Page 38 of Ember's Claim
Ember is going to wake up to a mess on her hands. My monstrous side doesn’t like the thought of that at all. No challengers will touch Ember, because we’ll be sure of it.
“Hey,” Cohen says, letting himself in the front door. My best friend knows he doesn’t need to knock to be invited in. “I heard what happened. Is she all right?”
I nod, glancing down at the snoring wolf.
Her side is still ripped to hell, but she’ll be okay.
Sofia is skilled at healing.
My heart beats erratically as I study Ember’s pale cheeks.
She’s suffering from blood loss, there’s no doubt about that. Her long, blondish-brown hair falls around her shoulders as she slumbers. She’s undeniably beautiful, but more than that, female shifters are rare.
It’s difficult to comprehend that she’s not bonded.
I exhale loudly, recalling how she went up against Derrick Aimes. The new alpha rained down hell on the pack since he took it by force seven months ago. The low ache that forms in my gut anytime I think of it comes back in full force.
Aimes felt no compassion. Not a single shred of it was to be found the day he killed Burke. Not that I saw it firsthand, but I’ve heard about it in detail from those who witnessed it.
My sister is stronger than most, but it’s clear Sofia is still suffering the loss of her mate. There hasn’t been a true chance for her to grieve her former alpha.
Burke was an honorable wolf and a damn good father to my nephew. Having her other two mates and Kent is all that’s been keeping her going.
Aimes wanted to force her to be his. It’s disturbing on a level that’s difficult to comprehend. She’d been in that cage for four days, and I knew I had to act before one of her two remaining mates did. If she lost either of them, I’m pretty sure it would have been game over for my sister.
Losing one bond is unbearable, but two is something I don’t think she could have survived.
“Anders?” Cohen asks softly.
“She’ll be okay,” I whisper in an equally low tone.
“Where the hell did she even come from?”
My head shakes. “I have no idea, but she said she drove here. She also wanted to call her family.”
Which might be a good thing. She mentioned having brothers.
If they’re also shifters, it will give her some protection. She can stack her enforcers with family. Or maybe I can talk one of them into challenging her. He wouldn’t need to kill her to take the pack, and if they’re anywhere close to as powerful as she is?—
I would quiet your treasonous thoughts, my lion says, his low tone echoing around my mind.Her wolf would never forgive you if she knew you didn’t think she was strong enough to defend her claim.
Well, shit. He’s probably right about that. I saw her fighting skills. She’s more than capable, and it still scares me. I had an up-close-and-personal view of how dirty the last alpha played. He has supporters that won’t hesitate to do the same.
“Sofia is mobilizing what’s left of Burke’s enforcers,” Cohen says. “They’re sealing off the pack lands and running patrols to keep anyone from coming in or going out. It won’t keep the news from spreading forever.”
“No, but it’s the best we can hope for, under the circumstances.” I nod, wiping a hand over my face. My former brother-in-law ensured his enforcers were trustworthy wolves. Many of them are still loyal to Sofia and her other two mates. “Is Aimes’s body?—”
“I guess he’s still out there. I heard she told everyone to go home and get back to their lives.” Cohen takes a seat.
There’s still an entire cushion between him and Ember, but it’s hard not to rip his throat out.
My jaw clenches, but I turn to face him. He’s staring at my lap, and I frown when I spot my fingers running through her hair.
Apparently, I’m a total creep with boundary issues, but I can’t force myself to stop. She’s entirely too vulnerable for me to be away from her right now.
No one with that much raw power should ever be as incapacitated as she is now.
“I need someone we trust to retrieve the body and prepare it for the ceremony,” I tell him.