Chapter 15

Theo

Sneaky mate, tricking me into a nap. I can admit I needed one, but three hours was too long. I"m sitting in the chair someone brought into the guest room, snacking on a parfait someone put in the fridge in the bin labeled Theo Only. It"s nice to have so many looking out for me, but I wish I knew who all was putting things in there so I could thank them. This one was made with cherry pie filling, probably a low-sugar option, and it tastes as good as a pre-mate orgasm felt.

Crunching on the granola, I look over Nik"s mountain lion, lightly petting his flank. I snort at the thought of petting him like this in his human form. Bas would lose his shit if I were petting another man's hip and ass and cooing at him about how pretty he is, and if Nik were awake, he would have grumbled at being called pretty and would insist I stop the baby talk.

Nik"s door creeps open, and Jasper pokes his head in, his auburn hair entering first. The move is decidedly fox, pulling a smile from me. The enforcers have all been stopping by on their breaks this afternoon; I was beginning to wonder what was keeping Jasper. I knew he had been resting, but I saw him through the window earlier, so I knew he"d been up and about for a while.

"Any change?" He sounds hopeful, like maybe Nik had shifted to human and back again in the eight or so hours it"s been since he"s seen him.

I sigh. "No. His tail thumped earlier, but I think he was just dreaming."

"Okay. I"ll stop by again after my shift."

"Wait, shift? You should be resting, not working." I raise my eyebrow.

"I"m good. I promise I"m taking it easy, and I need to be doing something. I can"t just sit here, ya know?"

I nod because, yes, I do understand. He"s one of those people who need to feel useful, especially in a crisis.

"Will you shoot me a text if he ends up waking up while I"m still here?" he asks.

"Sure, just give me your number. Then you"ll have mine too. Oh! Will you keep an eye on Cole for me and tell him you stopped by here and saw Nik? He"s busy right now, but I know he won't be able to concentrate without regular updates. I"ve texted him, but another person"s assurance would be welcome, I think." I hand him my phone. He agrees readily and leaves the room after another look at the man on the bed stuck in his animal form.

"Come on, Nik. I need you to shift and wake up now," I plead for what feels like the millionth time.

A knock sounds at the open door, dragging my gaze away from Nik.

"Theo, this is Murphy. He"s the healer for the Bloodstone Pack. They heard what happened and knew our healer was on leave, so they sent some reinforcements." Ryker"s vocabulary is stiffer than normal, but I chalk it up to being a newer enforcer around strangers.

"Oh, sure! Thank you, come in. Has someone talked to you about his progress so far?"

"No, I was simply told you had an enforcer near death and to assist you in any way you needed. Mind if I take a look?" Murphy asks.

"I'm actually not sure I'm comfortable with that. No one outside family is allowed to touch an injured member while they're unconscious . . . especially when they've shifted. He is both." I"m truly torn. I wish Cole or Wes were here to help me navigate this as the alpha mate.

"It wasn"t actually a question. I need to touch him in order to figure out what"s wrong. I was more so asking you to move out of my way so I can access all sides of his animal." Murphy"s voice is more hostile than I was expecting.

A low growl seems to pull Murphy from whatever mood swing he was having. "That is our alpha mate, healer. I suggest you watch how you speak to him." Ryker is big mad.

"Apologies. I wasn"t aware your pride had a hum—an alpha mate. If you could allow me to get to my patient, however, I don"t wish to waste any more time." The healer doesn"t sound sorry or ashamed in the least. There"s something about him that makes me uncomfortable, but I can"t put my finger on why, other than he"s kind of an ass.

A roar sounds outside, loud and angry. Ryker snaps to attention, reaching the door before skidding to a stop. He bobbles his gaze between Murphy and me, clearly not wanting to leave me alone, but if there"s something going on, he needs to check it out as an enforcer, right?

"Go. I"ll be fine. Wes should be heading this way soon, anyway." He opens his mouth to argue, when a second roar is accompanied by one I don"t recognize. He nods before shifting into a grey-and-white wolf, using the speed of his animal to sprint away.

"I thought getting you alone would be so much harder. I guess what they say about the gullibility of humans is true." Murphy"s tone is smug, and I panic.

I feel like smacking myself. Fuck. I should have asked a hell of a lot more questions. How would this healer know of the attack this morning but not know about me being the alpha mate? More likely this is a shifter hired to take out the human, since he slipped up by almost calling me human earlier. I look between Murphy, where he is still standing over Nik, and the open door.

I should make a run for it, but then that leaves Nik completely defenseless, and I can"t do that. He saved me yesterday; now it"s my turn. Plus, this guy is definitely a shifter . . . I doubt I would make it three steps before he was on me, anyway.

"Fuck you. What do you want with me? It"s obviously not just to kill me, or I"d be dead already." That much I know.

He hums in agreement. "I"m not to kill you yet. I"m just supposed to stall a bit until the others can get into place, and then take you on a little field trip out to the lawn for you to witness the death of your mate. Want to know something fun? If by some miracle your mate wins, I"ll kill you right there, ending his life anyway. How fun is that?"

Horror washes over me as I realize how stupid sending Ryker away really was. It wasn"t just about me; it was about taking the pack from Bastian by any means necessary.