He Will Be Mine

Chapter 72: Alpha's Prize

*** Tyler's POV ***

I can tell that Matt feels just as broken and lost as I do as we stand beside Aly's hospital bed in the pack infirmary, waiting to hear back from the doctor who has been tending to her. She said a bit ago that all signs and symptoms point to wolfsbane poisoning, and she also seems concerned about the hole in Aly's side where one of those weird weapons pierced her with a nasty hook-like projectile.

Apparently, if it were a normal wound, Aly's werewolf healing would have taken care of it for the most part. Instead, it's still there, refusing to stop bleeding, and Aly said it burns like nothing she's ever felt before. Doc said the projectile was probably made of silver, or at least tipped with it.

This isn't the way I wanted to find out that the lore I've read about werewolf weaknesses is true. Not when it's my Aly's weaknesses someone was trying to exploit. Just the thought of that mangy mutt still makes my blood boil.

I guess I must be growling again because Matt puts a hand on my shoulder and whispers, "Settle down. You're scaring the human."

I wish someone could explain to me why in the heck a human is even here in the first place. She was already here when we arrived with Aly, tucked into bed just two beds down from where the medics told us to put Aly. I've never seen her before, but the guy with her seems vaguely familiar to me. I can't place him, though.

"That's Nick," Aly croaks out from next to me.

I didn't even know she was still awake. She's had her eyes closed for a little while now, just lying back all pale and frail-looking against the pillows. I've never seen her like this before, and it bothers me beyond measure. The stupid thing is I can't help blaming myself. I never should have left her side in the first place, and I knew it.

She must be paying attention to me, though. She seems to have noticed that I was eyeballing the guy with the human girl, trying to sort out where I know him from.

"Nick Burroughs," the guy confirms from across the bed next to us. "Youngest brother of Alpha Jesse Burroughs of Silver Crescent."

He sighs dejectedly, letting his head drop slightly before quietly adding, "And the guy who is basically responsible for all this," as he gestures around the room at all the injured warriors and medical teams scurrying about.

I can feel my jaw clench as I grind my teeth together, fighting back the urge to do much worse. Yell, scream, lunge across the bed to rip the guy's throat out, I don't even care. I hate every part of everything he just said. Alpha Jesse? The guy who lets his pack bully Matt's and my grandparents. Silver Crescent? The pack that ruined my family. And responsible for this? I don't even care what he means by that. It's infuriating.

Not just because of Aly, either. Assigned to the bed next to her is Ryan, one of my best friends, and he could have died today. He almost did. Doc said he should make a full recovery in time, but it was almost too late by the time he got here. He lost a lot of blood and needed an emergency surgery to put him back together. And his injury was what led to Aly getting captured, according to her. Not that any of us will ever tell him that. Wasn't his fault. But this Nick guy? I hate him.

"Nick?" Aly questions weakly, sounding as though she feels betrayed by his confession.

She must know this guy and consider him a friend, which makes me like him even less. How could he do this to her?

"It wasn't my intention," Nick explains in his defense. "Things got out of hand, when I was only trying to ... actually, I shouldn't be having this conversation here. I promise I'll tell you everything, but I need to speak to Alpha Kane first."