~Wren~ We left three days ago, after the first day and the beginning of the second day, It’s fair to assume I will die of exhaustion. Every single part of me aches and screams for a break longer than a few hours, and I mean every part. The hair on my headaches down to the tiny skin molecules on my feet, or, well, currently, my paws. We are all covered in dirt, but none of that seems to bother the guys, which only drives me even more crazy. Because they all smell pretty terrible, along with me, but, damn, they are getting a little grody. It’s near impossible not scrunching my nose in distaste when Nickolai wants to hug me or sidle up next to me. I should just tell him to back off until he smells like himself, but… let’s be honest, his smell isn’t the only thing that wants me to keep my distance from him. He has all but pissed on my leg to lay claim to me as his. Nickolai trots beside me as we try once more to find any way through the growing forces at the border of their pack lands
“You don’t feel it” My voice quivers. Oh holy shit, I’m such a moron. Of course, he doesn’t feel the magnetic pull I do. “I think you are afraid of good things because you have lived a shit life. Nickolai is good for you.” “And you…” “I’m not an option.” He says, standing quickly and grabbing the back of snacks. “Eat your food. You are tired and not thinking straight.” “That wasn’t what I was going to say…” I tell him with a scowl. Sebastian presses his lips together firmly in a straight line, just staring at me, waiting for me to elaborate. “I was going to say ‘And you think I’m Nickolai’s’” His jaw clenches as he glares off into the distance, probably paralyzing some poor squirrel with his angry stare. “Aren’t you?” His gaze swings to mine and I feel pinned in my spot. “I’m no one’s,” I sigh, using my hands to push myself up. “I make my own decisions. Don’t just assume that I am someone without asking me.” “I don’t care whose you are, Birdie. So long as you understand you wo
~Sebastian~ I probably should have kept my hands to myself, or at least kept my gloves on, but I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me. I wasn’t lying when I told Wren that there is some nasty shit coming today. Call it intuition or training, but I can feel it in my bones. The stillness and the distance this pack seems to keep. It’s not Alden’s pack, that much I’m sure of, which leaves only one other pack close enough to get in position in the time they did. Thundering Comet pack. The most ruthless of the packs, aligning with whoever the highest bidder is and training their pack members to maim and then leave the injured for dead. And they are excellent at it. Which is why I have to make sure Wren and Nickolai make it through today. It’s not like I’m planning on dying today. I have no intentions of sacrificing myself if the need doesn’t arise, but I’d be a moron not to expect a fight that may very well be the end of me. It’s a part of who I am, my job. Protecting Nickolai has l
-Get Nicki and Wren out the way we planned!- I order Tank. I jump up from my crouching position, knowing full well I can’t outrun them in wolf form. There are branches I will need to reach for to launch myself over boulders too high for my wolf’s form to take on. This means I have to hall ass to the east to get these guys on my scent and after me enough to draw their attention. I leap over some upturned roots, zigzagging through the trees, being sure to touch almost everyone on the way past, hoping to leave my scent strong enough. The crashing of the brambles and branches behind me alerts me to just how much they know this area and how close they are. They had to have scouted the area well before we arrived because it sounds like they are chasing me in human form, which means they know well enough that they will need the use of hands and not paws. I should have anticipated it, known they were smart enough, but I had been holding on to that little strand of hope that now is long gone
~Wren~“Mate”My world spins on its axis as I stare at the dying man before me, the cold hard knife of reality gutting me once again. My mate. Sebastian is my mate, and he is lying here in a pool of his own blood. I have never in my life seen someone in such a condition. Sebastian’s once perfect muscles shredded as they lie exposed and gushing blood, trying to knit his flesh back together. A huge gash oozes above his ear and his eyes wane in and out of focus.“Seb!” I sob out loud, not caring if anyone hears me or comes back. My hands are holding fast to his cheeks, the only place where his flesh looks to be remaining intact as I gently give him another slap.“I need you to look at me, please.”His hand tries to move, to reach for me, but it fails, as the bulging muscles in his chest are bundled and broken. I reach for his hand, moving it to my cheek for him, letting him touc
“Twenty minutes, my ass,” I mutter under my breath. I can feel Sebastian’s large frame shaking in laughter. His muscular arm wrapped around my shoulders as he uses me like some walking stick. He had said it would be a twenty-minute walk to this magical cliff we would leap down and -poof- we’d be on Bright Star pack lands. Ok, it’s not a magical cliff. But right now it was feeling pretty damn elusive as we stumble on in search of it. For the past hour. It has officially taken three times longer than he said it would. “Hey, I’m injured. I could still die, and you’re over here complaining like I’m the one slowing you down. You could leave me.” “Don’t tempt me,” I mutter, pausing only to look up at him and regret it. “Are you sure you are okay?” He asks, the corners of his lips tipping down. “You’re kidding right?” I snort. “No, No I’m not ok! Sebastian, it is a million freaking degrees out here, I’m in a sweatshirt, half carrying a freaking mountain man and there is no end in sight
~Sebastian~ Every part of me aches and screams in pain, begging me to stop walking. To just lie down and let my body mend itself. I know I overdid it by making us take the longer route, but I couldn’t help it anymore. I can’t help these euphoric sparks that bloom with each brush of skin. My wolf and subconsciousness are both to blame, needing to be with her for a while. When it came down to getting out safely or coming to my aid, she came for me, and shit if that thought isn’t messing with my brain. She chose me. She could have done it because Nickolai had Tank and the two of them are formidable fighters. But for now, I’ll live in the fairytale that this woman under my arm, helping carry my weight, saved me in the heat of battle. I slide a glance down at her. Her hair looks almost red in the morning sunlight, as fiery as her spirit today. Full of snark and determination. Sweat beads from the sweltering heat, holding her hair hostage, gluing it to her perfect neck as she takes an an
Alpha Jameson paces the room they insisted I stay in. It’s far more lavish than what I’m accustomed to with its sweeping windows spanning the entire side of the room and enough space to house thirty warriors. Instead of my typical full-size bed, I’m being forced to lie in a king-sized, four-poster bed with gray linens. The only thing that is similar to my room is the color of the blankets I’m laying in. And hell, these linens are easily much finer than the ones I use. “Alpha, the healer is wrong. I will be available as early as tomorrow to head back out.” I assure him. Though I’m not the only spy we have in the warrior pack, I’m one of the best. A position that I could achieve only because Nickolai had helped to teach me how to use my brains as much as my brawns. Alpha Jameson stops in his tracks and swings his angry gaze at me. “You think that is what I’m upset about?” He scoffs. “I truly am fine, Alpha.” I sigh. “I have asked you time and time again to please just call me Jameso