Chapter 19

Kara's POV

I arrived back at the hospital just as Hunter had gotten settled in the recovery unit after his surgery.

Unable to stand the idea of staying in the waiting room, I’d left as soon as they wheeled him toward the operating room.

There was nothing I could do at the hospital. But I could investigate the rogue attack.

And I had a lot to tell Hunter about. I hoped he’d be awake when I got there. Serious injuries or no, this couldn’t wait.

I stopped at the nurse’s station to ask if he was awake, and met the doctor who had asked me to sign the consent form.

He looked at me oddly, with a hint of pity in his eyes.

“What’s wrong,” I asked quickly. “He’s not—?”

The top of my head went numb with panic. I knew the injuries were serious enough that he needed surgery, but everyone had seemed confident that he’d be fine as they wheeled him away.

If I hadn’t been here and he—

“He’s recovering well,” the doctor said quickly.

I almost crumpled to the floor with relief.

“The femoral was partially severed, but whoever treated him in the field applied the tourniquet expertly and just in time. He would have died without that. There’s likely some nerve damage from the other lacerations, but we won’t know the extent of that until he recovers. Considering what could have happened, he’s fine.”

I exhaled. I wasn’t sure why he was still looking at me like he felt sorry for me, given that Hunter was okay. I ignored it, thanked him, and walked into Hunter’s room.

Maya was perched on Hunter’s hospital bed, stroking his forehead.

Ah. The doctor wasn’t worried about Hunter, but about the fact that a married man was being attended to by another woman in such an overtly intimate manner.

I sighed and lingered behind the curtain by the door, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

“It’s okay,” he was saying to her. “It wasn’t your fault.” He was using the same gentle tones I’d seen him speak to her with several times.

It was still a strange sensation to watch him talk to her like that. It was hard to make my image of him as strong, authoritative, and no-nonsense align with such gentleness.

She blinked up at him from under her long lashes.

“It is my fault. If I hadn’t suggested I come, they wouldn’t have targeted the car, and you would be fine.”

“I am fine,” he said calmly. “No lasting harm done.”

“And the doctor wouldn’t have thought—”

“What?”

“That Kara was your wife.”

“Just a stupid mistake,” he said lightly.

Maya cleared her throat. When she spoke, her tone was firmer. Less whiny and more insistent.

“But it does seem like you and Kara are suited to each other. You work so seamlessly together. And she’s so much more capable than I am—almost like she’s already your Luna.”

I guessed the black card incident had made an impression on her. She certainly seemed more suspicious than she had been before this point. Even though there had been many hints about Hunter and I.

His voice was cold and authoritative when he replied.

“Kara will never be my Luna. Even if I wanted her, a Delta is forbidden from having inappropriate relations with an Alpha. When an Alpha finds their mate, any Delta involved must be immediately reassigned or dismissed.”

She rested her head on his chest and didn’t speak. It seemed that his words had placated her.

For now at least.

I cleared my throat and stepped into the room.

“Sorry,” I said. “But I have the report from my investigation into the attack.”

Maya opened her mouth. I wondered if she was about to ask me to leave the room and what Hunter would do if she did.

He spoke first, though.

“Maya, give us a minute and go get the doctor for me.”

“But—” she said, but trailed off when she looked into his face.

She clambered off his bed and walked into the hallway, casting glances over her shoulder as she went.

He looked expectantly up at me.

“I reviewed the security footage of the attack, and they were extremely well-trained. Their attacking formation was technically perfect, and it seems to have been a well-planned attack. Almost the same M.O. as last time as well, hitting you while traveling by car in a small group, and with Maya there. There’s someone in our office who’s passing information to them. There has to be. Because just like the first time, we didn’t decide on our movements until 10 minutes earlier. Did you ever get those phone records from the delta office last time?”

He looked slightly sheepish. It was a very unfamiliar expression on his face.

“I forgot, actually—I’ll get them as soon as I get out of here.”

“No problem, but I’m stuck on how else to figure out who was passing the information along. The other thing is your injuries. I’m assuming you again didn’t phase, and protected Maya rather than fighting?”

He nodded, his jaw set firmly as if daring me to challenge his decision making.

“They were well-trained enough that they must have intended to capture rather than kill. If they’d wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

He paused, brow furrowed as he seemed to think about what this meant.

“Have someone investigate the tattoos,” he said. “Between the matching tattoos and the skilled attack, they don’t have the usual characteristics of a group of rogues. I think that’s the key.”

I agreed.

Maya burst back into the room, leading the doctor.

“He needs his bandages changed,” she said briskly, moving to hover over Hunter.

She glanced at the doctor as she brushed the hair from Hunter’s brow and asked if he needed her to get him anything.

It seemed to be driving her crazy that the doctor had thought I was Hunter’s wife.

I took pity on her and left the room, waving to Hunter as I did so and assuring him I’d see to the next phase of the investigation.

I paused in the lobby, though. In the worry about the attack and its immediate aftermath, I hadn’t called the pack school stakeholders to cancel the meeting. I should do that before any more time passed. And the new member ceremony was almost here as well, and I should check that everything was still on schedule.

I got immersed in answering emails from my phone, and was startled when Maya approached.

“What are you still doing here?” she glowered.

“I just had some urgent work to do and didn’t want to wait until after I drove home. The pack school and new member ceremony—”

She cut me off.

“As I think you know, I’ve started developing feelings for Hunter. I want to be with him. I believe he feels the same way about me.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond.

I’d expected this. Known this from the first day she was injured and he lifted her into his arms. I knew that a fated mate bond couldn’t be resisted.

But hearing her say it made my heart implode.

I blinked up at Maya, and nodded slowly.

I’d get through the new member ceremony next week, then take a step back and think about what I was going to do. How I was going to get out. Get the baby out.

I had to speed up the divorce process. And quickly.