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“Get your men to fix that fucking fence, John; they were supposed to be on patrol today,” I call over my shoulder. He growls but says nothing as I step through into the reserve. One of my men scoops up Emily and I stop. The girl doesn't look too good.
“She okay?”
“No idea,” he says.
“Get her to the pack hospital,” I tell him, and he takes off running with her.
“Already mind-linked for ambulances. They’ll be waiting out front. I told Marcus to hang back for them. He’s out there flagging them down,” Tatum says, and I nod before looking at my other men.
“Guard the fence until John's men get here to fix it,” I command.
“Yes, boss,” I hear them say just before I take off running.
ChapterSeventy-Five
Valen
I place Everly in the waiting ambulance, ordering Marcus to watch Valarian for me since he’s still with Zoe. Once we get to the hospital, Emily is placed in a medically induced coma; they have no idea what’s wrong with her. However, forsaken saliva can be poisonous; the number of bacteria they carry has baffled us for years. We aren't certain why, but something changes in their DNA once made forsaken, which is part of the reason our city rarely banishes people. Everly is slowly healing and has IVs of fluids and antibiotics coming out of her everywhere. The infection ravaging her body is mild, and the few wounds I received have already healed.
I’ve noticed that forsaken bites have never really affected me; something to do with the same genetic mutation in my bloodline that results in amber eyes, which is now shared with Valarian. Everly, however, doesn't share it, although her marking me seems to have some effect on her ability to heal a little quicker, whereas Emily is knocking at death's door.
I’ve been sitting here at Everly’s side for three days now, waiting for her to wake up. At least now, she has a bit more color about her. One of the pack doctors enters, carrying Everly's notes in his hands. He’s an older man around my father's age, with gray hair tied at his nape accompanied by a short beard. He checks the charts on the end of her bed before hooking another bag of something to her IV.
“She’s doing much better. I suppose she has you to thank for that. Although, she would heal a lot faster if you mark her,” Doc says to me.
I scowl, furrowing my brows.
“I know you don't want to mark her against her will. But Alpha, I am sure, given the circumstance, she would understand,” Doc says when I go to protest.
“You said she’s doing better,” I tell him, and he nods,
“She is, but she isn't out of the woods yet. You know how forsaken bites go; one minute they’re fine, then the next…” he doesn't finish and instead shoots Everly a worried look. I scrub my hands down my face before rubbing my eyes that feel like sandpaper.
“What of Emily?” I ask. Scouts had scoured the area for her son but found no sign of him. We don't even know where she came from. Nothing makes sense, and we have zero leads.
“She isn't doing so well; I’m not sure if she’ll make it. We had to amputate one of her legs already,” Doc tells me, and I sigh.
“Also, Everly's mother keeps calling the hospital; Alpha John has also called to check on her.”
My brows furrow. For years, they wanted nothing to do with her, and now, suddenly, they give a shit?
“What did you tell them?” I ask him.
“Nothing, of course. They aren't on her list of emergency contacts, but…”
“But what?”
“They are her parents, Alpha. Maybe you should let them know. You should probably go home, too. I will call if anything changes or if she wakes up.”
I look over at Everly, still unconscious. The thought of leaving makes my stomach turn.
“And think about what I said about marking her. She isn't dying, but it would speed things up,” Doc tells me. I bite the inside of my lip and nod. If she’s on the brink of death, I would take her wrath, yet I wonder if she’ll hate me if I mark her just to speed up the healing process.
Valarian keeps asking for her. I’ve managed to shield him away from what’s really going on, but that will only last so long before he demands to see her. Getting up, my back cracks and I stretch, having been in that chair for days now. I walk over to her bedside, running my fingers up her arm. Sparks zap at my fingers from the bond, and goosebumps rise on her arms from my touch.
“Forgive me,” I whisper, leaning down and cupping the back of her neck. I kiss her lips and tilt her head to the side. Feeling my canines elongate, I sink them into her neck. Sparks rush over my body everywhere, and I can taste the remnants of the poison in her blood, taste it on my tongue before I feel my heart thump erratically in my chest.
My chest feels like it’s expanding, the bond forging, and I feel the moment our souls entwine, her sleepy state rolling over me; she moans in her sleep. She’s always reacted to my touch, even comatose it seems, but this is something else. There’s a deep longing, like she’s fighting to come back to me, plus her worry for Valarian; so many things plague her even while in this state, and I can feel everything that makes her bleed into me. Everly completes me and fills a void I wasn't aware existed until I marked her.
