Addie's POV:

A sharp pain went through my chest so intensely I gasped, clutching my chest. Something was wrong. Something happened. Xander was hurt.

"Luna, what is it?" Katie asked, setting a hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know," I breathed. "Something happened. Something happened to Xander."

I regretted it the instant I said it because my fear suddenly became amplified by about a thousand as I felt everyone else's. Damn, that pack connection.

"He'll be fine," Cassie said, scooting Katie over and sitting next to me, setting her hands on my shoulders. "Addie, look at me," she said, squeezing my shoulders gently. It was hard because I just felt like crying having the two most important people to me out there while I did nothing. Cassie squeezed my shoulders again and I looked up at her. "Xander has done things like this so many times he's going to be fine. This isn't the first time we knew something was up. He sometimes gets hurt. Sometimes other people get hurt. But they always pull through. Always."

I tried to feel reassured by her words but I just felt in the core of my being that something was wrong. Then I noticed Katie's expression. The same one Xander had when someone was speaking to him. I looked at her expectantly and she nervously brought her eyes to mine.

"Alpha was hit in the chest with a silver bullet," she said, swallowing hard. "But they think he's fine, it went on his right side, it didn't hit his heart. Kaden's carrying him back now. Tess has Travis and he's a little beat up but fine. It's over. They just need to get Alpha to Anna."

"Oh my God," I said, covering my face with my hands and allowing myself about two seconds of wallowing before I jumped up and headed to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Cassie asked, following after me.

"I'm going to be in the infirmary when he gets there," I said, running out the front door and across the field to the infirmary. I planned to inform Anna but I should know better by now that she already knew. She was rushing around and paused only briefly to give me a sympathetic smile.

"He'll be fine," she assured.

"Why isn't he just healing?" I asked. "Did the bullet stay in him? When Kaden's chains were off, he healed pretty fast."

"No, it went through but silver still takes longer to heal than normal and a bullet wound takes even longer," she explained. "His body has to heal internally and externally. Kaden may have looked healed on the surface but he was still sore afterwards. Don't worry, this isn't the first time he's been hit with silver."

Yeah, like that made me feel better. I wrapped my arms around myself and turned towards the door, waiting to see them come through. It felt like forever before Kaden burst through the doors, covered in blood. I reminded myself to keep my breathing even when I saw Xander in his arms, breathing harshly and covered in even more blood.

Oh, God, please let him be okay...

Kaden set him down and I stood back so Anna could work. It wasn't easy. I wanted to run to him, I wanted to hold his hand and tell him it would be fine.

"Kaden, are you okay?" Anna asked, only glancing up at Kaden briefly. "I could use the help."

"I'm good," Kaden nodded, opening one of the cupboards lining the wall and pulling out a pair of shorts and slipping them on. "He's going to be fine. We got this," Kaden assured as he walked past me and washed his hands before going to Anna's side.

"Luna, it's okay," Anna said, glancing back at me. "You being close might actually help because of the bond."

I definitely didn't need more prompting than that. I ran to his side and picked up his hand, trying desperately not to stare at the spot where the blood was pooling while Anna tried to stop it. Kaden was prepping an IV and I reminded myself I needed to be strong for Xander. He needed to feel assured in our bond, not freaked out.

"You're okay," I whispered, pressing my forehead against his. "You're okay."

I wasn't sure who needed to hear that more, me or him.

"I'm fine," Xander panted, his eyes not opening and his voice strained. "I'm fine, love. Just a scratch."

"Just a scratch?" I half-laughed, half-cried. "Sure, just a scratch."

His hand just barely tightened on mine and I wanted to cry. He was normally strong. That barely grip he gave me was nothing compared to what he was capable of. I pressed my lips against his forehead and held his hand in both of mine.

"Stay strong, babe," I whispered. "Stay with me."

Anna ended up putting him out since working on him was going to be painful. I sat with them until she was finished and tried not to stare at the blood-soaked sheets. Kaden apparently helped in the infirmary a lot because he and Anna worked fluidly and never even bumped into each other, as if this was something normal for them.

