Page 38 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

“No, I need to stay with him,” I tried to argue, but the sharp pinch of the needle cut off my words, a rush of dizziness swiftly following.

With every blink, my lids grew heavier, and then I was gone.

TWENTY

Reed

Everything was pain.

Pain, and darkness.

But somewhere in the darkness, there was a small, cool hand holding mine. Whispering words I couldn’t understand.

But I knew her soul, and her soul knew mine.

And so, I fought the darkness, fought the pain.

Fought for her.

TWENTY-ONE

Reed

“Hey, buddy. Bri says you’re ready to wake up. Can’t say it won’t hurt like a bitch, but if we don’t get you moving soon, I’m pretty sure Galyna’s going to get impatient and stick you with the pointy end of that sword. She’s got a temper worse than mine. Can you believe that?”

Gael’s voice broke through the pleasantly numb fog I was wrapped in, the jovial tone of it doing nothing to distract me from the searing aches all over my body.

I could feel every piece of me, and not in a pleasant way. I squinted my eyes against the bright overhead light, then let them fall shut again. No, thank you.

A groan tore out of my throat when he lifted my arm anyway, turning to a pained hiss when his shoulder came up under my arm, and he used it as leverage to manhandle me into an upright, seated position.

“I’m not a damn airplane seat, I do not need to be in an upright position.” I swatted at his head, trying to get him to let me go, but the bastard just laughed.

“Doc’s orders, and she’s too tenderhearted to manhandle you herself. She’s strong enough now, though. It’s wild. She was arm wrestling Kane the other day, and she almost beat him. Freaky shit. So, here I am instead. You must feel like the luckiest girl at the ball.” His shit-eating grin was enough to make me contemplate murder.

I wheezed a little as my back hit the headboard. “You’re going to sound like a girl when I rip off your balls.”

“Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty to me.” He lowered my arm back to my side with more care than he’d used wrestling me upright, but when he leaned back, his serious expression told me a different story.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, nothing, technically.”

“Technically? Would you spit it out before the room starts to spin?”

“All right. Well, for starters, you’ve been out for a solid week.”

A whole week? Shit. My mind immediately started racing, the pieces falling into place quickly. The spell to remove Brielle’s curse, how it accidentally impacted Fiona, and…the fall.

“Is Fiona okay? I tried to catch her, but?—”

Gael held up both hands in a placating gesture. “Fiona is absolutely fine. Landing on you cushioned some of the blow. Also, being her personal trampoline is probably the reason you had a lacerated liver, busted spleen, and about four other severely damaged organs in addition to the myriad broken bones. Myriad was the doc’s word, by the way. Official count was twenty-seven—might even be a new pack record.”

I swore and tried to swing my legs over the side of the bed, but Gael stopped me with annoying ease.

“Hold up, Killer. Talk’s not done yet. Fiona’s fine. She’s been rooming with Oli while you were out and after she got cleared and healed herself. Kari signed off on her right before she left.”

I froze in place, one leg half off the bed, hanging on his every word where it pertained to my mate.

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