Part 11
Protect the Mate
Wolf cries echoed throughout the clearing then and Pack Dalton seemed to be everywhere. Other people were running away, so much for the Wild Wolf Pack.
But where was Hunter's mate? The bond seemed frantic and weak. Hunter had sensed Sebastian's presence the moment he'd gotten close, it was why he was able to call his beast back and keep Damien from killing Kurt. But Sebastian had jumped…there was gunfire!
"Sebastian!" His mate was still in wolf form and even with his human nose, Hunter could smell blood. His mate had been shot trying to protect him! "Sebastian…no…" Hunter felt real fear coursing through his body as the bond between them became weaker. Sebastian shifted then, laying in the grass bleeding and naked. "Sebastian!" His mate had taken a bullet for him. 'Protect the mate.'
Instinct kicked in then and Hunter's canines elongated, along with the change in his eyes. 'You won't go alone. You won't die alone.' Tears stung Hunter's eyes as he sank his teeth into Sebastian's neck and shoulder. If he wasn't acting on instinct, he wouldn't have known what to do, but the marking came as freely as it would have if he were full wolf. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks as he tasted Sebastian's blood. 'Don't die. Don't leave me. Please! Take me with you. I don't want to be without you!'
It wasn't until Hunter felt a hand on the back of his head that he pulled the wolf back and let go of Sebastian's shoulder. The hand was Blaine's. "Let me help him! Hunter. I can save him, okay?" Hunter moved back slowly and felt a coat being slipped over his bare shoulders. Blaine, who was also really naked, was saying something about bandages and a fast evacuation. "Hunter marked him, but I don't see any signs of healing. I have no way of knowing how bad it is until we get him to the ER."
Hunter's chest hurt badly, even with the mark, Sebastian wasn't drawing any life force from his mate. Why? Maybe Hunter's half-bred wolf wasn't capable of that? Hunter let the sting of disappointment set in. He'd finally started to think in terms of 'we' and not 'I' when it came to Sebastian. Now that fragile bridge he'd built was being tested.
"You're bleeding too."
Hunter snapped his head in the direction of the voice. Wes stood there with his arms crossed, just looking at him. "It's not mine."
"You can control that wolf of yours?"
"I think I can…if Sebastian…I mean, I did. Because of him. I never..." It was too hard to admit that he needed someone, so Hunter watched as Pack Dalton took charge of the entire situation, and he changed the subject. "What's going to happen to him? Damien? Will he be turned over to the FBI?"
"Worse." Wes said casually. "The North American Allied packs have major questions for him. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."
"He's a murderer…" Hunter bit out. "He killed my parents."
"He's killed a lot of people. You aren't the only wolf who wants justice." Wes put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Be patient. It'll come."
Come to think of it, Hunter had killed too. "The Wild Wolves…" he said slowly.
"Died in the service of madman and threatened two members of my pack." Wes replied simply. "If you hadn't stopped or if you had harmed Kurt, I would be far more concerned. But you pulled your wolf back before things got out of hand."
"Will he be ok?" Sebastian was being loaded into a truck. No way was Hunter not going with his mate right now!
"As long as you are. Yes. I think he will. It's not easy to kill a newly mated wolf. It's not impossible either. You'd better go." Hunter didn't turn around to acknowledge Wes. He simply followed loaded into the truck holding Sebastian and slid up close to his mate, wanting to bury himself in the scent. Why wasn't his mate healing? "Tell me what to do Blaine. How do I help him?"
"Just try." Blaine had a stethoscope and was listening to Sebastian's lungs.
Grabbing Sebastian's hand, Hunter felt tears roll down his cheeks for the first time in a very long time. "Please be ok? Please don't leave me?"