Page 63 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)
Julian
Fabian skids to a stop in front of the pack infirmary in Haven Trail. Dr. Grace is already waiting with a team of wolves and vampires, throwing the passenger door open. Reluctantly, I hand Hannah to them, knowing they’re my best chance at her surviving her wound.
“She might have been drugged!” I shout as I climb out of the Hummer, racing behind the gurney that Hannah has been placed on.
“She was. I can smell the wolfbane in her blood,” Dr. Grace calls over her shoulder, the vampire’s glowing red eyes meeting mine.
A look of worry is etched on the doctor’s face as she runs beside the gurney, ordering the wolves out of the way.
Hannah is pale, the wound from the bullet already starting to smell like decay.
“I need A-neg to operating room one, now!” Dr. Grace shouts to a passing nurse, who stops in her tracks before racing off down a smaller hallway.
I stay silent, anxiety and fear of losing Hannah gripping my heart in a death grip until we reach a set of double doors where two nurses are already holding them open for Dr. Grace and her team to rush through.
I hurry to join them, wanting to be there as they heal my Hannah, but a hand grabs me, holding me back as the doors close.
I snarl, turning around to find Fabian holding me back with an apologetic smile.
“Let me go!” I order, placing an alpha command on him.
Reluctantly, he releases me, and I rush forward, slamming my hands against the solid doors, but they don’t budge. Frustrated, I bang on them, the fear and anxiety of not being there for my injured mate making me slowly lose my mind.
“Julian!”
I pause, looking back at Fabian, who has once again grabbed my arm, the scent of my blood reaching my nose.
“You need to stop and think. Hannah is in the best care right now, and you need to breathe and let Dr. Grace do her job to save her!” he shouts, his words finally registering in my mind.
Looking around, I find wolves watching me warily, distrust in their eyes.
I sigh, slowly closing my eyes and reaching out to the mate bond.
I can feel Hannah’s presence. I feel her warmth through the bond.
She is still alive, thank the Goddess, but she is so weak.
The bullet caused more damage to her than I originally thought, and Hannah is hanging on to life.
She is most likely holding on for Saben, not wanting to leave our son and join the other side.
“Jules?”
My eyes snap open, and I find my son staring at me, his little hand clutching the sari that Jiya wears.
“He heard about Hannah and fought everyone tooth and nail to come here,” Jiya answers after I give her a questioning look.
I nod, unable to form any words as I bend down and open my arms. Saben instantly rushes into them, his little arms wrapping around my neck. I hold him tight, breathing in his mango custard scent, a perfect mix of mine and Hannah’s, while his little body shakes in my arms as Saben begins to cry.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter to him, my voice cracking. “I couldn’t get to her in time to stop the hunter from shooting her.”
Saben says nothing, but he tightens his arms around me, pressing closer. I comfort my son as best as I can, my heart wrenching knowing that my little boy is in pain, knowing his mama is hurt.
“You brought her home,” Saben mumbles. “Dr. Grace will fix her,” he adds.
Tears fall from my eyes at his words. He doesn’t blame me for Hannah being shot.
He understands that it is part of the job of being a leader.
A hand on my shoulder has me snapping my gaze to find Jiya looking at us, her brown eyes holding a tender, motherly love.
She nods toward the left, and I look in that direction, finding a waiting room with comfortable-looking chairs.
“Let’s wait there until we have news of Hannah,” she suggests.
Silently, I scoop Saben against me, rising to my feet and walking into the room. I take the first chair I see, letting Saben sit in my lap.
“Your hand is hurt,” he says, looking at the dried blood on the side of my hand.
“It’s because I was trying to get past the doors to be with your mama,” I admit, guilt creeping into my heart.
“You aren’t allowed past those doors without permission,” Jiya states, and I sigh, hanging my head.
“I know, but I couldn’t leave her alone. The bond is still screaming at me to go to her, but having Saben here is keeping me from turning feral,” I say, unable to look Jiya in the eyes.
“I understand,” the older wolf murmurs. “Dr. Grace will do everything to help Hannah, though. She has been Hannah’s doctor since the day we found out she was pregnant with Saben, so she knows Hannah inside and out, literally.”
I chuckle at her little joke, happy to know that Dr. Grace has been by Hannah’s side for the last five years, making sure Hannah and Saben are healthy all this time. Now, I will need to put my faith in her and hope that she can save my mate.
***
“Any news?” The door to the waiting area bursts open, and Claira rushes in, panic in the she-wolf’s eyes.
I shake my head, shifting Saben slightly so that I am a little more comfortable with my pup clinging to me, fast asleep, his little eyelashes wet with tears.
“It’s been two hours since you rushed her home. What the hell is taking so long?” she growls out in frustration, slamming a fist into the wall and creating a large hole.
