Chapter 236

Chapter 236

Hazel's POV

I watched as Soren's wolf form cradled the tiny sprites against his massive chest, their light beginning to strengthen from the merest flicker to a soft glow.

Relief washed over me like a cool wave.

They were going to make it!

I was beyond grateful for my mate. Even though Steven clearly had no love for these tiny troublemakers, he'd still taken the initiative to call Justin, seeking a way to save them. More importantly, he'd helped Soren face his feelings.

That couldn't have been an easy decision for our warrior—committing to be mated to two forest sprites for life—but Steven had given him the chance to make that choice.

As Soren carried the twins away to rest somewhere quiet, I turned to my mate.

"Have I told you recently how amazing you are and how lucky I am to be your mate?" I said, meaning every word.

He pulled me against his chest, his arms wrapping possessively around my waist.

"I love you too, but you might not feel so lucky in a minute—I'm getting that damn bullet out of your shoulder right now, and I don't want any more interruptions."

I chuckled softly. "Nope, still feeling lucky."

Dr. Bell led us into an examination room where I perched on the edge of a bed while she gathered surgical instruments. As she busied herself preparing scalpels and forceps, Christopher walked in.

"We have fifteen wolves injured," he reported. "Twelve can be released tonight, but three need to stay for observation because of silver in their systems."

His words coincided with Dr. Bell extracting the silver bullet from my shoulder.

Christopher's eyes widened as he watched, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"How is that possible?" he asked, clearly perplexed by my lack of reaction to the silver. Truth be told, the longer the bullet had remained in my flesh, the more intense the burning pain had become. Now that it was out, I could already feel my body beginning to heal, the wolfsbane-induced fatigue rapidly fading.

"Guardian gift," I explained with a small shrug. "What about the other sprites? How are they doing?"

"They'll recover. Their injuries weren't as severe," Christopher replied. "They're actually quite entertaining. The ones hiding in the shelter have the pups completely fascinated."

I nodded, pleased to hear they were adapting. "We need to talk with them, make sure they know they can come here whenever they're frightened. They mentioned wanting to guard our territory, but honestly, we need to protect them. They don't exactly seem built for combat, but they'd make excellent scouts."

I could see that Steven was gradually accepting that this—sprites and all—was our new reality. I found myself wondering about the implications of sprites and werewolves as mates. Justin had said it used to be common. It made sense when I thought about it. Wolves are naturally dominant creatures, only becoming submissive within pack structures according to rank. The sprites seemed to possess not an ounce of dominance, instead appearing to appreciate a wolf's protection and possessiveness. Traits other supernatural beings might find suffocating could be exactly what attracted sprites to wolves.

This train of thought led me to reflect on my relationship with Steven. Despite us both being Alphas by nature, we managed to coexist harmoniously. Neither of us was so dominant that it created friction in our relationship. We yielded to each other when necessary. When I needed to take charge, he let me lead, and vice versa. Perhaps it came down to trust. I trusted him to make the right decisions for us and our pack, and he trusted me to do the same.

"What's that look on your face?" Steven asked, coming over to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me close. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Dr. Bell and Christopher discreetly slipping out of the room.

"I was just thinking about how well-matched we are," I answered honestly. "How perfect you are for me. How you always let me take the lead when I need to, without trying to out-Alpha me. I think we do pretty well for two Alphas not fighting over pack leadership."

He smiled down at me, that special smile reserved just for me.

"We agree on almost everything—except sprites. We share the same goals and work well together. Before I met you, I never imagined my life turning out this way, never thought I'd build something so beautiful with my mate in such a short time."

I rose on my tiptoes to kiss him, pouring all my love and gratitude into that single connection. He cupped the back of my neck with one hand, deepening the kiss as his tongue slid into my mouth. Our tongues danced together, but I let him take control, wanting him to show me just how much he needed me.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as my desire perfumed the air around us.

"Little Alpha, if we don't stop now, I'm going to take you right here on this hospital bed."

I slid my nose along his cheek to his ear, whispering, "Do it."

He spun me around instantly, pressing me down onto the bed. One hand pinned me in place while the other pushed up the T-shirt I'd hastily thrown on after the battle. As he held me down, his hand slowly trailed down my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see his eyes following the path his hand was taking across my skin.

I arched my back, presenting myself to him, desperate to feel him. His eyes locked with mine as his fingers slid between the cleft of my ass to find my wet entrance.

"Already ready for me."

"Yes," I breathed, the word barely audible.

"Think you can be quiet, little Alpha?" I nodded eagerly.

"Let's test that," he said, plunging two fingers inside me, drawing a whimper from my lips.

I watched him focus his gaze on where his fingers disappeared inside me.

"So beautiful. All mine."

The last words came out as a growl that made my body clench around him.

Aware of the hospital full of werewolves just outside the door, I bit down on my discarded T-shirt to muffle my moans. I began rocking my hips, urging him to go faster.

He knew what I wanted—what I needed—and gave it to me, his eyes locked with mine as he pushed me over the edge. My body convulsed with pleasure, but before I could fully recover, he withdrew his fingers, pushed down his shorts, and thrust his hard length deep inside me.

"Remember baby, only I get to hear your sounds," he said, gripping my hips and driving into me hard and deep.

He maintained his wild rhythm as I clutched the edge of the bed, coming undone over and over until I was nothing but a boneless, quivering mess.

"Mine!"

He growled with his final thrust, sinking his canines into my neck as he pushed me over the edge one last time while finding his own release inside me.

His body draped over mine as we both struggled to catch our breath, and he licked the bite mark, helping it heal.

"Yes, I'm yours, my love. And you are mine," I whispered contentedly.