Chapter 367: Helpless Mates
Oscar:
The moment I felt Eva’s body trembling against mine, my wolf went still. Then the tremble turned into violent shaking, and her breath started coming out in short, panicked gasps.
Her fingers clawed at the sheets, her knuckles turned pale, and then... she screamed. A sound so raw and full of terror it ripped straight through my chest.
I sat up instantly, pulling her into my arms. "Eva-Eva, it’s me. You are safe, love. You are safe with me." My voice cracked as I spoke, but I didn’t care. I tried to rub circles on her back the way I had seen Draven do when she was anxious, but nothing seemed to reach her.
Her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears were sliding down her cheeks. Her lips were moving but no words came out... just silent pleas only she could hear.
Through our mate bond, her emotions crashed into me like a storm. Fear. Helplessness. Pain so sharp it felt like knives under my own skin. And beneath all that, a small flicker of exhaustion... the kind that comes when someone’s been fighting too long. She was trying to wake up, but the nightmare was holding her hostage. I could feel it. Every second of it.
My heart clenched, my wolf howled inside my chest, and I pulled her closer, whispering, "Come back to me, sweetheart. Please, come back to me."
Her scream rose again, louder this time, enough to echo off the walls of our room. And the door of my bedroom flew open the next instant, River and Kieran stepping inside.
A second later, they were at the bedside, eyes wild and glowing in the dim light. River’s hands trembled as he reached out to touch her shoulder. While Kieran looked pale, like he had seen a ghost.
"What’s happening?" Kieran’s voice was hoarse. He looked at me like I had the answers, but I didn’t. I didn’t know. All I knew was that I could feel her slipping further into that darkness.
"She’s trapped in a nightmare," I rasped, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. "She’s trying to wake up, but she can’t." My voice cracked. "I can feel her trying. She’s fighting it."
River sat on the other side of her, pressing his forehead to hers. "Evaline, listen to me. You are safe, my love. We are here. Come back to us."
But nothing changed. Her small frame jerked in my arms, like she was being pulled under water. Her cries softened into whimpers. And then... I felt it. Through the bond, a flicker of surrender. She was getting tired of fighting. She was giving up.
A sound left my throat - half snarl, half plea - as I tightened my hold on her. "No. No, don’t you dare give up. Don’t you dare."
River’s fingers dug into the sheets, his wolf’s eyes glowing. "I can’t reach her," he muttered. "I can’t get through."
Kieran looked down at her trembling form, his hands hovering just above her like he was afraid to break her. "She’s so scared," he whispered. "Stars, she’s so scared."
I looked up at my brothers and found them just as stunned and helpless as I felt. None of us were prepared for this. We had known our mate carried scars, but this... this was deeper than anything we had imagined. Just the thought of what could be making her this afraid, what kind of life she had lived to leave these wounds inside her, left me cold with terror.
And then the terror gave way to rage. Hot, violent rage. My wolf snarled inside me, his hackles rising. The idea of someone hurting her this badly made every bone in my body ache with the need to kill. I wanted to rip apart every single person who had laid a hand on her, who had hurt her. I didn’t even know the story, but I wanted them dead.
"Help her," I croaked, my voice breaking as I looked at my brothers. "Help her to wake up."
River blinked, as if my words had pulled him out of his shock. Kieran straightened, his jaw tight. Together, we formed a circle around her - River holding her hands, Kieran pressing a palm to her cheek, me cradling her against my chest. We called her name again and again, our voices overlapping.
"Eva. Come back, sweetheart."
"You are safe. No one will hurt you again, we will make sure of that."
"We are here. You are not alone anymore."
Her whimpers turned into broken sobs. Her body shuddered once, twice... and then, finally, her lashes fluttered. She opened her tear-filled eyes, looking dazed and unfocused, until they met mine.
She gasped. A sharp, panicked sound. And then she was moving - sitting up so fast it startled us, burying herself in my arms. Her sobs tore through the quiet of the room as she clung to me like I was the only thing keeping her upright. Her fingers curled into my shirt, holding on like she was afraid she would be pulled back into that nightmare if she let go.
"I have got you," I whispered, wrapping both arms around her, my chin resting on the top of her head. "You are here. You are safe. No one’s going to hurt you."
River stroked her hair, murmuring soft reassurances. Kieran pressed a hand to her back, his thumb rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades. None of us asked her what she had seen. We didn’t need to know right now. We just needed to hold her.
"We are here," Kieran said softly. "All of us. You are not alone anymore."
I felt her shudder at the words, a small, broken sound escaping her. She didn’t speak, just pressed herself closer to me. Her tears soaked through my shirt, but I didn’t care. I tightened my hold until there was no space between us.
She needed us. She needed to feel safe, needed to know that she wasn’t alone. That was the only thing we could give her right now.
River’s voice was low but steady. "We’ll never let anyone hurt you again. Not ever."
I nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple. "They would have to get through us first."
For a long time, none of us moved. We just sat there, her between us, all of us breathing in sync. The bond thrummed faintly, a steady pulse of warmth beneath the lingering fear.
Slowly, her sobs quieted, and her breathing evened out. She was still trembling, but she wasn’t fighting anymore. She was just... there. With us.
Kieran shifted slightly, his hand still rubbing her back. "She’s exhausted," he murmured. "She needs rest."
I nodded again, but I didn’t loosen my hold. I wasn’t ready to let her go. My wolf wasn’t either. We had nearly lost her in that nightmare, and the thought of it still had my heart in a vice.
I looked at her tear-streaked face, her lashes clumped with wetness. Even like this, she was beautiful. Stronger than anyone I had ever met. My throat tightened as I realized how much pain she had been carrying alone.
And stars help me, I would make sure she never had to carry it alone again.
Kieran gave a small, sad smile. "We are not going anywhere. We are right here."
She shifted slightly at that, her fingers still fisted in my shirt, but her eyes fluttered shut again... not in sleep, but in exhaustion, like she was letting herself lean on us for the first time.
I tightened my hold around her one last time and whispered, "I have got you, sweetheart. You are safe now."
And this time, she didn’t flinch at the words.
It took a while, but she finally relaxed in my hold. Yet, she didn’t loosen her hold on my shirt, and I made sure to hold her just as tightly.