Se connecterRyderThe moment we push through the hospital doors, everything shifts fast.Healers rush in immediately, no hesitation, no wasted movement, hands already reaching before I fully step inside. They move like they’ve done this a hundred times, focused, sharp, eyes locked on Alice first.“Put her here,” one of them directs, guiding a stretcher into position.I don’t release her right away. My grip tightens slightly as I look down at her face, scanning for anything I might have missed on the way here. Her breathing is there, uneven but steady enough, her skin pale under the harsh lights.“Easy,” I mutter, lowering her carefully as they take over, making sure her head is supported before I finally let go.“We’ve got her,” a healer assures, already checking her pulse, fingers pressing lightly against her wrist.“Check her head properly,” I add, my voice firm. “She took a hit.”“We will,” she replies quickly, already moving, already calling for something over her shoulder.Another pair of ha
RyderI lift her again before the vehicle fully comes to a stop.The back door swings open, one of my men jumping down quickly, but I am already moving, adjusting my hold on Alice as I step forward.“Careful,” he warns, reaching out slightly.“I’ve got her,” I cut in, my tone firm as I step past him and climb into the back.There is enough space cleared already, seats pushed aside, a stretcher set but not secured yet. I lower myself onto the bench instead, keeping her in my arms as I settle back.“Take care of Micah,” I add without looking up, my focus staying on her.“Yes, Alpha,” comes the immediate response, followed by movement outside.The door shuts a second later, muting the noise from outside, and the vehicle starts moving almost immediately, the engine picking up speed as we pull away from the crash site.I adjust my grip slightly, keeping her supported as the motion shifts under us.“Easy,” I murmur, more to keep myself steady than anything else.Her head rests against my ar
RyderThe sound cuts off too suddenly.One second I am tracking engines and movement ahead, the next there is nothing but the echo of it fading into the trees, and my grip tightens instantly as I push the bike harder.“No,” I mutter under my breath, my voice low but edged as I lean forward.That is not a clean stop.That is impact.The bond hits me right after, sharp and heavy, not like before when it carried strain and motion, but something deeper, something that makes my chest tighten in a way I cannot ignore.I push the throttle further without thinking, the engine roaring louder beneath me as I close the last stretch.“Hold on,” I press out, my jaw tightening as I keep my focus locked ahead.The trees begin to thin, the path opening into a wider stretch of ground, and the first thing I see is debris.Fresh.Scattered.A track carved harshly into the dirt, deeper than the rest, leading straight into where everything ends.My eyes snap forward.The bikes come into view first.One tw
AliceThe ground slams into me before I can brace properly.Air rushes out of my chest on impact, sharp and violent, and for a second I cannot breathe at all. My body skids across rough dirt, stones biting into my skin through torn fabric, and the momentum flips me once before I land hard again on my side.Pain spreads fast, not in one place but everywhere at once, deep and burning, like my body cannot decide what hurts the most.I suck in a breath, but it comes out broken, uneven, my chest tightening as I try again.“Fuck…” The word drags out of me, low and strained as I press my palm into the ground.The dirt is warm, gritty against my skin, grounding enough that I force my eyes open.Everything spins.Not lightly, not something I can blink away, but heavy, like the whole world tilted and has not settled back yet. The trees blur together, the sky flickering between patches of light and shadow, and I squeeze my eyes shut for a second before opening them again.“Get up,” I mutter, my
AliceThe engine starts to sound wrong.At first, it is just a slight change under me, something subtle enough that I almost ignore it, but then it drags again, the vibration shifting through the frame into my hands, and I feel it clearly this time.“Don’t do this now,” I mutter, tightening my grip as I push the throttle again.The bike responds, but not cleanly.There is a delay.A strain.The kind that tells me it is already past what it should be handling.I lean forward anyway, forcing more out of it as the path stretches ahead, uneven ground still coming at me fast enough that I need to keep control while pushing speed.Behind me, Micah does not slow.I can hear him clearly now, his engine steady in a way mine is not, controlled, consistent, like he has all the time in the world to keep up with me.“Yeah, keep going,” I murmur under my breath, more to myself than him, as I adjust my balance slightly when the bike dips over a shallow ridge.Pain pulls harder at my side, sharper no
RyderI feel something sharp enough to make my grip tighten instantly as a wave of pain cuts through my chest like it does not belong to me.I grit my teeth and lean forward on the bike, pushing the throttle without thinking twice.“Alice…” I breathe out, my voice rough as the sensation lingers just long enough to leave my chest tight.She is hurt.I feel it.The engine roars louder as I push deeper, the path ahead blurring slightly at the edges from speed, but I keep control, my focus locked in despite the way the bond flickers again.The terrain shifts under me again, rough patches forcing the tires to adjust, but I do not ease off. My hands stay firm on the handle, my body leaning into the movement as I ride through it.Branches snap under the tires as I cut through a narrower stretch, the sound loud but meaningless compared to what I am listening for.Then, something else reaches me.Faint at first.A sound that does not belong to the forest.I tilt my head slightly, my focus shar
ReignIt's been days since that mess in the clinic hallway with Nova. She walked out crying and I let her go. I figured she needed space, figured she'd come back when she cooled off like she always does. But she hasn't. No calls, no texts, no showing up at the common room with that half-smile she p
AliceI am shoved deeper into the darkness. Thick, and heavy like it has weight, like it is pressing against my eyes and sinking into my chest. I float in it for a while, not sure how long, not sure if time even exists here. My body feels far away, like it belongs to someone else, like I left it so
Ryder The pull hits me so hard it almost knocks the air out of my lungs. A sharp twist low in my chest, like someone grabbed a rope tied around my ribs and yanked with everything they had. I stagger mid-step, boots skidding over blood-slick concrete, my hand snapping out to brace against a scorche
RyderI stand by Alice’s bed with my arms crossed tight over my chest while the healers move around us. The clinic room smells like antiseptic and blood, the kind of sharp clean that burns your nose. Machines beep slow and steady next to her, keeping track of every breath she takes. She looks small







