Page 120 of Brutal Reign
Ares glances up at me as he slides an arm around River’s waist and helps her to her feet. “I’ve got it, you guys should stay and train,” he replies curtly.
“Get your hands off my mate, Raines,” I warn, folding my arms over my chest and staring him down.
He immediately yanks his hands away from her body, rolling his eyes as he lifts them in surrender. “Easy, bro, I’m just trying to help. If you wanna take her, then be my guest.”
“I’m fine,” River grits out, trying to play tough like usual– but judging by the steady flow of blood trickling down her thigh, she’snotfine. If it were just a superficial wound, it’d already be healing. It must be a lot deeper than it appears.
“Better safe than sorry,” I grumble as I step closer, scooping her up into my arms before she can protest any further. With one arm behind her back and the other beneath her legs, I carry her like a bride toward the doors to the complex, Ace jogging ahead to pull one of them open for us to enter.
“I’m not going to the infirmary,” River insists as I carry her over the threshold.
“The fuck you’re not,” I snort.
“Seb, stop,” she huffs, squirming in my grip. “Put me down!”
Though I grind to a halt, I keep my grip firm, refusing to let her go. “You need to get checked out,” I say sternly, not taking no for an answer.
Her dark hair swishes around her face as she shakes her head adamantly. “No, Idon’t. It’s not serious, it just needs time to heal.”
“Then you can give it time in the infirmary,” I growl.
“I can’t,” she hisses, her eyes widening in panic as she fists the front of my t-shirt.
“What’s wrong with your shifter healing, Riv?” Ace interjects. Though it’s posed as a question, his low, monotonic voice is eerily calm, as if he already knows the answer.
She whips her head around to look at him, her throat bobbing as she swallows thickly. “Sometimes it’s just a little slow,” she rasps. “I’m not sure if it’s because my wolf isn’t fully integrated, or because I repress her so much, but I’ll heal if I give it time. It has to be away from prying eyes, though, or else…” she trails off before finishing her thought, but both Ace and I understand the implication. Her troubles with her wolf are a well-guarded secret. If it were to fall into the wrong hands,especially right before the challenge, the consequences could be dire.
We exchange a long glance, Ace stepping aside as I start forward again.
“Hey, where are you…” River starts to protest, snapping her mouth shut when I hook a left into the recruit barracks. We won’t force her to go to the infirmary, but you bet your ass we’ll be by her side until she’s healed. Striding down the aisle of bunks, I head for the open door to the lounge at the end, careful not to jostle her too much as I begin ascending the stairs.
The lounge is as empty as the barracks below, and I settle River onto one of the big couches in front of the TV, Ace swooping in to tend to her wound. He evidently grabbed a towel from the locker room along the way, and he starts right in on getting River cleaned up, pulling her over onto his lap and gently wiping the blood away from the gash on her thigh.
“Maybe repressing your wolf is preventing you from integrating,” I murmur as I watch Ace work, hating that I can’t be of more use myself. This is his wheelhouse– he’s always been so damn tender with Riv.I’m just a fucking brute.
“That’s the reason I repress her, because shewon’tintegrate,” she huffs, wincing as Ace applies pressure to her injured leg.
“Well maybe initially, but have you tried lately?” I question.
River cuts me a glare, narrowing her eyes. “You think I haven’t tried everything possible to try to integrate?”
“You haven’t tried sealing your mate bonds,” I grit out, gaze flickering to Ace’s hand rubbing soothing circles against River’s back. “Have you thought about who you’re going to try to bond with first? Because ordinarily, if a wolf is already bonded, that’s it. One and done.”
She purses her lips, squinting up at me. “Isn’t the whole point of having two bondsnothaving to choose?”
My jaw tightens as I stare back at her. What she’s not saying is that if it came down to it, she’d pick Ace. Looking at the two of them now– how comfortable she is on his lap, how attentive he’s being to her needs– it’s clear that he’s the obvious choice.
“Not if you can’t seal both,” I murmur.
River flinches back, scrunching her nose. “Why are you being like this?”
“Like what?” I scoff, stuffing my hands in my pockets and lifting my chin. “I’m just pointing out the obvious, babe.”
“You’re being a dick.”
I roll my eyes, glancing toward the door. “Whatever,” I grumble. “Ace clearly has this handled, so I guess I’ll just head back out there and deal with Nate. He needs to be taught a lesson about what happens when he fucks with what’s mine.”
“The hell you are!” River objects, her plush lips twisting in a scowl. “It was an accident, and even if it wasn’t, what’d I tell you about letting me fight my own battles?”