Page 74 of Wolf Tormented
“The stair was cut, Alpha. Someone used a blade to cut it enough so it would collapse under her weight.” Alex clenches a fist at his side.
“It was cut? Someone in the pack cut the stair in my home? Where the fuck is Angela?”
“I don’t know, alpha. They haven’t come back from the scouting mission.”
“They are probably waiting for us, but I’m not leaving my mate like this.” I sit back on the bed. “Find Angela and get her to the house. She should have been here.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Alex rushes from the room.
I pull Jara’s small body into mine, cradling her close. I almost fucking lost her, again. I failed my mate for a third time.
My wolf howls in my head. The mournful sound blasts through my soul, and guilt eats away at my chest.
My fault. This is all my fault.
If I had been here, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. How long was she holding on to life while trapped in the stairs?
Fuck. Who the fuck did this to my precious mate?
19
Jara
I blink my eyes open blearily. My chest aches, and it takes a moment to remember why. The stair.
My body is cocooned in warmth, and strong arms tighten around me. “Archer?”
“Fuck, Jara. You have no idea how good it is to hear that sleepy voice.” He buries his nose in my hair and inhales deeply.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. Nothing makes sense.
Am I dead? Am I dreaming while I’m still stuck in the stair? Archer is willingly touching me right now, and after so long, I can’t believe this is real.
“I found you…” He chokes on his words.
“You found me in the stair?” I run a hand over my stomach where the wood stabbed me, and there’s a small jagged scar.
“Alex and I found you and got you out,” he whispers, pulling me in closer.
I sigh as the heat of his skin envelopes me. I’ve waited so many months for him to be just like this. Why doesn’t it feel like it will last?
“I was so scared. No one could hear me. I didn’t know what to do.” I bury my face in his toned chest.
He slides the hair away from my face and tilts my chin up so I can look into his dark eyes. His lips brush mine in a featherlight kiss.
“I’m sorry, Jara. I need to learn to balance things better. I haven’t been fair to you. When you were stuck and barely breathing, I thought I’d lost you.” He presses his lips to my forehead, my cheek, and finally my nose.
“I’m right here, mate.” I kiss him hard.
Archer groans and deepens the kiss quickly, but he pulls back too soon.
“We have to stop. You were just injured. I don’t want to hurt you.” He lies back on the pillows but doesn’t let me go.
“What if I don’t want to stop?” I press my lips to his chest.
This is the kindest and gentlest he’s been with me in months; I can’t let that pass me by. I may not have this again.
He’ll invent some other reason to hold himself back from me, and we’ll go through the cycle all over again.
