Linked
Chapter 5

Cristian thought he would go crazy when he saw the inert body of his partner on the floor covered in b***d. Her body vibrated so painfully that wolf went outside. Tearing his clothes on the way he ran in the direction of the man who had harmed his wife, his soul mate, his half, the person he had waited so long for. Rage, pain, hatred; a mixture of overflowing feelings clouded all sanity leading him down the abyss of revenge.

The aggressor turned quickly from shock and shot the animal without understanding the situation. The bullet scratched one of the front paws of the huge brown wolf, but a slight pain would not prevent it from reaching the throat of his aggressor.

The man reflexively dodged it barely, the animal’s speed was impressive considering the size of at least a meter in height. He had never seen such a large beast in all his years of experience. He backed up a step intimidated by the golden orbs injected with b***d and rage. The wolf economized its movements by analyzing him, its long fangs were visible due to the snarled fur on its muzzle, the wolf’s hairs bristled like metal spikes, giving it a more terrifying appearance than it already, in and of itself, had.

The wolf lunged again and the man raised his gun but the trigger jammed. It was only a matter of seconds before those fangs pierced the thin flesh of the neck.

Cristian had no regard for the body. He tore every fiber of flesh down to the chest where the heart was still beating, weak but alive. He didn’t hesitate, he didn’t think, he opened his mouth and tore it inside it. The pain blinded him, consumed him, taking away his breath and the strength to think and the death of that man barely brought a tenth of consolation. He put aside the motionless, lifeless body and approached his partner, preparing himself for the worst. If she was gone, he would accompany her.

He caressed with his nose the cheek practically hidden under the clump of messy hair, leaving a small stain. It still held warmth on her young, soft skin. A m**n of pain welled up in his throat and he touched her face again applying more force in an attempt to wake her, still hoping she was alive.

A small movement of her lips alerted him. Cristian raised his head and noticed her torso. It was slight but it moved. He returned to his human form and without having completed the transformation, he took her in his arms, pulled her close to him and felt the pulse in her neck. It was so faint that it frightened him, but deep down a sense of relief came over him only to be suppressed by despair. If he didn’t act fast, he would lose her this time. Taking what was left of his shirt, he wrapped it around her chest in an attempt to stop the b***d temporarily. He carried her to his car and deposited her in the back seat.

The minutes on the road between the small town and his condo seemed like forever. Despite stepping on the accelerator and going at top speed, it took him about 15 minutes. Serguei was waiting for him at the entrance, thanks to the call he had made on the way and as soon as he stopped, he saw how his alpha took Alisha in his arms and pulled her out of the car. Cristian growled unconsciously

-Calm down beta, I need you clear, we don’t have much time.

We don’t have much time, there is still hope to save her” The huge man turned and walked in large strides towards the interior of the mansion.

Cristian took the pants that one of his companions gave him, remembering that he had driven naked, he had barely noticed. His mind revolved only around the life of his partner. He ran upstairs ignoring the questions of the other residents and closed the door behind him as he entered the room.

-You need to bond with her,” his alpha snapped at him as he examined the wound.

-Serguei, that…” he closed his mouth at the sight of the man’s frown as he pulled Alisha’s clothes aside leaving her stained chest exposed.

-It’s the only method, it won’t be a complete link, but you have to bite her and give her your b***d, I’ll give her some of mine too, the wolf’s b***d will repair the damaged organs faster than her human body.

Cristian hesitated at first but he had to give in. He knew that this decision was going to cost him when his partner woke up, a woman as independent as her would go crazy if she was tied that way, but it was the only way to keep her in this world, and Serguei was selfish enough not to lose his right hand.

The beta reached over and gently pulled her up with the help of his alpha. Taking a deep breath, still hesitantly he let out his fangs and pronouncing the sacred promise mentally so fast he feared he was mistaken he buried the canines into Alisha’s white neck taking only minimal b***d but enough to entwine their bodies and leave the mark permanently on her skin. Then he tore himself away and brought his wrist to her lips. Tilting her head back, he let the red liquid enter her mouth. His partner’s limp but still warm lips reacted slightly and he breathed again, he was to enjoy these few minutes with her. He was sure that his actions would cost him dearly, even if he had saved her life. His hand was replaced by his alpha’s, minutes later, when weakness took over his limbs and he needed support to keep from falling off the bed.

Cristian felt dizzy after the process. He had lost quite a lot of b***d while he was giving it to her and as a consequence of the wound on his arm that was already barely a red line on his tanned skin. Much to his regret, he had to let Serguei settle her on the bed and cover her with a thick blanket. She didn’t like the idea of any of the men in the house near her, but she didn’t have the strength to get up and she knew that her alpha was only helping him. But still, he didn’t like it.

Dakota later entered the room reluctantly taking him to his own room on orders from his superior. He wanted, needed to be near his mate for when she woke up. He didn’t care about his current state, every cell in his body was filled with Alisha and the guilt of not being there during the attack.

His commander forced him to drink from her b***d to help him recover. As beta of the pack he was above him in the command line but out of respect for the person who was once his master, he would never challenge him, still Dakota had to put pressure on the back of his neck to get him to feed.