Page 82 of Fractured Mates
Maciah and Amersyn blur into the room, coming to a halt near us.
“Joseph,” Maciah says, and the alpha stands.
I glance up at them from Kyler’s shaking arms. Amersyn winks at me, then gives me a thumbs-up before she moves farther away with Maciah and the alpha.
Finally, I give my mate the attention he more than deserves. I expect him to reprimand me—in fact, I’m almost hoping for it—but instead, he leans closer and presses his lips to my forehead. “You are everything I didn’t know I needed.”
He squeezes me tighter, and I finally wince. “I was shot.”
His head shakes, a dark laugh escaping him. “Yeah, I saw that,” he says dryly, pushing his palm firmly over my chest. “You’re healing already or I would be a lot more pissed off right now.”
“So, you’re not going to yell at me?” I ask him with a grin that I should probably keep to myself.
He chuckles again, and the sound is still more wicked than soothing. “Oh, you closed down our bond link. There will be plenty of yelling to be had, but first, I’m going to get you and your sister the hell away from this place.”
Seriously, how many times is he going to prove just how damned perfect he is?
I might be covered in blood and surrounded by dead bodies, including those of my parents, but for the first time in my life, I’m free.
Free from the demons of my past. And I’m not alone. More importantly, I never will be again.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kyler
I’m holding Sophie, but I still can’t breathe. My muscles won’t unclench, my heart won’t stop hammering in my chest, and the need to kill every person who even looks at my mate pulses loudly within my mind.
She almost died. She was shot. She risked herself to end that bastard.
And I didn’t do a fucking thing to help her.
Yes, you did, my wolf says. You kept the others from getting to her. You made it so that she had a chance to do what she needed to do on her own.
He’s already told me this more than a few times in the last several minutes, but I can’t accept what he’s saying. I can’t relinquish the pain and guilt that I wasn’t enough.
You defeated six other fully-trained-for-battle wolf shifters without help, my wolf adds. I’d say that’s more than enough.
I’m not used to him giving me pep talks, which makes it easier to ignore him. But I hear the words and maybe I’ll believe them in time. When Sophie’s life no longer feels as if it’s on the line.
Taking another deep inhale, I remain calm on the outside for my mate, but now it’s my turn to block her out. She doesn’t need my guilt right now. Not when this mess isn’t actually over. Not until we’ve officially left this place behind. Even then, who the hell knows.
“Where’s Jules?” Sophie asks, and I realize I also haven’t seen River. He should have been helping me. If he had been, I’d have gotten to my mate and maybe she wouldn’t have been shot.
I look around as Sophie does, but we don’t see her sister.
Joseph nods toward the hallway. “She’s out there with River.” The grimace on his face doesn’t bode well for my friend or possibly for my mate. “He’s not doing well.”
Seems it would be my friend, then.
Sophie struggles to get out of my arms, but I’m not ready to let her go yet. Even with the injuries I sustained in the fight, I manage to stand up with her still cradled against me. I carry her toward the hallway and find Maciah standing with another man I don’t recognize as Amersyn tries to remove Jules from the situation, but the young wolf refuses to move.
“I won’t leave him,” she cries. “He saved me, and I told him I hated him, even though he’s my-my-my…mine.” Her sobs grow louder as she cries over River’s body.
“Holy shit,” Sophie whispers. “You have to let me down.”
“Why?” I don’t understand what has her sounding as if she’s in a bit of shock.
“River is her fated mate.”