CH.117

Serena stirred the following the day.

Her eyelids felt heavy as she slowly blinked awake.

Every inch of her body ached as if she'd been run over by a fleet of semi-trucks, then backed over a few times and then finally tossed off a cliff for good measure.

She groaned softly, feeling utterly wrecked and battered, her muscles screaming in protest at even the slightest movement.

As awareness seeped in, she realized her head was pillowed on a warm, solid surface that rose and fell with steady breaths.

Knox!

Her petite form was dwarfed by his huge one while she lay sprawled across his tattooed chest.

He was like a mountain, and she, a delicate vine clinging to his rugged slopes.

His masculine scent surrounded her like a sensual embrace, both comforting and vaguely intimidating.

Trying to shift positions, even just an inch, sent a jolt of searing pain lancing through her from head to toe. It was concentrated most intensely in her lower abdomen and a strangled cry that sounded raw and pitiful escaped her lips before she could stifle it.

"Easy there, love," Knox's deep rumble sounded close to her ear. His arms contracted around her like steel bands, encircling her in a protective and possessive grip that tightened slightly.

He hadn't slept a wink, not a single minute of stolen slumber.

He was haunted by the memory of the previous night's unbridled intensity… the way he'd taken her with an almost feral roughness after she'd pushed him to the brink with her accusations and fury.

Her words had cut him deeply, dredging up old wounds he thought had long since scabbed over.

He'd been so consumed by a maelstrom of emotions: hurt, anger, possessiveness, and the desperate, primal need to assert his dominance over his defiant mate that he'd nearly lost control completely.

The memory of her cries, muffled gasps that turned into whimpers of pain and then back into cries of pleasure relentlessly echoed in his ears.

It was a symphony of both ecstasy and agony, and he, the conductor of her pain.

The guilt was eating him alive, gnawing at his insides with sharp teeth and relentless hunger.

He had been horrified to notice she was bleeding afterwards.

“Get me a female doctor. Now!” he barked telepathic orders at Seven.

Knox was ready to burn everything to dust if anything happened to his wife, his mate, his entire reason for existing.

All hell would break loose in the form of his unrestrained rage, and the world would tremble before the force of his grief.

Seven had been in the middle of his own sexcapade. He was busy railing some random, nameless human female as was his usual way to unwind when Knox's voice exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.

The force of it nearly knocked him off his feet.

He'd damn near jumped out of his skin, fangs descending instinctively as a wave of aggression flooded his system.

This was the first time in all the centuries they'd known each other that Knox had ever initiated a telepathic link with him or any of his pack even in a life-or-death situation.

Seven blew a breath, detaching himself from the whimpering woman.

He hurriedly threw some clothes on and dashed out at vampire speed to locate the nearest available doctor.

He ended up snatching one of the hospitals managed by the medical branch of Gaard Corp of a professional and tactful female werewolf doctor. Without forgetting to first aid bag with them.

At least she was loyal to Knox's pack, even if he'd had to snatch her away from her duties without preamble. Even though this was a move that went against his usual suave and charming demeanor.

“What the hell—” the doctor was saying when Seven’s authorities voice rang.

“Quiet! Or not even I will save you from Don’s wrath,” he warned.

“Don? Do you mean, Master?” The doctor visibly shuddered at the idea of Knox.

Seven hummed. "Go ahead now or none of us will make it through this night."

The doctor was about to ask what had happened but decided against it. She dragged her feet forward and entered the door Seven had opened for her.

Seven waited tensely outside the bedroom door like a silent statue of apprehension while the doctor slipped inside to examine Serena.

“M-Master. I am doctor Silvia. M-may I k-know how I c—”

“Examine my mate!” Knox’s impatient voice cut Silvia’s stutter off.

She jumped in fright, almost shitting her pants at how dreadful the man before her seemed and sounded.

Mate?

“O-off course. Master.” Doctor Silvia rushed to the bed and removed the quilt off Serena's body.

