4. TALIA

As I suspected, his fever hit two hours after the wound had been cleaned and bandaged. He lost so much blood that we had to do a blood transfusion, and Seth was the only match.

Everything that was currently happening was making my alpha uncomfortable, but I was happy that instead of storming off, he decided to stay and help, even if it was just to keep a close eye on the stranger.

Dropping the cloth into the bowl of water, I leaned back slightly to stretch and then stood and grabbed the bowl to empty it. But just as I straightened, a hand shot out and clawed fingers dug into the skin of my wrist.

Vesper was at my side instantly, hand wrapping around the man’s wrist and squeezing. A whimper fell from his lips as his hold slowly loosened.

Golden cat eyes locked with mine, knocking the air from my lungs. I had no time to make sense of things because an arm was wrapped around my waist and someone was pulling me away from him.

Wilder appeared at my side, fingers wrapping around my arm, and lifting it so he could inspect the wounds. With a swipe of his tongue, the wounds started healing.

“He didn’t mean it,” I said before anyone could utter a word. “He’s not conscious.”

“How can you be so sure, sweets?” Vesper frowned down at me. “He could have easily snapped your wrist if he applied anymore pressure.”

“The man has a fever, he’s…lost in his mind.” I reached out to cup his cheek. “You were the same while you were going through your transformation.”

Seth sighed, arm tightening around my waist. “You were much worse. We had to restrain you.”

Colour flooded Vesper’s cheeks. “I don’t remember.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Seth stepped around me, eyes darting to the man, and then to the bowl I dropped when he grabbed me. “From now on, you’re not going near him unless it is to check his wound with at least two of us with you.”

My lips parted, but his eyes narrowed, silencing me.

“Compromises, bumblebee,” he growled. “You want to treat him, then fine, but I’m siding with Knox on this.”

“You’re not curious about him?” Wilder asked softly. “He’s the same breed as you.”

“So?” Seth glared at him. “He’s a stranger who showed up without warning.”

“I’d give everything to find someone like me.” Wilder scratched at his beard.

“Shouldn’t you be helping Knox at the bar?” I asked no one in particular.

We had agreed that Vesper and someone else would stay with me while I took care of the panther and my other mates would manage the bar. It wasn’t like we had a shortage of money, but if the bar was suddenly closed, it would lead to a lot of questions being asked, and that was the last thing Knox wanted.

The man had been poisoned with wolfsbane, which meant that he had to have been in danger. There was no way someone would willingly poison themselves, even when they were at the lowest.

So, Knox wanted everything to appear normal in case some strangers showed up and started asking questions about the panther currently in our living room.

“We should move him into the bedroom,” I suggested softly. “He’ll be much more comfortable.”

“He is fine where he is,” Knox growled as he appeared. “No moving him. It’ll give him the opportunity to snoop.”

My eyes narrowed, but I didn’t argue. Letting out another low growl, Seth grabbed the bowl and disappeared. Vesper made his way over to the window but then seemed to think better of it and moved to a darker corner of the room.

Wilder stepped closer to me and pulled me against his body, with my hand trapped between our bodies.

“Your shirt has blood stains on it,” he answered my unasked question through the mind-link. “If he sees it, he’ll carry the man out, healed or not.”

I reached up with my free hand and tugged on his beard. Winking, his eyes darted over to our alpha.

Knox stopped next to me, eyes darting over every inch of me, and then he reached out to brush his thumb under one eye.

“You’re getting some sleep tonight. Someone else will watch him and wake you if you’re needed.”

“Okay.”

His eyes narrowed.

“I am tired,” I told him. “And I need to be at my best in case something happens.”

Knox’s lips parted like he wanted to say more, but instead he stepped closer, gripped my chin, and tilted my head back to kiss me. When he broke away, I was panting and craving a lot more of his kisses. Smirking, he leaned towards Wilder, who was already waiting for his kiss.

My eyes locked on their lips as they kissed.

Wilder’s lips parted, and his tongue flicked out to trace the seam of Knox’s lips, but just as his lips parted to deepen the kiss, Wilder pulled away.

“Don’t you have work to do?” he asked huskily.

“I thought you were going to help me?” Knox tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in question.

“I’ve had enough of those stinky humans,” Wilder hissed. “I’ll stay here with my mate that smells like fresh flowers.”

I blushed and turned my head to hide my face against his chest. We’d had this conversation before already, and the last thing I wanted was to start it again, especially since I knew where we were going to end up.

“I’ll stay too,” Vesper said. “Seth can help you. He’s good with charming the customers. Maybe he can get them to leave sooner.”

Knox frowned, eyes focusing on him. “I don’t want to have to come up here to pull you off him.”

Rolling his eyes, Vesper got comfortable on his couch and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not hungry.”

“Liar.” Four voices echoed around the apartment.

He was learning, but unlike me, he was full-blooded, which meant his main source of food consisted of blood and the fresher, the better. Vesper had to feed at least three times a week, and his last feeding was two days ago.

I placed my hand on Knox’s chest to pull his attention towards me. “He’s okay.”

Cupping my cheek, he leaned forward to press a kiss to my forehead. Knox lingered until Seth pulled him away. The moment they disappeared, Wilder took a step back, making my eyes drop to the sleeve of my shirt.

“I’ll get it cleaned up,” I muttered, already moving towards the laundry room, but my steps faltered, eyes locking on the unconscious man.

“Go,” Wilder urged. “We got him.”

I bit my lip as I hesitated, but in the end, the fear of our alpha throwing the man out on the street had me moving. Entering the laundry room, I pulled off my shirt and started the familiar motions of cleaning the blood from the material. Thankfully, it didn’t have any time to soak in, so it was easy to get the stains out.

Rinsing it with some warm water in the sink, I wrung it out and then threw it into the washer with some other clothes. Just as I straightened, a roar filled the air, followed by something breaking. With my heart in my chest, I hurried towards the sound and froze at the scene that greeted me.