Chapter 10

Chapter 10

AXEL

My gaze flicksto a sleeping Riley and up to Enzo. His face is turned down, his eyes locked on her serene face. I’ve never seen Enzo become as protective and possessive over a woman before. Not that I know the man all that well.

When we came out of the club, he was wrapped around her so tight I thought he might break her. As Cree got close, Enzo’s wolf shined through—a honey gold—shooting deadly daggers that had even Cree backing off. I couldn’t fault him, seeing as the body of the man who attacked Riley was torn to bits and pieces, completely unrecognizable as a human. His insides were thrown across the alley, each limb detached at the joints. The only part we truly recognized was his dick, hanging from his mouth, mangled, pulled from his body while still alive. He wanted that man to suffer.

As a healer, I don’t particularly enjoy violence. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll fight for my pack, for my family, and my mate, in self-defense and justice. But what took place in that alley wasn’t about justice. That was revenge for his mate.

“You okay over there?” I ask, needing to break the silence.

“Yeah. I think we’re okay.” He hooks a wayward strand of Riley’s hair behind her ear. His touch so gentle she doesn’t stir, not even a whimper. As if she’s burned him, he pulls his hand away with a jerk and stares at it.

“Why are you fighting it?” I know I shouldn’t ask, it’s not my business. But as an empath, it’s hard for me to not want to understand someone’s feelings. And right now, Enzo’s are conflicted.

I keep my eyes locked on the road when his head snaps in my direction. From the corner of my eye, I can see the confused expression written on his face. His brows pinched low before slowly softening.

“I’m not good for her. There’s blood on my hands, and I don’t want that getting on her.”

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?”

He shrugs a shoulder, and I put the SUV into park out front of Reed’s apartment.

“Where are we?” he asks, looking out his window.

“Reed’s place. The others are already here. I suggested that I drive you and Riley, in case she needed any immediate medical attention and that the others go on ahead, so we didn’t overwhelm her in such a small space.”

“I’m sure that went over well.”

“About as well as you’d expect with three alphas being told to leave their unclaimed mate,” I say with a chuckle and push open my door. I run around to the passenger’s side, opening the door, and help cover Riley when Enzo steps out. He carries her to the elevator as I follow behind with my medical kit.

When we reach the penthouse floor, Reed meets us at the door and shows us to the guest room.

“Lay her on her stomach, gently. Reed, can you bring me clean towels and a bowl of warm water. I need to clean these wounds before they get infected.”

Riley’s fist still grips Enzo’s shirt as he attempts to take a step back. A sad whine echoes through the room as he pries her finger from his shirt, his wolf clearly in distress over the idea of leaving her. Evident also by the torment in Enzo’s eyes as he takes two steps towards the door and looks back at her still form on the bed.

“Enzo,” I call out as he steps over the threshold of the bedroom door.

He waves over his head and calls out, “I’ll be back. I need to settle the wolf.” The front door opens and closes with a slam so hard the vibrations carry through the penthouse.

“He doesn’t need to break my front door,” Reed comments, coming back with a large bowl of warm water and an armful of towels. He places them on the empty nightstand and hands me a stack of washcloths I hadn’t seen tucked in his elbow.

“Thank you,” I say, taking the cloth and stepping in closer to inspect the damage done to Riley’s back and exposed limbs. Cutting away the torn and dirty fabric to get at her wounds, I drape towels along her body, an attempt to respect her modesty.

Thankfully, none of the lacerations are so deep they require stitches. I set to work cleaning and bandaging the wounds. I give her a shot for the pain; however, I’m not sure how effective it will be considering her recreational habits.

Just as I finish up with one of the largest cuts running from her shoulder down to the middle of the back, she lets out a soft whimper as I dab at the deepest part, sealing it shut with a butterfly bandage.

“Why is she whimpering?” Enzo bursts through the door with a growl.

“She’s okay. It was just a deep cut on her back, but she’ll be all right.”

His nostrils flare as he scents the air. His eyes glowing gold, an indicator his wolf is pushing to the front again.

“Help me get this shirt on her,” I tell him, trying for a distraction from his—and her—distress.

Enzo helps me to carefully slide one of Reed’s shirts onto Riley and settle her into the bed, still on her stomach. He pulls a chair over to the side of the bed and settles himself in, keeping watch over her while she sleeps.

I exit the room, quietly pulling the door closed behind me. I can hear the sigh of relief that escapes Enzo when he is finally alone with her. All we can do now is wait and pray. Pray to the Gods that she’ll pull through this next part in one piece. Pray that she has the strength to fight and push through the pain. Pray she’ll accept the comfort that we can offer as her mates. She’s strong on her own, but being mates, we can ease some of her suffering and lend her strength to help her through this.