Page 22

King

I paced outside Axel’s office, my boots grinding into the stone floor. He’d kicked me out and blocked the door with a heavy bar an hour ago, leaving me to stew in frustration. I could still bust through, and it took everything I had not to.

Mate, Beast rumbled inside me, as the bond pulled so tight I could barely breathe.

I shot a glare at the closed door, anger surging as I debated again whether to break it down. The infirmary bustled around me, medical teams treating injured Warriors and islanders, but I barely registered it. My focus was solely on Marinah.

Earlier, after the fighting stopped, Marinah hadn’t reverted to her Beast. She remained in her Nova form, her massive figure radiating raw power. I’d approached her cautiously, keeping my movements slow. It took several tense minutes before she stopped tearing dead Federation soldiers apart.

When awareness finally returned to her eyes, I saw the confusion and horror flicker across her face. She didn’t know what she’d done. A moment later, she toppled over.

At first, I thought she’d shift back, but her form stayed locked in Nova. Blood coated her from head to toe, most of it from the enemy she’d annihilated, but as I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t all theirs. It took precious seconds to find the source of her injuries. She’d been shot in multiple places.

That’s when I picked her up, no small feat, and rushed her to Axel’s infirmary. Before he threw me out of the room, he identified two bullet wounds, one in her shoulder, the other in her side, as well as a knife puncture on her opposite side.

Now I sat here, useless, replaying the scene in my mind.

I’d come out of the fight with nothing more than a bullet graze and a knife slash to my arm, with two furious kids in tow. Ruth and Che had been fuming after I left them with another Warrior. I’d told him to sit on them if necessary and warned him that his life depended on keeping the children safe. The groaning Federation soldier I’d dumped next to them barely crossed my mind.

When I reached Marinah’s side, she was still standing in death. It didn’t stop her, and she systematically tore the dead apart with brutal efficiency. The soldiers never stood a chance. Once she went Nova, they didn’t even know what hit them.

And then, she collapsed. The scene played in my mind over and over.

All I could do now was wait.

Beck was in charge of rounding up prisoners. We’d managed to disable one U.S. ship in the bay, and Nokita was already overseeing salvage operations. The Federation had transferred their personnel from the ship before it left our coast, and for that, I was relieved. Slaughtering a mass of people or trying to imprison them wasn’t something I wanted to deal with. The soldiers on the island who hadn’t been killed were already going to be enough of a headache.

We’d gotten lucky with another ship as it tried to retreat. Our fighters sank it just as it left our waters. The spoils weren’t bad either: thirty new Jeeps with mounted artillery and smaller Federation boats.

They hadn’t used planes this time, but they’d learn from that mistake. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this strike was just a test. Whether it was or not, one thing was clear: the Federation was coming for us, and we needed to end this before they found a way around our defenses. There were too many unknowns. It was a dangerous position to be in.

I glanced at the door, wondering what was taking so long.

“Is she alive?” Che’s voice pulled my attention.

He stood in the doorway to the infirmary, Ruth trailing behind him.

“I thought I told you both to stay put,” I shouted. “Are you capable of following a single order?”

They were just kids, and I wasn’t being fair, but their antics would get them killed and quite possibly others. I was also worried about Marinah and had zero patience left.

Ruth’s face flushed red, and Che’s lips trembled, causing guilt to cut through me. What a big, bad beast I was, scaring kids now. Without another word, I marched to Axel’s door and slammed my fist against it. The two small figures shuffled up beside me.

Ruth cocked her head, her hand resting casually on the butt of a gun holstered at her hip. “Want me to shoot it down?” she asked, her voice matter-of-fact.

I ignored her and pounded the door again, harder this time.

Finally, it swung open to reveal a very tired-looking Axel.

“If you could’ve waited two more minutes,” he said flatly, “I was about to let you in.”

I shoved past Axel, my focus solely on my mate. She was sitting up on the examination table, hunched over, but she was my Marinah again. She wore a surgical robe. I pulled her against my chest, but her arms remained limp at her sides.

“You okay?” I whispered softly, careful not to push too hard.

She shuddered against me, sinking further into my embrace. Still in Warrior form, I gently ran a hand over her back. My claws brushed the edge of a bandage, and I froze, pulling back. Carefully, I lifted her face so I could see her eyes. They were hollow.

“What is it?” I whispered.

She turned her head away. “Something’s wrong inside me,” she murmured. “Ms. Beast is acting strange. My Nova too.”

I glanced over her head at Axel, looking for answers.

He shrugged; his expression unreadable. “She started mumbling about something being off before she fully woke up. I don’t know what it means. I’ve removed the bullets, stitched the knife wound, and cleaned the road rash, but I’m at a loss. She’s stable, but something’s bothering her.” His gaze flicked to my arm. “You need stitches, too.”

I grunted, brushing off his concern.

Marinah watched us and remained silent. That alone should’ve been Axel’s first clue that something was terribly wrong.

I stood there for a moment with no idea what to do.

A spark of awareness entered her eyes, and she took my hand, her grip weak, and offered a faint smile. “Sit here and let him stitch you up,” she said, pointing to the empty space on the examination table beside her.

I glanced around and spotted a chair in the corner that looked far more comfortable. I scooped her up and carried her there. As I settled into the chair with her in my arms, two small heads peeked around the doorway.

I shot them a warning Beast stare, and they quickly disappeared. I was too drained to deal with them right now.

Axel pushed a tray on wheels over to me, efficiently disinfecting my shoulder and setting to work on the stitches. Marinah lay quietly in my arms, her head pressed against my shoulder without moving.

When Axel finished, I stood, cradling Marinah carefully, and carried her to our room. Post-battle tasks could wait. Right now, she needed me, and I wasn’t letting her go.