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Obsessed With The Alpha Wolf (Firefighter Wolves Shifters Book 1)

Page 9

by Brittany White


  Eloise didn’t need to be told to drive fast, and she handled the vehicle like a professional driver as she navigated the road that would take them to the hospital. It still felt like it took too long to get there as Ben pressed his hand firmly against Lana’s wound. Her blood was warm against his hand, and he hoped the pressure would be enough to stop her from bleeding out before he got her help.

  The tires on the SUV screeched to a halt as Eloise pulled up to the hospital. “I’ll go in and get someone.” She got out of the truck and sprinted toward the entrance of the hospital.

  Ben closed his eyes and pressed his mouth against Lana’s hair. She felt so light against him, almost like if he let her go, she would float away from him.

  “Please, baby. Please be okay.” He had so much he needed to tell her, so much that he needed to say. He only hoped that if she lived through this, she would listen.

  Several people in scrubs came running out of the hospital pushing a stretcher. The same doctor that had saved his brother pulled the door open and looked in. “Hand her to me.”

  Ben wasn’t used to being given orders, but he did as he was told. He shifted in his seat and capable hands reached in to take Lana from him. Once she was safely out and on the stretcher, he got out of the car and followed right behind. But once they got inside the hospital doors, he had to stand and watch, his heart in his throat, as they wheeled the woman he loved away. The surgeon looked at him briefly for a second.

  “I will do whatever it takes to make sure she gets through this.”

  It was all that Ben could ask. And he knew that he couldn't sit alone in the waiting room. The last time he’d been in there, he’d had Lana at his side and he couldn’t do it again without her.

  “I’ll be in my brother’s room while I wait.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but visiting hours are over. You’ll have to wait in the waiting room,” the nurse at the desk spoke up, and the surgeon turned to her with a sympathetic glance.

  “I think we can bend the rules this one time.”

  Ben nodded his thanks. He made his way to Josh’s room, and when he walked in, his brother was awake and sitting up. He took one look at Ben, saw the blood covering him, and the color drained out of his face.

  “What happened?”

  Ben swallowed passed the hard ball in his throat. “The Canergies got Lana. She’s been shot. What am I going to do if I lose her?”

  Josh’s face hardened. “You can’t think like that. Lana is a lot stronger than you give her credit for. She’ll pull through this and you’ll have your work cut out for you trying to get her back.”

  “What if she won’t take me back?” Other than Lana losing her life, that was what he feared most. That he’d fucked things up with her so completely that she wouldn’t take him back. That the rest of his life would stretch out, empty without her in it.

  “Then you do whatever it takes to convince her that you love her, and you don’t stop telling her.”

  Ben nodded, and he hoped that Lana would get through this so he could tell her how he felt. And if Fate was kind enough and she took him back, he would tell her every day for the rest of their lives how much he loved her.

  Ben closed his eyes as he rested his head against Lana’s bed. She’d come through the surgery, was out of recovery, and was now in a private room, hooked up to machines that monitored her vital signs.

  Thankfully, the gunshot had not hit anything vital and the surgeon had every confidence that she would pull through. He’d advised Ben to go home and rest, but Ben had been adamant that he needed to stay with her. He wanted to be there when she woke up, and the surgeon had bent the rules again and allowed him to stay.

  He felt the lightest of touches against his hair, and his head shot up. Lana lay against the pillow, her eyes open, and she was looking down at him.

  He grabbed her hand, his heart in his throat as he studied her face. His eyes burned as relief that she was alive flooded him, that she was whole and she hadn’t told him to leave yet. It gave him hope that maybe she might give him another chance.

  “What happened?” her voice croaked out, and Ben quickly let go of her hand to grab the cup of ice chips that had been set beside the bed.

  “Suck on these; it will help your throat.” He handed her the cup and she smiled weakly at him. He wanted to gather her to him, to hold her tight and not let her go. But not only did he not want to hurt her, he knew he didn’t have the right to hold her. He’d given up that right when he’d broken up with her, and he would not get it back until he told her what was in his heart.

