The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf (17 page)

long for more wolves to appear. Several men rushed to the place of

the battle, separating the two and immobilizing Aria. Some of them

tried to calm the attacker down. A part of Paris would have liked to

reach out to that wolf, too, as he knew his rescuer’s identity. But the

circumstances didn’t allow him to do so.

“Please, help us,” he shouted.

Even as he spoke, Soren and Daniel were already by his side.

Until now, Paris had never seen Daniel in shifted form, and distantly,

he registered the peculiarity of seeing a small squirrel on the back of a

wolf. But then, the two men changed back in their legged shape. They

looked at Reed with glum expressions. “We need to get him to a

hospital, quickly,” Soren said.

From farther back, Shiloh and Liam appeared. Upon seeing Reed,

Shiloh released a mournful sound that just about broke Paris’s heart.

Liam caught Shiloh before the older swan could fall. Together, the

two reached Reed’s side.

“He’s still alive,” Paris offered, even knowing that the hope to

save Reed was dimming more and more.

Another man Paris didn’t know loomed over them. “Just barely,”

he said in a dark tone. “We need to hurry. We don’t have much time.”

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Paris now distantly remembered the guy was a doctor, brought in

to treat the various species of shifters now residing on Soren’s pack

lands. He surmised that somehow, Soren must have known about

Aria’s plan and brought medical care with him, just in case.

Liam lifted his son in his arms, carefully, and Shiloh took Paris’s

place in keeping pressure over the wound. “Where to?” Liam

inquired, seeming dazed.

“My clinic,” the medic replied. “His powers are helping him

regenerate, but with the bullet still inside, that will do more harm than

good.”

For the first time, Paris noticed that indeed, the blood flow had

started to ebb. Reed was breathing a bit better, but Paris didn’t like the

way his limp body looked in Liam’s grip.

As the doctor finished speaking, Paris heard a pained groan

behind him. He looked back, only to see his father’s eyes shoot open.

“Reed!” the wolf shouted. “Reed!”

A pained howl filled the area, reaching out to the deepest part of

Paris’s heart. If Shiloh’s pain had impressed him, Anson’s almost

made him crumble. Thankfully, Jace was there, supporting him when

he would have fallen. “It’s all right,” Jace murmured in his ear. “Trust

my dad and the others. They’ll help Reed.”

Paris dared to lean against Jace’s warmth. He closed his eyes,

struggling against the tears that threatened to fall. He hoped Jace was

right, because otherwise, he didn’t know what would come of them.

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Anson sat on the bench in the clinic, staring at a fixed spot on the

wall without really seeing it. In his mind’s eye, the same scene

repeated itself over and over. Himself, waking up from his injury,

only to find Reed bleeding and dying.

He should have sensed Aria before the she-wolf had knocked him

out with the log. He should have awoken when Reed had been

wounded. But he hadn’t. He’d failed Reed, and now, the young swan

was one step away from death.

Distantly, Anson felt Soren approach and sit down next to him.

“Hey, don’t blame yourself,” Soren told him. “She chose the perfect

spot, downwind, so that you wouldn’t scent her. You couldn’t have

known what she had planned.”

And yet, Anson had felt something. He had seen the signs, only he

had refused to do anything about it, too focused on enjoying his

newfound happiness to protect it.

He didn’t answer, knowing that Soren couldn’t possibly

understand the circumstances. Years back, Daniel had been attacked

by an insane shark-shifter, but the squirrel had never been injured to

this extent.

“Sonny, look at me,” his Alpha said. “Come on, snap out of it.

Your mate needs you.”

At that, Anson finally reacted. “Reed is in there, fighting for his

life, and I’m useless, unable to help him. What would you have me

do?”

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“I would have you get over your self-pity and focus on Reed. He

can still hear you through your bond. He wouldn’t want you to be hurt

like this.”

That was true. Alas, Anson had been doing his best to reach out to

Reed through their connection, and his attempts had been met with

failure. It didn’t help that Anson’s wolf was torn in two. A part of him

wanted to burst into the operating room and demand to be at Reed’s

side, while the other needed to hunt Aria down and tear her apart.

In the end, Reed won, and as such, here Anson was, pinned at the

door of the room where doctors were trying to help his mate. His son

was also here, along with all their friends who’d come to offer

support. Shiloh and Liam were huddled together on a bench,

irradiating misery, and the sight only made Anson feel guiltier. He

should have been there for Reed. He should have protected his mate.

And then there was Paris. The young werewolf seemed to have

trouble meeting Anson’s eyes. Anson knew it to be because Reed had

taken the bullet meant for Paris. However, he didn’t blame his son,

not for a moment. He wished he had the strength to tell Paris that.

All of a sudden, the door of the operating room opened, and a

doctor stepped out. Anson shot to his feet. “Well? Any news?”

Reed’s family and friends gathered around the doctor. “The

operation was a success, and we managed to extract the bullet,” the

medic said. His expression was somber, though, and Anson could

hear the
but
even before it was said. “But there were some

complications. The projectile badly tore an artery and barely missed

his heart. His regenerative powers helped him survive, but there were

a couple of minutes when his circulation was compromised.

Furthermore, the bullet ended up lodged in his spine. When the

healing kicked in, the projectile was still inside.”

“What exactly are you saying, Doctor?” Anson asked, unable to

contain the tremor in his voice.

