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“There isn’t much of her body that doesn’t have a bruise, Alpha. Whoever did this to her was thorough with his infliction on her.” I growled, but he ignored it. “There are several fractured ribs, and even her legs and arms have a few fractures. So far, I can’t see any broken bones, and there’s no internal bleeding from what I can smell. She’ll need X-rays, sir. I’ll hook her up to an IV as well because she is incredibly malnourished.”

I nodded. “I agree. When can I take her from here?”

My lycan wouldn’t let me walk away from her right now. She needed me. She needed to know someone would be here for her through this. Kylie hadn’t had anyone for her before, and I wouldn’t leave her now that I had found her.

“I’m not sure, Alpha. Maybe a couple of days. The lycan inside her feels weak, which has slowed her healing. It could be from the years of abuse she has endured or…”

The doctor paused. He looked away from my sleeping mate to meet my gaze. I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. He sensed my mate’s vulnerability, a weakness subtly present in his scent.

“Or what?”

He frowned. “Or her lycan just doesn’t have the kind of power she needs to heal.”

“Is that possible?” I asked him. This wasn’t normal. Omegas didn’t carry power the way anyone with dominance did, but they still had enough to heal. Their power was unique, more calming than anything.

“It’s not common. The rarest thing to happen to our kind, but it is possible.”

This could change a lot of things. If she wasn’t strong enough to heal, how would she help me fend off rogues if they attacked? What if she needed constant protection? Lycans weren’t the easiest to be around. My pack was full of powerful, dominant lycans. Things could get tense and lead to physical violence. There was a reason the king needed to be a powerful lycan to begin with. It was to keep those rough men in line.

“What can we do about it?”

The doctor shrugged and shook his head. “That’s the thing, I’m not sure. It could be a lot of things, or it could be nothing. It depends on how she reacts to things, or I should say how her lycan reacts to things. The best hope would be after you are bonded. The power from your lycan could heal the parts of hers to bring it to full strength.”

That made a little sense. I had to hope things would get better for her after we bonded. The pack wouldn’t want a luna and queen they’d have to tiptoe around.

Protect mate,my lycan growled.Harm has come to her too often for us to allow it to happen here.

***

It took Kylie three days to heal from everything that ailed her due to the punishment she received from her former alpha. Three long days, and my lycan refused to leave her side. Kylie was mostly asleep throughout this time, and the doctor said it was because she felt safe enough to rest. It helped her body heal, so I couldn’t complain. I even noticed some color returning to her cheeks.

Having gathered the pack together inside the pack house, I waited for her release. Since she emerged from the infirmary, Kylie had become my shadow, hiding behind my tall frame wherever we went. Her timid nature made me smirk, as I knew I’d have to praise the shit out of her extensively to undo the damage her former pack had done. Something about that made my dick hard just thinking about it. Praising her for doingthings and seeing her smile and grow in confidence could lead to wonderful outcomes.

Eli strolled into the room with Amara in tow, both sporting mating marks on their necks. Eli didn’t want to waste time with a bonding ceremony, knowing that the males in our pack would want to get to know her. It had been a while since anyone found their mate in this pack, and all the females were either taken or not suitable matches for them. Many were growing restless, and I knew I’d have to mark Kylie sooner rather than later as well.

I don’t like how the pack looks at our mate.I glanced around and noticed a few eyeing Kylie like they wanted to throw her over their shoulder and whisk her away to do things behind closed doors. A snarl rose in my throat, and I had to stop myself from letting it loose, as Kylie began trembling behind me while my body tensed.

This isn’t how any lycan should feel around a pack. Packs are supposed to support and uplift their members. They are family. Yet Kylie seemed terrified of having the pack around her right now.

Yeah. That needs to change.

“Hello, my pack! I have returned from the search for my mate with good news! I have found her and brought her home.” I stepped aside enough to reveal Kylie, then coaxed her to move beside me. I draped my arm over her shoulders and smiled at my pack. She trembled beneath my touch. Fear mixed with nerves swirled through her scent of caramel and vanilla, prompting me to move my fingers in a circular motion against her skin. It relaxed her enough for her to lean more into my side.

Good. My touch made her feel safe. That was something I could work with.

“Welcome Kylie into our pack!” Everyone leaned their heads back and howled joyously, easing Kylie’s tension enough for her to move from my side. “There’s another addition to our family today. Beta Eli has brought home his mate as well. Please welcome his mate, Beta Amara.”

Another howl erupted, and happy faces appeared among the crowd. I noticed a few females glaring at Kylie and Amara, but they were the ones I expected to react that way. They had wanted either me or Eli for years, but neither of us felt the pull to make them our mates. We had our fun. They wanted more, but we had told them fun was all we could offer. Not our fault these females wouldn’t listen.

We mingled after the introductions, and I noticed how Kylie immediately went to Amara for comfort. Amara hugged her close, held her there for a few seconds, and then released her. They whispered to each other, and I could still feel Kylie’s nervousness through the bond. It eased some as she talked to Amara, and they walked around the room. Kylie introduced herself to some other females while Amara kept her away from the males. Eli must have told Amara to do that for my sake.

I did my best to keep her by my side after seeing how my pack looked at her. The females glared while the males looked at her like she was a piece of meat. Those looks could get them all killed if they weren’t careful. Something told me if I didn’t get her out of there, I’d be burying them all in a plot out back.

Against my better judgment, I grabbed Kylie by the arm, and her body went rigid before she started trembling. My lycan roaredinside me, enraged that I had caused her fear, and he slammed against the wall of my mind to shift so he could make her feel safe. I did one better by wrapping her up in my arms and holding her tight against me. There was some pushback, but her tiny frame was no match for me.

“Shhh, I got you. I’m sorry.”

From there, things didn’t go how I thought they would. It took a while before Kylie settled enough to move about the house. Amara was at her side the entire time, which brought me some peace since I needed to tend to some of my duties. Amara would keep her away from the males until I could give her the tour of the house.