Oh God, based on what Xander told me, this probably was their normal. At one point Anna got Kaden set up to give blood to Xander since he lost so much. The entire process felt like it would never end but eventually it calmed down. The bleeding stopped and instead of looking deathly pale, Xander started showing color again.

By the time she was done, Xander was still out but at least he was patched up and breathing normally. Anna told me it may take a couple days for him to get back to normal and he would need a lot of rest. I was more than aware of the fact that being out that long would really mess up his pack unless someone was helping. He had Kaden and Tess and I was sure they were more than capable but I wasn't sitting on the sidelines for this.

With a little guidance, I could do this Luna thing and help him.

I lost track of time as I sat with him. Kaden and Anna left and I wanted to stay with him but then Tess walked inside and looked at me sympathetically. 

"So um... Your boy is freaking out," she said, making a face. "We got him taken care of at Mateo's healer but..."

Oh my God, I was so worried about Xander, I forgot about Travis!

"Shit," I said, standing up but glancing down at Xander and biting my lip. I didn't want to leave him. I wanted to stay with him until he woke up.

"I'll stay with him," Tess said, walking over and setting her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. He's strong. He just needs time."

I nodded but that didn't make it easier. I wanted to stay with him but I was also aware I was probably the only one that was going to get Travis calmed down.

"Addie, honestly, Xander is fine and probably going to be out for several more hours," Tess said. "And truthfully... Your boy is getting on everyone's nerves. Like no offense, he seems nice, but he is just..." she sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, even Kaden's getting impatient at this point and Kaden never loses his patience."

"Shit, I'm sorry," I said, bending down and kissing Xander's forehead. "I'll take care of it. Let me know when he wakes up and if anything changes and if-"

"Addie," Tess said, squeezing my shoulder. "Seriously, I got you. Don't worry about it. You'll be the first to know anything that happens. I'll be able to tell if he starts waking up and I'll make sure you're here."

"Thanks," I sighed. "Where's Travis? Is he okay?"

"He's on the porch at the pack-house and he's fine, physically. I mean, a couple cuts and bruises but nothing serious. He's just... You know," she shrugged. "Reeling from the fact that he saw werewolves and was kidnapped by vampires. No offense but..." she wrinkled her nose. "That boy is not even close to as resilient as you are."

Yeah, I already knew that. This wasn't going to be easy.

I thanked her before stepping outside and approaching the pack-house. A blonde wolf was pacing back and forth in front of the porch and Travis was sitting on the porch steps, staring at the wolf with wide eyes. It wasn't until the wolf turned to me that I saw the familiar blue eyes and remembered this was what Kaden looked like as a wolf.

I smiled at Kaden and came up the steps, looking between Travis and Kaden. It was like Travis didn't even realize I was there, he just stared at Kaden.

"Hey," I said, taking a seat next to him and setting my hand on his shoulder. "Um... You okay?"

He didn't respond. Just stared at Kaden in disbelief. I waved my hand in front of his face a few times and he slowly blinked. Well, at least I got some sort of response.

"It's a wolf," he said, pointing at Kaden. "But it's not a wolf, but it's a wolf, but..."

"Yeah..." I sighed. "I know. Hey, are you okay?" I asked, frowning at the bruise on his face.

"One more time," he said, holding a single finger up to Kaden.

I don't know how Kaden pulled off rolling his eyes as a wolf but he did. In a second he shifted back but was polite enough to keep himself covered with his hands. His eyes darted to me pleadingly and I wondered how many times Travis asked him to change back and forth.

"Is this actually the last time?" Kaden asked doubtfully. "It's been three hours."

"Just one more time," Travis nodded.

Kaden sighed and shifted back into his wolf. Travis blinked a couple times and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "I know," I said, patting his back. "I know. It's a lot."

"A lot," Travis squeaked. "Okay, one more time," he said, holding up a single finger again.

Kaden huffed and paced back and forth. If he'd made Kaden lose patience, it was time to put a stop to it because Tess was right, Kaden seemed incredibly patient. I glanced over at Kaden and shook my head and the second I did, he took off. Probably desperate to get away before Travis asked him to shift again.

