In Need of Love

Chapter 23

Harlan washed his hands in the sink in the clinic room of the pack house, watching the water fall pink with Cassian's blood.

"I stitched as much as I could," Patty said. She was a nurse at the local hospital, and Graywood's emergency responder.

"Thank you," Harlan said sincerely, taking a rag from under the sink and soaking it under the warm water.

He took it over to Cassian, washing away some of the blood that had dried to his skin, mindful of the fresh stitches.

"You're welcome, Alpha. He'll be fine, probably a bit woozy from the blood loss. I can give him more pain medication when he wakes up. For now, he needs to rest. Call me if you need me."

Dotty entered the room, freshly showered and dressed in Cassian's sweatshirt. Her eyes immediately went to Cassian.

"Hey," Harlan said, gaining her attention. "He's fine, baby, just sleeping."

She offered him a fresh stack of clothes.

"Thank you," he sighed, dropping the rag and pulling a blanket over Cassian.

He reached for her, gathering her onto his lap.

"It's late now. Why don't you get some rest?" he whispered. "I had Jacob move the bed from across the hall in here for you."

"Thank you," she whispered back, leaning up to kiss him. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I have to greet the council first. They should be arriving any minute. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

She nodded, leaning up for another kiss.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

He wrapped his arms around her, his palm running circles in the small of her back, and easing all of the tension she felt.

"Relieved," Harlan admitted. "Even though I didn't get the answers I wanted, my family got justice, and after so long, the people responsible will finally be held accountable for their crimes."

"I guess I'm relieved too," she said. "I was expecting all of this to be way worse. We had been anticipating it for so long."

He nodded.

She added, "and who knows what the council will find with a proper investigation and interrogation."

His phone buzzed and he picked it up, finding a text from Ellis.

"Alright, honey. I'm going to go," he said, helping her stand up. "Try to get some sleep, okay? You need it. Cassian's not going anywhere."

Dotty nodded, letting him leave. She took a seat on the bed in the corner. It was softer than she expected, and her whole body seemed to melt. She really didn't want to leave Cassian, even in her sleep, but a little nap couldn't hurt...

--

"This is Mr. and Mrs. Inguisha, representatives of the high council," Ellis introduced.

Harlan greeted the pair politely, shaking their hands. He had never met someone from the council before. They were a group in charge of wolf politics outside of the normal pack functions. They dealt with lawbreakers, and would be determining punishment for Amy and her crew.

They should've come immediately to investigate his family's murder, but they never showed. Harlan wouldn't have wanted them to be around anyway. The wound was still raw. He had struggled to grasp what happened, and didn't need people prodding into his life.

All he needed was Cassian. Cassian had solved the murder faster than any investigation could have.

Harlan wished he was here doing this part too. He felt so inferior at times like this.

"Our condolences to your losses, Alpha Rhodes," Mrs. Inguisha said sincerely.

"Thank you," Harlan said. "I'll show you to your rooms, and we can get started in the morning."

After the couple got settled, Harlan took a shower and got in bed with his mate.

---

Dotty woke up to a really bright room, and soft voices. She yawned, sitting herself up against the wall. It took her a moment to realize that one of the voices was Cassian.

She untangled herself from her blankets, moving to his side. Harlan sat her in his lap, covering her with the blanket she had brought over.

"Cassian," she smiled. "You're awake."

"Me? Harlan and I thought you would never wake up. It's nearly two in the afternoon," Cassian teased. He was sitting propped up, so she took that as a good sign that he wasn't in too much pain.

She yawned again, curling closer into Harlan's side.

"Could've woken me up," she mumbled.

"Nonsense," Harlan said, his deep voice soothing her. She was really close to falling back asleep, comforted by the presence of both of her mates.

"How do you feel?" she managed to ask before Harlan started running his hand along the length of her arm, the repeated motion once again soothing her. Her eyes fluttered, and she settled closer to him.

"I'm okay, angel. My wolf has taken care of most of it."

Dotty did end up dozing off again.

"She was worried sick about you," Harlan told Cassian, meeting his eyes.

"It was such a long day, " Cassian sighed. "You saved my life."

Harlan shrugged. "You saved mine." And it was that simple. Harlan would never resent those dark days that he faced because it gave him Dotty, and he and Cassian were stronger than ever.

"I was pretty much shielding Dotty. If I hadn't hugged her-"

Harlan didn't want to think about losing their mate like that. Dotty was shorter. He was certain the claws would have gone right into her neck, maybe even her head.

"I know. We shouldn't have let our guard down."

"It's over now," Cassian finished. "All of it is."