“You’ve met my grandmother. Why don’t you sit in bed next to Tee? I can see you’re itching to touch her and she’ll need the attention too. Her color has improved a lot in just the last few minutes.” Megan moved so he could take her place. “You look a bit tired too.”

“I changed three times in the last twenty-four hours, I suppose that makes a guy tired.” He casually sifted Tegan’s hair through his fingertips as he spoke.

“They’ll bring up some dinner for all of us in just a few. The cook here appears to have a crush on Ben. She said it was dreamy how devoted he was to Tegan.” Nina snickered. “Lex is going to join us after he’s done with his phone call to Cade.”

“You changed three times? You mean from human to wolf to human?” Layla asked, her eyebrow raised.

“No. Lay, from human to wolf for the first time last night. And then today, twice more. He helped Jack and Lex track and then at the lab, he helped call Tee’s wolf to the surface with the others. He changed back just a few minutes later.”

Ben shrugged as he listened to Megan explain it to Layla. “Not a big deal. She needed me and it’s a snap to change. Feels good even.”

“Your first time it felt good?”

He winked at Layla. “Well sure. Didn’t know what the hell I was doing at this either though.” He took in their surprise. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Because, Ben, it’s unheard of for a newly changed wolf to make that many transformations in one day. Not for the first six months or so. Some wolves can never do that many a day. Who changed you?”

Startled, Ben looked down into the big green eyes of the other half of his heart as she stared at him. Her voice was low and rough, scratchy even.

He leaned down and kissed her face over and over. “Red wolf, you’re awake. No, don’t sit yet! You sound like you smoke a pack a day and you’re trying to get up? My God, woman, lay down.”

“She should sit up and eat. Really, it’s all right.” The Pack doctor came into the room with Lex and Maxwell right behind.

“The hell you say. She nearly died!”

“She’s a werewolf, a prime werewolf from a powerful line. She has spent hours as a wolf and then back as a human, her body has healed itself and now she needs to refuel.”

The doctor checked Tegan over after helping to sit. “Your vitals are fabulous. How do you feel?”

“Good. Much better. Starving. And do you think my voice will change soon?” Tegan scrambled into Ben’s lap, needing all the contact she could get. His arms encircled her immediately and his scent calmed her. But her wolf scented his and she felt that metaphysical roll against her human skin and then his wolf responded. Gooseflesh rippled over her body and everyone else in the room shifted uncomfortably.

“Okay, stop it. I don’t want to know this,” Lex said as he looked everywhere but at them.

When Tegan turned to see Ben, his eyes had glazed over a bit. “Ben, control it a bit better. Just sort of put a lid on it,” she said softly.

His eyes cleared after a moment and he nodded. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s beautiful. We’ll talk more later, okay?”

He licked his lips and her body tightened. Jeez, even after she’d nearly died he did this to her. What a man.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up. Nina said dinner is on the way. We’ll all eat with you if that’s all right?” Lex looked so worried and so sweet Tegan wanted to cry.

“That sounds good. I need a shower.”

“I’ll help you, red wolf.” Ben stood and picked her up easily, carrying her into the attached bathroom and slamming the door closed with a foot.

He fiddled with the water a moment and, after making sure she hadn’t moved from where he’d placed her on the counter, he peeled his clothes off and she sighed.

His Adam’s apple slid up and down as he turned to face her. With gentle hands, he pulled the hospital style gown off her body and helped her down and into the shower stall.

“Sit on that bench there and I’ll do the work.”

He moved around her body as he slowly and carefully cleaned her up.

“I knew you’d come for me. When things got bad, very bad, I felt you inside me and it helped.” She didn’t bother to hide the tears in her voice. “I just kept thinking to myself, Ben’s going to find me. And you did. Thank you.”

He knelt and looked at her. His eyes held so much emotion. “I would crawl on my knees to the ends of the Earth to get to you. I’m sorry. So sorry.”

“Sorry? For what? Are you upset about the change?”

“The change? You mean into a wolf? No. God, no. It was a way to get out of the hospital faster to find you. It’s made me faster and stronger and my bond to you, I can’t believe how intense it is now. It’s not that I love you more, but I feel you more. I’m sorry I failed you.”

She jerked back in surprise. “Failed me? Ben, I’m sitting here, alive because of you.

How is that failing me? You saved me. Honey, didn’t you hear me? I knew you were coming for me. I never doubted it for a single moment.”

“In that room when you jumped toward where they were attacking Gina. Pellini took you right in front of me and I did nothing.” His voice broke and tore her apart.

“Oh Ben, honey, part of your intestine was hanging out. You’d apparently been changed by one of your attackers. I made sure you were taken care of and then I did my job. My job, Ben. You ran in to the room and did yours as a cop and my mate and I did mine. You did not fail me. Stop that right now.”