Page 10 of Taken By the Alpha Priest

“Reyes!” Mateo calls, stepping forward. My brother’s face is tight, his brows furrowed in confusion. “What the hell is this?”

“Not now,” I snap, my voice sharp enough to cut. “Where’s Suyin?”

“She’s inside,” Mateo says, his gaze flicking to the woman in my arms. His mouth opens like he’s about to ask more questions, but I don’t give him the chance.

I push past him, through the murmuring crowd, and head straight for my room. The familiar scents of the den surround me—earth, wood, sweat and pheromones—but all I can focus on is her.

She should be in the clinic–not here. But I can’t bring her there, not when I’ve marked her, when she’s an enemy. I lay her down on the bed, staining the blankets with blood. She stirs, a faint whimper escaping her lips, and my chest tightens.

“It’s okay,” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You’re safe.”

Suyin arrives a moment later, her bag slung over one shoulder. Her sharp eyes take in the scene—me, naked and bloodied, hovering over a woman who just shot me. The nudity isn’t a problem anymore; when you hang out with shifters, you get used to it.

“What the hell, Reyes?” Suyin growls.

“She was dying,” I say, straightening. “She’s still dying. Help her.”

Suyin hesitates, her gaze darting between me and the woman on the bed. “Youbither,” she says, her tone flat.

I don’t answer. I don’t need to.

She sighs, muttering something under her breath as she moves to the bedside. “You realize this is going to cause problems, right? Like,massiveproblems?”

“She’s my mate,” I say, the words coming out rough, raw.

Suyin freezes, her hands hovering over her bag. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.” I rub a hand over my face, the weight of it all crashing down. “Just…help her. Please.”

Suyin sighs.

“Fine,” she says. “Just…get dressed, please. I don’t need a priest swinging his dick around while I work.”

Her lips press into a thin line, and she drops to her knees beside the bed, her medical kit clinking softly as she pulls out a bottle of antiseptic and some gauze. I do as she asked, going to the dresser to pull out some sweats and a t-shirt. I’m hoping she’ll be done when I’m dressed, faster than possible…but she’s not.

So I crouch at the end of the bed and watch the woman bleeding out in my room.

My mate.

The room is heavy with tension, the only sounds the soft clink of Suyin’s tools and the shallow rasp of the woman’s breath. My wolf stirs uneasily, pacing just beneath the surface, his instincts at war with the sight of her still and vulnerable.

“She’s healing fast,” Suyin mutters as she dabs at the wound with a soaked cloth. The woman groans, and I fight the urge to pull her away, to shield my mate from any more pain.

“Faster, but not fast enough,” I say, my voice rough.

Suyin doesn’t look up. “It’s the venom,” she says, her tone clipped. “It’s doing the work, but it’s not a miracle cure, Reyes. You know that.”

I grit my teeth and stay quiet, watching as she threads a needle with practiced precision. The steady rhythm of her hands, the careful pull of the stitches through flesh—it’s hypnotic, almost mechanical.

Time slows.

Every second feels like an eternity as Suyin works, her expression unflinching. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until she finally leans back on her heels, her fingers pressing lightly against the edges of the wound.

“She’s stable,” Suyin says after what feels like an eternity. She stands, wiping her hands on a rag. “But she’s going to be pissed when she wakes up.”

“I’ll deal with it,” I say, my voice low.

Suyin gives me a look, one that saysgood luck, you idiot,before slinging her bag over her shoulder. “You’ve got about an hour before the others start asking questions,” she says. “Figure out what you’re going to tell them.”

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