Maddox didn't slow down as he took the turn onto Randall and Gail's property. He hit every rut in the road at full speed, banging his own head on the roof of the cab.
Not that a couple of bumps mattered. He was as good as dead already. Maddox didn't have a standing invitation to be on Randall's property. He was a trespasser. No different from the betas who had crossed on to his land.
And no doubt his punishment would be the same.
But that wasn't important. Not when he was next to an omega whose life was slipping away.
Randall's mate, Gail, had been in nursing school back in the beta world. She was the closest thing the Boundarylands had to a medical professional and the only person who might save his omega.
His omega.
Maddox shuddered at the thought. Well, at least he wouldn't be her anything for long.
He pulled out of the trees and into a grassy meadow. A two-story house sat in the middle, encircled by colorful flower beds. Maddox found both the size and style of the place excessive and unnecessary.
He also found the owner waiting for him. Randall stood on the bottom step of his porch, club in hand and mad as hell. Gail was behind him. Her long hair, streaked with silver, caught in the breeze.
Maddox didn't hesitate as he jumped out of the truck, even though he knew he was about to get his head bashed in.
"Hold up," he shouted. "I've got an omega with me. She's been shot."
Randall's angry rumble carried across the grass. It was clear he wasn't keen on waiting to dispense justice. But at least the older alpha was willing to let Maddox retrieve the omega from the truck before cracking his skull.
"Bring her up here on the porch," Gail called without waiting to get the okay from her mate.
As Maddox strode across the clearing, cradling the woman to his chest, he felt it again. The sudden shock of awareness that kept throwing him off balance. The emotions that came with touching her were so intense…and so unfamiliar.
Maddox kept his head high as he rushed past Randall and up the porch steps. Gail hurried to make a space for her on the long, sanded wood boards.
"Lay her down here."
Maddox did as he was told.
Then he straightened up and turned around to face Randall and the consequences of his actions. Maddox only hoped it had been worth it. That Gail could save the omega's life. That she would find her place here in the Boundarylands.
Randall glared at him with stony eyes. Maddox's gaze slipped down to his hand and saw that the club was a crude two-by-six, bloodied and splintered at one end, a weapon commonly used by alphas to kill wild boars.
Maddox held his arms out at his sides, palms out, signifying he wouldn't put up a fight. He'd lived alongside death his whole life. He knew it well. He'd killed to survive and to protect what was his, all the while knowing death would eventually come calling for him.
Death didn't scare him. It was a simple fact. You live, you die. You don't choose when, and you don't pick how. Apparently, this was his time.
"Thank you for letting me get her to Gail," he told Randall.
After all, if the situation was reversed, he probably would've killed before Randall could've opened his mouth.
But before the older alpha could raise the club, Gail stepped between the two men, staring daggers at her mate.
"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "This is an emergency. I've got a patient who needs all my attention, and I don't have time to attend a second one."
Randall growled in frustration...but he didn't bash Maddox's brains in. After a moment, he released the club, letting it clatter on the boards at his feet.
"I couldn't stop myself," Maddox found himself admitting. "She's an omega."
"No shit," Randall muttered.
"That's a good thing," Gail said, heading back to her patient. "A beta would be dead by now."
For a moment, the two men said nothing. Finally, Randall sighed and motioned toward a chair on the far edge of the porch. "Might as well sit," he said, but he didn't look welcoming.
Maddox wasn't happy either—he'd never liked sitting still. But he went over anyway and settled in, determined to ignore Randall.
Instead, he kept his eyes on Gail as she tried to stop the flow of blood from the omega's chest. His stomach churned, and drops of sweat dotted his forehead, even though he wasn't the one doing the work.
Finally, Gail lifted her head and turned to him.
"She's lost a lot of blood," she said. "Maddox, I need you to get over here now."
Maddox was up and halfway across the porch before he realized what he was doing. Since when did he answer someone else's commands? Especially an omega's.
"Your omega needs blood," Gail said. "She's only lasted this long because of her changing nature. The faster she changes, the better her chance of survival. Since your touch awakened her, your blood will get her there faster."
The muscles in Maddox's jaw tightened. "Will this bond me to her?" he asked.
Gail blinked. "Will this bond you to her? Sugar, you started bonding with her the second you two touched. But yeah, it'll probably speed things up."
Speed things up. Maddox didn't like the sound of that.
Gail gave Randall instructions to bring out medical supplies before turning back toward Maddox.
"Lie down," she told him. "Not there! Closer. Right next to her. Your blood needs to go straight into her, and I only have a couple feet of tubing."
Once Randall was back out with her bag, Gail kneeled over the omega. Maddox watched as she slid a thick needle into a vein on the inside of the woman's elbow. Then she turned toward him.
Maddox closed his eyes as the needle entered his arm. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as the blood began to flow. Then he tried to prepare himself for the worst agony of all— caring about someone else.
