The Alphas' Daughter (Alpha Eyes: Book 2)

Chapter 23

Lucas burst back into the exam room, now dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. He'd missed the doctor's shock at his former state of undress, but he hadn't missed Karina's warning growl. It pleased his wolf that their mate was still possessive even when injured.

His chest tightened when he saw his mate lying limp on the exam table, her stomach bandaged. Her face looked more pale than usual, and her chest barely rose.

"What did you do?" he growled, rushing to stand beside the table.

"I cleaned and bandaged the cuts on her abdomen," the doctor replied, almost snapping in defense. "Once I told her that the pup was fine, she passed out."

Lucas stroked Karina's forehead and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just... I can't lose them."

"You won't lose anyone, Alpha." The doctor tossed some bloody cloths into the garbage. "She'll heal in a few days. For now, she needs lots of rest and as much care as she'll accept. I'd advise you to take her up to your room and keep her there until she's healed."

He nodded and met her gaze. "And our baby?" He really needed to learn more of his pack's names.

She smiled and tilted her head a bit. "Your pup will be fine, Alpha. Maya's claws didn't cut deep enough to cause any injury."

"Thank you," he sighed.

She nodded her understanding and opened the door. "Make sure she rests."

He gently lifted his mate off the table and cradled her against his chest. She felt lighter than usual, but that was probably his panicked mind fooling him. She'd be fine. Once he'd settled her head on his shoulder, he left the infirmary and carried her out of the pack house. While the doctor may have intended for them to stay close, he wanted to give Karina the quiet and privacy to properly recover.

She started to regain consciousness when he pushed the front door of their house open. By the time he reached their room, her eyes fluttered open. Her emerald green irises still left him in awe.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hey." He lowered her onto the bed and stretched out beside her. "How are you feeling?"

Se winced before answering. "It hurts."

"I can imagine." He pressed her lips to her temple and propped himself up on his elbow. "The good news is that you'll both be just fine. A few days of rest, and you'll heal."

She nodded slowly. "Thank you for protecting me. If you hadn't taken Maya down when you did..."

"Don't think about it anymore," he crooned, his own pulse rising at the thought of how close Maya had come to hurting his mate. "She's gone now. She can't hurt you anymore."

"I know." Karina closed her eyes and shifted closer to him. "I'll try to sleep now."

He protectively draped his arm over her, carefully avoiding her wounds. "I'll stay right here until you wake up. I'm not leaving your side."

She smiled as she drifted off to sleep. Her body needed the rest, so it barely took a minute before she was out. Lucas stared at her face for a long time, studying her profile and features. It amazed him how he kept discovering little details about her, no matter how many times he looked at her. She was like a precious treasure wrapped in layer after layer of delightful surprises.

Maya had come too close to killing his mate. At least that particular threat had been dealt with. Ever since the guardian had appeared, the already testy situation had gone haywire. First the rogue in Greece, and then Maya's jealousy taking a violent turn... he couldn't let that go. Hopefully the guardian would be able to answer  the questions that were swirling around. 

If not, their lives would get a whole lot more dangerous before they got anywhere close to normal again.