Claimed by the Alpha || Bang Chan

Chapter 7: Not Again

"Please. I can't lose you. Not again.

Bang Chan's words are distant as I slip in and out of consciousness...so distant they could be a dream...

Again?

The forest is clear above me, then there is only darkness...the pack house, I.N crying, darkness again...

"Save her. You have to."

Bang Chan's voice pulls me back. I'm stripped on a table at the pack house, Bang Chan standing over me with a man I don't recognize.

"Hold her still."

"What are you–"

"I need to stop the bleeding and stitch the wound. There's no time for anesthesia."

Bang Chan bends down, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm right here, (Y/N). It's going to be okay."

"B-Bang Chan...don't let go. Please. I feel..."

"I won't. I've got you. I promise."

I feel a sharp pain in my abdomen and I scream, gritting my teeth.

"(Y/N)!" Bang Chan calls my name in fear.

"I said hold her still!" the man demands.

Bang Chan's hold on me tightens. Through his hands, our true mate bond finds me, hot and familiar.

"Please, (Y/N)..."

For a fleeting moment, I feel my strength return and the unbearable pain dulls.

Is he...trying to help me? Or am I just imagining it?

I try to hold still, but a blinding pain makes me arch my back, loosening Bang Chan's grip. The heat from his hands dies down and the pain returns in full force. I cry out.

"You can use your bond to ease her pain, Bang Chan, but only if she allows it." the man informs.

Bang Chan tightens his grip again. I look up into his eyes. They gleam not with magic, but with fear, desperation, and...

"(Y/N), please...you have to let me in. You have to trust me. It won't work if you don't."

I feel the soothing warmth of Bang Chan's bond attempt to tickle back in, blocked by something I put in place.

"Trust me. Let me in."

"Okay."

My voice comes out dry and weak, even to my own ears. But it's enough. Bang Chan smiles, his presence like a pillar as he squeezes my hand.

"Thank you."

The warmth comes in waves each wash upon the shore lapping away the pain. I feel the doctor work, I feel odd movement in my abdomen, but I don't feel any discomfort.

"I didn't know this was possible."

"It's a bond between both of us, remember? It goes both ways.

Bang Chan gives me a small, encouraging smile.

"You're my true mate, (Y/N). But don't forget that I'm yours."

Heat blooms in my chest, startling me. It's not from the surgery, or the bond... After what seems like only minutes, the doctor stops.

"She's stable. Let's get her to a bed."

"Okay."

Bang Chan lifts me effortlessly in his arms. I knot a hand in his shirt. I turn my face into Bang Chan's shoulder, holding onto him with both hands. He holds me closer, his lips brushing the top of my head.