back as he left the building. The doctor attended to the wounds while he helped Lucas and his men move the bodies of the fallen.
“This shouldn’t have fucking happened,” Lucas said.
“I know.”
“You’re going to have to move her out of town. Her and the kid,” he said.
“Not going to happen.”
“Some of us died tonight. I know you don’t want to admit it or even have to live with the consequences. She’s human. One of them. So is the kid. If you don’t, the pack may not follow your orders when you give it.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’ve seen the way she is. I know she doesn’t deserve this, but you’ve got to protect her for that very reason.” Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. “You know I’m right.”
Brian returned to help them.
He knew Lucas was right. This attack was on their land, in their town, and it had killed some of them.
“How is Amber?” Rocko asked.
“Devastated. The doctor said … even a transition wouldn’t grow her leg back.”
Their wolves were amazing but not miracle workers.
“Tell me we’re going to make them pay?” Brian asked, spitting out each word. “I want to watch each and every one of them bleed.”
“We will.”
“I revoke my invite to your woman and kid,” Brian said. “It will be too much for Amber to see them.”
“Your wedding is still taking place?”
“Nothing on this earth is going to stop me from loving my woman. I love her more than anything and I’m going to protect her with my life. She doesn’t think I’m going to want her but I’ll prove differently to her.”
As the alpha, he could deny Brian’s request, but he wasn’t going to. Brian was clearly hurting and he wasn’t going to do anything to add to that. So, rather than continue to put his pack through any kind of pain, he made a decision about Daphne and Winter.
****
“I’ll be back each night to check on you,” Rocko said.
Winter wasn’t a fool. She knew what this was. “You’ve brought us to a hotel room.”
“For your own safety.”
She stroked Daphne’s back and turned in a full circle to look at him. Her face still hurt and the doctor had followed him to the hotel room.
“I need to deal with your wounds,” the doctor said.
“I can go to a hospital,” she said. “You don’t need to deal with them.”
The doctor looked at Rocko.
“Let me take Daphne. I’ll leave you two in peace.” He closed the door behind him, leaving her with a doctor she really didn’t know.
“He means well,” he said.
“I know.”
She noticed several times as the doctor worked on removing some of the glass from her face and neck that his jaw tensed. “You don’t like me, do you?”
“You stink of the alpha.”
“That gives you a reason to hate me?”
“No, what your people did tonight, killing us, that is a reason I hate you. I need to see where else there’s glass.”
She nodded and slowly eased her shirt up over her head. Some glass was in her arm and near her chest as well.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
He didn’t say anything.
She hated the silence. “I didn’t know about the attack if that’s what you’re wondering. I want nothing to do with all of this pain.” She sniffled. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m trying not to hurt you.”
“It’s not the glass, just the death. The pain. I’m really sorry for what they did.”
“Even though it’s not your fault?” he asked.
“You blame me though, don’t you? You all need to blame someone and seeing as I can’t turn into a wolf, it’s me.”
“Why don’t you hate us?”
“I’ve got no reason to hate you.”
“We put you in a prison.”
“As you say, my people put me in a prison because I didn’t do what they wanted.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
He smiled. “You’re pissed.”
“No, not really. Just angry and upset. I saw the pain and heard their cries. I don’t know what the world is coming to. Thank you for treating me. It must be hard for you to do, especially after treating the wounds of your friends. I really am sorry.”
“You’re nothing like them.”
“I know.” She sighed, glancing toward the door. “He brought me here for my own protection and Daphne’s, didn’t he?”
“The pack is tense right now. We need to right this wrong sooner rather than later.”
“And there’s a risk I’ll get caught in the crossfire.”
“There is always a risk of what could happen.”
She nodded. What more was there to say?
She stayed silent while the doctor attended to her wounds. He removed