Page 22 of Mortals and Mayhem
Sound finally leaves my mouth in the form of a broken sob and a plea for relief. “Make it stop. Please. Please, just make it stop.”
I don’t know how long those waves of pain last, seemingly forever. I sit there in Cree’s arms, his big hands running circles over my spine as I curl into in a ball against him. My hand gripping his bicep, needing to feel grounded.
The pain finally recedes, giving me a moment of relief, and I uncurl my fingers from his arm. My eyes crack open, and I note the crescent moons pooling with red cut into his flesh. A wave of overwhelming emotions muddles my thoughts, clogging my chest, causing tears at the sight to well up and break free. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, breaking into another bout of cries.
“Little wolf, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m proud to help bear the battle wounds, proof you’re not in this alone.” He smooths the sweaty hair back from my forehead and places a soft kiss on the top of my head.
I close my eyes and let myself bask in his embrace. Wordlessly, Axel, I assume, wipes at my face, neck, and hair with a cool cloth, removing the remnants of vomit and leaving behind a renewed sense of relief. As I take a deep breath, blackness clouds my vision, and I’m sucked down into sweet oblivion with the distant sound of new voices echoing in the dark.
CREE
Back in the room Reed deemed to be Riley’s in his penthouse apartment, I sit with Riley in my arms as she writhes in pain. Unable to do a fucking thing to take it away or banish it from her is like being stabbed through the heart with every whimper and painful groan.
I know my refusal to leave her side, my constant hovering, is driving the wolves crazy—but I can’t, won’t, leave her side.
My bear paces in the back of my mind as though stuck in an eight-by-eight cell, dying to get out and kill whoever—or whatever—dares to hurt his mate.
“For fucks sake, Cree, go hunting or something. And take Enzo with you, he needs to kill something before he snaps,” Reed demands from Riley’s bedside, his wolf clearly picking up on my agitation.
“Fuck off, Reed,” Enzo mutters, pacing the length of the room before turning and storming out. Yeah, he’s on edge. Truthfully, we all are as we wait for the worst of this to pass.
Looking down at the pained expression on Riley’s face, I’m torn. I should listen to Reed, he’s right. I need to let my bear out, let him run and hunt, but I don’t want to fucking leave her side. A sharp ache forms in the center of my chest at the mere thought.
Reed stands from his spot and walks around the bed to stand at my side. He brushes some loose strands of sweat dampened hair off Riley’s forehead then places his other hand on my shoulder and gives it a light squeeze. “Listen, Cree. I get it, I really do. It’s hard to stand by and watch her in pain knowing you can’t do anything to take that pain away. All we can do is be here for her. Let her know she’s not alone, that we’re here to support her with whatever she needs.”
I turn my eyes up, catching his gaze firmly on where his fingers brush along her cheek.
“You need to be strong for her, Cree.” His gaze meets mine, the glow of his alpha wolf shining through. “In your current state, you can hardly contain your bear. The last thing she—or any of us—needs is you losing control and shifting right here in her bedroom, going into a full-blown rage. You need to take care of your bear. He needs you a hell of a lot more than she does right now. You need to let him release his aggravations and worry. And Enzo’s wolf needs the same. Even if he won’t admit it, he’s confused, and it’s tying him in knots.” The last lines are delivered with a bit more volume than needed, and they’re met with a faint yeah, yeah from the other room.
With a sigh of defeat and resolution, I slide out from under Riley and tuck her in under the covers. Placing a chaste kiss on her forehead, I whisper, “Be strong, little wolf.”
“I promise; I’ll look after her until you both get back. And if anything happens, I’ll call you back through my connection with Enzo. She’ll be okay, Cree. Have a little faith in her. Our girl is stronger than she thinks.”
My eyes snap back to his at the use of the word ‘our.’ We all agreed that Riley is our mate, that we all feel the bond, but a part of me hadn’t yet fully come to terms with the fact that all five of us are connected to her and she to each of us. That there’s a ‘we’ and an ‘our’ to us all now.
“Yeah, I know,” Reed chuckles, an understanding smile splitting his face.
Chapter 17
REED
As I close the front door behind Cree and Enzo, the agitated energy in the room dramatically decreases, and I breathe easier. I’m trying to put on a brave face and straight spine for the others. As the strongest alpha in the group, they’re looking to me for leadership—even Cree, though at times he fights it—and that weight sits heavily on my shoulders.
I walk down the hall towards Riley, peeking into the spare room as I pass. Wild and Axel are asleep on the bed, back-to-back, though not very peacefully, evident in the twitching of their limbs and the low, nearly inaudible groans. Their wolves are restless, feeling Riley’s distress trickling down the faint bonds we’ve created.
The farther down the hall I get the more the helplessness floods my soul, while thoughts of failure and guilt invade my mind.Not that I should own any of these feelings, none of what we’re going through is on me. But the overwhelming need to protect my pack is ingrained in every fiber of my being, making it impossible not to let negative thoughts and emotions in.
Two days into Riley’s withdrawal, and everyone is finding it harder to leave at the end of the day. With Riley in so much pain and her wolf in distress, now more than ever, she needs her mates close. And if I’m being honest, my wolf needs them close, too. He views them all as his pack, and as such, he feels protective over them. Over their safety and well-being—even the bear.
After wrestling with the decision, I’ve decided that it would be wiser for everyone to stay in one place while Riley is healing. While out earlier in the day, I had keys made for each of the guys and told them they could stay for as long as it takes. My wolf’s contentment with this decision tells me it's the right one.
Walking back into Riley’s room, a wave of excruciating pain hits me square in the chest like a truck, and I double over. My knees hit the floor, and the pain increases tenfold. Riley’s wolf howls in my head, drowning out any other sounds, her panic and agony radiating through me. I crawl to the side of the bed and reach up to lay my hand on her abdomen. Her wolf immediately settles with our connection.
I keep my hand on her as I stand to sit on the edge of her bed. “It’s going to be okay. You’re strong, and so is Riley,” I whisper, sliding her hair off her forehead. Leaning forward, the words drip from my lips before I realize just how terrified I am of losing her. “I need you to keep fighting, Riley. Fight to live. Fight to love. Fight for me and the others. Fight for yourself and your wolf. Please, I don’t know how much longer I can do this, be strong for everyone else when I’m breaking without you.” My voice cracks with my plea. I had finally found my mate after being alone for so long, and I’m scared of losing her. I’m not strong anymore; I don’t know how to be.
WILDER
Footfalls traveling down the hall jar me from my restless sleep. Soft murmurs of a heartfelt confession reach my ears from Reed, who’s on guard tonight, watching over Riley. The stress of the bonds not yet fully formed, and uncertainty of Riley’s health, has everyone on edge. I grab a burner phone I have stashed in my jacket and walk out to the balcony and hit dial on the only programed number in the directory.