Page 53 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate

I’ve seen it with my brothers. I can’t wait for the rest of my life in bliss.

“You’re right, Stryker,” Doctor Amell chuckles. “It seems you will live.”

“Was there any doubt?” I snort as I climb off the bed, then notice Doctor Amell flicking a glance at Camilla.

Another flicker of hope ignites. Camilla must have been worried about me while I was unconscious.

Nodding curtly at the doctor to acknowledge the gesture and dismiss her from the room at the same time, I keel over and feign a sordid wince.

“Are you okay?!” Camilla shrieks as she rushes to my side.

“It’s not as easy as I thought it would be to stand up,” I groan to amplify the act.

Camilla lifts my arm and flings it over her shoulders, throwing me a determined smile. “Let me help you back to the castle.”

“You know your way around here by now?” I challenge with a raised brow.

Camilla giggles. “Not yet. But you can show me the way.”

***

“How are you feeling, Brother?” Draco asks as he stands at my bedroom door with his arms folded as if I’m about to receive a solid scolding.

Groaning, I look down at my linked hands as I fumble them, getting a bout of deja vu to that time I had to face him after fighting Rakon—more than nine hundred years ago.

Gods…

Even thinking about it now feels absurd. Rakon waited that long to exact his revenge on me.

Talk about holding grudges…

“I’m fine, Alpha. I—”

“Yo! What’s with the formalities?” He frowns as he steps into the room and unfolds his arms.

I shrug nonchalantly and turn to the window. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To officially cast me to hell for leading danger to the island?”

“What happened the other day isn’t your fault, Stryker,” he relents as he joins me. “I’m not here to cast you anywhere. Just wanted to check up on you.”

I steal a glance at my oldest brother, noting how different he appears. Unlike before Lily became his mate, he’s calmer now. Less broody and intimidating.

“And what of the meeting with the Council?” I ask.

“The Council is scheduled to meet tomorrow night. We’ll all be in attendance.”

I grimace. If every member of the Council will be in attendance, my other brothers will be coming too. They’ve been pulled away from their personal lives, traveling the world with their families. The guilt weighs heavily on me, and Draco seems to acknowledge this as he places a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” he assures.

“I just wish things went as planned…” I lament with a sigh.

Draco chuckles lightly in response. “Things have a way of working themselves out eventually, don’t they?”

I shrug nonchalantly. “I suppose. It’s just the wait that’s frustrating.”

My brother raises a skeptical brow. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re referring to your mate?”

“Because I am…” I grimace. Ever since the day I came back from my brief stay in hospital, I’d been giving Camilla more space to decide what she wanted. She helped me to my bedroom, and I’d kept to the confines of my four walls without visiting her in the guest bedroom of my quarters. I don’t want to force her any longer.

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