Bran scrambled laboriously to his feet and started after Eztli but Paion suddenly grabbed him and stopped him. The Alpha growled at her, thinking only of the danger his mate was in, "Let me go."<br/>Paion rolled her eyes and caught his scruff to hold him still saying, "If you go after her in this condition you'll both be killed. She can handle it for a second." She placed a hand near his wounds and let her powers seep into him, sealing his injuries.<br/>He sighed in relief as the pain faded and his head cleared a bit, "Thank you, I'm sorry." He looked over at Alek, "Please take care of him and take him home." She nodded as she released him and he took off to help his mate subdue his daughter.<br/>Paion watched them a moment before going over to Alek and kneeling beside him on the ground. She placed a hand on his chest and healed the minor wounds he'd received from Bran, then gently picked him up and started to run back to the pack.<br/><br/>Æsc smirked and looked at his hand as he trailed it tenderly down her arm, loving the feel of her skin beneath his fingers, "Because the bond of a pack is nothing compared to that of a mate. And even if we weren't really mates to begin with the bond started to take hold the moment we met."