Chapter 7
7
Hazel
I blocked out every sound as I ran.
The way Miriam screeched my name. The screams of startled people. The rapid patter of gunshots.
In my heart I knew the truth—my pack had come for me.
Now I just had to stay alive for them to find me because fuck Donovan. I’d put money on my guys every day of the week and twice on Sunday before I ever had an ounce of faith in Donovan and his Shepherds.
Branches whipped against my body as I sprinted, crashing through the foliage with the grace of a stampeding rhino. It was so dense and thick I could barely make out more than a foot in front of me, so when I reached the top of an embankment, there was no warning.
Without time to stop, I tumbled down the edge and lost my footing in the decaying leaves and loose soil. I landed in a heap at the bottom of a ten foot incline, breathing hard and my ribs aching from the tree stump I’d clipped on the way down.
I sat in the dirt for a minute, catching my breath and realizing that could’ve been a lot worse.
I didn’t know the area, and I was naked as the day I was born. I didn’t have shoes. I had zero protection.
I had a metal collar fastened around my throat and a chain attached to it. A chain that could’ve snagged on something and broken my neck when I fell.
Slow down , I cautioned myself, gingerly standing and taking slow breaths.
There was still noise, the chaos of some sort of fight, but it was farther away. I listened for the sound of Miriam chasing me, but I couldn’t hear her voice at all. In fact, the only thing I really heard was a trickle.
Spinning, I carefully picked my way across the carpet of leaves, fallen branches, and rocks. I followed the sound, praying I hadn’t hit my head and was hallucinating.
But apparently luck had finally landed on my side.
Pushing through a row of bushes, I found a creek cutting through the woods. Wanting to cry out in relief, I didn’t hesitate to wade in. The icy temperature was like a thousand tiny daggers stabbing my feet, but I didn’t care.
I started splashing water all over my body, rubbing away the remnants of the night before as best as I could without a bar of soap. When I was fully waterlogged, I waded back out with a shudder.
I needed to find somewhere safe to sit and wait for my guys to find me.
My teeth chattered as I stumbled forward, finally finding a fallen tree beside a rock. I tucked myself into the space, drawing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs.
Damn, it was cold. The breeze was biting against my wet skin, and my long hair was a soaking wet blanket around my shoulders. The stench Daryl and Hayden had coated me with wasn’t quite as strong, but it was still there, only now it had the brackish notes of creek water added in.
Tears pricked my eyes.
I wanted to go home.
But unlike when I’d been taken before, home wasn’t a where. It was a who.
It was four people who had shown up for me when I was at my worst. Four men who refused to let me sink when I was drowning.
I rested my chin on my knees, making myself as small as possible while listening.
Eventually, the gunshots faded.
The screams stopped, replaced by other, more soothing sounds.
Birds chirping. Running water in the stream behind me. The soft chitter of a squirrel jumping from branch to branch above me.
The longer I sat there, the colder I became and the darker my thoughts went.
What if Donovan and his men overpowered my guys?
What if it wasn’t even my pack that had launched the attack? Surely Donovan and the APA had other enemies. Other people who hated them and wanted them dead.
Eventually, someone would find me.
The terrifying question was, who ?
A twig snapped in the distance, and my breath caught. Instead of looking, I dropped my chin to my chest and squeezed my eyes shut, imagining I was a little girl again and the monsters could only see me if I could see them .
Leaves rustled. Another twig cracked under the weight of a footstep.
The sounds were getting closer.
I tried to keep my teeth from chattering, but it was pretty much a lost cause. A thin, reedy whine slipped through my teeth before I could swallow it.
The footsteps stopped.
Then a soft, “Hazel?”
My head snapped up. I knew that voice.
“H-here,” I stammered, trying to stand, but my frozen limbs were locked up tight, my muscles refusing to work. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I'm here.”
More footsteps, this time faster and with purpose as they hurtled toward me.
Rhett rounded a tree almost as wide as his shoulders, and he spotted me. His eyes went wide. “I found you.” A shaft of sunlight caught on the barrel of the gun he held like an extension of his arm. He quickly tucked it into the holster on his hip.
I burst into tears, a sob ripping from my throat as Rhett fell to his knees in front of me. His hands were everywhere—in my hair, touching the collar, feathering over my shoulders, and then pulling me against his chest.