“He’s out of deathly peril, but for the moment, he’s still in a

coma. There’s no telling when, or if, he will wake up. Until then, we

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might not know how his brain was affected. If he does break out of

the coma, he might have mobility issues, with flying or walking,

memory lapses, or even trouble with normal thought processes. We’re

hoping that it won’t be the case, as he is a shifter and he didn’t receive

a direct blow to the head. It’s all up to him now and how strong he

is.”

Shiloh released a small noise of dismay. For his part, Anson

couldn’t speak. The thought that at his young age, Reed would be

reduced to a vegetable or might lose the most basic functions of a

rational being tore his heart into pieces. He took a deep breath,

struggling for a calm that wouldn’t come. In his mind, he repeated a

litany of the doctor’s words.
He’s out of deathly peril. He’s out of

deathly peril.

“He’s very strong,” he heard himself say. “He will come back to

us.”

Several pairs of eyes turned toward him, inquiring, hopeful, some

teary. “You’re right,” Shiloh said. “He wouldn’t leave us.”

Anson forced a smile he didn’t feel. His mind turned to his bond

with Reed. A dim, distant spark seemed to glow through it. Soren was

right. Reed was still there. Anson just had to be patient and help Reed

through this.

* * * *

One week later

“Hi, baby.” Anson pressed a kiss to Reed’s cool forehead and sat

down on the chair next to the bed. “Here we are again. How have you

been?”

The only reply he received was the steady beeping coming from

the monitors keeping watch over Reed’s vital signs. Even so, Anson

knew Reed had heard him. Whenever he sat here, he could feel

Reed’s joy at their proximity. Reed was fighting his way back, and

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113

even while the doctors’ diagnosis remained skeptical, Anson was

increasingly convinced his mate would return to him. He had to

believe that to stay sane. It was the only reason why he hadn’t hunted

Aria down and killed her like she deserved. To his knowledge, she

was still under lock and key, watched by Soren’s guards.

Anson shook himself, focusing on the love he felt for Reed and

not the hatred Aria awoke in him. “I really miss you, baby,” he said,

gripping Reed’s hand.

He almost thought he could see Reed’s lips twitch in the ghost of

a grin, but he couldn’t be sure. Behind him, he heard the door open,

and he turned to see Shiloh come in. “Oh, hi, Sonny. You’re back.

That was quick.”

Anson nodded. “You know I wouldn’t have left at all, but I was

starting to reek.”

Shiloh offered him a tight smile. “I know. Liam had to drag me

home to change and such.”

Indeed, Shiloh looked like he hadn’t slept since Reed’s injury, and

probably hadn’t, regardless of Liam’s efforts. Anson himself had only

gone home to change and shower. It was a waiting game now, the

doctors had told them, but Anson could still hardly bear being ripped

from Reed’s side.

The swan took position on another chair, and they fell into silence.

Unlike other times, the awkwardness between them had disappeared,

eliminated by their shared sorrow. It was Shiloh who spoke first. “Can

I ask you a question, Sonny?”

“Sure,” Anson replied automatically. “What is it?”

“In your honest opinion…How do you really think he is? Will he

wake up?”

Anson realized Shiloh was looking to him as Reed’s mate, the

only person who would ever truly know everything about Reed. “I

can feel him in my head,” he replied. “It’s not like when he would be

conscious and awake, but he’s there. And he’s growing stronger every

moment. I have hope that yes, he will wake.”

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He didn’t tell Shiloh that every moment he spent without Reed

was like a dagger stabbing through his chest, that the world seemed

dim and colorless when it was deprived of Reed’s smile. He guessed

that Shiloh knew, or at least suspected it. Certainly, Liam did, because

the werewolf had been in the same position. Ironically, history

seemed to be repeating itself, as Reed’s dad had also been in a coma.

The hatching of Reed’s egg had awoken Shiloh back then, but

Anson didn’t have any egg to hatch. The only thing he had was his

bond with Reed, and he hoped that would suffice to bring his mate

back.

“Thanks,” Shiloh answered. “This is just…” He rubbed his arms

as if he was very cold. “I can’t take the thought of losing him.”

Anson couldn’t even bear to dwell on that. “Where’s Liam?” he

asked to change the subject.

A different time, the question might have drawn suspicion from

Shiloh, but now, the older swan just blinked tiredly. “He went to get

us a bite to eat. He should be back in a couple of moments.”

Anson was glad his friend would come back soon. Other than

Paris, he didn’t have anyone to support him through this, and Paris

had already been through enough of a trauma to have to withstand

Anson’s depression. But Shiloh needed Liam, and beyond his own

affection for his friend, Anson wanted Reed’s parents to weather this

difficult time together.

In the end, before Liam could arrive, another person quietly

slipped into the room. The door closed with a soft click behind Norma

Holden and her husband. “How is he?” Norma asked in a low

murmur.

“No change,” Shiloh replied.

“I see.” Norma’s husband released a heavy sigh. “We’ll just be

waiting outside, then.”

That would have been preferable since it wasn’t safe for too many

people to be inside Reed’s room at the same time. Usually, it was just

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Anson, Reed, and Liam. When others came to visit, they kept their

stay brief. They were all aware of the trickiness of Reed’s condition.

Anson expected the two swans to respect that, but to his surprise,

Norma’s eyes fixed on him. “Yes, we will. But first, I just had to say

something. This is all your fault, Mr. Wright. Once Reed recovers, I