Page 10 of Return to the Pack

I wince.

“Thank the devil, he only nicked your carotid.”

I just want to close my eyes and drift away.

Callan opens a small, rectangular plastic container from his medic kit, which he grabbed on the way in.

“I’m going to have to stitch this up, pet,” Callan says, regarding me with soft eyes. “But you’ll be just fine. It’s just a scratch. We have this kind of thing happen all the time. It’s why I’m so good at it. Lots of practice.”

I nod. “I don’t feel too bad.”

“This’ll hurt,” Callan warns. “I can give you some whiskey, or we’ve got something a little stronger for emergencies.”

I shake my head. “Just do it.”

“Take the drugs, Luna,” he advises, pushing my bloody hair away from my face.

“No. I want to be like you guys when it comes to pain,” I say fiercely.

“Then you’ll definitely want the drugs,” Callan says. “Come on, pet. We all know how brave you are. You’re our warrior princess.”

As Callan threads his needle, I consider. My neck throbs like a bitch. “Okay, then. But just a little.”

I try to smile, but it turns into more of a grimace. I take the pill Callan hands me and wash it down with the water. Then, a minute or two later, Callan gets to work.

I’m feeling all drifty and chill, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up and it’s evening outside the window and I hear voices outside.

“What the fuck happened?” Axel demands.

“Another wolf attack,” Callan says, their footsteps coming closer. “Big motherfucker. His irises were like black holes.”

“Shit,” Warrick says, stepping into the room with the others. “Fucking drugs and the beasts who use them. Sounds like the one that got her the night she came back here from Axel’s.”

“I’m going to speak to some elders about the wolf,” Axel says. “Same as the last wolf who attacked Luna, they seem to be some mutant variety. There were a string of attacks like this when I was a kid, killed a number of our members. I’ll see how they dealt with it then, and we’ll do the same now.”

“Maybe Ama is sending them for me from the Afterworld,” I mumble, eyes closed.

“She’s not that smart,” Axel says, sinking onto the bed beside me. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll take care of this. No one hurts our mate and gets away with it.”

My heart swells with warmth. He didn’t say his mate. He said their mate.

Chapter Four

Luna

When I struggle to consciousness again, I’m snuggled between two warm bodies. Turning my head this way and that, I’m pleased to find Axel on one side and Callan on the other. I pat my neck. It’s all bandaged. It hurts, but I know what can distract me from the hurt. I wiggle against Callan, remembering what we were about to do when we were interrupted by the attack. If anything, the denial makes me even more ready to mate than I was then. It must be from going without it for too long.

I turn on the side opposite the wound and run my hands along Callan’s muscular torso.

In the dim light of dawn, he stirs and reaches for my hand, drawing it to my lips without opening his eyes.

I squirm against his hip, pushing my heat against his thigh.

“We never finished what we started, did we?” he asks, his voice low and rough with sleep.

“No, we didn’t,” I whisper, hoping not to awaken Axel. I gently tug my hand out of Callan’s grasp and let my fingers roam. His body is warm and solid, and just touching him makes my heat throb with wetness.

I run my hand down his hard, muscular abs and over the front of his pants. His stiff cock throbs into my hand, and he groans. “I could come with a few quick strokes, Luna. Take pity on me.”