Page 171 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
Dom took Night’s shoulder, helping to keep him steady as the doctor worked.
My wolf shrieked and banged around in my mind, eager to go to our mate. Her intent was clear—if she could get the doctor away from Night, he’d hurt less. I clenched my hands and kept her at bay. When it came to fighting, I would always defer to her, but when it came to matters of logic and reason, I had to deal with it on my own. Unfortunately, I couldn’t recede into unconsciousness or let my wolf take over in this situation. The moment I did, she’d get in Dr. Stan’s way.
“Bryn,” Night’s voice was a breathy rasp.
I was at his side then. Dom stepped back to let me kneel at his side. I took my mate’s hand and touched his cheek. The moment our skin made contact, his jerking and trembling began to subside.
“I’m here, love,” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “I’m here.”
He looked at me, his eyes narrowing as he tried to focus on my face. I ran the pad of my thumb over his bushy eyebrows.
“I’m here,” I said again, kissing his hands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. Soon, his eyes began to slip shut, and his body calmed. Dr. Stan breathed a sigh of relief and continued to work. Other than a faint twitching of his eye, Night didn’t try to resist treatment again.
70
BRYN
Dr. Stan breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped back. His hands were slick with Night’s blood, and one them held a needle and remnants of the thread used to sew up Night’s wound. I ran my hand through my mate’s hair, damp with sweat. He seemed much, much calmer now. He hadn’t stirred once when Dr. Stan was stitching him up; in fact, he seemed to be sleeping.
“Is he going to be okay, Doc?” Dom asked.
“Yes,” the doctor dabbed at his sweaty forehead with a t-shirt that wasn’t stained with blood, “now that this thing is out of him.” He wiped his hands on that same t-shirt and then held something in his hand. I stood to see what it was. A bloody bullet, the tip of it bent in on itself, sat in his palm.
Dom took a sharp breath in through his teeth. “Is that thing made of silver?”
Dr. Stan nodded.
My eyes widened. It made me sick all over again to think that my mate had been hit with something so poisonous. My wolf began to growl, but there was nothing to aim our rage at. Evan was dead.And I was the one who did it.
“Will there be any long-term effects?” I asked.
“He shouldn’t shift for at least a week, and during that time, he’ll be weaker than he’s used to.”
My eyes widened. “But wouldn't shifting make him heal faster?”
“Under normal circumstances, yes, but silver is a wolf’s greatest weakness. When he was hit with it, his wolf receded inside him. The silver is in Alpha Night’s blood, and until it’s run its course, he’ll need to take it as easy as possible.”
“I’ve never heard of that before.”
“You wouldn’t have. Alphas aren’t open about their weaknesses for this reason. Centuries ago, challengers would dip their claws in silver or otherwise hide silver on their bodies to better their odds of winning. It wasn’t against the rules back then, and these days, Alphas keep the information under wraps. It’s important for you to know that, too, now that you’re an Alpha, Bryn.”
I resisted the urge to wince. Like Night and all other Alphas before me, I would begin my rule with blood on my hands. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. Is there anything I can do to help Night more?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no. His body needs to deal with this on its own.”
“I understand. Thank you, Dr. Stan.”
He nodded with a small smile, and then left. Dom and I were left alone with the sleeping Night. I sat on the bed beside him and touched his hair, his thick locks curled around my fingers.
“I’ll have wolves stationed around the cabin,” Dom said. “I have to get back to the fight. I imagine you’ve got things covered here?”
I nodded. It was hard not to feel awful for being away from my people, but even the idea of being more than a few feet away from Night made my wolf whine and gnash her teeth. I felt the same. I didn’t want to leave him alone while he was so vulnerable.
“I’ll check back in soon.”
“Okay. Be careful, Dom.”