The sound startles Saben, and he whimpers, burying his face in my neck. I give Claira a low warning growl, watching the woman stiffen before she mumbles an apology and takes a seat. By now, Mikos, Mavric, Miella, and Aidan have joined our group.
Claira had been busy debriefing all of Haven Trail’s wolves on Hannah’s situation. Now, she is curled up beside her father, holding onto him as we wait for news about Hannah.
“Good, you’re all here.” Looking back at the doorway, I see Dr. Grace walking into the room with Aileen at her side, both women looking grim.
“How is she? How is Hannah?” I ask, jolting to my feet with Saben still clinging to me.
Dr. Grace sighs, looking down at her feet, and dread washes over me. I can feel her—feel Hannah through our bond—but she has grown weak.
“We got rid of all the necrotic tissue and gave her an antidote to the drugs, but we need your help, Julian,” Dr. Grace answers, her voice wavering with desperation.
“The bullet ended up close to her heart, the drug had already been pumped through her body, and she is shutting down slowly,” Aileen says, wrapping her arms around Dr. Grace as she looks at me. “To save Hannah, we need you to mark her.”
Silence fills the room at this statement, everyone holding their breath.
“W-what?” I say in disbelief. “I… I need to mark Hannah?” I ask.
Dr. Grace nods at my question, raising her head to look at me. “If you don’t, Hannah will die within the next few hours,” she confirms, tears streaming down her porcelain face.
My ears begin to ring as the seriousness of the situation sets in.
Hannah, my Hannah, is dying, and only I can save her by marking her.
I stand still, frozen in place. Everyone is talking at once, their voices mixed with concern and grief, but I hear nothing.
Jiya is standing in front of me, her lips moving, but no sound reaches my ears.
Hannah will die if I don’t mark her, but how can I do it without her permission?
“Do it.” Small, warm hands slap my cheek, breaking the ringing in my ears. I look down, finding determined green eyes staring up at me.
“Mark Mama and save her, Papa,” his little voice calls out, shocking me.
Tears spill from my eyes once again, and I nod, hugging Saben closer to me. “I’ll save her,” I whisper into his ear. “I’ll save your mama,” I promise him.
Pulling back, I carefully hand Saben to Jiya before wiping my tears with my sleeve.
Turning to Dr. Grace, I harden my resolve to mark Hannah and save her life by making her mine for the rest of our lives.
I know she will be mad at first, but she will accept the marking, knowing it kept her alive for Saben to grow up with his mama.
“Take me to Hannah,” I demand, watching Dr. Grace’s eyes light up.
“This way,” she says before rushing out the door.
I chase after her, following her through the double doors that had blocked Hannah from me the first time she passed through them.
This time, I walk through with ease, running after Dr. Grace down winding halls.
It doesn’t take long for us to arrive at a closed door, Hannah’s scent invading my nose as soon as I open it.
There, on a hospital bed, Hannah lies with an IV in her arm and a heart monitor beeping along to the rhythm of her heartbeat. She is so pale, her skin almost as white as her hair. I swallow past the lump that has formed in my throat and make my way to her side, caressing her face.
“Hannah,” I call out to her softly, gently moving her hair away from the left side of her neck, where I have longed to sink my canines into and claim her as mine.
“I need to do something you won’t want right now to save you.
I know you’ll be mad at me, and I am sorry, but it is the only option if you want to watch Saben grow up.
” The heartbeat monitor quickens after my explanation, and I look to Dr. Grace, who nods, reassuring me that this is a good sign.
I reach out to the mate bond, finding Hannah’s presence more alert, and I sigh with relief.
“You can be mad at me all you want, Hannah, but I am going to mark you to save your life and make sure you know you will always be mine,” I whisper, kissing the crook of her neck.
The monitor beeps irregularly for a moment, and the bond stirs.
I smile, knowing that this is Hannah fighting for her life.
She wouldn’t have given up so easily if it meant leaving Saben.
Flicking my tongue along her skin, I taste her sweet vanilla custard scent and growl possessively.
Without another moment to spare, I close my eyes and sink my teeth into her skin, feeling the mate bond buckle and bend, slowly becoming whole as I stake my claim to Hannah as her soulmate.
It isn’t long before I feel the bond click into place, and the ache in my gums soon fades.
I gently pull my canines from her skin, licking it to help speed up the healing process, and sit on the edge of the bed to wait.
The clock in the room ticks by as Dr. Grace and I watch for any signs that Hannah’s werewolf healing has kicked in, and then it happens. Her cheeks slowly regain color, and her shallow breathing becomes deeper, more relaxed.
“You did it,” Dr. Grace says, collapsing onto the floor. “You saved Hannah.”