The Hunt

Chapter 70

I clung onto Cole for dear life as I cried, my body wracked with sobs, tears dribbling from my eyes and soaking into his fresh T-shirt. I could feel how stiff Cole was underneath me, probably on edge by my fragility. He quickly hoisted me up into his arms, cupping my ass, carrying me right out of the tent and towards another one.

My sobs didn't stop as he took me away from everyone though. I didn't care if they saw me breaking down. All of my pent up desperation and fear was spilling out of me at once, and it felt as if I wasn't in control of my body at all. It was acting on its own accord.

"Reya," Cole whispered into my ear as he pushed the fabric back to another tent before entering, this one on the outskirts of the large field. "Reya, shh, it's okay."

It wasn't okay though. I was safe, sure, but many had died in the process, some of them being our friends. I didn't even know if everyone that I loved had survived, and my heart panged as Amara, Tirus and Anthony came to mind. Had they been killed? Were they just a bag of bones lying motionless on the grass of my old colony?

I was set down on a small cot placed in the corner of the tent, and Cole crouched down in front of me, cupping my cheeks and looking at me with furrowed brows. "Reya, you're okay. Just breathe for me."

I couldn't breathe. My lungs were incapable of filling themselves with oxygen, and I shook my head as I buried my face into my mate's neck, pulling him closer to me and wrapping myself around him. I never wanted to let go. The tingles that danced across my body calmed me to some degree, but I was still a mess.

Cole cursed under his breath, but I knew it wasn't because he was frustrated or upset with me. He drew circles on my back as he comforted me, and I realised that I had never acted this way in front of him before. He had never seen me so vulnerable.

"Do you need any help, Alpha Cole?"

I hadn't heard the doctor follow us, but I craned my neck to see the lady who had been treating me earlier was standing in the doorway. It appeared that Cole must have indicated for her to come with us just in case, but, Cole looked frustrated that she had entered without being given permission.

"No," Cole told her, keeping his gaze on me as he hooked his finger under my chin and studied me. "She's fine. She just needs to soak it all in. I've got her."

I heard the doctor's footfalls, and I gathered that she had left us completely alone. Cole nodded at me encouragingly as I wiped at my tears, my raged breathing slowing down and my sniffling quietening.

"Let me look at you," Cole told me, lifting my baggy top up to look over my body. There was nothing sexual about it, and he muttered to himself as he took in my several scrapes and bruises, his eyes lingering on the cut on my forehead a little longer than necessary.

I was worried about him though, and I ran my hand down his body, feeling Cole shiver underneath my touch. He didn't flinch or look in pain as I did so, and I nodded as I retracted my hands.

"You almost died," I hiccuped, staring at the ground as I wrapped my arms around myself once Cole was also done with inspecting me, and he cleared his throat, urging me to look at him.

"But I didn't," he reminded me, and if I hadn't have been so emotionally unstable, I would have chuckled at his attitude. However, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the moment with him. My emotions were everywhere.

My eyes lingered on the side of Cole's face, and he scrunched his nose up at me in confusion at my staring until he stood up to glance at himself in the mirror, noticing the dried blood on his cheek and neck. He quickly wiped it away, turning to me and offering me a small smile, clearing more of my tears that had escaped. Pressing his lips to my forehead, I inhaled deeply, focusing on him and only him.