“Hey, Belle.” She tried to smile as Adrian’s face swam into view, but just couldn’t manage it. “Looks

like you’re definitely one of the Pack.”

She frowned.

“I’m still standing. Ben isn’t. Last I saw Rick was helping him to a seat. What did you do, anyway? Try

to move?”

She nodded feebly. She’d forgotten the Marshall would feel her pain. Poor Ben. She wouldn’t wish thison anyone, not even Gina.

Okay.Maybe  Gina.

“Don’t. Rick is already fighting his Wolf tooth and nail. As soon as Ben hit the ground he nearly lost.

Can you imagine a red Wolf running through Halle General?”

“Which one of you screamed at him?”

Adrian made a face. “Max. He’s feeling a little protective right now, and Emma decided to get in Rick’s

face over the second mate thing.”

Belle winced. When Emma decided to let go, most people knew to duck. Rick, however, wouldn’t.

He’d go toe-to-toe with the Little General, which would only succeed in pissing Max off. “Send him in.”

Adrian left. Belle closed her eyes and concentrated on not passing out. Nausea rose up in a wave as herhip throbbed in time to her heartbeat.

“Just answer one question. Why?”

Belle looked up into Rick’s furious face. His voice was quietly lethal, and his eyes were brown. “Whywhat?”

His expression tightened, his fangs dropping as he growled. “Why didn’t you talk to me first?”

She licked her lips. Her mouth was dry as cotton, and tasted horrible. “Why didn’tyou  ?”

He took a deep breath, throwing his head back. She knew he was struggling to keep his Wolfcontained. “Belle.”

“I am yourLuna  , Rick.” She was losing her battle with the pain. Soon she’d have no choice but to summon a nurse. “You can’t keep things from me that affect the Pack, not if you want me to actuallybe the Luna.”

He studied her, his expression closed off, and her heart sank. He didn’t understand what she was tryingto do, and she was in too much pain to make him see it. “Do you want me to stay?”

His cold, formal wording hurt. “You have to do what your duty compels you to do.”

Anger flashed across his face before he visibly forced it back. “I’ll return for you tomorrow, after I getover the urge to strangle you.”

She opened her mouth to respond, only to have her words cut off by his mouth descending on hers in adesperate kiss that told her exactly how scared he’d been. She reached up, careful not to jar her hip, andthreaded her fingers through his hair. Whisper soft, it fell around her, cocooning her in his scent until shefelt safer than she’d ever been.

His mouth lifted abruptly from hers and he strode from the room, tension thickening the set of hisshoulders.

No!She resisted the urge to cry out to him, knowing he needed a little time to sort things out in his ownmind. But, damn it, sheneeded him!

He paused in the doorway, his shoulders slumping as he turned back to her. The agony on his facereflected the agony in her body. He walked slowly towards her bed, his gaze never leaving her face, andpulled up a chair next to the bed, as close as he could get and still sit in it. Once in the chair, he picked upher hand and held it until the painkiller the nurse injected into her IV tipped her over into sleep. His gentlekiss on her palm was the last thing she knew.

“I still say you’ve pulled some stupid stunts, but this one takes the fucking cake.”

“Look, we both know why I did this. Do youwant  Gina’s socks sharing space with ours? And didn’t

we already have this argument?”

Rick set her down on the huge sofa, carefully unwinding the blanket from around her shoulders. Nomatter how careful he was, she still hissed in pain. He was afraid if he heard that sound one more time hewould break.

The drive from Halle had been painful for all of them. Ben had ridden shotgun, Chela taking the seatfurthest in the back. Belle had had the entire middle seat to herself.

By the time they got back, Ben and Chela were both pale and sweating. Belle never spoke, onlywhimpering occasionally when Rick was forced to go over a rough patch in the long drive up themountain.

Chela had immediately gone up to her cabin, claiming a splitting headache. Ben had headed straight forthe bathroom in the lobby. Rick had the sick feeling Ben had gone there to throw up. He’d felt relievedwhen he saw Dave following Ben, a concerned look on his Beta’s face.

Belle smiled at him, a pale imitation of the expression he’d grown to love. “Can I have something todrink, please?”

Rick examined her face. Lines of strain were visible around her mouth and eyes, dark circles standing instark contrast to the paleness of her skin. “Do you need a painkiller, my Luna?”

When she bit her lip and nodded he headed straight for the kitchen. He poured her a glass of water andgrabbed the prescription he’d had filled against her protests.

He closed his eyes, the memory of her lying in that hospital bed overwhelming him. He didn’t think he’dever be able to tell her how he sat there, long after she’d gone to sleep, terrified of moving in case it hurther. The big bad Alpha of the Poconos Wolf Pack had held his mate’s hand and cried as quietly as hecould, not wanting to disturb her in even the slightest way.

For a moment he thought he might wind up joining Ben in worshipping the porcelain god.

He’d known even before she’d left for Halle what his decision would be, but watching her moan in pain,through sleep and morphine, had merely cemented his determination.

Gina could go fuck herself. He was done. This was the last time the Pack was going to come betweenhim and his mate.

He carried the medicine back to the living room, stifling a grin. She’d put on some reality TV programand was growling at the contestants.

“What are you doing?”

She made a face. “Would you look at that?”

He turned and saw what looked like a runway. A woman, model thin, was walking down it wearing thefrumpiest outfit he’d ever seen in his life.What the hell?  “I’d rather not.”

“The challenge was to design something for a hot twenty-something out on the town. Instead this idiot

designed something my Great Aunt Bertha would be proud to wear.”

“Great Aunt Bertha?”

“Yeah, she was a real looker back in the thirties.”