She frowned when she saw the rumpled, blood-streaked bedding, a clear proof of the activities that had taken place recently.

Serena's naked form lay amid the wreckage and her normally vibrant skin was covered with glaring hickeys.

Her inner thighs were covered in dried red streaks, and the metallic, coppery scent of blood lingered in the air.

The doctor's expression was grim as she gently parted Serena's legs to inspect her intimately.

Bruises were already blooming in vivid shades of purple and blue across the delicate skin of her thighs and down there.

Serena whimpered in her semi-consciousness when the doctor's skilled fingers probed deeper. Her body instinctively tried to recoil from the invasive examination, but the pain was a dull throb compared to the searing agony of the event before.

A soft sigh of relief escaped the doctor's lips upon realizing the injuries weren't too severe. It was only some bruising, tearing, and localized swelling, but nothing life-threatening.

It was something to be expected after being taken so brutally by a male of Knox's immense proportions. Even for a female of their kind, accommodating his size and strength would be an intense, challenging experience.

It was a wonder Serena survived at all for a small human woman like herself. And it was exceedingly unlikely that she could walk at all after going through such a brutal coupling.

"She'll be alright, Master. This is merely some residual discomfort from previous trauma, bleeding, and inflammation. Perfectly normal, given...your size and her human fragility,” Doctor Silvia informed, keeping her tone professional despite the scorching fear that threatened to swallow her whole.

"You need to be more careful with her, Master. Prepare her properly before taking her again at that...level of intensity. A human woman's body, especially one as delicate as your mate's, can only stretch so far to accommodate you before causing injury. You must remember that."

Knox cringed inwardly at the doctor's clinical words.

He knew the challenges of being intimate with a human female, particularly one as petite and fragile as his Serena. But in the heat of last night's explosive passion, fueled by anger and hurt, he'd allowed his control to slip in a way that was utterly unforgivable.

"I understand," was all he managed to rasp out. The knot of guilt in his chest tightened until it was hard to breathe.

"I suggest you give her some strong painkillers and anti-inflammatories when she wakes up to help ease her aching muscles and swelling," Doctor Silvia instructed. "A warm bath with Epsom salts would also provide some relief for her battered body. Ointments with a numbing agent are a great choice too for the areas that are really tender."

She cleared her throat. "Additionally, I'd suggest regular oral stimulation without penetration for at least a week to help hasten the healing process. Our saliva contains healing properties, and yours should be even more potent and effective given your…abilities."

Silvia paused to give him a wry look. "I'm sure that will be a challenge for an insatiable Alpha like yourself. But it's for the best if you want your mate to make a full recovery. I've given her something for the pain that should kick in soon. Let me know if she needs anything else."

Knox hummed.

“If that’s all, I’d like to take my leave now, Master. Thank you for having me.”

With that, she excused herself, casting a mildly reproachful look at Seven on her way out for snatching her so unceremoniously from her place of work.

Seven simply shrugged, unfazed by her silent reprimand. He'd done what was needed to ensure the safety of his Donna. Consequences be damned.

No apologies were necessary for that. Though he did sigh in relief once the doctor left, raking a hand through his tousled locks.

‘Thank goodness Donna would be okay.’

He'd heard their explosive fight earlier, the vicious words and crashing sounds of objects being thrown. And he knew it was only a matter of time before their argument devolved into an equally intense sexcapade.

The two of them would never been able to resist each other for long, no matter how heated their clashes. Passion and fury always blazed like twin infernos, consuming everything in their path.

Still, even Seven had been taken aback by the sheer ferocity of their lovemaking earlier. The primal, almost savage sounds that reached even his soundproofed room.

The entire mythical beings in the estate must have heard Serena's cries of rapturous agony, mingled with Knox's growls and grunts.

He'd felt a fleeting pang of concern over whether the fragile human woman would survive being mounted by such brutal and animalistic side of her husband.

He could only hope that this wouldn't worsen their current situation.