Chapter 43
Forty-Three
IZZY
My pulse spikes as I stare into the angry, unforgiving eyes of my mate.
Or the creature that took him over.
He looks exactly like the wolf I saw in my dream, though his serene expression then is a startling contrast to the one he’s wearing now. He bares his fangs at the two of us as he stalks forward, every inch the lethal, angry predator.
Fear scuttles across my skin, raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck, and I have to remind myself repeatedly that this is Christian. He may look like a fierce beast, but the man I know and care about is somewhere in there. He won’t hurt me.
I hope.
“Christian?” My voice shakes.
The growls reverberating through him cease when he glances at me, cocking his head to the side.
“It’s me, Christian. It’s your…mate.” I stumble over the word slightly, but I know I said the right thing when he drops onto his haunches, still staring at me intently. “We don’t want to hurt you. Please, Christian. Come with us.”
I instinctively take a step closer, and Ashton reaches for me, capturing my hand in his.
Christian’s eyes zero in on our interlocking fingers, and a growl breaks free from his chest. He slowly rises, and terror ripples through me like magma.
“Ashton,” I whisper, barely moving my mouth. “Let me go.”
The fur on Christian’s back stands straight up. He stalks forward.
“We need to leave.” Ashton gives my hand a tug.
That’s his first mistake.
The second is when he tries to run, practically dragging me with him.
Christian pounces before I can even scream his name and lands on Ashton’s back, ripping him away from me. His claws burrow into Ashton’s spine through his shirt. Ashton cries out, and I don’t think, just react, lifting my hand and sending a bolt of magic at Christian.
The wolf tumbles off of Ashton, rolling a few times before settling to a stop.
But he’s still.
Almost too still.
“Oh my god.”
Did I just kill him?
Please, no. Please.
“He’s not dead,” a laughing, jovial voice says from somewhere above.
A second later, Travan drops from the tree branches in a crouch, directly beside Christian. He places his fingers to the wolf’s neck, and I only breathe easier when Travan says, “He’s alive. Just unconscious. Good work.”
He flashes me a pleased, proud smile.
“W-what the fuck?” Ashton sputters, staring wide-eyed at my crazy-ass bio dad. “Where did you come from?”
Travan very pointedly glances upwards, towards the branches of the tallest tree. “Heaven.”
“Were you following us?” Ashton’s cheeks turn red, and he’s not the only one.
If Travan’s been here this entire time…then he no doubt witnessed my fight with Ashton.
Darkness springs to life in Travan’s eyes, capable of slicing a lesser man to ribbons. “You know…I could kill you now, and no one will ever know.”
He slides his gaze to me, and I realize he’s being entirely serious. He literally would murder Ashton if I asked him to.
Just who the fuck is Travan?
It takes me a solid second to find my voice. “N-no. That won’t be necessary.” I level a penetrating glare in Ashton’s direction. “Ashton’s an asshole, but I can handle him.”
“I know you can.” Travan once again tosses me a beaming smile, the darkness in his eyes dissipating. “I would’ve intervened sooner if I thought you were in danger. Nice punch, by the way. Good form.”
“Enough of this!” Ashton throws his hands in the air, though his attention never wavers from his brother. “Is Christian okay? What the fuck did you do?”
The last he directs at me, venom infusing every word.
“I just saved your life, asswipe! Maybe be a little grateful.”
“Contact the others. Let them know we found him,” Travan instructs, still kneeling beside Christian.
He grabs the wolf’s tail, studies it, and then drops it back into the dirt. I swear Ashton’s right eye begins to twitch.
Quickly, I grab my walkie-talkie out of my backpack and relay the information. Everybody agrees to reconvene back in the clearing.
“So what do we do now? How do we change him back to a human?” Desperation thrums headily through my veins.
Christian—my Christian—is right fucking here. So close. And if he’s stuck like this for the rest of his life…
My breathing turns embarrassingly shallow, escaping me in erratic spurts.
This wolf isn’t Christian. Not really. My Christian would never, ever hurt his brother—no matter how much he may want to.
Speaking of…
I turn towards Ashton and study him intently, noting the red stains on his shirt from the blood. “How’s your back?”
He scowls at me. “Do you really care?”
“Yes,” I answer simply, and I can tell my answer takes him by surprise.
He considers and then replies, “It hurts, but I’ll live.”
“We need to get Christian back to the others before he wakes up,” Travan says. “There, we can contain him—”
“Like in a cage?” My heart twists painfully at the prospect of locking him away like some sort of wild animal.
Then again, isn’t that what he is now?
“We’re doing this for his own good,” Travan tells me, his tone unexpectedly serious. “Do you really think he would be happy to hear he almost killed his brother? I mean, I wouldn’t give a shit, but someone with the capacity to feel more emotions might.”
“He didn’t almost kill me,” Ashton grumbles petulantly.
I debate my options, but at the end of the day, Travan’s right. This is the best course of action for everyone involved, including Christian.
“Okay. Let’s get him to the clearing.” I nod once, my heart pounding faster.
I remind myself that Christian won’t be in a cage forever—just long enough for me to find a way to fix him.
And I will fix him. There’s no other option.
Travan bends to pick him up, but Ashton staggers forward.
“I’ll do it,” he snaps briskly, kneeling to grab his brother’s wolf form.
I open my mouth to protest—noting the strain on Ashton’s face and his barely disguised grimace of pain—but decide against it. It’s not like Ashton would listen to me in the first place.
Ashton carries Christian with surprising ease, and it takes me a second to remember that all shifters have advanced strength and speed.
Without a backwards glance at me, Ashton hurries the way we came, his grip tight on his older brother. I remain a few steps behind them with Travan at my side. It isn’t long until Ashton is completely out of sight.
Leaving me alone.
With Travan.
Fuck.