LINCOLN 

Lincoln paced in the hallway. With each pass, he stopped in front of the door and contemplated kicking it in. Only the fear that he might somehow harm his Alpha in the process stayed his hand- or his foot in this case.

"Fuck," he snarled and slammed his fist into the wall.

The plaster cracked beneath his hand, and he followed the lines to their end with a grim sense of satisfaction. Better the wall break than him. Especially now. Raff would need him when he woke up. When Lincoln told him about Meribella's betrayal.

"Lincoln, what the hell?"

He spun around at the sound of Thorne's voice. She'd gone into the room with the healers over an hour ago. Though she didn't have much skill with healing magic, as a water witch, manipulating that element came easily, and Raff's lungs were filled with water. He searched her beautiful face for any sign of distress. All he found was irritation.

"Could you not put holes in our host's house?"

He didn't even bother with pretending to be sheepish. "I'm concerned about the holes our host has put in Raff."

His little witch shook her head, her expression softening. "Valencia didn't do this to Raff. You know he signed up for this."

"You're right! He signed up for this to save the woman he loves only for her disregard his sacrifice and shack up with the man who nearly killed him. Do you know what that's going to do to Raff when he wakes up?"

"Maybe you need to give Meribella the benefit of the doubt. I don't know that we're seeing the entire picture."

"And you don't know that we aren't. For all we know, she got a taste of the D and has decided she has no interest in going back to a man who can't give it to her."

Thorne narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Even as angry as he was, he couldn't stop his gaze from dropping to the tempting cleavage her crossed arms created. Damn if he wasn't as whipped as Raff.

"This is no time for being crass." The words were frazzled. A clear sign Thorne's patience was wearing thin. "We both know Meribella isn't like that."

"I thought I knew, but then she accepted that douche canoe's offer. I knew she was trouble the first day I met her. I should've never forgotten that."

He seethed, lowering his head to hide eyes he was certain were flashing amber as he struggled to control his wolf. The animal pushed against his skin just as angry as his human host. Just as hurt.

A gentle touch on his arm brought his gaze back up, and in an instant, he found calm in his love's deep brown eyes.

"I see what the problem is now," she whispered.

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Your feelings are hurt too."

His mouth fell open. "You've gone around the loony bend."

"Don't pretend like Meribella doesn't mean something to you. On some level, her acceptance of Caspian's offer feels like a rejection- not just for Raff, but for you."

Lincoln's mind spun in circles, searching for an effective argument. It didn't matter that he knew Thorne was right. He wasn't about to admit that out loud. Luckily, he was saved by the door opening again.

"He's awake," a selkie said. She was a small woman with a hooked nose that nearly touched her thin top lip, and her skin was the same gray as ash. "He may be weak for a little while yet, but your kind heal quickly."

"Thank the gods," Lincoln said, hurrying into the room. Thorne remained in the doorway, but he heard her sigh of relief.

Raff's skin, normally a golden tan, was sallow, and the skin below his eyes was purple. His strong jaw was hidden behind an unkempt beard, giving him a wild edge. The dozens of cuts and bruises that had covered his body when they pulled him from the water were half healed when they should've faded to nonexistence by now. It made Lincoln's blood burn.

"You going to tell me I told you so?" Raff asked. His voice crackled.

"While I'll admit it would give me great satisfaction, I think you already know it. No need for me to say it."

"Damn, I must've given you a hell of a scare to get that free pass."

"Just know that when we get back to Camden, we're drawing up an agreement. You're limited to one near death experience every decade. Because you've had two in less than a year, you have to wait at least twenty years for another one."

Raff's lips stretched into a grin, and Lincoln wanted to sight with relief. There was his best friend. His brother. Even if the packaging was somewhat damaged, the heart of the man was still there. If only it wasn't about to break.

"I think we can probably work with that. I'll get Kurt to draw it up."

"One other thing we should probably add."

"I've already told you the pack won't cover the party costs for another orgy."

"What?" Thorne put her hands on her hips and fixed her boyfriend with a lethal glare. "That better be an inside joke from fifty years ago you geezer."

"Sure, give or take a few years."

"If by a few you mean forty-eight..." Raff's chuckle turned into a wince, and he put a hand over his bandaged abs.

"Traitor."

"So what are we adding?"

"You also have to agree to not go feral."

The mood in the room shifted instantly. No trace of humor remained in Raff's eyes, and he turned his face away from his visitors. Lincoln watched his Adam's apple bob several times before he spoke again.

"Why would you be worried about that?"

"We don't have to talk about this now," Thorne stepped in. "You should rest."

Lincoln shook his head and held up his hand to ward off his girlfriend. "Meribella agreed to the fertility ritual."

"Oh."

"Oh. That's all you have to say?"

Raff sighed and leaned his head back against the pillow. He kept his eyes close as he replied, "What do you want me to say? She's made her choice."

"What?" Now it was Thorne who sounded outraged. She marched to the side of Raff's bed and poked him hard. "I know you're not giving up on her."

"What's that old saying, 'if you love someone, let them go?' I'm letting her go, and if we're meant to be, she'll come back to me."

"Bullshit."

"Lincoln." The defeated tone from his Alpha made tears burn at the back of his eyes, which only pissed him off further.

"Something happened. Something happened during that fight that you're not telling us about."

"What exactly could've happened? I got my ass handed to me."

"We didn't see what happened under the water."

Thorne rolled her eyes. "You're reaching."

"No, I'm not."

"I swallowed a shit ton of water. You can ask Thorne. She had to draw it out of my fucking lungs!"

"So that's it, then? You want me to believe that you're giving up just because the dude beat you up? He cheated and held you under the water. Like a pussy. You were getting the upper hand."

"Getting. That's the key word in that sentence. I lost it, and I lost her. Now go. Thorne's right. I need rest." He rolled to his side, dismissing them.

"Oh hell, no, motherfu-"

"Lincoln." Thorne snatched his arm and dragged him from the room. This time he didn't bother to hide the flaring light in his eyes, and he walked to the wall and put two holes in it. "Get a hold of yourself. At least let him have a few hours to think about things."

"Oh, sure. Give him a few hours. Meanwhile, Meribella is gonna be screwing that selkie bastard."

"That was her choice."

"No." He stormed down the hallway. "You were right. There's a bigger picture. We've missed something here."

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to someone who might listen to reason before it's too late."