Page 74 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
I’d just managed to break through her defenses. This would just close them up again.
“Keep her calm. We’ll manage,” he said before ending the call.
We couldn’t lie to the paramedics or the cops. It was obvious Mike had been attacked; his injuries were too telling. We weren’t in any pack wars, and there hadn’t been any issues between shifters and humans in Boldercrest for decades.
We’d have to face the police, but I wouldn’t let her do it alone. I’d be with her all the way.
I called Ky to tell him what happened and that I wouldn’t be going to the gym. He assured me he had everything in hand and to call if I needed him.
I stayed with Mike, holding my sweater to the wound at his stomach and speaking to him in low tones until the paramedics arrived. Their equipment clattered as they walked through thewoods. When I was certain they didn’t need my help, I rushed back to Zoey.
She ran out of the house as I walked back up to the door, concern oozing from her every pore. “Who was hurt? Are they?—”
I pulled her against me, her head tucking under my chin as I wrapped my arms around her. “One of my father’s men was in the forest out back, keeping watch. He’s alive, but it’s bad,” I said, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “The paramedics are with him, but Zoey, the police are on their way. They have to investigate attacks like these.”
“George... it has to be.” She pulled away from me, her hands balling into fists at her sides. I braced myself for tears, for the imminent breakdown. But instead, her eyes blazed with fury. “No more. I can’t let him keep hurting people to get to me. I’m filing a report. It’s time I stopped him.”
I blinked, surprised by the steel in her voice. Zoey, the woman who had been through hell and back, was ready to fight. Her resilience never ceased to amaze me.
“Okay,” I said simply. “Whatever you need. I’m here.”
The whine of sirens grew closer, piercing the heavy silence that had settled around us. Red and blue lights flickered across the windows, casting an eerie light on Zoey’s pale face.
Two officers arrived, and they immediately divided their tasks. One officer headed towards Mike to assess the situation, while the other remained with us to take our statements.
“We’ll get through this,” I told her, resting my hand on the small of her back.
“Noah, Ms. Lester,” the officer greeted, a notepad already in his hands. “Can you tell me anything about what happened here?”
I spoke first. I might not be the alpha yet, but this was my pack, my people. “As you’re aware, Zoey is under pack protection. My father’s beta, Michael Cortana, was on guard andhas been attacked. He’s in the woods behind the house. The paramedics are with him.”
I stopped talking and gestured to Zoey. Her breath stuttered like a record skipping on a worn turntable, but she mustered strength from someplace deep inside. My admiration for her grew tenfold.
She started off shaky, but each word resonated with newfound resolve. “I want to file a report. Against George James.”
The officer’s pen paused over the paper. “Are you saying he’s responsible for this attack?”
“Indirectly. He’s been... he’s made threats before.”Zoey reached for my hand, seeking support. “He sent one of his associates to scare me into going back to him.”
She gave a brief statement, detailing some of her torment. Each fact laid bare was a small victory, a reclaiming of the power that George had tried to strip away.
I let her lean on me. When I’d spoken with the family lawyer Claire had recommended for Zoey, Ms. Cameron had suggested taking out a restraining order. When I’d mentioned it to Zoey, she hadn’t been ready. She clearly was now. Each word she spoke seemed to lift a layer of fear from her, making her seem lighter and more free. I vowed that, no matter what, I’d be her shield, her unwavering protector.
“We’re going to need you to come down to the station if you want to file for a restraining order,” the officer said to Zoey.
Zoey exhaled shakily. “I need to see my son first. I need to make sure he’s okay, that George didn’t… that he’s still with my sister.”
The officer offered her his card. “I recommend you speak with Chief Warman at the station as soon as possible. Better to have this restraining order in place and not need it than not have it in place and have your ex appearing on your doorstep.”
Zoey took the card, her hand trembling slightly.
“I’ll take her,” I said firmly.
When the paramedics wheeled Mike into the back of the ambulance, Zoey watched from the living room window, her face paling.
“Will he be okay?” she asked.
“I don’t know. He’s a shifter,” I said honestly. “Being a shifter, he’s not as easy to hurt as a human. He’s in the right hands.”
