Chapter 26 - Jet

Pain. Endless and everywhere. It wracked through me as I allowed the wolf to slip away. He'd done a damn good job, but Kenzie was right. Having a human wrist would be easier to set, and what's more, I wanted to be able to speak, to ask after Senna.

What did I just see?

My perception of reality was there. I knew that time had slowed. I could feel it. And I'd had to lie there and watch Kaiden tear Terrance limb from limb before Senna collapsed. I couldn't help either of them in that state, and I could barely do anything for them now.

"Fuck!" The curse tore from me as MacKenzie wasted no time setting my limb. "Gods, Kenzie, are you trying to break it again?"

"Better to get it over with now." She smiled weakly at me, and I could see the variety of injuries she was dealing with herself.

"Shit, MacKenzie, are you all right?" I lowered my face to hers.

She shook her head, holding up a hand. "I'm fine. No worrying about me. You're going to need more than that, though. You're still bleeding. The healing is…going slow."

Wrapping my arm around her as best as I could, I squeezed. "You're like a daughter to me, Kenzie. I'm allowed to worry. And fucking hell, yes. But I imagine substantial blood loss will do that."

She smiled, her eyes going glassy.

"Jet!"

Kaiden's voice tore my attention away, and I snapped back to the mess of a situation we were in. Senna was in his arms, completely passed out. I tried to stand, but my side and legs just wouldn't have it.

"Hey, don't try to move. We'll need help." MacKenzie looked up. "Grayson! Orion! Geo!"

The names of my pack felt soothing to my ears, but I still held the memory of what Leon had done.

"It was Leon. He told Terrance."

MacKenzie's mouth fell open. I nodded, clenching my jaw as I fought the need to growl. All of that could wait. I needed to get to Senna.

I tried to move again, and MacKenzie swatted at me. "Stop that. Kaiden, get her over here."

Moving carefully through the snow, Kaiden brought Senna to my side. Her rose and almond scent was weak, and there was a strange tinge of ozone that filtered up alongside it.

"Did you…did you see what—"

"I saw, Kaiden." My head lulled, my strength waning.

"Hey, now. I don't need both of you passing out on me."

MacKenzie settled me with her hands, holding some of my weight, and then the boom of growls and footfalls rushed forward from the house.

"Jet!" Grayson's voice echoed out, and I sagged ever so slightly.

Seeing him run up with Geo and Orion right on his heels was a massive relief. There was still so much to do, to punish, but my pack members were safe. They'd lived.

In just a moment, the remaining three of my inner circle were beside me. Grayson looked significantly worse for wear, and I noticed how MacKenzie's eyes widened. Her entire body tensed as she looked him over.

"Gods, Grayson. You look like you were fighting with a weed whacker."

He shook his head at her, offering a little smirk as he held MacKenzie's eyes. "I'm fine. You should see the other guy."

She let out a strangled laugh. "Ha, I imagine I will when we go back inside. Unless you left him alive?"

"Not that one, but I'll admit that a few went running with their tails between their legs when they felt Terrance die." Grayson looked over at the body a few feet away in the snow. "Eesh. Sucks to be him."

Kaiden laughed at that, and he nodded as he helped to put Senna in my arms. She unconsciously moaned, and having her up against me eased some unspoken ache. She was here. She was here, and I could touch her. Gods, it felt damn good.

But I really didn't like how cold she was.

"We need to get her inside. I think maybe she—"

"Jet," MacKenzie eyed me, "who you talking to? I got it. Okay? I promise. But you need to let Kaiden and the guys help carry her."

My stomach pulled, and I chewed on my lip. As Kaiden began to lift her up once more, Geo and Orion came over to help. A low growl rumbled out of me as they circled around her, and I had to shake my head to clear the protective surge.

"Just…be careful." My voice was strained, and I loosed some of the alpha command into the words without intending to.

I knew I could trust them with her, but everything in my body wanted to crowd over her form and snarl at anything that came near my mate.

"We will, Jet. Alpha. I assure you," Kaiden nodded, solemn as he held my stare.

After a moment, I finally let go of her. Kaiden scooped Senna up, Geo and Orion right there to help ensure she was comfortable and her leg was clear.

"When this is settled, you'll all have to report for a debriefing. I need to know what happened in the house. Terrance may be dead, but Reginald, Leon, where the fuck are they now? Terrance sent his dear old Reggie packing, and I want him found."

My pack collectively nodded, and the twins gestured toward the compound.

"There's several still injured. Some casualties. But not many," Geo said.

"We have basic triage set up, MacKenzie. But they'll need your care," added Orion.

"Of course. Let's get Jet and Senna to the med suite, and I'll make sure they're good to go before I report. Could you stay with the injured?"

Geo and Orion nodded in unison, making sure Kaiden could handle Senna before hurrying back into the house.

"When she wakes up, I'll have her corroborate my story," Kaiden gestured at Grayson, who just smirked.

"Oh, and what story is that?"

Kaiden raised his brows, meeting Grayson's sarcastic scowl with a grin. "That I tore that piece of shit apart limb from limb as she stopped time."

As they chatted, Grayson helped MacKenzie get me to my feet. The swirl of my surroundings was nauseating as my position changed. I logically knew it was because my blood pressure was changing, and it was already so low. Still, it sucked, and the pinch in my limbs worsened as they dropped further beneath the level of my heart.

The small crew got me and Senna inside and downstairs to the medical room we'd set up ages ago. My home was in shambles as we slowly trekked through the halls. Departed wolves, left where they fell, made us all pause before continuing forward.

Geo and Orion had been right. The number of fallen wasn't high, but any dead Edwards wolf was one too many.