"Hey," I said, rubbing his back. "Let's talk abo-"

"You're friends with werewolves," he whispered, looking over at me with wide eyes. "Werewolves," he repeated. "They're real."

"Yep," I nodded, biting my lip. "Yeah see, when I told you I was taken by some guys I meant werewolves and vampires and... Xander is um..." I sighed, trying to think of how to say it. "Remember how you said you believe in soulmates?"

"Yeah, they already tried to explain that to me," Travis said, frowning. "Has your life not been insane enough? You really needed to add supernatural beings to it?"

"It wasn't my fault," I defended, crossing my arms. "I'm so sorry you got hurt," I added, running my finger gently over a bandage above his eyebrow. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"It's kind of not at the forefront of my mind," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Kinda got other things going on. Like the fact that vampires are real and kidnapped me and I was saved by your werewolf boyfriend."

"Right," I nodded slowly. "I know it feels insane but maybe talking through it well help, huh?" I suggested, patting his back. "Do you have questions? I mean, I might not have all the answers but I'll do my best," I shrugged.

"I don't know," he said, slumping his shoulders and shaking his head. "Fuck, I think I just need a drink."

"I can get behind that," I agreed, standing up and offering my hand. "Come on."

I felt bad but part of me was hoping he'd drink enough to pass out and sleep on it and then I could get back to Xander.

Travis took my hand and we walked into the house, finding Kaden had the same idea and was already pouring a drink. "Want some?" He asked, waving the bottle around.

"Please. Both of us," I nodded, taking a seat at the counter.

Kaden poured us both drinks and slid them across the counter, finishing his glass in one gulp and starting another.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Asking was a formality at this point. I was getting more used to this connection and I could feel Kaden wasn't okay. Xander and I growing closer made my connection to everyone else more intense, too.

"I'm just worried," he smiled lightly. "And I feel bad I wasn't there to stop him from getting hurt. Kinda my duty to protect my Alpha and Luna and it's the second instance in an alarming amount of time that I've failed."

"You didn't fail," I frowned. "Seriously? How could you even think that?"

"Well, you're hurt," he said, nodding to my bandaged arm. "And Xander's passed out in the infirmary with a bullet wound, so..."

"Like that was in your control," I said, shaking my head. "Kaden, don't wear that so heavy. You can't protect everyone from everything all the time and you did protect him, both of us. You protected me from the vampires and you're the one that got Xander here and helped patch him up. You're doing great, Kaden. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Look, I'm not going to pretend to understand any of the shit that's happening right now," Travis said, glancing between us. "But Xander did jump in front of me to take that bullet, how could you have known he was going to do that?"

"He did what?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"Yeah. The shot was meant for me," Travis said, gesturing to himself. "Xander stepped in front of me and took it but it was meant for me."

"He did that?" I asked, looking over at Kaden. "Why would he do that? He could've died."

"Addie," Kaden sighed. "You have to know by now Xander would do anything for you. He promised you he'd get Travis back as unharmed as possible. Xander doesn't break promises, especially not to you. He knew he'd have a better chance to survive it than Travis so he acted."

I didn't know what to say. I'd always had a hard time trusting people, after all that shit my mom put me through it made me so paranoid, I had a hard time letting anyone in. Tasha and Travis were close to me because they grew up with me but meeting anyone new never went well for me. I couldn't handle letting someone close to me.

But Xander was different. Xander was different and I wasn't going to waste another second being afraid to be close to him.

A/N:

Heyyy awesome readers! :) I hope you're having a great start to your week. Thanks for the love on the last chapter and sorry about the cliff-hanger, heh :P Let me know how you liked this chapter!

What about the way this pack supports each other? Like, damn, these are the kinds of friends I want

As if we needed more reasons to love Kaden... I'm really sad that in the timeline of things, his story doesn't happen until book 4 because guyyyys, I'm excited for you to read it <3

People, Addie's finally feeling ready to fully let Xander in, any guesses as to where that's headed? ;)

Until Friday loves, thanks for 100k!!! <3