All around him, there were wolves attacking and snarling at each other. The team were making short work of those wolves who had been hunting Alex. Bodies fell to the forest floor, taking their last breaths. Other had started to flee and were being chased back into the woods by his warriors. Aidan stood, unable to move or think coherently. His mate was motionless, lying silently before him, half covered by Kit's immobile body.

Other noises started to come into focus around him, less wolf and more human. Ronan and Robbie were crouching over Alex and Kit now, tearing at the binds that held them together before laying them both out flat on their backs. Robbie tenderly swept the hair away from Alex's bloodied face and put his ear to her mouth.

'She's breathing,' he shouted. The relief in the scene was palpable. Aidan's legs collapsed underneath him and he lay for a moment, calming his wolf so he could shift. A loud engine announced the arrival of the medical bus. Hank, Cain and a man and woman in blue scrubs, jumped out running to where Alex and Kit lay. Cain set to work examining Alex while the man and woman began working on Kit. Hank sat beside his daughter, holding her hand, a tormented look on his face.

Aidan stood, his human legs feeling unsteady beneath him, and moved closer to the scene. Cain was busy making a tourniquet at the top of Alex's right leg. Only now did Aidan notice that a sharp and gnarled piece of tree root was protruding from her thigh, copious amounts of blood spilling onto the ground beneath her. The female nurse was using a scissors to cut away the jacket Alex was wearing, revealing a visible bone sticking out from her arm, with even more blood pumping out of her from the site, as well as what looked like deep bite marks and skin tearing at her shoulder and ribs. Aidan cried out, wanting more than anything to take her place; for the injuries to be his and not hers. He felt a strong hand squeeze his shoulder and looked over to see Nolan, his face streaked with tears staring down at his friend.

Cain called for the stretchers while he connected bags of blood and IV drips to the arms of both Alex and Kit. Kit stirred slightly as he was lifted, groaning and blinking his eyes a little. Alex made no movement or noise whatsoever as she was loaded into the back of the bus. Aidan felt himself being pushed forward as Nolan said, 'Go Aidan, go with Alex.' He lumbered over and climbed in, Cain pulling the door closed behind him. Cain shouted for his father to start driving.

Cain and the female nurse were checking vitals and making notes, while the male nurse was injecting various medicines into the IV bags. Robbie sat at Alex's head, rubbing her head gently, whispering to her and pressing her hand to his lips. Aidan's wolf didn't like another man being so intimate with his mate but Aidan just stood dumbly, his brain and body not being able to connect. When Robbie saw Aidan, he motioned for him to come over. Robbie pushed Aidan into the chair he had just vacated and put Alex's hand into his.

'Talk to her man,' he was close to Aidan's face as he spoke, his eyes red, 'the mate bond will help. Just keep holding her hand and touching her skin.'

Aidan nodded numbly, and Robbie moved to sit at Alex's feet rubbing his face hard and leaning his head back staring up at the ceiling of the bus, sighing deeply.

Aidan looked at his mate. Cain and the team had done their best to wipe away the blood from her face and neck but it was still evident everywhere how much she had lost from her body. Her brown skin was ghostly pale, and her body was completely limp. There was a lump on the side of her head and another, larger one growing above her ear. He kissed her hand as Robbie had done before him, hoping for the slightest response but there was nothing.

There were sudden and loud beeping from a machine connected to Alex, just as her breathing became more laboured.

Cain pushed Aidan out of his way as he started various checks. 'Her lung has collapsed,' he said to the man in scrubs. 'Get a tube prepped. Aidan,' he turned seriously to Aidan now. 'I'm going to have to cut into Alex now and put a tube in. You have to keep your wolf under control.'

Aidan nodded. He had seen it himself in battle. People shifting and attacking medical staff or first aiders, the wolf assuming they were doing their mate harm rather than being able to understand that they were helping them.

'I'll help,' Robbie nodded to Aidan. 'Face the back of the bus Aidan and don't turn until I tell you.'

The wolf did not want to turn away from her but Aidan did as he was told, knowing Alex's brother would do anything to save her life.

Cain called for different implements as he worked on Alex, calling for Hank to speed up and telling the male nurse to ring ahead to the pack hospital to have everything ready for their arrival.

Aidan thought he couldn't feel any worse but the hours spent in the waiting room outside of surgery were a kind of torture he had never felt before. It was a pain he couldn't locate in his body. It was everywhere but nowhere. His heart was beating so hard against his chest that he thought it may burst out at any second. Everyone in the waiting area looked how he felt. Hank and Ronan sat together, arms crossed and silent. Robbie was pacing quietly. Alice and Olivia had turned up with clothes and food for everyone a little earlier but the food had remained untouched so far. Theo and Nolan had dropped by to give an update on what had happened since they had found Alex and Kit. Dax had not been caught. It was unlikely he had even been part of the hunting party. He was underground again in any case. They had retrieved two wolves from his pack alive and they were being given the highest level of hospitality in the prison.

'Make sure to keep them alive,' Ronan said softly, 'I'll want a visit with them.' His eyes were dark as he spoke.

Nolan and Theo were about to go back to patrol when Cain walked into the room, a serious look on his face.

'She's alive,' he quickly shared and the tension in the group lifted slightly. 'But she lost so much blood and had so many injuries, her heart stopped four times during surgery.'

Alice and Olivia gasped loudly, covering their mouths at the noise.

'So what are you saying son,' Hank asked gently. 'Is she going to be ok?'

Aidan held his breath as he looked back at Cain.

'The honest answer is, I don't know yet.' Nolan and Robbie exchanged terrified glances as Cain continued. 'Alex's body is on the brink of collapse. Her wolf should be healing her but I can't sense her. She's getting weaker by the minute, not stronger. I don't know is she can survive.'