Page 44 of In the Mouth of the Wolf (Of Wolves and Kings #1)

44

NOLAN

H eaven.

That was the only possible explanation I had for where Marlowe and I had gone tonight. I had to fight the urge to pinch myself and prove I was still alive.

I rolled us on our sides, my knot slowly deflating as we stared into each other’s eyes.

How was it possible to feel this much love for someone after only knowing them for a week? I was thirty-three years old, not some silly teen. It should have felt foolish to say the “L” word so fast, especially since I knew she felt that way with three other males.

But I was blissfully free of any jealousy or embarrassment. Instead, it was as though the emotions she felt for my pack mates only enhanced what we had. That we would build on it and make it even greater as our connections deepened.

We were made for this. We were made for each other.

A sudden crash from downstairs brought us back into reality, and Marlowe’s brows furrowed in concern. “Cam’s really mad.”

Yeah, he was. I couldn’t really blame him, I had fully intended to wait to bond with Marlowe until Cam made his move. He had never looked so betrayed as he had a few days ago when we had realized what Elias had done.

But when Marlowe had told me she loved me, I knew it had been the right time. I’d rather deal with a pissed off alpha than miss my chance to bond with my omega after something so special and perfect.

“The only thing that matters is how you feel about this,” I responded. “Do you have any regrets?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Not one.”

I pulled her into my chest and sighed, running my fingers through her hair and purring, my heart full.

W e were woken up by Elias knocking on the door. “Are you two still knotted?”

Marlowe groaned and shifted away from me, my flaccid, well-emptied cock and deflated knot slipping out of her. “No. Does Cam need to see me?” I asked.

I figured he had decided to wait until we were separated before he let me know with his fists how mad he was. My face had finally healed after Archer’s attack, and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to another beat down.

But looking at the mark left by my bite on Marlowe’s neck, I knew it would be worth it.

“Get dressed,” he replied quickly. “Both of you. We need to go to the hospital. Archer was in a car accident.”

M arlowe whined nervously the whole ride there, picking at the skin around her fingernails and tugging at her hair. “I’m a fucking curse,” she said softly to herself. “Everyone I love dies…”

Cam never let anyone drive his truck, but tonight, he had insisted on sitting in the back of the cab and comforting Marlowe, so he had handed me the keys instead.

“Babe, he’s fine. His sister’s with him right now. She says he has a few broken ribs and a concussion, that’s it.”

I could feel her pain and stress more acutely now due to the bond. Her brother, her mother, her father… each death was a weight on her soul, and the news of Archer was pushing her past her tipping point.

Elias turned around in the passenger seat. “Did you know shifters heal two to three times faster than humans? He’s going to be back to normal in just a couple of weeks, maybe even sooner.”

She nodded, but her nervous tics and vacant expression remained. Fuck, I just wanted to hold her. But I needed to get us to the hospital safely, and concentrated on the roads instead.

When we arrived at the ER, the nurse let us straight through. Marlowe bit back a whimper as we entered Archer’s room, not wanting to wake him. Aside from a bandage across his forehead and some bruising on his face and arms, he thankfully didn’t seem too injured.

Ivy had taken two chairs and pushed them together for a makeshift bed, looking up from a book as we entered.

“Took you fuckers long enough,” she sighed. She struggled to lift her legs over the arm of the chair back down to the ground, her large belly in the way. Cam hurried over, pulling the other chair out and helping her slip her wool-lined boots back on.

She stared at Cam, Elias, and me expectantly, clearing her throat and tilting her head towards Marlowe. “Anyone going to introduce me, or…”

Cam rolled his eyes. “Like you don’t know.”

Ivy rested a hand on top of her baby bump. “Of course, I do. I found out from at least four different people. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to discover secondhand that your own brother’s pack has bonded the last omega in the world? I’m starting to think he got into an accident on purpose just so I’d feel too bad to hit him.”

Marlowe tore her gaze from Archer’s face and her cheeks blushed. “I’m sorry. It’s really nice to meet you, Ivy. I’m Marlowe.”

Ivy gave her a warm smile. “And I’m sorry for the bitchy betas you’ve run into. Like any of those females had a chance with these guys, anyway. I mean, look at you, you’re adorable!”

Cam reached out and touched Ivy’s stomach, absentmindedly rubbing it. “So when is Camden Jr. due?”

“Ha, ha,” she replied. “Just as funny as the first time you asked.” Ivy noticed Marlowe staring at where Cam touched her and she laughed. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Alphas are overprotective over any pregnant shifter, especially ones they know well. They don’t even realize they’re doing it most of the time.”

“Doing what?” Cam asked, his hand still touching her.

Ivy swatted him away and started waddling to the door. “It was great to finally meet you, Marlowe. You and Archer should stop by sometime. The pups have already heard about their new auntie and can’t wait to meet you.”

“Oh! Right, that would be great. I’d love to meet them, too.”

She squeezed Marlowe’s arm on the way out. “And don’t worry about Archer. The doctor on rotation right now is a shifter too and says he’ll bounce back in no time at all.”

Marlowe nodded, and the relief and comfort she received from Ivy flowed through the pack bond. “Thank you for everything.”

The beeps from the monitor punctuated the silence and Ivy yawned. “Okay, which one of you big alphas is going to help me back to my car?”

Cam sighed. “I suppose I can.”

“Oh wow,” Ivy replied, “thank you so much for your sacrifice. Good night, boys. Good night, Marlowe.”

As soon as she was out the door Archer cracked open an eye and whispered, “Is she gone?”

Marlowe gasped, whipping back towards him. “Y-you…”

“Sorry to worry you,” he said, his voice scratchy as he gave a cheeky smirk. “But she was sort of right. It was better to fake being asleep than deal with her anger over not telling her about Marlowe.”

“You jerk!” Marlowe cried, smiling and wiping tears from her eyes. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

He took her hand, holding it tightly. “Never, I promise.”

“What happened?” Elias asked. “Ivy said someone found your car in a ditch and called 911 when you didn’t respond.”

Archer grimaced. “We should wait until Camden gets back. He’s going to want to hear this.”

A knock sounded at the door and a beta female walked in. “Hi, I’m Dr. Dubois, just coming in to go over your discharge instructions.”

She smelled the air and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oliver wasn’t kidding. There is an omega in town.”

Marlowe’s face scrunched in anger at the mention of the male name, and my hackles raised in response. “Who is Oliver?” I growled.

“Whoa there, settle down, alpha,” the doctor joked. “He’s our bereavement counselor. He handled this young female’s case last week.” She turned towards Marlowe, her expression becoming sincere. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” she replied, turning back towards Archer. “He can really go home already?”

The doctor looked over the papers on her clipboard. “Yes. After patching him up, there’s nothing more we can really do for him here. He just needs to rest and take it easy for the next couple weeks. No strenuous activity, hm?” she added pointedly. “I’ll have the discharge planner process the paperwork, and I’ll write you a prescription for some painkillers if you’d like them. With those rib fractures, you’re going to find most movement rather unpleasant. Hope you feel better soon.”

She left and a nurse came in briefly right after her, disconnecting Archer from the monitor and removing the IV from his hand.

“Here,” Elias offered, taking some clothes out of the duffle bag he brought. “I figured you might need these.”

“Yeah, I don’t want you sitting in my truck on your bare ass,” Cam quipped, returning from helping Ivy. “We getting out of here, then?”

“Waiting on the paperwork,” I replied. I turned back to Archer. “We’re all here now, can you tell us what happened?”

Marlowe helped him pull the sweatshirt over his head, and he answered quietly. “Which do you want first, the exciting news or the troubling news?”