Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
And despite the ice-cold rage that usually disconnected him, he felt fear snake through him. Tasted it. Smelled it. It was the same pure, incapacitating fear he’d felt that day at the drive-in movie theater. As he held Madisyn’s cat to him much as he had cradled Hayden that day, the fear became so overwhelming that he could barely breathe. And Bracken realized he’d never trusted himself to protect her. Never trusted that she’d be able to protect herself either. Never trusted that his happiness would last.
A part of him had felt that he simply didn’t deserve to have her, that he’d fail her sooner or later, that she’d be better off without him. Intellectually, he knew it wasn’t true. But that small, subconscious part of him that disagreed had stopped him from being able to fully bind himself to her, had blocked the mating bond from fully forming. And now she was dying right in front of him, just as he’d always feared she would. Her pulse was fading and weakening, which meant that their mating bond would soon do the same.
Ally. He needed Ally.
Still holding the little cat, Bracken stood and glanced around. He spotted the white she-wolf in the creek, aiding two other wolves in bringing down a bear. He headed right for her. “Ally!”
The white wolf looked his way. Tensed. Hopping out of the water, she shifted. Wet and covered in plenty of gashes, Ally gaped at Madisyn. “Oh my God.”
“Do something,” Bracken gritted out. Warm blood just kept pumping out of the cat’s wounds, further soaking her fur and wetting his hands.
Taking in a deep breath, Ally laid a hand on the cat’s head. He felt it through the mating bond as healing energy began to flow into—
A huge weight barreled into Bracken, taking his legs out from under him and knocking him flat. He hit the ground with a grunt, and the cat rolled out of his arms. The bear swung a thick paw at Ally, sending her crashing into a tree. She slid to the ground. Unconscious? Bracken couldn’t tell.
As the bear switched his attention back to Madisyn, Bracken’s heart jumped. Oh, the fuck no. Standing, Bracken yelled, “Hey!”
The bear’s head swung his way, and then it swatted at the ground, glaring at him, ready to charge.
Bracken knew by the alpha vibes coming from the bear that it was Archer. “I told you that if you wanted to live, you needed to stay away from her. Should’ve listened to me.” Bracken shifted.
Standing tall, feet wide apart, the gray wolf braced himself. Growled, ears flat.
The bear let out a deep-throated pulsing sound. Clicked its jaw and popped its lips.
They both lunged. The bear reared up and slammed its large paw at the wolf, trying to tear his scalp from his head. The wolf dodged the blow and then pitched forward, slashing at the bear’s muzzle.
The bear batted at him, but he batted at air. The wolf was simply too fast.
Lowering himself to all fours, the bear bounded at the wolf, tried clamping its huge jaws around his head. The wolf sidestepped him and tore a deep strip out of the bear’s flank.
The duel was fierce and brutal. Both shifters landed some hard blows. Teeth dug deep. Claws shredded flesh. Blood splattered on the ground and in the water and mud.
The wolf soon began to tire. He felt heavy. Weak from blood loss. His muscles burned, and his lungs felt raw. That only made him fight harder. So many scents—blood, water, mud, sweat, rage—permeated the air, spurring him on.
Nostrils flaring, the bear chuffed as he struck another hard blow, knocking the wolf off-balance. He crashed to the ground, hitting his head hard on a rock. Dazed, spots dotting his vision, the wolf staggered to his feet. The bear swung again, knocking him back down. The wolf righted himself again, blinking. The Alpha grabbed him in a bear hug and tried clamping its jaws around the wolf’s neck.
A familiar little pallas cat leaped on top of the bear from behind, locking her body around its head, claws finding purchase in the bear’s face. The Alpha released the wolf with a roar, shaking his head madly. The cat didn’t let go. Even though the wolf could sense through their bond that she was still weak, she held on tightly and tore off a chunk of the bear’s ear with those razor-sharp teeth.
A female margay dropped down from a branch above the bear, bit it, and raked into its back. A black wolf suddenly joined the fray, launching himself at the Alpha and clawing deep into his flank. The black wolf bounded away just as fast, and then another wolf pounced, attacking the bear’s other side. Soon, the Alpha was surrounded by a large number of wolves as they growled, snarled, and took turns attacking him.