Claws & Crochet

Part 71

WARNER

I shove through the front glass doors to the emergency care, hating the sterile smell of the place and how it dampens Zoey's trail. The minute I pulled into the parking lot; I knew Raider was right. Zoey is here.

And she's bleeding.

A young nurse sits at the front desk, and her eyes widen at my abrupt arrival. I don't stop to ask her directions. The place is small, and I know exactly which way to go.

"Not another one. Sir! It's already too—" The swinging doors that lead back to the treatment area cut her off.

The space full of medical devices sends me back to the night I revealed my true self to Zoey. A whisper of fear at the memory of the dead look in her eyes creeps through me. I thought I might have lost her then.

Please tell me I'm not going to lose her now.

Despite the place being empty of other patients, I can't see Zoey right away. There's a human wall between the two of us.

"Where is she?" Again, I'm coming at the Gunner brothers all aggression, the words low and rumbling with a growl I can't keep contained.

Three of them whirl around, clearly shocked by my sudden appearance, but Abram keeps his gaze on his sister. And with their turning I finally catch a glimpse of her.

She's sitting up on the bed. That's where the good news ends.

"Warner!" At the sight of her pained smile, my frantic anger gets pushed aside by my helpless worry.

"Zoey." Before her family can decide if they want to keep acting the human barrier, I'm stepping between them, reaching for her. Only, my hands hover an inch away worried about causing additional pain. "What happened?"

She's covered in scratches, most just tiny abrasions, but there's a thick one at the base of her neck, and there look to be hastily tied bandages around spots on her arms and her legs. Bandages with growing red stains. The beginnings of bruises shadow her forehead, cheek, elbows and knees. One ankle has started to swell, and she holds one arm to her chest, the angle of it off.

These aren't the signs of a small stumble. Whatever I missed looks to have barely gotten away without killing the woman I love.

I love.

I love her. And here she is, broken and bloody from some mystery event. If I don't find out who or what hurt her soon, the violence boiling in my brain might find an unintended target.

"Here. Could you hold this one? It doesn't hurt as much." Zoey offers her left hand to me, and I accept it, cradling her palm as carefully as I would a baby chick.

"Did someone attack you?" A trembling starts in my chest, the product of barely contained rage. My wolf wants to break free and lay waste to the world.

She looks surprised and confused. "What? No. I fell."

"You fell?" I finally tear my eyes away from her for a moment, only to give Abram the most disgusted, hate-filled glare I can manage.

The excuse for her injures is the oldest in the book when it comes to abuse.

Brother or not, when I discover which one of these men hurt Zoey, he'll be lucky if I only kill him.

The blonde man seems upset, returning my angry scowl with a tense jaw and helpless eyes. "She did fall."

"And who the fuck helped her?" I hiss.

Zoey snatches her hand back from mine, and I'm not surprised. I don't recognize myself in this moment. When I turn my head, planning to apologize for scaring her, a palm meets my face.

But not in a slap, like I deserve. Instead, Zoey smooths her hand over my cheek, petting me.

"Calm down. It's okay. I'm okay." Again, she gives me an attempt at a smile, but I can see her pain in the expression.

I huff out a humorless laugh. "Hell, Zoey. You look like you got into a brawl with a wild animal. You are not okay."

She trails her fingers over my face again, the tips of them tangling in my hair. "Well, I'll be okay. It's just some bruises. A cut or two."

"All right. We've clearly surpassed the acceptable amount of protectors." A doctor whose name I can't remember, speaks with a loud, commanding tone as he maneuvers between two of Zoey's brothers, rolling a tray in front of him that contains some wicked looking curved needles.

How often did she get stitched up before coming to Pine Falls? Because here it seems to be happening every other day.

"We have a very comfortable waiting room, and I'm sure nurse Laura would be happy to brew some tea for you all while you wait." The doctor tilts his head toward the doors I recently burst through, and I spot the curly-haired nurse glaring daggers at me.

Funny, before I fell for Zoey, I was much better at getting people to like me.

"We're not going anywhere." Abram declares, all the brothers nodding in agreement.

The doctor, who I see now is wearing a name tag that declares him as Dr. Briggs, doesn't seem intimidated by the blonde giant's glower.

"Yes. You are. This is my treatment area, and to give your sister proper care I need you all out of my way." As Abram moves to argue, Dr. Briggs holds up a staying hand. "I'm not heartless. Miss. Gunner can choose one of you to stay with her if she wants a companion."

"I'll stay." Her oldest brother says the words faster than I can think them. Just as I'm about to step into his space, Zoey slides her hand back into mine.

"Abram." She says, gaining his attention immediately. "I appreciate the offer, but you're getting too intense. You're making me nervous. Warner is going to stay with me."

A prideful warmth fills my chest.

Of course, Abram doesn't simply accept that.