Chapter Twelve: The Claim

Luther cradled Charlie’s frail body in his arms, gently laying her down on his bed as though she might break from the slightest touch. The sight of her pale face, streaked with blood and bruises, made his chest ache. Her breathing was shallow and uneven, her skin cold to the touch, and yet Luther couldn’t bring himself to move away. He stood rooted at her side, unwilling to leave her even for a second.

Liam hovered on the other side of the bed, his gaze locked on Charlie as if he could command her to heal by sheer force of will. The tension between the brothers was palpable, their wolves agitated, pacing just beneath the surface. The need to protect her—to keep her safe—overpowered everything else. It was instinctual, primal, and all-consuming.

The pack doctor bustled into the room behind them, his bag of supplies clutched tightly in his hand. He stopped short when he saw the twins standing over Charlie like sentinels, their eyes glowing with the intensity of their emotions.

“I need space to work,” the doctor said urgently, moving toward Charlie’s side. He reached out, laying a hand on Liam’s arm in an attempt to guide him aside, but the reaction was immediate.

Liam let out a low, menacing growl, his teeth bared in warning. His wolf, Al, surged forward, taking control as Liam’s muscles tensed. Luther’s growl soon followed, echoing in the small room like a thunderclap. Both brothers glared at the doctor, their eyes darkening with the protective fury of their wolves.

The doctor quickly raised his hands in submission, turning his head to the side to avoid direct eye contact—a gesture of respect and acknowledgment of their authority. His heart raced in his chest, but he forced himself to remain calm.

“I understand,” he said gently, keeping his voice steady and nonthreatening. “But I need to get close to her if I’m going to help her. I promise, I won’t hurt her. I just need to tend to her wounds.”

For a moment, the tension in the room held, thick and dangerous, but then Liam and Luther exchanged a brief glance. Reluctantly, they stepped back, creating just enough space for the doctor to kneel at Charlie’s side. Their wolves still bristled with unease, but they knew they had no choice. Charlie’s life was hanging by a thread, and they had to trust the doctor to do his job.

The doctor gave them a small, sheepish smile before turning his full attention to Charlie. His hands moved quickly, pulling out bandages and antiseptic, working with a precision born of years of practice. But as he worked, he mumbled under his breath, his voice filled with concern.

“She’s so malnourished,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Her body weight is dangerously low… unhealed injuries from who knows how long ago. And the blood loss—she’s losing so much blood.”

Luther winced at the words, guilt gnawing at him. He and Liam had known that Charlie had suffered at the hands of the pack, but hearing it spelled out so plainly, seeing it so starkly laid out before them, made the reality of it all the more brutal. They had failed her—failed their mate—and now, it might be too late to save her.

The doctor worked in silence for several minutes, his hands quickly cleaning and dressing the worst of her wounds. But when he reached Charlie’s partially shifted form—her body still caught between human and wolf—he paused, his brow furrowing with worry.

“She hasn’t completed her shift,” the doctor said, more to himself than anyone else. He ran his hand over her skin, feeling the rough patches where her wolf had begun to emerge but hadn’t fully transitioned. “Her body is stuck between forms, and her wolf can’t heal her like this.”

Liam and Luther tensed at the doctor’s words, their eyes narrowing in concern.

“Can’t you help her?” Liam asked, his voice tight with desperation. “You’re the doctor. Fix her.”

The doctor’s expression grew grim as he turned to face the twins. “I can treat her wounds, but that won’t be enough. She’s too weak. Her wolf needs to finish the shift in order to heal her fully. But with how far gone she is, her wolf might not be strong enough to push through on her own.”

Luther’s heart sank. “So what are you saying?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “What do we need to do?”

The doctor hesitated for a moment, glancing between the two brothers before speaking. “The bond between mates can strengthen a wolf’s ability to heal. Her wolf is fighting, but she’s not strong enough on her own.” He looked pointedly at both of them, his voice dropping to a serious tone. “One—or preferably both—of you will need to mark her. It will strengthen her wolf and allow the shift to complete. That’s the only way she’ll survive.”

Liam and Luther exchanged a long, weighted glance. Mark her. The words hung between them like a challenge, a test of their readiness to claim her as their own.

They had waited so long to find her, had spent years searching for their mate without knowing who she was. And now, in this moment, they were faced with the reality of their bond in the most dire of circumstances. Taking the decision away from Charlie didn’t seem right. After everything that she had already been through, and how little control she has had over her life. Could they really take this decision away from her as well?

What if she wakes up and hates the two of them for marking her without her permission? But marking her wasn’t just an act of claiming—it was a matter of survival. Without it, Charlie’s wolf might not be able to heal, and they would lose her before they ever truly had her.

Liam’s jaw clenched, and he nodded to Luther, his mind made up. “We’ll do it,” he said firmly. “We’ll mark her. We’re not losing her. Not now.”

Luther nodded in agreement, his heart pounding with the weight of the decision they were about to make. The thought of marking Charlie—of making her theirs—filled him with both fear and hope. Fear that it wouldn’t be enough, that they had waited too long. And Hope that it would give her the strength she needed to survive.

Together, the twins stepped closer to the bed, their gazes locked on Charlie’s pale, battered form. They could feel the weight of the moment, the gravity of what they were about to do. It wasn’t just about healing—it was about their bond, their future.

With a deep breath, Liam lowered himself to Charlie’s side, his lips brushing softly against her neck where her scent was strongest. His wolf stirred within him, eager to claim her, to protect her. He pressed his mouth against the sensitive skin of her neck, his canines elongating as he prepared to mark her.

On the other side of the bed, Luther mirrored his brother’s actions, his own wolf howling in anticipation. His heart raced as he leaned down, his breath warm against Charlie’s skin. Together, they would give her the strength she needed to survive.

And with that, they bit down, their teeth sinking into her skin—an act of pure, undeniable love and power.