Between Life and Death
Rowan POV
I'm in the area, alpha. Assessing the threat level. I send via the link.
Nothing comes back. I knew the minute he leapt from his balcony that he'd need some back-up.
My eyes rake the tree-line, assessing every shadow, searching for anything out of place.
I pause to scent the air, breathing deeply after the speed I went to get here.
I can't shake the feeling that there's something bigger at work than we realise.
Something pulls at me.
Something deep.
I pause again at the edge of the clearing, head tilting slightly as I listen to the forest around me.
I sense Luca's presence northward, deeper into the trees. But my instincts are screaming at me to go west.
I hesitate for a moment, but the feeling doesn't fade. There's a tug low in my chest – quiet but insistent. Like the earth itself is nudging me sideways.
I frown.
My wolf stirs restlessly beneath my skin.
This way.
"Looks like I'm going west," I mutter to myself.
I'll deal with the alpha aftermath later.
I exhale slowly through my nose and turn. Picking up the pace as my sense of urgency increases.
I arrive at a clearing. It looks empty at first glance. But my training tells me people were here.
Broken branches. Torn earth. The faint metallic tang of blood drifting through the air. I crouch, sifting soil through my fingers. Beneath the rogue scent, something else lingers.
Interesting. I wonder how they'll explain this one away.
I rise slowly, alert. The wind shifts and I catch a hint of wolfsbane in the air.
Fuck.
My gaze catches on something pale in the dirt. Then I see her.
Her body is half turned. I'm there immediately.
She lies on her side, her blonde lengths tangled with leaves, one arm curled awkwardly beneath her.
Tess.
Of course it’s Tess.
I crouch beside her, already searching for wounds. But I know without a doubt where the scent of wolfsbane has come from.
I expected her skin to be cold. Instead, she’s warm.
My brow furrows.
If she were dead, the heat would already be gone. My fingers brush against her wrist.
Still warm – still soft.
“Not dead,” I murmur to myself, hope lifting.
Thorn, I need you – are you on scene?
No, beta. I'm the pack Doctor, my speed isn't that of you pack leaders.
"Fuck!" I shout in frustration. I know I should follow their trail before it goes cold.
But leaving her here isn’t an option.
I need an antidote, immediately. I snarl out. I know it's not his fault, but my wolf is on edge.
I'll be five minutes.
I know for certain we don’t have that long. Screw the trail. Tess needs me more than they need hunting.
What can I do, Doc? I can't let her die.
I feel my wolf pushing forward. Unsatisfied.
Nothing, Rowan – at least nothing that I could safely advise.
Screw safety, tell me what to do. I use enough of my Beta command that he doesn't have a choice.
Find the injury, and suck it out.
I follow the doc's instructions and look for the injury site. There’s a dark stain spreading across her shoulder.
I shift her gently, and the sickening scent hits me immediately.
Definitely wolfsbane.
“Damn it,” I mutter.
The wound is small but vicious. I ignore the thought and focus before the poison seeps further through her bloodstream.
Left alone, it would stop her heart within minutes. I study her for a moment longer. Even half-conscious and bloodied, she’s impossible to look away from.
Something inside me twists, and a flurry of feelings rush over me.
Protectiveness.
Longing.
I exhale sharply, then lower my head. "Here goes nothing."
I sink my teeth into the wound without hesitation. The bitter taste of wolfsbane floods my mouth instantly.
I suck the poison out, ignoring the burn across my tongue before turning my head and spitting the blackened saliva onto the ground.
Again.
More poison.
More bitter heat.
I repeat the process until the taste begins to fade.
Until instinct takes over. My teeth pierce her skin properly this time.
A true bite.
Power surges through the contact – sharp and electric.
My wolf lunges forward with a startled growl, like he’s recognised something I haven’t.
The forest shudders around us. For a heartbeat nothing happens.
Then–
Tess gasps.
Air tears violently into her lungs as her body jolts beneath my hands.
I jerk back slightly, watching as colour rushes back into her face.
Her pulse kicks hard beneath my fingers.
She's alive.
My wolf settles with quiet satisfaction.
Mine.
The word slams into me so hard I go completely still.
No.
No, that’s impossible.
Tess isn’t even eighteen yet.
My pulse turns brutal. My jaw tightens as I stare down at her unconscious face, at the mark I’ve just left on her skin.
Fuck.
The forest is silent around us now, like even it knows something has changed.
Something irreversible.
I shrug off my shirt and pull it over her, covering as much of her as I can before lifting her carefully into my arms.
My hold tightens instantly.
Possessively.
Instinctively.
Whatever just happened here, I know one thing for certain.
No one is touching her again. Nothing between us will ever be the same again.
Then I turn and disappear into the forest.