The Elemental Mate

Chapter 14

Xander POV

After describing Cortez to me, I sent Asher to the pack archives to research if the pack had come across him before and to contact other packs to see if anyone had any information about Cortez. Hayden left at the same time for his patrol shift on the border and told us that he would inform the other guards about Cortez as well.

Aurora is still sitting on my lap as I gently rub my thumb against her hip. The calmness of the gesture seems to make her relax her as she starts to fall asleep again.

"You tired?" I ask, trying to keep my voice barely above a whisper as she leans her head into my neck.

She nods her head as she lets out a small yawn, "A little."

I give her a small smile as she looks up at me, "You're still recovering from the attack. You want me to carry you back upstairs?"

She shakes her head, "I don't need you to carry me. I can climb stairs myself, thank you," she says stubbornly as she tries to get up, but I just wrap my arms around her tighter.

Placing one arm around her and the other under her knees, I lift her easily before starting the trip across the room and up the stairs. She quickly wraps her arms around my neck to keep from falling, even though I would never allow that to happen, and gives me a glare, "If you want this to work, Xander," she tells me, gesturing between the two of us as I climb the stairs with her, "You are going to need to stop coddling me. I am fully capable of walking up stairs, hurt leg or not."

"I have no doubt," I tell her, chuckling at her facial expression. Her eyebrows are drawn together with her lips in an adorable pout as she glares at me. It's one of the cutest things I have ever seen, and I know I am going to enjoy teasing her every time she does it, "And this isn't coddling," I tell her.

"Oh," she says, rolling her eyes, "Then what is it?"

"Taking care of my mate," I tell her as I gently set her on our bed before lightly kissing her forehead. I lean my forehead against hers as I watch her eyes, "Keeping her safe, no matter what."

"How is caring me up the stairs keeping me safe?" she says. I know the question was supposed to be sarcastic, but it comes out as a whisper. I smile as I conclude that our closeness is affecting her more than I thought.

"You could trip," I tell her, smiling as she laughs. Her laugh is melodious, "Also, you need to stay off your leg, at least for a few more days. You still need to heal and a few more days on bed rest is exactly what the doctor called for."

"Fine. But, Xander," she bites her lip in thought before saying anything, my eyes immediately being drawn to her lips, "If everything else is almost healed, how bad was my leg?" I look into her eyes as she asks that. I can see the fear swimming there. I'm about to tell her that it really wasn't that bad, but she can see the lie right through me, "Don't sugar coat it, Xander. Please?"

I nod my head, knowing that I shouldn't keep this from her, before telling her about her injuries, "When we got you to the pack hospital, the doctor told me that your femur was fractured, and the cuts went through several layers of muscle. Two of the major arteries were barely hanging on by threads and you nearly lost your leg."

She nodded her head at the information, "When he changed, he bit onto my leg before throwing me into the tree. He clamped down so hard, I thought he snapped the bone. When I landed on the ground, I had never felt pain like that," she tells me honestly, remembering the pain.

I growl at her words as I pull her closer to me. I focus on breathing in her scent to try and calm me, "I promise, he will pay for what he did to you."