“Exactly! What did you do? You did sweet fuck-all while a vulnerable omega was about to be swept off to be fucking tortured for the rest of her life. Do you honestly think Luca could have held me back forever? That I wouldn’t have gone after her?”
“No, Fia, it’s not that simple,” Ryan says, sinking to a seated position, so he’s not standing around with his junk out. Which is the one thing I can be grateful for right now. His face is pale, andhis jaw is clenched tight. He looks like he’s choking on the guilt, and yet he’s still trying to defend himself.
“Yes, it is! Emily needed our protection. And you failed her. She came to us for a new home, and I thought we gave that to her, welcomed her with open arms, but you were going to let her abuser swoop in and take her back. You’re a sorry excuse for an alpha, and I can’t even look at you right now.”
“Fia…” Ryan trails off. Anguish chokes his voice, and pain contorts his face. That was harsh, but I don’t give a single flying fuck. I have no idea if Emily will survive what just happened. Jackson has carried her to the pack hospital after she collapsed. She should never have had to be the one to put her piece of shit ex down.
I hate Ryan for everything that just happened. He might be the only family member I have left, but what’s one more colossal disappointment? At least my family is consistently awful. I wouldn’t want to get my hopes up.
And I hate Luca too. For holding me back.
I detest the part of me that wants to sink to the ground beside him and check how bad it really is. I loathe how my wolf doesn’t care that we’re furious—how she leans into his attention like it's everything she’s ever wanted. In all honesty, I hate myself for the guilt I can’t fully ignore about how much damage I inflicted on him.
I shove that part of me down. Hard. Luca’s not the same guy who was there for me after everything with my parents.
And even if he did it because of some fucked-up notion of protecting me, he still stopped me and endangered my best friend. And I can’t forgive that.
I shoot Luca one more glare before I storm off towards the pack hospital to check on Emily and Jackson.
The pack hospital is buzzing with activity. So much so that no one even glances at me when I walk in. My presence here isn’t unusual, to be fair. Checking in on injured pack members is one of my stand-in luna jobs while Ryan waits for his mate.
I don’t want to disturb anyone; instead, I follow the commotion. It leads me straight to Jackson. He’s standing outside Emily’s room while Doc and his nurses check her over. The air is heavy with the scent of his emotions: the bitter tang of resentment, the sour odor of worry, strong enough that I could choke on it.
I lay my hand on Jackson’s shoulder, and he flinches. He’s so wrapped up in what’s happening with Emily that he didn’t even realize I was here. He’s pulled on some shorts, but his legs and upper body are bare, meaning I can see he’s covered in deep gashes, scrapes, and bites.
“You need to get those looked at,” I say, softening my usually fiery tone.
“She’s unconscious, Fia. What if she doesn’t wake up?”
“She will,” I say firmly. I refuse to believe there could be a goddess who would allow Emily to suffer this much, only to die when she finally finds happiness. No one could be that cruel. I’m sure of it. Even as a niggling voice pokes at me from deep inside my mind.What if she lives, but she never wants to see you again?
I wouldn’t blame her. It might not have been my fault that her psychotic ex turned up here, but I didn’t keep her safe. While my sweet omega bestie risked her life to reject her sadistic mate, I was at a safe distance, letting Luca get the better of me and allowing myself to be restrained. I should have been able to get out of his hold. Should have fought back harder. How will she ever forgive me?
Icy dread curls in my stomach as the reality of what happened over the past hour hits me. With the adrenaline finally fading, my shoulders slump, and exhaustion weighs heavily on me. My muscles are exhausted, and I have a dull ache from trying to dislodge myself from Luca’s hold. I can only imagine what Jackson must be feeling. He was the one in the thick of the battle, not me.
“Go, let someone check you out,” I say, trying to sound like I have my shit together and gesturing for Olive, one of the nurses, to come over. “Emily will need you strong and healthy when she wakes up.”
Jackson’s shoulders slump. He knows I’m right.
“I’ll be right here. I won’t leave her side.”
“Thanks, Fia, I’m glad she has you. That we both do.”
His eyes are watery and red-rimmed. I hear what’s left unsaid. He doesn’t have Ryan and Luca anymore. They let him downso astonishingly; it’s hard to see how their friendship could come back from them standing back and not helping him to save Emily. And those three have been best friends their whole lives, close to thirty years.
But maybe Ryan and Luca shouldn’t have been such useless assholes if they wanted Jackson to still be friends with them. I shake my head, trying to dislodge those thoughts. I have more important things to worry about right now.
I bring my attention back to Emily. She’s so tiny in the hospital bed. Her pale blonde hair dyed pink from Aidan’s blood. She’s so vulnerable. So undeserving of the shitshow that has been her life.
A part of me hoped Emily would be my mate when we first met. I had an immediate connection with her. The need to protect her and be there for her was so strong that I couldn’t have avoided it, even if I had wanted to. And it wasn’t just that I wanted her to be safe; I wanted to open up with her, too. She is the only wolf I allow to see my unfiltered emotions. The only one I don’t need to wear a mask with.
Sure, I have other friends. But Emily was the first wolf I really connected to in years. Since I was a kid. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that it wasn’t a mate bond that we shared. It was something different. A friendship unlike any other. And I want my friend to be happy, healthy andsafe.
“Any updates?” I ask as Doc comes out of the room.
He sighs before answering. “I don’t need to tell you, Sofia, there’s no treatment for a rejected fated-mate bond. Emily, beingan omega, puts her at a higher risk, but she was the one to do the rejecting. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
I nod as tears prick my eyes, and the now blurry shapes of nurses leave Emily’s room. I’m always losing people. But I can’t lose her. I trust that she has survived so much already; she’ll get through this.
