Page 93 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
Komodo Dragons are venomous and mine acted quickly, along with the gouges in his soft flesh.
Before my eyes, Jared regained his feet unsteadily, then crashed to the ground only to stop moving, not even breathing, a moment later.
Deke!
Melody rushed to his side as the elves and other enforcers formed a barrier around us.
“He’s breathing! He needs a healer, or four.” She let out a sob. “It’s bad!”
Farryn dropped another portal over us, taking us back to Sweetwater in a blink. The portal closed straight away, and I let out a breath. We were safe.
I looked at my friend and boss, my heart sinking. He had to make it. I couldn’t cope with the guilt if he didn’t.
It felt like the pack all held their breath as the healers all worked on Deke.
He lay on the grass in front of the clinic with his best possible chance of getting through this.
Dalton came to my side and hugged me. “It’s not your fault,” he whispered.
“He has to make it.”
“The Luna will protect him.” Dalton sounded so sure. His faith was what got me through those agonizing few minutes.
“Deke’s stable!” Hiroshi shouted.
Around us, cheers went up.
“We’re going to take him inside. It’ll take him some time to recover, but I swear he’ll be fine.” Aldrin looked as relieved as I felt, telling me it truly was touch and go.
“Only family for now, please.” James was checking on the rest of the fighters.
There was something I had to do.
Finding Hiroshi, I went to his side. “Could I speak to you for a minute before you go back to Deke?” They were loading him onto a stretcher using magic. There was spellwork to hold him completely still while healing continued.
“Sure. Wow, that was a close one. He was crushed! What did it?”
How was I going to tell him? How would he react?
“It was a tiger.”
To be fair to him, Hiroshi caught on quickly. “Jared. Damn him! He just has to keep hurting people! When will he stop?”
“Now. I killed him.” It was said bluntly, I felt no remorse over it. In fact, I wish I’d drawn it out. Taken my time with him for what he’d done to Hiroshi, what he’d done to Roan, Tate, Asher. For Deke. So many lives had been affected by that trash. If it hadn’t been for Deke lying broken, needing medical attention, I would have.
“Oh thank fuck!” Hiroshi let out a giggle, one tinged with hysteria. “He can’t get me anymore. It’s done.” He was hugging himself. “I need to tell Jason.”
Jason was Jared’s father and the pack Alpha for the Northarbor pride, and our ally. Him I felt bad for.
“Let someone else tell him. Alpha Blake will. I’ll tell him what I did—“
“Thank you.” Hiroshi threw himself into my arms and squeezed me hard. “Thanks for doing that for me, for protecting Deke. I’m so grateful my nightmare is over.”
I hugged him back. “You’re welcome.”
Over the next hour, Dalton took the babies home with Chase, Ingal and Roan. My friend had thanked me for what I’d done, and despite the terrible act, I knew it had been the right thing to do. Jared would never have stopped, and I’d taken one of the aviary’s most powerful allies from them.
I stood witness as Alpha Blake made the call to Jason, who had complicated feelings over the death of his second son. I pitied the man. He had lost valued members of the pride thanks to the actions of Jared, but Jared was still his child, and Jason would grieve his loss.
