Page 49 of Alpha's Choice
“But we’re not even mated.”
“Under the circumstances, something I’m immensely grateful for.” The doctor was blunt in his assessment. “If the bond was complete, he might not have restrained his wolf for that long. As it was, it took the Beta, Gamma, Delta, and the former Alpha to hold him down long enough for us to sedate him.”
The nurse wheeled me into the room next to mine. Tobias lay there, hooked up to an IV, his wrists and ankles cuffed to the bed.
“We’re administering a light sedative that his werewolf metabolism breaks down almost immediately. He should wake as soon as we stop the IV.” The doctor moved toward the bed. “If you could hold his hand, Emma, the sparks should help reassure his wolf that you’re safe.”
I took Tobias’s hand in mine, lacing our fingers. The familiar sparks rushed along my skin, and I shut my eyes as tears filled them. This couldn’t continue. Tobias couldn’t even handle me being injured when we weren’t fully bonded.
If I let him complete the bond and something happened to me, he could end up like Jenny, lost to the pack. And I was only human. So many things could happen to me. I would never heal as fast as a werewolf, either from injury or illness. And no matter how hard Danny trained me, I could never defend myself as a wolf could.
I learned how the rejection process worked from my research in the library. With the full moon occurring yesterday, it would take another month before the rejection was complete. I could state my intention to reject, but it wouldn’t take effect until the next full moon. The Moon Goddess’s way of ensuring wolves had no regrets.
If he marked me before the full moon, then it would be as if I didn’t reject him. I knew he wouldn’t agree with my plan, but he didn’t need to accept the rejection for it to work. It might be best if I left the pack sooner rather than later. It would be too easy for him to convince me to change my mind.
I loved him too much to let his life rely on me being okay. I pushed aside the protest that rose in me, a nagging feeling that I wasn’t thinking this through. I told myself it was just the bond working on me, trying to force me onto a path I didn’t choose.
He was an Alpha, so he would have no trouble finding a chosen mate. I fought the jealousy that flared when thinking about another woman in his arms. I didn’t have the right anymore. I was letting him go.
CHAPTER25
Tobias
The feel of sparks on my hand calmed my wolf as I came to. He was ready to spring into action to locate our mate, but it wasn’t necessary. She was right here.
I opened my eyes and saw her next to the bed. Her beautiful blue eyes were unfocused and red from crying as she gazed down at the bed. I squeezed her hand, and she turned her focus to me.
“Are you okay?” I sat up, running my hands over her. “Are you in any pain? Should you be out of bed?”
Her smile looked forced. “I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”
I dismissed her concern, lacing our fingers together. “Nothing wrong with me. Wolves don’t handle their mates being injured very well, especially Alphas. Sometimes sedation is the best course of action, so we don’t do something we might regret.”
“I see.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes. Something was wrong. “Is your wolf okay now?”
“Now that you’re awake, he’s much easier to control.”
She pulled her hand from mine. “We need to talk.”
Alarm bells rang in my head at her words. She still wouldn’t look me in the eye. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“This. Us. The mate bond. It’s too much.”
“What do you mean, it’s too much?” Panic clawed at my insides. “Am I not taking things slow enough? I can do better.”
“It’s not that.” She squeezed her eyes shut, closing me out. “Our bond isn’t even complete, and you lost control when I got injured.”
“Wait, so you’re saying the problem is I feel too much for you?” My jaw tightened and my nostrils flared. “I love you too much, is that it?”
“Don’t twist my words.” She responded to my anger with her own. “Worry is one thing, but you went beyond worry. Your wolf couldn’t handle me injured. What if things were more serious?”
“This is about Jenny.” I stood up from the bed and paced. “You can’t get past the fact she isn’t doing well.”
“This pack needs you too much. I won’t be the cause of them losing you.”
