Page 50 of Ruthless Alpha
He let me take the cloth from him, let me get up and walk over to the bathroom to get a fresh one, wiping away the single escaping tear where he couldn’t see.
When I returned, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and my heart ached to see the extent of the injuries thatpeppered his body. Most were long cuts and slashes, but others were round and angry-looking. I could do nothing for the ugly, mottled bruising, but I would tend to his wounds as best I could.
“Sit back,” I told him, and he obeyed instantly, shuffling back so he was leaning on the headboard, his legs stretched out in front of him. I swung one leg over his so I was sitting in his lap, and I saw his pupils dilate slightly.
“Rosie—” he started, but I shushed him gently, bringing the cloth up to the longest, angriest gash on his chest.
“What happened?” I asked softly, and he winced.
“I didn’t—I didn’t want to tell you yet, but I’ve been trying to change things on Ensign,” he admitted. “Turns out that a lot of the males didn’t like being told they couldn’t kill each other whenever they fancied or go after any female they liked the look of.”
He gave me a wry smile, clearly trying to make light of the situation, but the enormity of it hit me nonetheless, and I froze, the cloth dripping pink water onto his chest.
“They challenged you?”
“All thirty-something of them, yeah.”
He was still trying to play it off like it was nothing, like he hadn’t put his life on the line for me. Suddenly, I could see it so clearly: that other version of reality where I faced off against my uncle alone, where I returned to Ferris only to be told I would never see Xander again.
This time, the tears came fast, and I collapsed against his chest, needing to hear the steady beat of his heart.
“Shit,” said Xander, “I thought that would make you happy.” How could he not understand how much I cared? Howthe thought of him dying made me want to rip out my own insides.
“You asshole!” I cried, muffled against his skin. “You can’t throw your life away like that.” I knew how hypocritical I was being—that this was the only way he could have enforced those kinds of rules on his Pack, but I was too exhausted and too emotional to care. I would never have forgiven myself if he’d died because of what I’d said to him on my last night on Ensign.
“Hey, I lived,” he reminded me.
“But you could have—you might—” I couldn’t even say the words, but he understood. With a hand beneath my chin, he lifted my face to his, brushing away my tears with his thumbs.
“It was a risk I was willing to take,” he said. “I think I’d do anything for you.”
That did nothing to stop the flow of tears, and I could only let him hold me together as they fell. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve him; I could only thank fate for the blessing.
“I don’t want to—I don’t want you to feel like you have to come back,” he continued, quickly. “Things are still pretty unstable, and you’ll probably be safer on Ferris until things calm down.”
I let out a wet, hiccupping laugh.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” I told him, “but I’m kind of a badass now. I think I can handle it.”
His dark eyes lit with the faintest spark of hope, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“You’re coming home with me?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
I nodded, fresh tears welling in my eyes as I pressed my forehead to his.
“I’m coming home with you.”
Chapter 23 - Xander
By the time we left Argent, we were fed, watered, healed, and completely, utterly, blindingly happy. Or at least, I was. Rosie’s smile was wide but more tentative; despite her bravado, I knew she was at least a little worried about returning to Ensign, and I didn’t blame her. I would do everything possible to ensure she never regretted her decision or her faith in me, but I could only hope that Damien and my other Betas had managed to maintain order in the two days I’d been gone.
If Rosie seemed a little hesitant about returning to Ensign, she certainly wasn’t hesitant about our reunion, and my wolf and I were equally cocky about the way she cuddled into my side at every opportunity. Leo had teased us for it over breakfast, but the twinkle in his eye told me he shared our happiness. He’d also radioed around to tell our friends that I was alive and Rosie was safe, because he was a saint. I’d probably still have to call Ethan and apologize at some point, but that could wait until Rosie and I were settled back on Ensign, back in our home.
It was hard to keep my eyes on the path as our wolves journeyed across Argent, too captivated by the playful joy of Rosie’s little white wolf. Watching her skip and jump, her ears perking up at the sounds of birds and little critters, my heart ached slightly for the months I had kept her locked in the house. There would be no more of that—from now on, Rosie and her wolf would be free to roam wherever they wanted, as long as she came back to me at the end. I had no doubt she would.
That joy was a little less pronounced as we crossed the bridge onto Ensign, the playfulness giving way to wariness. She didn’t cower, though, didn’t stick to my shadow the way she had when we’d arrived, or when I’d walked her out of town on our way to Ferris. She was on her guard but not afraid, and when wereached the town, she didn’t hesitate to enter, her head held high as she trotted at my side. It wasn’t long before someone caught sight of us. I held my breath, but Trent only waved at us both, then cupped his hands around his mouth to yell,
“Hey Damien! Alpha’s back!”
