young lady."
I laughed but my cheeks caught fire. Rafe cracked an eye open and glared at Smith. "Don't embarrass her."
I winced as I tried to adjust my leg and cast, and bit my lip to keep from complaining as the meds started to wear off. My ankle throbbed again, getting worse, but it paled in comparison to what Rafe no doubt suffered. But I concentrated on Rafe's face as Smith removed his sweatpants and started to bandage the long slices and gouges in his legs.
Rafe winced and reached for my hand again, sighing when he finally captured it. He took a deep breath. "BadCreek has never been this violent. Usually they're underhanded and sneaky. A full assault on the bar, on a Friday night, when they know most of the pack will be here, is absurd. It's suicide."
"They went straight for you," Smith said, and I resisted the urge to turn and check his progress as tape tore and bandage wrappers crinkled. "If they knocked you off, they'd stand a much better chance of taking over the pack. Once the pack is beheaded and leaderless, they could probably cultivate one of your betas to help them take over peacefully. A smart strategy, if they'd succeeded."
I tried to concentrate through the increasing pain in my ankle and the odd fluttering in my stomach from the way Rafe's hand periodically tightened on mine, as if reassuring himself that he still touched me. None of what they said made sense. A rival pack? Targeting an alpha?
Smith cleared his throat. "All done."
Rafe exhaled. "It wasn't a smart strategy."
"No kidding," I said under my breath, and he smiled again.
But he also forced an eye open to search for Smith. "They forgot about Ruby. And about Carter. They hadn't planned on him. And even if they'd managed to finish me off, Ruby is still alpha so the pack would have continued under her leadership."
"So it seems." Smith frowned, rubbing his jaw. "We should probably gather the Council."
"Council?" I finally had to ask, my brain hurting too much from trying to follow them. "What Council?"
"There's a Council for all the alphas in the city," Rafe said, and his hand rested on my leg, just above the cast. "Ruby and I are on it, so is Carter's brother. Smith is a consulting member. If any issues come up among the shifters, the Council tries to handle it before it gets out of hand. But BadCreek has gotten out of hand."
"Very much so. They've endangered my life, as well as my niece's." Smith's expression hardened as he packed up the first aid bag. He looked scarier than I could ever remember seeing him.
"Did any of them escape before we barred the door?" Rafe lifted his head, looking somewhat more clear-eyed. I leaned to place another pillow under his head, and flushed more as he smiled at me. Holy hell, that man had a beautiful smile.
"I don't know," Smith said. "We can probably check the cameras outside, but we have to assume at least one was able to get in and back out again. Why?"
Rafe's hand tightened on my wrist, then ghosted over my leg, just above my knee. "Because they saw me defending Meadow. They know she's important."
I blinked, then shook my head. "I'm not important. What are you — what do you mean?"
Smith pinched the bridge of his nose, and his words came out low and cold. "Damn it, Rafe. This is exactly what I warned you about. You've endangered her."
"I protected her," Rafe said, going up on his elbows as fury animated him. The bandages gapped and bunched, and more than one spotted with blood. "It's not my fault that —"
"You claimed her in front of them." Smith's eyes did the weird thing again and his hands started to look incandescent. "You fought for her. Now she's marked, and they will use her as a pawn against you. She's in danger, and even I may not be able to protect her."
"She's my mate." Rafe snarled and his grip crushed my thigh. "She won't be in danger. I will protect her."
"She's in danger precisely because she's your mate." Smith's teeth grew smaller and pointier, and my heart jumped to my
I laughed but my cheeks caught fire. Rafe cracked an eye open and glared at Smith. "Don't embarrass her."
I winced as I tried to adjust my leg and cast, and bit my lip to keep from complaining as the meds started to wear off. My ankle throbbed again, getting worse, but it paled in comparison to what Rafe no doubt suffered. But I concentrated on Rafe's face as Smith removed his sweatpants and started to bandage the long slices and gouges in his legs.
Rafe winced and reached for my hand again, sighing when he finally captured it. He took a deep breath. "BadCreek has never been this violent. Usually they're underhanded and sneaky. A full assault on the bar, on a Friday night, when they know most of the pack will be here, is absurd. It's suicide."
"They went straight for you," Smith said, and I resisted the urge to turn and check his progress as tape tore and bandage wrappers crinkled. "If they knocked you off, they'd stand a much better chance of taking over the pack. Once the pack is beheaded and leaderless, they could probably cultivate one of your betas to help them take over peacefully. A smart strategy, if they'd succeeded."
I tried to concentrate through the increasing pain in my ankle and the odd fluttering in my stomach from the way Rafe's hand periodically tightened on mine, as if reassuring himself that he still touched me. None of what they said made sense. A rival pack? Targeting an alpha?
Smith cleared his throat. "All done."
Rafe exhaled. "It wasn't a smart strategy."
"No kidding," I said under my breath, and he smiled again.
But he also forced an eye open to search for Smith. "They forgot about Ruby. And about Carter. They hadn't planned on him. And even if they'd managed to finish me off, Ruby is still alpha so the pack would have continued under her leadership."
"So it seems." Smith frowned, rubbing his jaw. "We should probably gather the Council."
"Council?" I finally had to ask, my brain hurting too much from trying to follow them. "What Council?"
"There's a Council for all the alphas in the city," Rafe said, and his hand rested on my leg, just above the cast. "Ruby and I are on it, so is Carter's brother. Smith is a consulting member. If any issues come up among the shifters, the Council tries to handle it before it gets out of hand. But BadCreek has gotten out of hand."
"Very much so. They've endangered my life, as well as my niece's." Smith's expression hardened as he packed up the first aid bag. He looked scarier than I could ever remember seeing him.
"Did any of them escape before we barred the door?" Rafe lifted his head, looking somewhat more clear-eyed. I leaned to place another pillow under his head, and flushed more as he smiled at me. Holy hell, that man had a beautiful smile.
"I don't know," Smith said. "We can probably check the cameras outside, but we have to assume at least one was able to get in and back out again. Why?"
Rafe's hand tightened on my wrist, then ghosted over my leg, just above my knee. "Because they saw me defending Meadow. They know she's important."
I blinked, then shook my head. "I'm not important. What are you — what do you mean?"
Smith pinched the bridge of his nose, and his words came out low and cold. "Damn it, Rafe. This is exactly what I warned you about. You've endangered her."
"I protected her," Rafe said, going up on his elbows as fury animated him. The bandages gapped and bunched, and more than one spotted with blood. "It's not my fault that —"
"You claimed her in front of them." Smith's eyes did the weird thing again and his hands started to look incandescent. "You fought for her. Now she's marked, and they will use her as a pawn against you. She's in danger, and even I may not be able to protect her."
"She's my mate." Rafe snarled and his grip crushed my thigh. "She won't be in danger. I will protect her."
"She's in danger precisely because she's your mate." Smith's teeth grew smaller and pointier, and my heart jumped to my
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