Page 8 of Night’s Bride (Ragoru Origins #3)

Vrel did not know how he ended up being selected to get Evelyn when he could barely speak properly to other Ragoru at the best of times. It was even more challenging to do so while her mates glowered at him, but somehow he managed to convey the situation clearly enough that not only Evelyn but her alpha, Thral, rushed out with him back to his den while another of her mates, Vrishna, went to fetch a healer. There was no complaint about having to step out into the snowstorm or attempt to delay things until the storm let up. They merely followed him out wordlessly at an urgent pace—so much so that Thral plucked his mate from the snow and carried her through the trees.

Truth be told, Vrel was not only surprised by that. More than anything, he was in awe of just how quickly Evelyn and her mates fell into a smooth pattern of response to his call for help. There was no question of how to proceed. Rather, Evelyn grabbed a pre-packed bag, and the males immediately scattered as they set about their own tasks in what appeared to be a well-choreographed plan. He suspected that it was not the first time they had to respond to an emergency situation with a new arrival.

Thank Efru. The Dark Father’s halls of the dead may not be prepared to accept the large male just yet. He did not know if he could handle having someone expire right there in the middle of the den. His lower hands twisted anxiously as he led them inside and hurried to Emily’s side where she leaned over the unconscious Ragoru.

Evelyn and Thral solemnly followed him over, their expressions grave. She lay a hand on Emily’s arm with a murmured word that had Vrel’s mate step back so that they could take over. He was just grateful that they had everything so under control because his insides were twisting with anxiety the entire way back to his den and continued to do so as he hovered around Emily, watching.

The male’s eyes and mouth were immediately examined, and Vrel watched curiously as they ran their hands over him only to pause every now and then in their inspection.

“I do not see any wounds,” Evelyn commented, and Thral grunted his agreement.

“He did not succumb due to any harm, or poisoning,” Thral gruffly replied. “Nor does he appear to be weakened by starvation.”

“Definitely not,” Evelyn observed. “Wherever he was before arriving in our woods, he clearly was eating well. Even his fur shows signs of good health,” she observed as she ran her hand along the pelt on his arm.

Thral’s eyes narrowed slightly as they focused on her hand until she removed it with an unapologetic grin. He sighed, his ears flicking as he nodded in agreement.

“It appears that he did, in fact, merely get caught in the storm and was unable to find shelter before it penetrated his pelt enough to adversely affect him.” His eyes lifted to meet Vrel’s stare. “He is lucky that you found him. I am guessing that he was hunkered in the snow and curled up in an attempt to conserve body heat?”

Vrel nodded wordlessly. That was exactly how he had found him. For a moment he had thought that the male was dead. His first impulse was to flee from the corpse and find a way to hide it before anyone tried to blame him and his twin. It was a completely unreasonable reaction, but it would not have been the first time that they were blamed for attracting some kind of ill fortune due to their peculiarity and driven off by alphas they had approached when they were younger and more optimistic. He had only just been able to fight his impulse to check for signs of life. Discovering that the male was alive did not make him feel a whole lot better—a lone male could just as easily be a danger to them and their mate—but it at least calmed him enough to fetch Vikt so that they could decide together what to do.

He still did not know what they would do from there. A shiver of apprehension ran over him and he stepped behind Emily and curled all four of his arms around her, tucking her close to his body. He was certain that she could hear the worried race of his heart, but if she did, she did not shame him for it. She merely turned enough in his embrace to stroke his fur soothingly.

His eyes slid half-shut as he allowed the calm from her touch spread through him. But his mind continued to work anxiously beyond the physical comfort she offered. What if the male awakened and decided to challenge them for everything they had—especially for their mate? What would they do? How could they protect her? They would have no chance against such a large Ragoru, even with two of them against a lone male.

His throat worked nervously, and he looked over at Thral. “What happens now?”

Please just take him.

Thral’s ear twitched but he swore he saw a faint smile touch the corner of the male’s mouth—as if he knew exactly what Vrel was thinking.

“The healer is on her way to look him over, but I am certain that she will come to the same conclusion that it is best for him to rest here where he can remain warm and recover. It will not help him to take him back out into that weather,” the male gently pointed out.

Vrel’s ears flattened, and he exchanged a worried look with Vikt. Thral was far too observant, however, because the male chuffed with laughter.

“Do not worry so much. If he made it all the way to the clan lands, it means that he is unlikely to act aggressively against those who have taken him in. It could even possibly be good for you,” he added with a meaningful look that made Vrel’s stomach sour.

His meaning was clear. They could potentially have an alpha for their family. Vrel’s ears flattened further with misery. After so many rejections and being run off by alphas, and even having a male threaten to kill them on their old world to lessen competition for resources when Vikt and Vrel proved more adept at hunting smaller and quicker game, a potential alpha in their den was the last thing he wanted to entertain.

“We… do not have a good history with alphas,” Vikt replied, giving voice to Vrel’s worries.

Thral’s ears twitched, a look of sympathy briefly coloring his expression. “Perhaps it is time for that to change. This place that we have made our home is different. The clan is a new opportunity… for all of us.”

Vrel grimaced but inclined his head in agreement as Vikt also did so. He was not convinced, but he would care for the alpha and give it all a chance. And Father Zida, great hunter, preserve them if they made a mistake in this. His embrace tightened around his mate as he leaned into his twin’s shoulder, watching everyone’s movements. Tension coiled within him when the healer arrived with her son, the pair confirming Evelyn and Thral’s observations in their hushed conversation. The elder female was spry despite the obvious stiffness in her movement and the slight opaqueness of her eyes as she ordered the younger male around as to what signs to check for. Were it not for the fact that they were suddenly acquiring an unknown alpha, Vrel would have been amused by their interactions. All he felt, however, was an anxiety that only climbed when everyone finally left, leaving behind necessary herbs to replenish the male’s strength when he awakened.

He swallowed nauseously. “This will be good… right?”

Vikt’s arm curled around him as they stared down at the sleeping male. “It will be good,” the male confirmed in an uncertain voice.

It had to be good. They could not afford another disaster.