  “Rebecca Canergie shot you. You’ve been surgery and the doctor has every confidence that you’ll pull through this okay.” Ben sat down in the chair and searched his mind for what he needed to say to this woman. What could he possibly say to compensate her for all that she’d been through because of him? “I’m so sorry this happened to you. If I could take it back, if I could take your wound and your pain so that I could go through it for you, I would.”

  She sucked on the ice, and he searched her face for some sign that would show him the way through this. He’d had to be strong all his life; life as an Alpha had taught him that vulnerability was a weakness. but right now, he needed to make himself vulnerable for her. She was the one person that he could let his guard down with. She’d proven that when she’d offered herself to him that night they’d shared when his fear for his pack had driven him to her. She’d shown him that he didn’t need to wear a strong, impenetrable mask with her when she’d offered him comfort when his brother had been shot.

  “How did you find me?” Her voice was a weak rasp, and she took some more ice chips in her mouth.

  “Derek told me you’d been taken.” His voice broke slightly. God, he’d been so stupid to send her away!

  “Is he okay?”

  She humbled him with her words. Here she was, wounded because of his stupidity, and she could still bring herself to care about the well-being of someone she didn’t even know.

  “He’ll be fine.” He reached out and took her hand. “There are things I need to tell you. You don’t have to say anything right now, I just need you to listen. Will you do that?”

  A look of hesitation crossed her face, and he could see a vulnerable shadow cross her eyes as she nodded. That shadow was like a blow to him because he knew why it was there. He’d put it there when he’d told her that he couldn't be a part of her life. And now she was probably thinking that he was going to repeat himself, that he was going to tell her that he didn’t want her.

  “I have spent my entire life distrusting humans. I lived among them, but I thought that no human could ever compare to a wolf.” Pain went through her eyes, but he continued. She needed to see that he’d changed, that she had helped change him. “Then a human came into my life who showed me that I was wrong to think that way. When I met you the day of the fire, you bowled me over and it scared me. All I could think of when I saw you was that I wanted to protect you, so I pissed you off instead. I half-expected you to turn tail and run at the first sign that things weren’t going according to your plan. And I will admit that I was surprised when you decided to stay; I respected you for that.”

  “I only want to know one thing.” Her voice was strained and he knew that it was a struggle for her to talk. “Why did you break things off with me?”

  “Because I was stupid.” There was more to it than that, and he searched for the right words. “I was afraid. I haven’t met anyone like you. I was drawn to you, and when I was with you something deep inside me felt right. I know that you aren’t a part of my world, so you may not know how things work for me. When a wolf meets his mate, only she can soothe him. It’s hard to describe, but when I met you something shifted inside me. I knew that I had found my mate, and it scared the hell out of me. That was why I broke things off with you. I was scared of how I felt, and I told myself that it was because I was afraid you would get dragged into the war I was fighting if I stayed with you. And bec
ause of that you got hurt. Can you ever forgive me for putting you in harm’s way?”

  She looked thoughtful and Ben held his breath. What she said now would decide if he was going to spend the rest of his life regretting what he’d let his fear drive him to do.

  “There is only one way I will forgive you. I’ll do it if you tell me you love me and mean it.”

  Ben picked up her hand and pressed his lips to her skin. “I love you. And if you take me back, I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you.”

  She smiled softly at him. “I love you, too. I was so scared when I was in that house, and it wasn’t a fear of dying. It was the fear that I would never get to see you again and tell you how I feel. I came to this town looking for a new life, and I didn’t think that new life would include love, but I am so happy that it does.”

  Relief washed through Ben. She loved him and he would do his damndest to make sure she never had cause to regret giving him another chance. He moved forward and gently framed her face in his hands. With the lightest of touches, he leaned forward and kissed her. When he pulled back, she smiled tiredly at him.

  “I need to rest, and I’m sure that you need to get back to your pack and make sure everyone is okay.”

  “I’m only leaving now because you need your sleep. But be prepared because once you are out of this hospital, you will be spending every night by my side.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.” She closed her eyes, and despite his longing to stay with her, he knew that it would be better if he went home to Shadowbrook and let her rest. Soon enough, he would have her by his side and he would never think of letting her go again.

