Mates: Werewolf BBW Romance (Running With Alphas Book 8) Read Free

bed.
    “Tell me where it hurts,” he said as he settled his mate down on the furs.
    Taylor continued to sob for another moment, before finally regaining a measure of composure. Between sniffles, she told him, “My back and my head, mostly.”
    “Any cramps?”
    She shook her head, her eyes filling with a fresh batch of tears.
    “That’s good,” Hale said, feeling a small weight lift from his shoulders. He inclined his head towards her belly, even more relieved to hear both pups’ heartbeats beating strongly. “They sound fine.”
    “But I’m bleeding,” she said, her voice hoarse.
    Hale nodded. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to go into labor. Just lay back, relax, and I’ll go get—”
    Taylor seized his arm in a vice grip. “How do you know that? Are you sure they’ll be okay?”
    Struck by the intense emotion in her eyes, Hale was momentarily at a loss for words. Her fear and desperation mirrored his own, and his chest ached with the effort to keep it inside. Only years of conditioning, both as an alpha and as a man, allowed him to speak without a tremor in his voice.
    “I can’t say for sure, I don’t even know if Cammie can, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. Sarah once fell into a ravine while she was pregnant. She bled for days and we were all sure that she and the pup would die, but they both ended up fine.”
    It had actually been quite common for his sister to bleed during her pregnancies, often for no discernable reason. It drove Cain insane, but was almost always benign. In fact, Hale had, at one point, taken it upon himself to be the calm, rational one. While Cain and Alder had devolved into panic, he’d made it his mission to cheer Sarah up and keep her from fretting.
    Hale was now beginning to understand why his older brother hadn’t been able to keep it together during those times. His mate was afraid, his offspring was in jeopardy, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
    You can stay calm , he reminded himself.
    “I don’t think I should carry you to the den until Cammie checks your back,” he told her. “I’m going to go get her and—”
    Hale didn’t think it was possible for Taylor to grip him any harder, but she surprised him. “Please don’t leave me. Please.”
    “You need someone who can help you,” he said, swallowing a thick lump in his throat. “Someone with medical experience.”
    Taylor nodded her understanding, but in the same instant, broke into another bout of sobs. Under any other circumstances, Hale probably would have been annoyed with her, but at the moment, he understood. He didn’t want to leave her side either, not even for a few minutes. And although he knew that he was just a poor substitute for his brother, he couldn’t help but relish the feeling of being needed by her.
    “How about this?” he said. “I’ll go outside and call for help. I’ll have whoever responds go and get Cammie for us, okay?”
    She nodded again, her sobs ebbing away. Hale squeezed her hand once again, before standing and heading outside. In the short time that he’d been in the cabin, the wind had picked up speed and was dumping snow over the territory in haphazard gusts.
    Hale shifted and let out a long, powerful howl. Though most of the pack had probably already taken refuge in the den, he was confident that someone would hear his call. Once he was satisfied, he shifted back into his human form and went around the back of the cabin, pulling a few logs of moderately dry firewood from beneath a tarp-covered pile.
    When he arrived back inside, Taylor had covered herself with a heavy blanket. She was still sniffling softly, but appeared to have calmed considerably. Hale fed the fire, and then grabbed a few rags and set to cleaning the entryway. Her eyes followed him while he worked.
    After several moments of silence, she asked, “Do you still love me?”
    Hale looked over at her, dumbstruck. Logically, he knew that it was a valid