13 - Ben


    "GO! NOW!" The sharpmand from my wolf jolts me upright, nearly throwing me out of bed.


    "What? What the hell is happening?" I demand, heart pounding as I scramble to make sense of the urgency.


    "She''s in danger! No time to waste. Get moving!" The voice inside me is relentless.


    I nce around the room. ra''s scent still lingers faintly in the air, but she''s definitely not here. She hasn''t been for at least thirty minutes. Damn it all.


    Without hesitation, I link minds with the others and take off, trusting they''ll be able to find me. Waiting isn''t an option—I''m too furious, too anxious. Something''s wrong with her. If she''s not hurt yet, she will be by the time I catch up. After everything we witnessed over thest two days, how could she have gone out for a run alone, without protection? And now, she''s paying the price.


    I let my wolf take the lead; he seems to have some instinctive way to track her, and I''m not in the mood to question him. Through his eyes, I scan the dense forest as we thunder onward. The scent of water grows stronger with every step. Of course- she wanted to verify Jeremiah''s theory about those rogues using the river to move whatever they''re hiding. Well, it seems she was right.


    "Will you shut up already?!” I snap at my wolf, irritated by the constant chatter in my head. "She''s hurt. We can be mad at her for doing her job recklesslyter."


    We pick up the scent of the rogues, and my wolf elerates. We''re moving faster than I ever thought possible. I''ll have to remember this speed for future reference. Suddenly, sounds of struggle and snarling break through the stillness as we crest a small hill. Ahead, Jax and Dev are surrounded, locked inbat with five snarling wolves. But ra is nowhere in sight. My anger res hotter, and I charge forward. "Let''s make this fight a little fairer, shall we?" My wolfughs darkly. “I can sense her nearby-she''s alive, but something''s definitely wrong."


    "Fine. We even the odds, then search," I agree, unease settling in my gut. "She''d never leave a fight withouting back, even if she was injured. That much I know."


    We leap onto the back of a gray wolf preparing to ambush Jax from behind. A smaller tawny wolf quickly rolls away, trying to use the distraction to her advantage. But her speed is no match for my wolf''s power. He rips her from the air by the scruff, thrashing violently until her neck snaps, then tosses her aside like a rag doll.


    I can feel Jeremiah, Tommy, Jason, and Rayna nearby, closing in. We pull out of the fight and head toward the water, where ra''s pull is strongest.


    As we reach the edge of the woods, my wolf lifts his nose, sniffing for any trace of her. Looking down the moss-covered slope, I spot a sh of her fiery red hair. My heart sinks. A wave of dread crashes over me, and we move dangerously fast over slippery boulders and fallen trees. I know she''s alive-I can feel it but I need to see her eyes open, hear her sharp tongue tell me off like she always does. “Really?!" she growls, voice weak but unmistakably hers. “Where are Jax and Dev?" "Busy, Your Highness," I reply with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood despite the tension. Her leg is bent at an unnatural angle, but thankfully, no other obvious injuries.


    "We need to get you to a healer before that leg starts setting wrong. If it does, they''ll have to break it again—and trust me, you don''t want that."


    "I don''t need you. Jax and Dev can get me there."


    "No, they can''t. They''ll need healers too. What were you thinking,ing out here with only two warriors? You knew there was a threat, and you had no idea what it was, yet you thought the three of you could handle it all? You could have gotten everyone killed."


    "I am not stupid! Don''t you dare imply—"


    "No! You''re not, and that''s exactly why this frustrates me so much. Stop trying to be the be-all and end-all."


    "BEN!" Jeremiah''s voice cuts through our argument. "Tell ra we''ve got one rogue left to question. The others chose death instead. Jax and Dev need healers; they''ve called for a vehicle. Dev''s got a nasty gash. Is she okay?"


    I know Jeremiah can mindlink her directly, Alpha to Alpha, but he''s keeping me involved probably to keep me grounded and maybe to needle ra a bit. He agrees with my assessment: she shouldn''t have been out here with only Jax and Dev.


    "She''s got a broken leg. It''s going to take me a while to get her out of here. I''m hoping she won''t fight me on this, but my wolf won''t let anyone else touch her like this either."


    "Finally epting the m-"


    "Don''t say it. Not now. The redhead in front of me is enough of a fight, thanks." The asshole chuckles.


    I try to be as gentle as possible. To her credit, ra doesn''t yell at me as I pull her into my arms. Maybe it''s more her wolf than her, but the skin-to-skin contact sends a tingling warmth through both of us, the matebond working overtime. I just hope it doesn''t make her heal faster-her leg needs to be set properly first. Still, the bond keeps us calm and focused.


    Slowly and carefully, I begin the climb up the embankment. The moss makes every step treacherous, and progress is agonizingly slow, but I refuse to risk us both falling. Every inch closer to safety feels like a small victory.