER 28

THERON

The soft, rhythmic movements of fingers gently raking through my hair distract me from the damn machine constantly beeping in my ear. The vibrant scent of lilacs masks the smell of disinfectant. Little sparks on my skin numb the pain that I feel all over my body.

I don’t bother opening my eyes. I lean into the comfort of her touch. Somewhere between the different stages of consciousness, I hear a sweet voice.

“Mama, when will he wake up?”

The next time I hear the machine beep, the fingers, the scent, the sparks are all gone. Rough hands shake my shoulder.

“Can you hear me?”

I try to sit up but flop back with a wince, cursing.

“Fuck!”

My mouth feels like I’ve swallowed sand, and my voice cracks.

I look around, but there’s no sign of Seren. My insides deflate. Did I imagine her here?

The pack doctor and a nurse are watching me like I’m a bizarre specimen.

“You gave us all quite a scare, alpha.” The nurse smiles at me while adjusting the incline of the upper half of the bed.

“The good news is, the two bullets missed your vital organs. With your wolf at peak strength, your healing has surpassed all our expectations.”

The doctor looks relieved. I try to process his words, but I’m only concerned about one thing. “Where’s Seren?”

“She’s been here these last three days, son. I insisted she go back and get some rest this morning.”

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