The world around me was hazy and dark, feeling like it only half existed. Conrad’s warmth tried to fight the cold spreading through my limbs, but it was no use.
I shivered and trembled, lost in the pain until I felt the press of something sharp at my wrist.
My vision cleared enough to know it was West, his lips parted over the delicate skin. He was poised to bite—to mark me and claim me like Benjamin had.
No. He can’t.
I tried to tug my wrist away, but he held fast. Watching me intently, he pressed his teeth down, almost breaking the skin.
“Don’t!” I croaked. “I’m dying.”
“This is the only chance for us to save you.” Conrad’s lips pressed against my neck, the opposite side from where Benjamin had left his unwanted bite.
“I’ll still die.”
This pain was too much for me to live through. Our original plan had hinged on them being my pack before my bondmate died—it wouldn’t work this way.
If they bonded me and I died anyway, they would all know the pain of losing a mate. I didn’t want to put them through it.
“You’re ours.” Mercer pressed his lips to my shoulder, the same side as Benjamin’s mark but further down. “Our scent match. Now and always. If we can’t save you, I’ll gladly accept the pain.”
Scent… match?
No, that wasn’t true.
Benjamin had been…
But he was dead.
I inhaled deeply. The first scent that hit me was the coppery smell of blood, the stale aroma of cucumber and moss. Then, three comforting, familiar scents. Autumn leaves, sandalwood and brown sugar, wool and smoke.
All stronger than they’d ever been before.
All with a hint of cranberries and roses.
All mine.
I sobbed. “You still can’t?—”
West’s teeth sank into my wrist before I could finish the denial. A new bond burst into life, bright and hopeful. Conrad bit me next, and I felt his connection like a flow of fresh air through me. Mercer was last, his bond grounding and stabilizing me.
The pain of my broken bond flowed through me to them. My pain became shared, and they didn’t so much as flinch.
“Will you claim us too, sweetheart?” Mercer asked. “Without complete bonds, you might not have a chance.”
If it had been anyone else, I would have hesitated. Benjamin had used our bond to hurt me. He’d died to kill me with it, and giving another alpha that power… was terrifying.
But my pack weren’t just my scent matches. They were risking a life with broken bonds to save me when we had no clue if it would work.
I would give myself the best chance to live through this.
For myself… and for them.
Reaching up with a trembling hand, I pulled Mercer’s head down to mine. I pressed a kiss to his cheek, then trailed my lips to his neck. I bit down, and the bond strengthened, the threads connecting us becoming a thick rope.
He kissed my cheek before pulling away, guiding me toward Conrad next. A blanket of autumn leaves laid over me as he eagerly bared his throat.
I would have laughed at his eagerness if we’d been in any other situation. Instead, I managed a smile, biting down as Conrad growled.
