Chapter 20
ETHAN
The wolves kept fighting, it’s the rogue in them, they don’t want to be conquered. However our numbers were too much for them. We lost a few, but with our at least three to one odds, we took down far more of theirs. Still I didn’t see Justin anywhere.
I charged to the cabin with Connor and Sam at my side. I can smell the blood when I am within twenty feet of the cabin. I pick up my pace, the door is wide open. I don’t even take the time to tell whose blood it is. When I trudge inside I see Justin’s dead body, but Curt is curled over Madi.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
I reach down to pull him back, he looks up at me with tears in his eyes. “She jumped in front of the damn bullet. She took the bullet meant for me. She was already tainted with silver. I think it was too much.”
I crumble. I was too late. I can hear movement, but it means nothing. That is until Sam’s voice rings out. “She is still here. We need to get her to a clinic, fast.”
Tears are streaming down my own face, but I move quickly, pulling her up in my arms. Conner tries to take her but I growl and make sure he knows I will never let him touch her again. I run as fast as I can. My father is at the door. “Go to the south, there is a cabin where our doc is looking after wolves. Push her to the front.”
I listen. Because this is the fastest option. I can’t lose her. I can’t, she is everything to me. When we reach the makeshift clinic I push her straight to the doctor. “Silver poisoning. She was shot.”
“Is the bullet out?” Fuck I never asked Curt.
Thankfully he is behind me. “Yes, I removed it within five minutes. She said that he cut her with a knife too.”
The doctor nods and starts an IV. I can see the red fluid pumping into her. “This is synthetic blood, it is all I have on stock at the moment. It is designed to work with all blood types. Most wolves respond well to it. But we are going to need to watch her.” I lay her on a table in the middle of the cabin. The doctor hooks her up and starts treating her shoulder wound. After a moment he looks over her body. “I don’t see the cuts.”
Curt blushes. “They are on her back.”
I glare at him. “How do you know?”
“She was a little naked when I got there.”
The doctor interrupts what I am going to say next. “Help me roll her, I need to see the extent of the damage.” Carefully we rolled her to her side. He trades me places and lifts the shirt that she is wearing. I can see the red puffy skin that is trying to heal. A large J is sliced into her back. It is pretty much her whole back. What the fuck did that guy do to her? “This is deep. He intended for this not to heal without a scar. She will heal though. It looks like he did this earlier today. So there is enough of a distance between the cuts and the bullet that her body can fight off the silver. We just need to give her time to heal.”
I feel like my life is crumbling. She needs to wake up. I need to have her look at me. To let me know that she is safe. We roll her back over onto her back. She is still asleep, but at least it looks like her breath has increased. People begin to move off and leave me alone with her. Except Connor, he sits on her other side. I growl at him. “This is because of you. She wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for you.”
He glares at me. “This was not my intention. I love her. I wanted my mate. I didn’t want her to get hurt. If the situation was reversed, would you have left her behind again?” I can see the pain on his face, but all I really care about is the pain that she went through because of him.
“I would never have brought her to Justin. He was unstable and you know it. He would have found a way to hurt her. If I found her, I would have come back after taking the prisoner and taken her somewhere safe. Away from Justin. I wouldn’t have left her alone with Justin for a second.”
He sighs. “I was overwhelmed. When I caught her scent, I hadn’t smelled it in four months. We have been inseparable since we were kids. To be away from her was hell. I didn’t even really know if she was alive. When I caught her scent I knew her birthday was close, a day I had waited for for what felt like forever. I couldn’t let her get away again. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight.”
“Still you let your own selfish desires rule out her safety. I will never forgive you for that.”
“Well, maybe she will. That is what I can hope for. I love her, I always have. I won’t ever stop.”
“Connor you are going to be lucky if she ever speaks to you again.”
“Then at least I will have that.”
“I’m going to say this, if she doesn’t wake up, then I will kill you.”
“Then I won’t have to live without her.”
I would rather kill him now. But he helped us save her. I can’t bring myself to kill him yet. But I know I won’t be able to control my wolf if she doesn’t pull through.