Page 3 of Saving Nevin
“I know. He must be some wolf, huh?” Her hazel eyes got big and shiny and her voice dropped to a hush. “Is this the one?” The one I’d been waiting my entire life for. The one I’d saved myself for, despite interest from other Omegas throughout the years. My soulmate.
“I think so, yeah,” I said softly, placing my flattened palm over where my heart was currently thumping away. “I don’t… I can’t explainhowI know, but I feel it right here. He’s mine, and I’ll do anything to help him. Anything.”
“Wow.”
“Wouldn’t you do the same for Shannon?” Quinn had fallen in love with her Alpha when they were just a couple of goofy teenagers. Two years ago, he’d dropped down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She’d replied with an emphatic “Yes!” and the two of them were happily mated, with a daughter of their own. My niece Isobel was the cutest little stinker ever.
She deadpanned. “Duh, but uh… I’ve known Shannon since we werepups.We were in grade school together, Kace. It’s a little different. This guy is a complete stranger to you. You don’t even know his name.”
“Not yet,” I said. “But if I feel this strongly towards a man I’ve never met, he’s gotta feel something too. You know, when he’s not on his deathbed.” I grimaced and leaned back in my seat, trying to avoid looking at my blood slowly filling the plastic bag.
“I hope so, for your sake,” said Quinn with a smile.
When the first bag was full, she swapped it out for a fresh one and immediately began transfusing my blood into the weakened Omega.
I watched the crimson liquid trail down a clear tube and into where the IV was taped into his foreleg. I had to cling to the hope that the magic in my blood would be enough to bring him back to me, so that I could get to know the man my heart was suddenly singing for.
3
NEVIN
A pitiful whineescaped me as I groggily lifted my head. The room spun. My stomach churned. My body ached all over and I felt so damnheavy.Not to mention the stink of antiseptic and bleach made me feel sick. I blinked a couple of times to try and clear the fog from my vision—and that’s when I realized that I was in a cage.
Trapped.
My anxiety ratcheted skywards. No… Whimpering, I unsteadily shifted my weight and nosed at the stainless steel bars that separated me from the rest of the world. Pain thumped through me in a steady one-two beat. My breath came in soft pants.
Where was I?
I squeezed my eyes shut to try and calm myself down. When I opened them again, I was painfully aware of the fact that my body was wrapped in bandages. My shattered leg was encased in a thick plaster cast, the other hooked up to an IV line. Clear liquid dripped down the rubber tube from a large plastic bag hung on the outside of the cage.
Someone had saved me.
No, not just someone—that Alpha, the one with the gentle eyes. My chest grew tight, my lungs pinching as sorrow overwhelmed me. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t I have met someone likethat?What did I do to deserve rough men like Rex when wolves likethatexisted?
I dropped my muzzle to my paws and bit back another whine. Not that it mattered. I couldn’t conceive a child. No Alpha would want me now, especially not as another man’s thrown-away leftovers. There was no use in wishing. I might’ve survived the attack meant to kill me, but I wouldn’t get a happily-ever-after.
It wasn’t long before the Alpha came into the room. He paused in front of my cage, peering in at me from between the bars. I was struck by how oddly handsome he was. Tall and stocky with dark hair and an ample amount of pudge, he wasn’t traditionally beautiful, but his warm smile and his kind eyes were enough to send my broken heart into palpitations.
“Hello there, honey. You’re looking much better. There for a minute, I thought we’d lost you.” His voice was a thrum of sound, low and resonating. Comforting. He knelt down so that we were face to face. When he stuck his fingers between the metal slats, I leaned into his touch. He smiled. “You’re safe here in Rubydawn. No one will harm you again, I promise.”
He reached up and lifted the latch. With a soft squeak of metal, the cage door swung open. He bit down on his bottom lip and splayed his fingers, as if expecting me to come leaping out at him. I didn’t even move. It hurt too badly.
Instead, I whined. Emotion clogged my windpipe, making it hard to breathe, and if I’d been human, I probably would’ve started sobbing hysterically.
“Shh, you’re okay,” said the man, stroking his hand down my neck. Before I could think twice, I nuzzled my nose into his big palm and pinched my eyes shut. I wasn’t even aware I was trembling until he cupped my tufted cheeks in both hands and placed the sweetest of kisses atop my nose.
Why did life have to be so damn unfair?
“Don’t worry, honey. You’re only stuck in here for a little bit, and then you’ll be coming home with me until you’re better.” He lightly scratched his finger along the dip between my eyes, then offered a sheepish smile. “Uh… Just so you’re aware, Mom put a silver collar on you so you don’t shift back and hurt yourself. So you’re temporarily stuck as a wolf. Sorry about that.”
I didn’t care. If anything, I was thankful for the excuse to hide behind my fur coat. At least as a wolf, I didn’t feel so vulnerable, so worn thin.So weak.I blew out a shaky sigh against the Alpha’s palm and then swiped my tongue over his skin. He tasted of salt and smoke and earth.
He ruffled the fur behind my ear before standing and latching the gate once more. My heart gave a thump. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
He went to turn away, but something made him pause. He spun back around and leaned in close once more. “Oh, and for the record? You can call me Kace.” A smile toyed at the corners of his mouth, right before he strode from the room.
I watched him go with longing in my tired heart.
