Nico spotted the mark on my neck, and all the colour drained from his face. His fists relaxed, and he stared at his daughter as Conrad carried her out of the van.
“Get her inside, immediately.” Jurah came up behind his packmate, shouting the order. “The doctor is waiting in her bedroom.”
Conrad nodded, holding her gingerly as he kicked up into a jog. I made sure Mercer got out of the van without needing help, then ran after him with my packmate by my side.
Her entire family crowded around as the doctor checked her over. He attached various machines to her, checking vital signs and hormone levels. More blood was sent away for additional tests.
By the time he’d completed his assessment, his eyebrows were drawn together in confusion.
“You said her bondmate died?” he asked.
I nodded.
“And you weren’t bonded to her until after that bond broke?”
“Exactly,” Mercer said. “We bonded her right after we realized he was dead.”
“That’s curious.”
“Curious isn’t a diagnosis,” Lavinia snapped. “Is she going to be alright, or not?”
The doctor cleared his throat, glancing around the full room. “I can’t make any guarantees, but her vitals are promising. They’re far better than they should be for an omega who lost her sole alpha.”
“We’re scent matched to her.” Conrad stroked his fingers through her hair. “Could that have something to do with it?”
“It certainly could. I’ve never personally overseen a case like this before. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to do some additional research. Miss Talia should wake up soon, once the IV fluids have rejuvenated her a bit.”
He left the room, and everyone stared at Talia’s sleeping form until Violet awkwardly cleared her throat. “It might be best if we don’t crowd her.”
Talia’s mom managed a small smile as she hung on Hart’s arm. “You’re right. She needs her mates to be with her for her recovery, but having everyone here when she wakes up would be overwhelming. Let’s go, all.”
Jurah helped her usher everyone out. Before he left, he gave us each a firm look. “The second she wakes up, you tell us.”
“Of course, Sir.” Mercer nodded. “We’ll let you know.”
The silence felt deafening with only the four of us in here. I wanted to shower off the day, but not as much as I needed to stay by her side. We all stripped down to our underwear and curled around our omega in the nest.
Until she woke up, all we could do for her was skin-on-skin contact and constant purrs.
“West?” Talia’s rough voice woke me from my attempt at a nap.
It had been hours of her unconscious, with us passing her back and forth so we could tend our bondmarks and scent mark her sallow skin. I had her wrist against my lips, the mark healing rapidly under my care. Her body was draped over mine.
When I looked down, I found her eyes half-lidded, but open. My grip on her tightened. “Fuck, little omega. You’re awake.”
“Talia?” Conrad shifted himself closer to us, draping his hand over her. “Took you long enough to wake up, princess.”
She laughed softly. “My bad. How long was I out?”
“Few hours,” Mercer grunted. “Maybe more. How do you feel?”
She cuddled against me. I licked my bondmark on her wrist again, giving it more of the proper tending. I felt our bond pulse and grow stronger as she gave a content little groan and relaxed into the touch.
“Better, now that I’m bonded to you three,” she whispered.
I tried not to clutch her too tightly. I could easily hurt her accidentally if I wasn’t careful, but it was hard not to tighten my grip. She was awake and talking, which was more than I’d dared to hope for when Benjamin died.
“We’ll take care of you, sweetheart.” Mercer brushed a strand of hair away from her shoulder, kissing the bite he’d left there. “Keep your bonds open and share all of your pain with us, OK?”