  Epilogue

  Lana

  Lana left the doctor’s office and walked to her car feeling like she was floating on air. It had been almost four weeks since the shooting, and in those weeks, Ben had proven himself true to his word. She’d moved into Shadowbrook and had spent every night in his bed, in his arms. And now she had something to tell him that she hoped would make him as happy as it made her.

  She didn’t want to wait to tell him, so she made a quick stop at the bookstore, removed the “back in 1 hr” sign, and flipped the closed sign onto the door. She’d worked so hard to make the bookstore a success, and it was turning out to be everything she’d hoped for when she first came to Lenox. The town had accepted her as a member of their community, and she felt like she belonged.

  With the exception of Josh, the wolf pack had been a little slower to let her in, but the love for her in their Alpha’s eyes had shown them that Ben had no intention of parting from her. They were slowly letting her in, and she hoped that what she had to tell Ben would only cement her place among them.

  She drove out of town and down the road that led to Shadowbrook. When she pulled up to the looming mansion, she hoped that what she had to tell Ben would soothe the worry that had been creeping into his eyes of late.

  Apparently, not all the Canergies had been eliminated the night the pack had gone to war. There was still a faction that had not been at the farm that night. The attack had weakened them, but even though he didn’t say as much, she knew Ben feared that they would be back once they gathered their strength again.

  Shoving the thought of the pack’s enemies from her mind, Lana got out of her car and headed toward the fire station that sat a short distance from the mansion. She had a much more pressing matter to discuss with Ben.

  She walked into the fire station and made her way toward Ben’s office. She stood inside the door and stared at him as he sat at his desk with his head bent over his paperwork. God, how had she gotten so lucky to find a man like him? She may not have come to town looking for love, but she was grateful that it had found her.

  He seemed to have a sixth sense when she was near, because he lifted his head before she could say anything. He gave her a brilliant smile, and she could see the love he had for her in his eyes. She didn’t think she would ever tire of seeing it.

  She walked into his office and closed the door behind her. The corner of his mouth turned up and there was a wicked glint in his eyes. Only a few days ago, he’d made love to her on top of his desk, telling her that he couldn’t wait for night to fall to have her. She was certain that he thought they were about to repeat that encounter. And maybe they would, but not before she told him what she’d just found out.

  She walked over to where he sat and before she could say a word, he pulled her down onto his lap and nuzzled his face against her neck.

  “I thought you’d be at the bookstore all day, but I’m glad you decided to play hooky.”

  She put her hand on his chest and pulled back from him. “Before you get any ideas, I have something to tell you. I went to the doctor today.”

  His face paled and his brows pulled together. “I thought you were recovering from your wound. Damn it, Lana, why didn’t you tell me that something was going on with it? God, I should have killed Rebecca Canergie myself.”

  She wasn't put off by his words. She knew that they came from his deep love for her, and that he would face any foe if it meant protecting her. She'd never felt so cherished in her life, but she couldn't let him think that something was wrong with her.

  “I promise, I didn’t go to the doctor about the wound. I am recovered from that.” She licked her lips as she thought about how she should tell him the news. They hadn’t discussed starting a family and she wasn't sure how he would react.

  “Okay, why did you go then?” He seemed to be bracing himself for something to be wrong with her, and she put her hands up to his face and leaned in to kiss him softly.

  “I went because I suspected I might be pregnant. And it turns out that I am.” She bit her lip as she told him that he was going to be a father.

  He held very still, and then joy lit up in his eyes. “A baby? We’re going to have a baby?”

  She nodded, and he pulled her close to him again and held her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. He put his mouth on hers and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled back, he put his hand on her flat stomach.

  “I can’t believe it. Just when I think I can’t be any happier, you find a way to bring more joy into my life.”

  “I could say the same to you. When I came to town to start a new life, I never thought I could be this happy. But then I didn’t know you yet. I didn’t know it was possible to love someone as much as I love you.”

  “Neither did I, but I will forever be grateful that Fate chose you to be my mate.”

  Thank you for reading Obsessed with the Alpha Wolf. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, may I ask you to please write a review HERE!

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