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I opened my mouth to tell her that there was no chance of the entry wound healing over in such a short amount of time, but she opened her eyes and gave me a look to listen to her. Fine, I wouldn’t beat her ass. “We’re almost there and Alan will have the good pain meds so just behave.”

“Yes, my Alpha,” she chuckled.

It felt like seconds and also forever until we reached the hospital. People were waiting when we arrived and helped get Ellie out of the vehicle and onto a gurney without jostling her too much.

“No, you’re not getting involved,” Alan said as he blocked me from following them.

“You’re just as much her family and shouldn’t—”

“I know that, but I can’t shift,” he muttered. “Besides, Ellie knows what she’s doing. It will take us just a bit and she’ll be in a room. I promise.”

“What does that even mean?” I snarled, but he was already hurrying off. “That doesn’t make any fucking sense!”

“It does if you’re old enough,” one of the officers who had helped with the convoy said, holding his hands up in surrender when I turned on him.

“He’s right,” Da said from my right, moving his hand to my shoulder. “I’ve seen vamps make that move a dozen times. It’s their training.”

I spun on him. “To get shot in the shoulder? Are you having a laugh?”

“No, she learned it with swords,” he sighed. “She’s been trained. They train to take the nonvital hit to disarm their opponent. If others could be injured—to save innocents, they take the hit—” He was struggling with how to explain it.

The officer moved Da aside and showed me he was holding his taser and it wasn’t ready to be used, but as an example. He waited until I nodded that I understood he was demonstrating. “If I fire and others are around, I could miss. If you move closer, the chances of me missing are less, right?”

“She shoved me out of the way,” I whispered, already knowing she’d done it to protect me.

I caught on when he moved closer. “She rushed him or pulled him closer so the gun went off in her shoulder and there was less chance of the bullet going through to hit someone else. In his shock, she disarmed him and snapped his neck.”

“Yes, and she is well-trained to do that while injured,” the officer praised.

“Shock gave her a few moments too, but—it’s a badass move that a lot of us over a century know.

I did it once only because kids were around, but I startled the guy and he lost his hold on the gun.

It happens with swords as well because—sometimes people are so used to sparring they’re not—”

“Their instinct is to pull back when they see something like a mistake in a fight,” I mumbled. I patted his shoulder. “Thanks, mate. I’m still going to encase her fine ass in bubble wrap, but I appreciate the explanation.”

One of the security offered to park my vehicle once Da gave him the keys and I thanked him. Ha-yun had only a bit of blood on her and waved off my offer for a change of clothes and just went to the bathroom. I grabbed what I had in my surgical locker and changed.

Alan was heading towards my family when I returned. “I told you it would be fast. She’s fine and doped up. Asking for you and if you’re going to dump her because you were yelling.”

The sigh I let out was probably heard around Atlanta. “Where is she?”

He told me the room number and said to bring my family with. I didn’t understand that, but he seemed worried as he hurried off.

“We were the target?” Da asked. “Or you? Our family?”

“I have no idea, Da,” I admitted as I quickened my pace to the room, my parents and siblings right in step with me.

“There’s my handsome Alpha,” Ellie greeted with a loopy smile. She was propped up on pillows and her right arm in a sling. “Good thing Sean is a good guy and let us take extra blood, huh?”

“Do you need more?” I worried.

“Soon,” she mumbled, rubbing her face against my hand when I touched her. “Sorry, Ha-joon. I’m really sorry. I’ll take security from now on.”

“So you were the target? Dr. Carpenter was worried and said we should come with Ha-joon,” Mum asked, her tone confused and tired.

“I was the target,” Ellie confirmed. “He was a vampire—his family is loaded and connected. I personally rescued his wife about twenty years ago and he lost everything.”

Her throat sounded rough, and I was about to ask about getting something to drink when a nurse came in with options for her. I thanked her and fretted over Ellie which she ate up, asking that I shower the blood off of her once Alan stopped being mean.

“Whatever you want, Ellie,” I whispered.

“A burger. The biggest burger and burger friends and fries,” she said with a happy sigh. “I always want that after I’m hurt like this.” She seemed to see Mum and realize she and my family were there.

Oh yeah, she got the good potions and drugs.

“Right, yes, asshole lost everything because he not only beat and raped his wife in front of his friends for fun, but she is super smart and took his family company from failing to thriving.” She focused on Mum. “In London. You probably know—”

“I recognized him after you handled him,” she confirmed. “We’ll make it clear with his family—thank you for the warning.”

Ellie seemed relieved. “Good, good. I’m sorry.

I should have thought ahead about that aspect of announcing I was the founder of Amanda’s Hope.

Coming out as being with Ha-joon and having you attend—I didn’t think it through.

There’s going to be miles-long lines of angry vamps and old money families who now have a target. Fuckers.”

“We’ll figure it out and—no more pushing me out of the way and handling it all on your own like that, Ellie,” I whispered, tears in my voice. “I’m more durable than you and—”

“You’re not, pup,” she sighed. “You’re not and I’m sorry that I can’t promise—it’s instinct. I’ve been in too many battles and fights. It’s just—when I saw the rage and death in his aura, I reacted that—”

I hadn’t realized what she’d been about to say at first and reacted too late. I dropped the drink in my hand and moved my hand over her mouth… But was too late.

