Without the branch there to stem the flow, Daryl’s blood dripped onto the forest floor at a much quicker rate, and Alpha Jones made short work of lowering Daryl down to the alphas below. It wasn’t gentle or slow. Alpha Jones practically dropped him into their waiting arms, but with all that blood, Jason understood why they couldn’t wait.
They had him laid out on the stretcher, shirt ripped open by the time Alpha Jones jumped down from the tree and joined them.
With Daryl on the ground in front of him, Jason got a better idea of his injuries. When he’d seen him up in the tree, all he could focus on was the branch through his chest, but on closer inspection, it wasn’t the only injury by far. It was the worst, but Daryl had cuts and scrapes all over him. Things that should’ve healed almost instantly, and the fact that they hadn’t proved what an awful fucking state he was in.
Daryl’s wrist lay at an odd angle, and Jason flinched when one of the alphas realigned the bones.
Daryl didn’t so much as twitch.
As Alpha Jones worked at cleaning and dressing the hole in his chest, the other two checked the rest of Daryl’s body. Jason watched it all in a sort of daze, not really believing this had actually happened. His gaze drifting back to Daryl’s face, still so pale, a few days’ worth of dark stubble standing out in stark contrast.
Jason wanted to touch him, needed to feel his heartbeat and reassure himself that he was alive.
Unable to help himself, he shuffled closer.
Surprisingly, one of the alphas moved aside for him, giving Jason the space to settle beside the stretcher. He went to take Daryl’s hand but hesitated.
“Nothing’s broken there,” Alpha Jones said softly. “You can hold his hand.”
As soon as Jason touched him, a wave of relief washed through him, so much greater than any words could have produced. Moving his fingers, he felt for Daryl’s pulse point, and the steady beat of Daryl’s heart forced a heavy sigh out of him.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, holding Daryl’s hand. Maybe moments, maybe an hour, but he didn’t move until a hand on his shoulder startled him.
“We need to get him back to the lodge.” Alpha Jones spoke in hushed tones, and Jason blinked up at him. “Come on.” He patted Jason on the shoulder and offered him a hand up.
Jason reluctantly let go of Daryl and took the proffered help.
“Oh,” he gasped when he got to his feet. His leg no longer twinged when he put weight on it.
Fully healed. “How long was I sat there for?”
“Long enough.” With a hand on Jason’s shoulder, he steered him back towards the obstacle course and the large SUV that was waiting for them there.
As they settled Daryl in the back, Jason looked around them. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Back at the lodge. Alpha Cornell is with them.”
Jason nodded and slipped into the car beside Daryl. He held his hand the whole way back.
When Daryl woke up, they were going to talk.
Jason couldn’t go back home without telling him how he felt.
They didn’t need a bond to be together.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The first thing Daryl was aware of was someone holding his hand.
The second was the overwhelming scent of Jason all around him.
And then the pain hit.
His chest hurt, and not in the way the potential bond made it ache. This was more like hot knives poking through his flesh every so often.
It took a few moments, but eventually the memory of what had happened slowly came back to him. The obstacle course, flying through the air, then . . . nothing.
Fuck.
