Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Oscar:

I didn't realize I was crying until my vision blurred so badly that Eva's face became nothing more than a pale, broken shape beneath trembling light.

I wiped my face with shaking hands only for more tears to roll down. They just… wouldn't. And how could they when she lay there unconscious... broken and bruised.

Elder Ren and Healer Cao moved around her with quiet urgency, their hands glowing faintly as they worked. Their expressions were tight with concentration, but all I could see was her.

My mate.

My chest felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside as one by one her wounds got revealed.

Both her ankles had angry red marks circling them. They looked raw and inflamed.

"Silver." Healer Cao whispered as he inspected the marks closely. "And this one is swollen. It's twisted."

I could see the damage, could imagine the pain, and learning she had been chained with silver snapped something deep in me.

My wolf surged forward with a violent snarl and rage flooded my veins so fast it made me dizzy.

I'll kill him.

The thought wasn't even mine anymore. It was instinctive, primal, uncontrollable.

I wanted to tear Charles apart piece by piece. I wanted to hear him scream. I wanted to make him feel every ounce of pain he had put her through.

My hands clenched into fists so tight my nails bit into my palms.

It was a good thing that our men had already taken him away and locked him into the deepest prison we had. Because if not, I would have killed him several times already by now.

But right now, there was something more important than punishing that man, something stronger than my need for revenge. It was my need to stay here.

With her.

I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes back to her body, and this time... I finally got a proper look at her wrists as Elder Ren took off her trench.

I forgot to breathe, forgot to blink as I stared at her wrists. I already knew they were badly injured, but the real damage... it was beyond explainable.

"No…" the word broke out of me before I could stop it.

They were a dozen time worse than her ankles. So much worse. The skin was burned, torn, raw in a way that made it clear the silver hadn't just restrained her, but had tortured her.

My wolf roared loudly. It clawed at my insides, ready to take over and end Charles.

I took a step forward before I even realized it. My entire body was trembling with the need to do something - to fix this, to undo it, to go back and rip that monster apart before he could ever lay a hand on her-

A hand grabbed my shoulder hard. I turned sharply and found Kieran, but he's not looking at me.

His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought it might break. His eyes burned - not just with anger, but something deeper.

Pain.

It was the same pain tearing through me.

"Stay," he said quietly. It wasn't a command, but a plea.

I swallowed, feeling my chest tighten. Because he was barely holding on himself.

River stood on the other side of the bed, unmoving. But his stillness was worse. His fists were clenched at his sides so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

His breathing sounded too controlled, too forced. His eyes never left Eva, not for a second. And in those deep green orbs, I saw the same storm raging inside all of us.

If we let go, if we gave in... we would destroy everything in this room. And maybe even ourselves.

Elder Ren glanced at us briefly before saying, "Leave."

But none of us moved.

I didn't even think about it and just shook my head. "No." My voice came out hoarse and raw.

Kieran didn't move either, and neither did River.

For a moment, a heavy and tense silence stretched between us. And then, Elder Ren sighed. He didn't seem annoyed or angry, but actually understanding.

He probably recognized our silent, desperate need to stay close to her, to make sure she was still there.

"Stay, then," he said finally, turning back to his work.

Relief hit me so sharply it almost hurt. But it didn't last.

Because the moment they continued, more injuries were revealed. Healer Cao had cut open her right sleeve, revealing another deep wound.

A deep gash ran along her arm, angry and jagged, like something had torn into her without mercy. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but the sight alone made my stomach churn.

There were small cuts and bruises everywhere... her face, her neck, her hands.

My rage grew, and so did the helplessness and the guilt. I should have protected her. I should have been there.

We all should have.

My vision blurred again. And thus time, I didn't even bother wiping the tears. I just stood there and watched, memorizing every wound, every bruise, and every mark.

Because someone was going to pay for each and every one of them.

And I would make sure of it.

- - -

It felt like hours before the healers finally stepped back.

Elder Ren exhaled slowly, wiping his hands.

"We have treated all visible wounds," he said.

Visible.

The word hit like a punch.

"There could be more," Healer Cao added quietly.

My chest tightened at that possibility.

Elder Ren turned to us. "Undress her. Check for anything we might have missed. Call us if you find something."

And then they left the room, the door closing softly behind them.

Silence filled the room, and for a second, none of us moved.

Then, Kieran did.

He stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed. His movements were careful... too careful... as he slid his arms beneath Eva and gently lifted her into a sitting position.

She looked so small in his hold - too small and too fragile.

His hands hovered for a moment, like he didn't know where to even begin. Like he was afraid to touch her.

I stepped forward and spoke quietly, "I'll help."