Page 32 of Alpha's Second Chance

I didn’t fucking care about that. Had something happened to Eve? Was she hurt?

Eve!

I got my head turned to the side. Even that took effort. My heart clenched in relief. Eve was about twenty feet away, bent over Bull’s bloody body.

I watched as she lifted a knife over her head and drove it into his chest. He was dead, I remembered that much. I’d gotten him down on the ground when Eve had joined me. She’d helped pin him to the ground, and I’d ripped out his throat.

I’d listened as Bull’s heart had slowed, then stopped. Why was she stabbing him? If he could recover from what I’d done to him, we had a bigger problem on our hands.

“Eve.” My voice was sluggish, but this time it actually made noise.

Her head whipped toward me. “Owen!” She left the knife in Bull’s chest and ran toward me. John moved over to make room for her as she dropped to her knees beside me. “You’re awake.”

“Bull’s dead?” I asked, gasping the words. Everything hurt. Now that I knew Eve was safe, the adrenaline faded, and I felt every gash.

“Yes. He’s dead. You killed him.” She put her hand on my head. “But I had to make sure.”

I understood that. The knife in the heart had been for her own peace of mind. Her own closure.

I knew then, I wasn’t letting her go. If she wanted to take the job in Chicago, I’d go with her. I’d hate the city, but I’d be with Eve. I could find a place to shift every now and then, and I’d make it work.

As I made the decision, my bear hummed as though he’d been fed salmon and steak at once. He liked clear decisions. The bear didn’t care about nuance, or what I might sacrifice. He wanted me with my mate, and that was final.

Leaving my MASK team would feel like tearing myself in half, but for my mate, I’d do it gladly. I could always visit them.

Could I live a human’s life? It was likely another shifter unit would want me to work for them, probably doing undercover work in the city. Military shifters were rare enough that the units were always eager for more -- as long as I was active for duty, I’d have a job. Undercover work wasn’t my favorite, but I would try. Maybe it wouldn't be forever. Eve could boost her career, then we could come back to Denver.

Letting her go alone was not an option. My bear would never watch her walk away again without urging me to do all I could to make sure we were together.

Eve had given me a second chance with her. She’d had to give up her life once before. This time, I could man up and be the one to make a change.

Eve

“Is he going to make it?” I asked John as quietly as I could. After I’d spoken to Owen, I’d tried to get out of the soldiers’ way while they were treating Owen’s wounds, but Owen had grabbed my hand. He didn’t want me to go.

“He should be fine. He’ll feel a lot better by morning,” John said. “He’ll be back on active duty in a week.”

I sagged. My head dropped forward, and I covered my face with my hand. I didn’t have the energy to cry.

Owen would live.

After treating his wounds, Owen’s soldiers carried him inside. They all survived the attack, thank God. They all stayed overnight, surrounding the cabin, still watching.

I stayed with Owen for the first few hours, afraid to leave him. But as the hours wore on, his breathing remained steady, so I snuck away to shower and eat. While I was in the kitchen, I peeked outside to see one of the MASK soldiers standing on the porch, scanning the yard, protecting us.

These were Owen’s teammates, as close to him as family. I didn’t want to hinder their bond in any way. I stepped outside. I recognized John, and I wanted to let him know how much I appreciated him, and the rest of the team. “Thank you,” I said. “For everything. I know you and Owen are close, so even though I’m here, please feel free to use the shower, bathroom, kitchen. Whatever you need.”

“We’re fine out here.” He smiled. “We’re glad to see the Alpha happy.”

I didn’t want to know if he knew about my history with Owen. I figured a fresh start was best. “Can I at least bring you some food?”

John nodded. “We’ll never turn down food.”

In the kitchen, I made piles of sausage, eggs and bacon for the team. The team inhaled the meal, and by the time I was done cleaning up, I heard water running. I rushed into the bathroom to find Owen in the shower. “Hey! Should you be up?”

He pulled the curtain aside to smile at me. “I’m fine. Alphas heal even faster than normal shifters.”

Unconvinced, I waited in the bathroom until Owen stepped out, holding a towel. He did look much better, although dark purple bite marks still marred his ribs. Across his chest, the claw marks were present, but healing.

---