Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
“My advice?”
“The last resort.”
And that was when Rose realized the blood on his fingertips. “You’ve shared blood?”
Draco nodded. “She was going to turn.”
“Did it work?” Rose asked.
“I don’t know. She’s been stable for the last twelve hours. Her wolf hasn’t tried to fight free, but every now and then she seems to glitch. It lasts a few minutes but then fades.”
Rose looked toward the other woman and then stepped closer. She advanced, and the other woman suddenly spun around and went on a low crouch as if she was going to strike.
“I just … I want to check you over,” Rose said.
“Lelah, it’s fine. She’s a good one.”
Lelah let out a growl, but then, just as quickly, she inhaled the air and nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Rose got closer and reached out for the woman, offering her hand, which Lelah took.
Lelah’s hand was clammy and so small, almost fragile. Rose pressed her fingers on the pulse at her neck, and her pulse was going strong. Not too rapid, not too slow, just right.
Bending down, she cupped the woman’s face and stared into her eyes. They were a shocking amber, and Rose sensed the wolf beneath the surface.
“It worked.”
“I don’t know,” Draco said. “I don’t know what to do.”
Rose got to her feet and turned toward him. “We have to tell the others.”
Draco shook his head. “No, they’ll kill her.”
Lelah whimpered.
“You don’t know that,” Rose said, trying to offer the other woman comfort.
“I just did what vampires do.”
“No, that is what vampires in books do. We don’t even know if they exist,” Rose said.
Draco gave her an incredulous look. She got it. She couldn’t dispute the potential for vampires to exist, seeing as they were wolves.
“Look, they’re trying to find a way to save people, Draco. This is not about being right or wrong. This is about saving the lives of others. I know it seems scary, but trust me, I think they are going to want to help, and not hurt her,” Rose said.
She couldn’t help but think about Graham.
Draco sighed and gripped the back of his neck. “I’ll think about it.”
“Draco, please.”
“No, you cannot tell anyone what you saw here,” Draco said. “For her sake and for mine. I have already lost a mate, I don’t want to lose her as well.”
Rose frowned. “Draco?”
“No, I know what the club will do, but I promised I would take care of her, and that is exactly what I am going to do. You don’t get to question that. I shouldn’t have told you in the first place.”
“You used my suggestion, Draco, my idea, and it appears to be working,” Rose said, not wanting to lay claim to something that could also end up going very wrong. This was a huge risk.
“Leave,” Draco said.
Rose stared at him and knew he was going to be difficult. She glanced over at Lelah, and the other woman appeared to be quite sad. Rose patted her head but then left the cabin. It was rundown and the scent of mold was heavy in the air.
Rose stepped outside, moved several feet away, and then she took off. Part of her expected Draco to follow, but he surprised her by letting her leave. Clearly, he was distracted with keeping Lelah alive.
She had every intention of going back home, but as she looked up at the gates of the Poison Wolves MC clubhouse, Rose knew she couldn’t allow Draco to continue caring for Lelah.
If they were not careful, she was going to hurt him, or herself, or break free. Whatever Milton did, they had to contain them.
Rose inhaled, and knew Rocco was here. There was only pack, and she didn’t get any scent of Graham.
She took a deep breath and then moved forward. Enzo was outside, wrapped in a knitted sweater, and he was knitting something else as well. She loved the hat he wore, which had bright colors with a little pompom on top.
“Well, hello there, Rocco’s mate,” he said.
Rose looked at him and she saw Enzo’s smile drop.
“What is it?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Where’s Alpha?” she asked. Rose hated feeling this way, like she was betraying Draco, but they had to know. She couldn’t believe Draco had been hiding this woman for so long. This was bad news.
Enzo got to his feet, putting his knitting down. “Through here.”
Rose followed him, stepping into the warmth of the main clubhouse. She saw Rocco who smiled at her, but she couldn’t smile back.
There was a room full of cheers. Rose knew she should be happy they had accepted her as Rocco’s mate, but it would seem the story of her and Rocco would always be overshadowed by the mess that was going on.
Rocco stepped toward her. Silence fell around them.
“What is it, Rose? What’s going on? What has happened?”
She looked into Rocco’s eyes. Her mate. The last few months, she had hated those eyes, hated looking in his face, but in that moment she didn’t hate him. She needed him. Just by looking into his eyes, she felt grounded, like she could face anything.