“Fuck, love,” he started, his voice thick with emotion, “you had us scared to death.”
“You came for me,” I managed to choke out between crying.
His arms tightened around me. “We will always come for you, Hazel.” After a beat, he held me back by the shoulders. His nostrils flared, and I tried to curl into a ball again.
Was I happy I was rescued? Hell yes.
But being rescued naked was not on my BINGO card for this year.
Rhett ripped off his black jacket and shoved my arms through it before zipping it up. “Hazel… Fuck. I don’t know where to start.”
“Can we start with getting out of here?” I begged, my teeth still chattering.
His mouth flattened. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head. “I think my feet are a little cut up, and I’m cold. But I’m okay.”
His nostrils flared again, a murderous sort of rage making his silver eyes turn molten. “Love, did they… If they?—”
“Rhett.” I grabbed his hand. “I swear I’m okay. In desperate need of a shower and a cuddle pile with you guys, but I’m really okay.”
“All right,” he agreed, not looking convinced. “I can carry you out of here.” He tapped his ear, and I noticed there was a tiny listening device tucked inside. “I’ve got her. North edge of the property by the creek.”
“Is everyone okay?” I demanded when he stopped talking.
Rhett stood and helped me up. “Yes. Once we breached their eastern walls, it wasn’t much to overtake them. We split up to find you.” He stared at me, thinking.
I watched Rhett, my insides turning to jelly as the warmth from his jacket sank into me. I inhaled the thick scent of cedar and woodsmoke. The jacket hung to my knees and several inches off my fingers.
“I’m going to carry you out of here,” he told me, “but if anything hurts?—”
“I promise to tell you,” I vowed, reaching for him.
Some of the lines on his forehead melted away as he swung me up into his arms, careful to keep the jacket tucked around me so my pussy wasn’t flapping in the wind. “I’ve missed you, love.”
I snuggled against his chest, rubbing my cheek on the soft black tee stretched across his pecs. “I missed you, too. I really want to go home.”
He kissed the top of my hair. “That’s exactly where we’re going.”
Rhett’s boots clomped through the brush, crushing everything beneath it. I kept my face hidden against his shirt until I heard someone else crashing through the woods.
“Rhett? Hazel!” Jude’s shout made my heart leap.
“Over here,” Rhett called.
More crashing, and then Jude was in front of me. His bright green eyes flashed with relief as he plucked me from Rhett. “Goddamn, baby. Scared the shit out of me.”
“Easy,” Rhett barked, hovering like an overprotective mother hen.
Jude’s hold softened a fraction. “Are you hurt?” He frowned, his expression turning fierce. “Where are your pants?” Then his eyes fastened on the chain gathered in my hands so it wouldn’t drag. “What the fuck did they do?”
“Nothing,” I assured him, tears still blurring my vision. “Please, just take me home.”
Jude looked over my head, exchanging a look with Rhett. They seemed to be having an entire conversation in utter silence.
“What?” I demanded, picking up on the unhappy vibes. “What’s wrong?”
Rhett glanced at me and held up a finger, and I realized they were both listening to something being communicated on their earpieces that I couldn’t hear.
“Fuck,” Rhett snarled. “Take Hazel and get her out of here.”
Jude started to step back, and I freaked.
“No!” My sharp cry had them both freezing. Hysteria bubbled up inside of me. “I need all of you. I’m sorry if I’m being clingy or?—”
“Shhh,” Rhett whispered, closing the distance and wrapping his arms around me and Jude.
Tears dripped down my face. “I just need you guys. Can we please grab Kellan and Crew and fucking leave this place?”
Jude winced. “That’s gonna be a little difficult, baby. None of us planned on dealing with a full blown feral alpha. It’s gonna take time to settle the big guy down.”
My heart sank. “Oh, Kellan.” My sweet and ferocious alpha had always toed the line with going feral, but he’d always stayed just barely on the side of sanity.
“Haze,” Rhett murmured.
“I need to see him.” I gave them both my fiercest scowl. “Take me to Kellan now, guys.”
“It’s not Kellan,” Rhett said softly.
I frowned, utterly puzzled.
Jude sighed. “It’s Crew.”