38. Max
Max
“C ardio is good for you,” I say patiently. “You love the forest.”
She grumbles. “Not twenty miles of it.”
Grinning, I pull my bag off my back. “It was nowhere near that, and you know it. But fine. I’ll carry you the rest of the way home. Theo is walking up to meet us anyway. He can carry the bags.”
“Good.” She flops down on the ground, spreading out her arms as she breathes in deep, full gulps of fresh air. “Although… I forgot how much I love this place. This is nice.”
Her hair spreads out across the ground, and I drop down next to her, sticking my head on my hand to see her face as I run my fingers through it. “It suits you.”
“Being out here?” One eye half-opens as she surveys me lazily. A soft smile curls her mouth. “Not as much as it suits you.”
I strike a pose. “Yeah? I heard forest chic is the new thing.”
Her laugh does something to my fucking soul, I swear. “You’re such a goof.”
“That’s why you love me.”
Shit—
“Uh—,” I stop. Swallow. “Why’re you smiling like that?”
Her eyes are soft. “Yeah, Max. That’s why I love you.”
Direct fucking hit.
I stare at her, wide-eyed. Kenny shuffles up onto her knees until she’s hovering over me, and my words stick in my throat as her head lowers. Her lips brush mine.
Once. Again. I make the neediest fucking sound that’s ever come from my throat as my mate presses soft hands against my cheeks and kisses me. I can still feel her smile as my hand slips around her neck, my tongue teasing her lips open.
Cherries and chocolate and Kennedy.
I want that combination every damned day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.
All of it.
Something rustles in the trees up ahead, and I reluctantly break away, looking over my shoulder.
Kenny stills. Her whisper is low. “Is it another snake?”
Frowning, I scan the trees before climbing to my feet and helping her up. “No.”
This is… bigger.
My hand slips into my pocket. Silently, I press a button on my phone. An SOS code that goes to everyone in our pack.
“Kenny,” I say quietly. I catch a flash of movement. “When I tell you, I need you to run, baby. Promise me. Okay?”
“What?” She turns to look. “Is it a bear?”
“Kenny.” My voice is sharp, and she stills. “I’m not fucking around. That’s not an animal.”
I know this forest. Know the movements of every animal in it. And there’s nothing natural about the eyes that peer back at me through the bush.
Red eyes.
Slowly, I reach for my bag, shifting to keep Kenny between us. “Not until I tell you. Promise me, Kennedy. Theo is coming. Run until you get to him.”
“Max.” Her voice wavers. “I can’t leave you—,”
“Yes. You will.” I hate myself for it. But to keep her safe… there’s nothing I won’t do. “There’s a feral alpha in those trees, Kenny. You’re going to run.”
Her breath hitches. “Don’t you dare—,”
He explodes from the bush, and I throw myself forward. My words burst out in a roar. A bark. An alpha bark . “Run!”
He tries to dart past me, his face a twisted, almost unrecognizable mask of anger and snarling as I jump into his path, my own snarl curling up my throat in a warning.
Almost unrecognizable.
But… I do recognise him.
Holy shit—
He tries to rush past me again.
He’s aiming…for Kenny.
My own vision mists as I barrel into him, knocking him sideways. Razor sharp teeth flash inches from my throat, much longer than they normally are as he turns to face me. His body is broader, bigger, his suit torn and filthy.
But I’d know the alpha that roars at me anywhere.
No longer Charles Rivers.
Something worse.
Movement flickers from the corner of my eye, and my soul leaves my body.
No.
I told her to run. I told her.
But alpha barks only work on omegas.
They don’t work on feral omegas.
And as Kennedy flings herself past me, her movements too quick for me to grab her, I see them. The flash of claws, lethal and sharp.
She launches herself at Charles Rivers with a shriek. And her claws… they slash across his throat, opening up a thin line of scarlet. He shoves her away, but she only throws herself back at him, darting around his body too quickly for him to track.
Too fast for me to grab her. My heart in my throat, I’m forced to watch, my hands up and ready in case there’s something I can do. Her name sounds like a heartbeat, whispered on my lips.
Kenny. Kenny. Kenny .
All this time.
I can’t lose her again. None of us will survive it.
The bellow that reaches me from the other side of the clearing sends pain rippling through my chest, even as Kennedy tears into Charles. He staggers, falling to his knees.
Her claws lift, again, aiming for his jugular—
“ Kennedy !” Theo roars. Not a bark. But a plea. “No!”
Charles slumps. Blood dots the floor around him.
And Kenny… stops. Her eyes flicker, her claws against his neck.
If she kills him—
“You did good.” Slowly, I lift my hands. Coaxing. “But we can put him away, Ken. He’s not going to hurt you. You did really good.”
She snarls down at him.
“Or us,” Theo says quietly. He stares at his father. And there’s nothing there but grim understanding, before he lifts his eyes to our mate. “Come back, Kenny. It’s okay.”
I can’t breathe as I watch her. If she’s turned again…
She can’t go through that again.
Kenny’s eyes flicker. Once. Twice.
And this time, it’s… easy. Her eyes shift into a familiar brown, and she staggers.
But we get to her first. Grabbing her, I nearly choke on the relief that fills my throat.
“You’re all right,” I breathe, cupping her face. My voice trembles. “God, Ken.”
She twists. There’s no regret in her face. But her eyes are wide. “He was going to hurt you. It just… happened.”
I scan her eyes, looking for any hint of scarlet. Her hands reach up to cover mine. “It’s gone, Max. This time it felt… different. Like it was a conscious decision. I needed to help you, and it just… happened .”
Theo yanks a length of rope from my backpack. “Max. Help me.”
I’m better at knots. I use it to focus on his hands, securing him to the tree. “Might not hold.”
“I’ll call for help,” he says grimly. “Take Kenny home. I don’t want you connected with this, Ken.”
We don’t want any questions over the marks in his skin.
Theo’s fist slams into his dad’s face when Charles stirs. He slumps again, out cold. “There’s a cell waiting for him at the Center. Nothing less than he deserves.”
Kenny hesitates. “What about an anonymous call? Can we do that? Get someone to just… pick him up?”
Theo stares at us both. “He… I thought he’d left town. But this – something else we should have known. But I never saw his paperwork.”
She looks down at her fingers. Taking them for myself, I examine them. Nothing but dark red smears and her normal, trimmed nails. No claws. Kenny looks at Theo. “I’m sorry. He was still your dad.”
His smile is soft. “I promise you, Ken. I’m fine. He hasn’t been my dad for a long time. I knew there was something. But I need you away from here, okay? I’ll make the call. Just… I need you away from him.”
His hands are shaking.
“Come on,” I say softly. I turn her away from Charles Rivers, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. “Let’s go home. The others will be panicking.”
And with every step, I feel nothing but relief.