"They'll need to be consecrated properly."

"Of course, Jet." Kaiden offered a singular nod, hearing the tension in my voice.

As we got inside the med room, MacKenzie and Grayson lowered me down onto a small bed, Kaiden laying Senna down on the one next to me.

"Kaiden, make sure she's warm. There are blankets and a compress for her leg in that cabinet."

He got straight to work without arguing, the sibling rivalry something he could be trusted to put aside when the situation called for it.

"Grayson, I need you to help me clean Jet's injuries of debris. We need to make sure they're all clear before the healing sets in."

He nodded at her, but she noticed the furrow of Grayson's brow and smiled.

"To keep it from healing over with the debris inside. Causes infection and shit."

Grayson's brows rose with understanding, and he took the offered gloves and tweezers to ensure my injuries were clean. Watching the two of them together made me pause, noting how they both stared for a hair too long and how MacKenzie's skin flushed ever so slightly. How had I not noticed it before?

"Okay, Jet. This…this is going to suck. I'm sorry."

I turned to Kenzie, who held her own tweezers and disinfectant. There was no way around it.

"Can't be worse than the wrist, right?" The thing still throbbed from Kenzie setting it, but I could feel the pain ease with every second as the bone and flesh knit itself back together.

She chewed on her lip, grinning. "Umm, sure."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Great. Well, get it over with."

Thus began the worst ten minutes of my life. Both of them had to dig through the torn flesh to pull out anything that might cause an infection, and I had to just sit there and take it—not without several instinctual growls and hisses, of course.

Still, having Senna next to me, watching her chest right and fall, helped—even if only marginally.

***

It had been a few hours, and I felt back to my normal self again. The injuries from Terrance's claws had healed over. While they were still sore, making me stiff and uncomfortable as all get-out in this bed, they were considered a non-issue as of now.

The wrist was healing all right, and I'd likely be able to use it again at full capacity by tomorrow morning. The worst of it all was actually the exhaustion. I could barely remain conscious, but Senna was still out. She'd yet to wake up even a little, and that meant I wasn't getting sleep any time soon.

"Come on, sweetness."

Gripping her hand, I gave a solid squeeze, a routine of mine over the last few hours. She was warmed through again, which settled my nerves some, and the ozone scent that clung to her was fading more and more. Kenzie had even bandaged up her calf and treated any bumps and bruises. I was able to move us to my room with the doctor's permission, and Kenzie was now using the med suite to treat the rest of the pack who'd been injured.

But…

She was still unconscious. I hadn't looked into those stormy blue eyes in far too long, and the last thing that I'd heard her say had been nonsense about the magic that surged through her.

My heart squeezed at that, my stomach clenching as I felt the familiar rise of nausea that accompanied my worry. If this gift had claimed Senna, if the power had been too much for Senna's body to withstand, I…

I wasn't going to live without her. I just wouldn't do it.

Her blonde curls were a mess around her face, and I smoothed a strand back from her forehead. Resting my hand on her cheek, I traced her face with my eyes. There was a dark spot near her left eye and several shallow cuts that were already scabbed scattered over her chin and neck.

Swallowing hard, I fought the urge to kiss each one of them. I didn't dare wake Senna if she wasn't ready. But without her here, without hearing Senna's voice, I felt…lost.

It was like being in the deep end of a swimming pool, anchoring strapped to my limbs. I was drowning with the need for Senna to be here, and I could scent my own fragrance surging like it could wake her up. My wolf growled and paced inside me, frantic and needing her back just as much.

And then there was the baby.

I hadn't met them yet, and I worried that I wouldn't get to. Senna meant the world to me, and I would be crushed if I lost our child, the connection we'd created. And I knew she'd be devastated. She'd find a way to blame herself, and I just—I couldn't let that happen.

Still, I needed my mate here. We could try again—if we had to. The thought made a sob fight to break free. I couldn't lose either of them, not really, but Senna…

"You have to wake up, little Omega. I'm losing my damn mind here."

There was a knock at the door, and I recognized the sound of Kenzie's gentle footsteps, her scent nearing.

"Come in, MacKenzie."

The door creaked behind me, and she walked up to the other side of the bed. She'd been checking on Senna's vitals frequently. Everything had looked good. From the outside, Senna was fine. So we had no idea why she wasn't waking up.

I raised my brows at her expectantly.

"She's still stable. I can try for the scan if you want me to see about…about the baby?"

I looked down at Senna, squeezing her hand. "No, I…"

Learning there was something up without Senna awake to hear it felt wrong. I'd just have to wait.

"Okay," Kenzie nodded. "Whatever you need, Jet. Speaking of, have you eaten?"

I shook my head. "I'm so very not hungry."

"You need to eat to keep your strength up. You're healing. If you don't have the calories, it'll take longer."

"MacKenzie, I—"

She held up a hand, stopping me as only she could get away with. "You want to be there to protect her, right? Well, food."

A strained chuckle left me, and I nodded. "All right, all right. Just go get me something. I don't know. Maybe a—"

Quietly, probably too quiet for anyone who wasn't a wolf to hear, a tiny squeak of a moan cut through the air, and I whipped my attention back to Senna.

My eyes flaring, I scooted closer on the bed, lowering my face into hers.

"Love? Hey. Senna?"

Too long of a pause, and my heart felt like it might explode.

"Ugh," she groaned, and it took everything not to yank her up into my arms. "Food sounds terrific, actually."

I chuckled, my head falling to her chest. I breathed her in, the sound of MacKenzie laughing behind me. She was okay. My mate, my Senna, was awake.