Page 188 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
NOAH
Iclenched my fists as a low growl rumbled in my chest. My wolf was pacing restlessly beneath my skin, desperate to break free. I’d never felt anger like this before, a white-hot fury that threatened to consume me.
Zoey lay on the hospital bed, her face pale. Bridget and Heather sat by her side, their expressions grim. I needed to shift, to let my wolf run wild and burn off some of this rage before it exploded out of me.
“Lance, Mike,” I said gruffly. “Stay with her. Don’t leave her side for a second.”
They took up positions on either side of the door. I glanced at the two cops stationed in the hallway. Good. She’d be protected while I was gone.
I leaned down, brushing a gentle kiss across Zoey’s forehead. Then I turned on my heel and strode out, my boots thudding heavily against the linoleum.
The cool night air hit me as I exited the hospital and got into my car, but it did nothing to calm the raging inferno inside me. When I pulled up to my house, I had no memory of the drive. I’d done it on autopilot.
My father was waiting for me on the back porch, his arms crossed over his chest. “Son, I know you’re upset, but you need to keep a level head about this,” he said as I approached.
A bitter laugh escaped me. “A level head? That bastard put my mate in the hospital. He’s been tormenting her for years. And what have we done to stop him?”
I paced in front of him, clenching and unclenching my hands.
My father sighed. “The police are doing everything they can to find him. This isn’t on you.”
“The hell it isn’t!” I snarled, whirling to face him. “I’m supposed to protect her. I’m supposed to keep her safe. And I failed.”
“You didn’t fail. George did this, not you. Don’t let your anger push you into doing something reckless.”
But I was barely listening, my mind consumed with images of ripping George apart with my bare claws. There was only one way this would end.
George had to die.
I let the shift take over, falling to all fours as fur rippled over my skin. My wolf surged to the surface with a howl of fury and bloodlust.
I took off into the trees, paws flying over the earth. But no matter how far or fast I ran, I couldn’t outrun the simmering rage and guilt.
George had gone too far this time. He’d poisoned my mate. And for that, his blood would paint the ground before this was over. I would make damn sure of that.
I returned to the house a while later, my fur damp with sweat, my muscles quivering from exertion. As I shifted back, I saw Sam’s car parked out front. He was leaning against the porch railing, his arms crossed, his face etched with pain and worry.
“Sam,” I said tersely. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you. Shifter to shifter, father to alpha.”
I met his gaze, seeing the desperate plea in his eyes. “Go on.”
“Noah, I’m here to ask you... to beg you if I have to. Handle George. Do whatever it takes so I never have to see my little girl in a hospital bed again because of him. Please.”
His voice cracked on the last word. In that moment, I understood his anguish, his fury, his devastating feeling of helplessness. Because I felt it, too, a hundred times over.
I looked to my father. He nodded solemnly. An unspoken agreement passed between us. George James had to be dealt with. Permanently.
“I’ll take care of it,” I promised Sam, my words ringing with grim finality. “He’ll never touch Zoey again. I swear it on my life.”
Sam’s shoulders sagged in relief. He stepped forward, gripping my shoulder. “Thank you. I know I’m putting you in a difficult position, but?—”
“No,” I cut him off. “There’s nothing difficult about this decision. He crossed a line. And he won’t live long enough to regret it.”
My father stepped up beside me, his eyes hard as flint. “Just give the word, and I’ll gather the men. We’ll end this.”
I held his gaze, my resolve hardening. George had stalked and terrorized my mate, my pack, for far too long.
