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59

Ash

Sitting by Devon’s side, I watch his chest rise and fall. Each breath is both a miracle and a torture. I don’t know when he’ll wake from his coma. Alpha Amelia had come a few times, alone and with Luan David, bringing me food and clothes. She’d promised me as much time off as needed, even if it meant skipping out on the battle for Oak Fur, to be by Devon’s side until he woke up.

I could kill Marco for what he did, take him out for hurting my mate, all because he doesn’t agree with Devon being here. I keep myself either in this room or in the guest room at Royce’s house so I won’t do anything I regret.

“Ash?”

I jump, turning my head towards the open door to find Lucas looking worried.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he says quietly, slowly making his way to the empty seat on the other side of the bed.

I make some noise of acknowledgment while rubbing my free hand along my tired eyes, the other one grasping Devon’s. Doctor Hannah had said skin-to-skin contact between mates while one is healing would help the injured party, and I cling to that knowledge, hoping it will help Devon wake up faster.

“What brings you here?” I finally ask, the beeping from the heart monitor making the silence seem louder now that another person is here with me.

“Kaylee sent me to bring some food for you. Apple cinnamon scones,” Lucas says with a chuckle, holding up the basket in his hand.

“Isn’t that like cocaine to her right now?” I ask, finding myself laughing along.

“Yep. You should have seen her glare at Zach today,” Lucas answers.

He must have seen my confused expression when he mentioned this Zach person, as he then proceeded to tell me about the events from yesterday up until this morning. I’d heard about the attack at the southern border and even ran into Jenny on her way to the training facilities last night when I was heading to Royce’s place. But it was a surprise to hear about the three wolves who had been put into a similar situation to Devon.

“Ramos and his friends really need to be put down,” I say through gritted teeth, taking a bite from one of the scones. “No offense,” I add, realizing I’d just told Lucas his own father needs to be killed.

“None taken. I agree and can’t wait to slit the bastard’s throat myself,” Lucas shrugs, munching on a scone. “Goddess! These are so good!” he exclaims in shock, staring at the baked good in his hand.

“Kaylee doesn’t share, I see,” I tease with a grin, Lucas rolling his eyes at me.

“Not really. The last time I tried to take an apple treat from her, I nearly ended up with a fork through the hand,” he answers with a groan.

“Thank Goddess Ash and I won’t have to go through that,” someone retorts, their voice husky as if not having been used for a long time.

Lucas and I freeze, our eyes widening before we turn to look at Devon. My mate smiles weakly back at us, his eyes going from staring at the scone in Lucas’ hand to finding my gaze.

“Is that damned collar finally off me?” he asks.

Without thinking, I toss the half-eaten scone onto the table and throw myself onto Devon, holding him tightly as tears fall from my eyes. Lucas disappears, most likely to grab a nurse or doctor, while I relish the feel of Devon weakly holding me.

“Ash, get off Devon so Hannah can check him out,” Lucas calls from beside me, carefully placing his hands on my shoulders. I growl at him, not ready to be separated from my now-awoken mate, but Devon gently pushes me, bringing me to my senses. I pull away carefully, catching tears in his eyes as Lucas helps me straighten up.

“Don’t worry, Ash. You two can cuddle as soon as I make sure Devon is okay,” Hannah reassures me, smiling.

I wait off to the side as she assesses Devon, asking him what the last thing he remembers is and if anything hurts right now. Once it’s confirmed that Devon is not at risk of slipping back into a coma and that all his injuries have indeed healed, she tells Devon to rest up and that she’ll be back in four hours for a final round of tests.

Lucas helps me move Devon just slightly to the side of the bed so that I can crawl in beside him and snuggle my mate close before handing both of us a fresh scone from the basket and taking a seat once again.

“So...” Devon begins, picking at the apple cinnamon treat. “What did I miss?”

I sigh, not sure where to begin. The last week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Thankfully, Lucas takes the lead in explaining everything to Devon, who silently takes it in. He even mentions the situation with the three wolves, Hale, Inda, and Zach, which causes Devon to growl and set his heart monitor off. A nurse came in, scolding us for getting Devon worked up and saying that next time, we would be kicked out.

“All that, and I just slept,” Devon jokes, turning his head to kiss my cheek. “Thank you for sitting beside me and helping me through it, Ash,” he adds.

I blush, unsure what to say. Lucas eyes us, a soft smile on his lips, and for a moment, I think back to when we first met. I’d been a total dick to him, thinking that Kaylee deserved better. Now, having met my mate in the dungeons after he was found to be spying on Ivory Fangs, I understand Lucas and the complexities of the mate bond more.

“Hey, Lucas,” I say, my voice quiet. “Thanks for being a good friend.”

He smiles at me, standing from his chair, and lightly punches my shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. You had every right to be a dick to me when we first met. I’m just glad that when Kaylee and I take over Oak Fur, we’ll have someone as loyal as you joining us.”

I never thought he and I would become such good friends or that he would be such a chill guy. Yet here he is, making sure I ate and keeping tabs on how Devon was doing.

“So when do we leave for Oak Fur?” Devon chimes in from beside me. Lucas’ smile falls, his eyes hardening as he turns to look out the only window in this room.

“We leave in three days. Hannah won’t allow you to fight with us, Devon, but we’ll take you with us in one of the vans so you can be there when we kill Ramos and Marilyn.”

With that, Lucas tells us to get some rest and that he expects me at training tomorrow. I readily agree, happy to know I’m still part of the battle, and watch Lucas close the door behind him.

With Lucas gone, I return my focus to Devon and hold him tight. Ivory Fangs is no longer home to me after what Marco did. I know he was punished, but the safety of my mate now comes first.