Page 10 of Wanted By the Wolves

“What the fuck happened to her?” I growl, eyes darting to Dex. My wolf pushes to the surface, ready to defend the small bundle.

That’s the problem with omegas—their biology is hardwired to make alphas want to protect them. Only in this fucked up world, that’s not possible. It’s a lose-lose.

“Captive. New king. He wanted her for breeding,” Dex grits out the words, his voice raspy. The guy hardly speaks, so that’s probably as much as I’m going to get.

No matter. It’s enough. It sounds as though this king is as bad as the last. Besides, doesn’t the king know that won’t work? Breeding is the surest way to kill an omega.

I move my open palm closer, letting my magic assess her for internal damage. At least she’s not pregnant yet if she’s so close to heat. Her ribs are bruised, not broken, but her blood has traces of wolfsbane, and her erratic heartbeat tells me it’s almost too late. If I don’t act fast, the poison will kill her.

Opening the door of the old clinic brings back a rush of shit I’d like to forget. Without really seeing anything, I grab what I need.

The wide protection circle is first. I whisper the old words as I set each crystal. Focusing more of my energy on the moss agate, I call on our connection with nature’s magic to stabilize my work and bring balance to the room. The magic vibrates in the air when the clear quartz completes the circle. It will boost the healing spells and help to sustain my energy.

Next, I focus on making a charcoal-based salve infused with herbs and laced with a spell. It should help draw out the wolfsbane.

I return to the kitchen with my supplies and get to work. Blocking the omega’s scent is near impossible, and each huff of her sweetness agitates my wolf. Dex is no better. He growls with each soaked bandage I place on her neck. I ignore his bullshit until I’ve covered the whole area with the thick black tar.

“I need to stabilize her heart. Don’t kill me,” I warn.

The alpha nods. “Help?”

“Just don’t hit me when my magic touches her,” I grouse. “Because it’s gonna hurt before it gets better.”

I don’t wait for him to respond, clutching her neck and letting my magic expand. It sends a zapping bolt of power straight to her heart, and the omega’s chest rises unnaturally, muscles spasming, before she falls limp in Dex’s arms.

Her heartbeat races, then stops on a hiccup.

Fuck.

I try again.

No heartbeat.

I don’t have enough power. Not for this. She’s a mess, and I’m out of practice.

It didn’t even take these assholes twenty minutes in my house before their tragedy struck.

The knowledge that I can’t save the omega guts me. Less than an hour in her presence, and I’m already wrecked by my need to protect her. I thought I’d already learned this lesson, but hopeis a nasty weed that juts through the cracks and refuses to be stamped out.

Dex grabs hold of my shoulder, his voice dark as he barks, “You’re not giving up.”

I glare at him.

The asshole purrs, and that burst of power shoots into the space between us.With a resigned sort of desperation, I soak in his magic and funnel it into her. The jolt causes her small body to lift and fall flat.

A tiny murmured thump sounds from her chest. Then another.

I keep my hand in place, allowing Dex’s energy to merge with mine and flow through me. The silence and tension bite at my frayed nerves while we wait. Eventually, the little thump of a heartbeat steadies and becomes stronger. I can feel how our combined energy soaks up the poison and draws it from her blood.

My body takes it on. The dark black lines crawling up my skin prove that my magic is filtering it out. It hurts like a motherfucker, making my insides rock with nausea and my heart pound erratically.

The two of us hold her until I’m almost drained. On unsteady legs, I pull away from the omega and brace myself against the kitchen table. “Get her cleaned up and take her to one of the bedrooms. She needs to rest, and I need to save your littermate.”

The stoic wolf is shaking as he carries her down the hall. No doubt he’s drained too. Her scent wafts behind the pair, teasing the air with her coming heat. It drives my wolf wild and makes him stupid with the idea of mating.

The full moon tonight will make it worse, but that crisis will have to take a number. I sigh, pushing it from my mind and focusing on Briggs. Wolfsbane is nasty, lethal stuff, but feralbites can be just as bad. Briggs is covered in them, his fur matted with blood.

The energy I need to do this was sapped drawing the poison from the omega. It takes me longer than it should to mix the salve, dress his wounds, and mend the breaks in his leg. By the time I’m finished, I’m sweating, and my magic is totally drained.

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