8

I blamed the drug. It had messed with my head and forced me into heat. If a fat, tottering old man with one leg and fungus on his face had found me instead of Wyatt, I’d have been all over him as well. It had nothing to do with Wyatt himself. That made sense, and it’s what I told myself. What I repeated over and over, swearing I’d never have another unholy thought about Wyatt until the day I died.

Once I was mostly under control, I checked my nightstand and found my phone plugged in and ready. When I checked the home screen, I had to blink and double-check, then triple-check the date. I’d been out for three days? Holy shit. If that was true, then my mating ceremony was the next day.

I sagged back onto my pillows. Jayson and I had finally picked a date a few weeks before, but it might have been postponed due to my accident. I had a very faint memory of him being at the parking lot where Wyatt had found me. I closed my eyes as I tried to remember if that had been real or part of some fever dream I’d had over the last few days. No matter how hard I tried, all I could remember was Wyatt.

I gave up, not wanting to go down that path again. The guy was seared into my brain, and I needed to stop thinking about him. I hoped to the goddess that Jayson hadn’t been there. That would make things even more awkward between him and Wyatt. The two had never liked each other.

After a few minutes, I decided to test out my legs. Swinging my feet out from under the covers, I stood. I didn’t feel dizzy or too weak. What I did feel was disgusting. I could tell I hadn’t bathed since the day of the operation. A shower would probably make it all a little better. Once I was cleaned up, it would be easier to face whatever blowback came from the failed operation.

In the bathroom, I stripped off my T-shirt and panties, then studied myself in the mirror. I’d lost a little weight, which accentuated my muscles more. A fresh, small white scar adorned my shoulder close to my clavicle. The fae healers had done a good job with it. It was faint enough that you wouldn’t even notice it unless you knew it was there.

After showering, I dressed in a loose top, leggings, and sneakers, then dried my hair. It was amazing how much better I felt after getting cleaned up. As soon as I stepped out into the hallway, I heard a small gasp and saw Zoe leap to her feet. It looked like she’d been keeping vigil on a chair outside my room. Gods knew how long she’d been there.

She ran to me and wrapped her arms around me, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh my gosh. You’re okay, you’re really okay.”

She burst into sobs, and all I could do was hold her in my embrace. Guilt trickled through me. Obviously, I hadn’t done anything wrong, but my injury was causing Zoe’s, which made me feel like crap.

Once her tears slowed, I patted her back. “Zoe, it’s okay. I’m fine. It’s all over.”

Zoe released me, wiping at her eyes and nose. “Yeah. Your dress isn’t okay, though. You ruined it,” she said, chuckling slightly.

I smiled back at her. “Yeah, a knife to the shoulder and about a pint of blood will do that. I’ll owe you one. How’s that? Maybe a week straight of girl’s nights? Mud masks, wine, sappy movies, and lots of chocolate?”

“Make it white chocolate, and you’ve got a deal.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Weirdo. Fine.”

“Oh, thank the goddess!” a voice called from behind us.

I turned to see my mother hurrying toward me. My father was walking behind her, a relieved smile on his face.

“We were just coming up to check on you,” Mom said. “We’ve been worried sick.”

Mom pulled me into an almost back-breaking embrace. She didn’t weep like Zoe, but I could tell by how she clutched me that she’d been just as worried as my friend, if not more. When Mom finally released me, it was Dad’s turn to hug me.

“We got the best doctors and healers the pack could afford,” he said.

“And I told each one that if they messed anything up, I’d kill them,” Zoe added.

Dad nodded. “I can confirm that.”

My brother Kolton came jogging up the stairs, looking frantic. “Kiki?”

I rolled my eyes. “I nearly died, and you’re still gonna call me that?”

Ignoring me, he scooped me into his arms and swung me around. I laughed, despite myself.

“I was really worried we’d have to put ‘killed by lion-shifter roofie’ on your tombstone,” he said. “I’d never be able to visit your grave out of sheer embarrassment.”

“Oh, shut up,” I laughed, shoving him away.

“Kolton, you probably shouldn’t be swinging the little brat around like that. She’s still recovering.”

The voice sent a wave of irritation through me. Wyatt. All the sexy thoughts I’d had twenty minutes ago had vanished. Shoving the memories of what I’d done in the parking lot out of my mind, I did my best to fight the shame even as heat began to rise in my cheeks and ears. We were back to our old feelings of disdain for each other.

I nodded to him. “Wyatt.”

He cocked his eyebrow. “Kira.”

I looked at Dad and Kolton. “I didn’t know the Eleventh Pack was running with lone wolves now.”

If the slight dig hurt Wyatt, he didn’t show it. If anything, he looked pleased that I’d pointed out his status as a lone wolf.

Dad sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Wyatt before shaking his head. “You know Kolton and Wyatt are friends, Kira. Wyatt and his lone wolves have been a real help to us the last few years.”

“Sure, but do we really want them in the house? How can we trust them? Are all his scraggly band of outsiders doing their best to intrude on families, like he is?” I asked with a curt nod toward Wyatt.