Rebirth of the Alpha's Slave Mate (Samantha and Kade) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Tyler’s POV

“We found her like this.” The old woman stepped out of the way, letting Tyler get a closer look at Elena. “With a knife in her chest-a knife we believe to be tipped with poison.”

Tyler’s heart sank, all pretense of anger at the rogues suddenly slipping away when he saw Elena laying there. She looked so pale, so small and fragile. She was on the brink of death.

“Elena…” Tyler stumbled over and dropped to his knees beside her. His hands hovered over her uncertainly, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch her for fear of harming her further.

The knife was buried all the way to the hilt in her chest; it was clearly intended for her heart, but Tyler knew enough about biology to know that the attacker had missed. They’d stabbed her just to the right of her heart. Just enough to keep her alive.

And the poison… Tyler could tell that it had already worked its way through her system. Her skin was pale and clammy, a fine sheen of sweat coating her brow. Her eyes were sunken and ringed with dark circles that hadn’t been there the last time he had seen her. Her face was gaunt and each shallow breath she drew in was accompanied by a faint rattling sound.

“How is she still alive…?” Tyler whispered, confused. For all intents and purposes, Elena should have been dead. Even though the knife had missed her heart, she had clearly still been poisoned. It didn’t make any sense.

“Her Silver Wolf put her into stasis.” Tyler’s wolf sounded sure of this. “She’s just barely hanging on, but not for much longer without proper healing.”

Tyler looked up at the rogues surrounding him. Several warriors, mostly male and a few female. And then the old woman. He didn’t understand why they were helping Elena. She would have been an easy meal for them.

“Why are you helping her?” Tyler asked warily, standing.

The old woman stepped forward. “She helped us once. But now is not the time.” Two males strode over with a makeshift stretcher that they’d cobbled together from the old woman’s shawl and two branches. “We should get her to our camp. It’s not far. There, we might be able to heal her.”

Tyler exchanged an uncertain glance with Lana. These were rogues-he wasn’t sure if he could trust them.

But Tyler had always known that rogues weren’t all barbarians and murderers like so many wanted to believe. These people seemed genuinely intent on helping Elena, and in her current state, Tyler knew that he couldn’t help her on his own. If they thought they could help her, then he would let them try

“Lead the way,” he said.

The rogues carefully moved Elena to the stretcher. She didn’t stir as they lifted her and carried her through the woods, taking care not to bump or jostle her. Tyler didn’t even dare to hold her hand for fear of making her condition worse.

They arrived at the camp a few minutes later. It was just a few tents and a fire pit, but there were several other people sitting around. They all leapt to their feet when they saw the group coming. Someone gasped, “The Silver girl!”

+25 Bonus

The old woman and a few others ushered Elena into a nearby tent. Tyler wanted to follow, but the old woman implored him to wait outside while they carefully worked on her wounds. Tyler was left standing there, unable to sit down or focus on anything but Elena.

He paced outside the tent, gnawing on his fingernails until they cracked and splintered. All the while, Tyler wondered who had done this to Elena, and why. And most of all: would she survive?

Thankfully, the entire time, he felt her pulse faintly thrumming through their bond. At least there was the comfort of knowing that she was alive. But for now long?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the old woman called Tyler into the tent. Tyler ducked inside, finding Elena still unconscious, but the knife had been removed from her chest and she’d been wrapped with bandages. The air smelled like some kind of herbal poultice. Upon closer inspection, Tyler could see black marks spiderwebbing out from beneath her bandage. The poison.

“We managed to remove the knife without too much blood loss,” the old woman explained as Tyler knelt beside Elena. “Whoever left it in her chest likely saved her by not removing it. But the poison is still affecting her body.”

“Will it kill her?” Tyler choked out.

The old woman sighed. “As of right now, our poultice stopped the flow of the poison. I think it was made by an inexperienced person, so it wasn’t as potent as it should have been. But we don’t know much about healing. It was really your Silver girl who knew the most. This is all we can do.”

Tyler furrowed his brow. Noticing his confusion, another woman explained, “We were going to eat her, but she healed my son.”

“Oh.” Tyler’s throat bobbed at the thought of Elena nearly being eaten by rogues; would that have been her fate had she not had this ability of hers? But now wasn’t the time for speculation. He turned to the old woman. “I need to take her back to my pack. The healers there might be able to save her.”

Nodding, the old woman stood and followed Tyler out of the tent. They found Lana standing by the fire pit, and with her help and the help of some warriors, they placed Elena on the stretcher again.

It took a long time to carry her back to the truck, but somehow, they managed. The entire camp followed this time, murmuring amongst themselves. By the time they reached the car, Tyler had made a decision.

“Come with us,” he said, turning to address all of them. “You can ride in the back of my truck.’

The rogues looked around warily. Lana glanced up at Tyler, uncertain but also a little intrigued.

“You can join Nightshade pack,” Tyler clarified. “For your help today, I will ensure my father, the Alpha, grants you all the status of Omega in the pack. You don’t have to be rogues anymore.”

The rogues murmured excitedly at that. They then loaded Elena carefully into the back seat, strapping her in with the seatbelts. Everyone climbed in anywhere they could fit, and Tyler turned the car toward Nightshade.

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