Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

RETH

It was a jolt when Elia reappeared, sitting on the ground. Their eyes met—hers full of love and adoration that mirrored his own for her. For a split-second his heart celebrated—she'd overcome the beast! But he remembered her need to be in beast form at the same moment she rolled back and clutched her body, screaming a blood-chilling cry of pain that had the people in a flurry—some fleeing the market, others rushing forward to help.

"STOP!" Reth roared, and everyone froze again, except Aymora who had run in behind him, and now dropped to Elia's side, her hands quickly and efficiently prodding Elia's stomach, as his mate screamed in pain. Reth fell to his knees beside her, but Aymora was already shaking her head.

"The babe is a cub and too large for her pelvis. We have to get her back to the cave, Reth. I'll have to help her with pain relief. Elia, Elia!" Aymora took Elia's face in her hands. "You must try to keep breathing and shift back. Shift back if you can, sweet girl. The beast's body can take this!"

Elia's scream ground out into a whimper and she sucked in, her voice trembling and hoarse. "I can't… I can't feel it… I didn't mean… to come back," she sobbed. "It… it left me."

Aymora sat back on her heels and Reth stared.

She couldn't be right. That couldn't be… it couldn't mean…

Then Aymora's head snapped to face him. "Get her to the cave. Now," she barked.

Reth didn't wait. He scooped Elia into his arms, grimacing at the cry she made when he moved her. For a moment he was frozen—to rush her back to the cave, which would jostle her more? Or to go more slowly so it was less painful?

"Now, Reth!" Aymora snapped. "Even if it hurts, get her there now—all my herbs are there. I can't help her with this here!"

"I'm so sorry, Love," Reth breathed, his lips against her hair as he whirled with her in his arms and sprinted out of the market, ignoring the hum and babble of the people, shocked and angry at the loss of one of the wolves, and completely confused by the sudden ability in their Queen to shift.

He prayed that Brant or some of the other elders were there and could inform the people. Though they'd have no clue why Elia had attacked that wolf.

Even Reth was utterly confused by that. But he knew his mate—if she'd done it, there was a reason. If it had been merely the lack of discipline of the beast, she would have attacked the first person she saw—not dashed through the crowd to pick out that male.

Elia's cries at the jolting were arrows to his heart, but he only pushed faster, doing his best to take the turns smoothly, but unable to stop her from feeling the brace of each step. She did, however, seem to know that he was helping. She'd curled in on herself, holding her stomach and weeping, her face turned to his chest, her tears wetting the front of his shirt.

"Hold on, Elia," he pleaded. "Hold on. Aymora can help."

A growl puttered in his throat—his beast instincts roaring that his mate was vulnerable and yet they ran unguarded, that he was not at his best, that danger could approach and he might not hear or see… but Reth fought it back and ran on.

At first he barely registered the vibrations of other footsteps—other running steps—along the trail with him. But then two forms appeared in his peripheral vision and their scents along with them—Behryn on one side, Brant on the other. Neither said a word, only ran alongside him, each scanning the forest and behind them, eyes of protection and solidarity.

Reth almost wept. He'd been so hard on his dear friends… he still felt the flare of anger, but he couldn't… he couldn't deny…

"Thank you," he croaked. Both the men nodded.

Reth didn't take his eyes off Elia, whose face was ghostly white. But his heart reached out to his brothers and he prayed the Creator would bless them for not leaving his side in this.

They bracketed him all the way through the forest, watching—Behryn with his spear free and ready in his hand—and Reth was so grateful.

The two didn't peel off until they reached the meadow, then Behryn slowed to circle back to the sentries, and Brant followed, but eased back to allow Reth into the cave first.

When he reached the cave mouth, Reth didn't slow until he was inside the Great Room and had to take the turn into the tunnel for the bedchamber.

He had pushed himself as fast as he was capable, and he was breathing heavily by the time they reached it. With a broken sob, Reth eased Elia onto the furs as gently as he was capable, then pulled one of them over her because her skin felt so cold.

"Shhhhhh, Love. We're home. You can rest."

Elia's entire body shook, her fingers and feet rigid as she held herself against the pain and tried not to sob. Reth kept himself low, leaning down against the sleeping platform so they were eye to eye. He stroked her hair back from her face and whispered comfort, heaving with relief as Aymora rushed in behind them and straight to the dresser where she'd set up her tools and herbs.

"I'm going to help her with the pain, Reth, but this… this isn't ideal. Anything we can do to help her shift back… that's our best way forward."

"She can barely breathe, Aymora—I don't care what you have to do, you help her."

Aymora shot him a look that he ignored, but she hurriedly sprinkled some powders together into her palm, then spat into them, mixing them with a finger.

She rushed to Elia's other side, leaning over the platform. "Elia, open your mouth. I'm going to put some herbs on your gums. They will be bitter, but they'll help with the pain."

Elia groaned, but opened her mouth and turned her head towards Aymora, who hurriedly fingered the paste up under Elia's lip and along her cheeks.

Then, with a heavy sigh, Aymora straightened and walked calmly back to the dresser to use water and a rag to clean her hand.

Reth watched her, but Aymora didn't turn and his impatience broke through.

"What now?" he growled, still stroking Elia's hair as she panted heavily, wheezing against the pain.

But Aymora didn't answer.

*****

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