Chapter 71: A plan

Amber explained quietly, “Coal’s an Alpha. By nature, they have extraordinary healing power. But he’s lost too much blood, primarily due to the injury in his leg. His other wounds, whether from claws or teeth, have mostly stabilized and are no longer bleeding profusely.”

I let my gaze travel down Coal’s body, studying the wide gashes gouged into his right shoulder, courtesy of Alpha’s claws. Numerous but less significant scratches and bruises covered Coal’s chest.

A light sheet covered his bottom half, concealing the horrible wound to his calf. Alpha’s powerful jaws had ripped out the tendons. It was a devastating injury. Much more and Coal’s leg would have been severed completely. I pulled in a breath to steady myself. Also unseen beneath the sheet, Alpha had taken a chunk out of his left flank.

Amber continued to explain, “Your pack has already used up their blood supply as well as donations from Ryder and Chase to replenish Coal’s depleted reserves. But it isn’t enough. I suspect his Wolf is in the state of hibernation, completely focused on healing, but he needs more than blood to do it on his own.”

Hands trembling, the instinct to touch him, fierce, but I was afraid at the same time of what I might find. I’d never seen Coal so hurt, so weak, hanging on by a thread. Would our mate bond even be enough to pull him through? I didn’t know.

Amber continued, recounting the doctor’s assessment and what had already been done to treat Coal, but I was no longer listening. I automatically drifted closer to his bedside.

Amber’s voice faded off into the distance. I barely recognized when she left, the click of the door shutting behind her.

The bed was large, not surprising considering the size of most wolves. I pulled the sheet aside and gently slid in next to Coal, pressing as much of my flesh along his side as possible.

Instantly, the electrical effect of our bond tingled through me, pulsing from head to toe, leaving me breathless. But more than that, I felt our connection, the potency of one mate to accelerate the healing of another just through touch. Power hummed all around us.

Coal sucked in a deep breath, his body reacting unconsciously, the force shocking his system, the effect on him much stronger than me in his weakened state.

Again, his face tightened into a look of pure agony, a result of his sudden intake of breath and broken ribs.

I flinched at his suffering. My fingertips came up. I ran them lightly across his chest, my lips against his shoulder, kissing his flesh. “I’m here, baby… I’m here. I’m so sorry you’re hurt...I’m sorry you’re in pain.”

His struggle tore at my heart. I couldn’t stop the few errant tears that slipped past my eyelashes, wetting his arm.

Coal groaned. I wasn’t sure if he could hear me. His eyes remained closed. Amber said he’d drifted in and out, not maintaining consciousness more than a few minutes, but it was clear, his lack of awareness hadn’t dimmed his agony.

Lifting an elbow, I reached my other arm across his chest so that I could wrap more of my upper body around him. I was careful to only make skin contact and not burden him with any of my weight.

Trembling fingers trailed over his broad chest, outlining each muscle. Coal had grown immensely over the past weeks, his training honing his body into perfection.

My lips followed my fingers. I pressed soft kisses, my tongue darting out to slowly lick around his pectoral muscle on the side that I could reach.

A low growl came from my chest, my Wolf voicing her appreciation of his taste. I completely agreed.

The change was slight but noticeable to my watchful eye, an incremental relaxation of his muscles, a small release, almost too subtle to measure the difference. But it was there.

Any measure of relaxation meant he had a decrease in his pain. Coal was responding to my touch, to our bond!

Hope soared within me.

And now, I had a plan...

Needing better leverage so I could reach every part of Coal’s body, I drew the sheet back farther, exposing his midsection and lifted up on my knees, carefully bringing one leg over his body to straddle his waist.

I used the muscles in my thighs to make sure he didn’t feel my weight, but at the same time, I kept my legs tight against his sides, maintaining as much skin contact as possible. I ignored the fact that his flaccid cock was right beneath my pussy.

Lifting my ass higher in the air, I stretched forward to reach Coal’s neck with my lips, carefully letting my breasts touch his chest, and supporting my upper body with my arms.

I kissed the side of his neck, trailing my tongue along each curve, tasting under his ear and moving down to the base of his neck, settling at the spot where we would mark him.

My Wolf growled again, louder this time, my canines pushing through my gums. She wanted to mark him…right now.

Crushing desire to make him mine, washed over me, a primal instinct, I could barely contain, driving me to fulfill my destiny, to complete the bond. The force stunned me, but I shoved it back, continuing on.

A lick here and a kiss there, from his Adam’s apple to the other side of his neck, before taking a path to his broad shoulders, my lips caressing both clavicle bones, one side, slowly, to the other.

Lightly kissing just outside the edges of the deep claw wounds in his shoulder, I whispered against his skin, “I love you, Coal… I love you with everything inside of me.”

He mumbled something incoherently but didn’t open his eyes.

I lifted my head for a moment, startled to realize that the small improvement I’d noticed earlier, had become more pronounced, more definable.

Senses straining, I measured the differences. Coal’s heartbeat no longer skipped. Instead, it thrummed steadily—music to my ears. Instead of short panting breaths, now, Coal inhaled and exhaled rhythmically.

My excitement grew.

It was working!