My wolf instantly alerted me of a problem, and I turned to face my family.

“Oh wow, you might have another damn psychopath,” Ellie whispered. “Why is she so fucking jealous and giddy?”

Byeol. She was seeing something in Byeol’s aura. It was the bad my wolf instantly smelled and warned me of.

“I will kill you to protect my mate,” I warned, my tone cold and deadly. I nodded when she pressed her lips together. “In a heartbeat, Sister . I love her, and I don’t even remotely respect you or think you contribute anything to the world, our pack, or this family.”

“You are such—” Byeol started to say.

“So set your phone on the bed before I stop holding back my wolf,” I instructed. I didn’t even cut a glance at my brothers when I felt their aggression go up. “Don’t. Don’t be stupid.”

“Everyone put your phones on the bed and start acting like family or leave our house, pack—all of it!” Mum yelled.

She stared at each of my siblings in turn.

“She immediately warned us of a possible— possible —threat because she is a good woman and you are giddy to have something against her? Who are you? You are no child of mine if that’s how you behave. ”

The others immediately did it and Byeol finally did then with a huff. She shot me a disgusted look. “I wasn’t going to text a reporter or post it to social media from her damn hospital room. I just liked that perfect Ha-joon wouldn’t have Mum and Da adoring his mate now that they know—”

“We knew she was special,” Da cut in, nodding when Byeol couldn’t hide her shock.

“I knew before any of you were ever born.

I met Ellie before your mother when I was sent off by your grandda.

I knew she was a vampire who could do magic and was a git who tried to force her back to the pack like that would be some prize to impress my da.

“It was a stupid, misguided, and horrible idea out of desperation and foolishness that I have regretted for hundreds of years. I scared her trying to tail her and figure out what she was—I knew.” He shot Ellie a look and then met my gaze. “I figured out a lot.”

Shit. He knew Ellie was the head of ASH. He put it together.

Okay, well, another problem for another day.

I pulled out my phone and called Alan. “Ellie made a slip in her current state. I need one of the witches you trust to lock something in my siblings’ minds for her safety.”

“Fuck all the fucking fucks today,” Alan snarled before disconnecting.

“Well, he’s having a good time,” Ellie drawled with a frown. “What did I let slip? I’m normally really good at that no matter what condition I’m in. I’m a vault.” She met my gaze and sighed. “It’s your fault. I get all gooey and let my guard down around you.”

“Aye, I’ll take the blame for it. It’s all my fault, so let me protect you.”

“Fine, but this isn’t as much fun as brownie. I get sex then, not itchy icky and a stupid arm sling.”

Oh fuck, she was whiney and adorable.

I was cooing over her when I realized an argument was going on and focused on it.

“Look, I’ll give a blood oath or whatever else you want since apparently that’s required because he says so,” Byeol said with a dramatic and exasperated tone.

“But I’m not letting some witch we don’t know do anything to my fucking brain.

No, not even for you, Mum. That’s insane that you are even considering this! ”

Ha-yun lost patience and grabbed her arm, spinning Byeol to face her.

“The problem here is not one of us believes you would honor any agreement you would make.

None of us trust you after what you did with the Alpha of Atlanta and that was about more than Ha-joon.

That was a mess for our family and embarrassing.

“And even if not all of us get along with Ha-joon, we know we can trust him. He would not risk us to protect his mate. I would bet he not only knows the witches well, but has seen exactly what they will do, so it’s not a risk of it being the first time.

He wouldn’t risk damage to us for this. You would , so the problem here is completely and totally you , Byeol. ”

“I like you now that you’ve opened your eyes to who your brother is,” Ellie muttered. “Really, you’re an impressive woman, Ha-yun. It’s why I want to name you my successor to run ASH if I die. You would—”

This time I did move my hand over her mouth before she said more… But then I saw more than my father had figured it out. Mum and Ha-yun had.

Shit.

Luckily, Alan came in with one of the witches I remembered from the last disaster.

I nodded towards Byeol and my brothers. “They’re the main, bitter problems. Ellie let it slip she had magic.”

“And more,” Mum warned. “They could put the pieces together later.”

The witch dipped her head to Mum. “I’ll gently take the whole conversation in this room then. Your son can fill you in on the important details you needed later.”

“I think that best,” Da agreed, surprising me. He smiled when I did a double take. “I agree with what Ha-yun said, Son. You’ve worked with this witch and trust her.”

“I have and I do. I saw what she did,” I confirmed, glancing at Byeol. “You’ll have a headache, but you’ll be fine after we go eat. That’s it.”

“It hurts because they fought,” the witch clarified, but then snorted. “And they were monsters, so I didn’t give a shit if they hurt. I will be gentle with your family.”

“We should move in together,” Ellie said after the witch handled my brothers.

She smiled as I slowly looked at her as if she’d grown another head.

“In a few months if we’re still doing good.

Yeah, we should—I don’t want to keep with the your condo or mine.

Even if we’re a few floors apart. It’s silly.

You always have to go back downstairs to grab stuff or—”

I kissed her. Gentle but full of love. “Yeah, that sounds perfect. Just remember you said this and don’t take it back because you’re high.”

“I won’t, but I am in pain again,” she said under her breath. “Alan forgot to set the IV faster for me.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“You always do,” she sighed happily.

And I always would as long as she let me.