Chapter 15 - Gina

My heart is pounding so hard, my blood is roaring in my ear drums. My throat feels tight, and my chest burns as I run through the trees as fast as I can.

Bae’s hand grips mine so tightly, I think it’s going to break my fingers, but I don’t want him to let go.

I can hear the others cheering and howling as they charge into the forest behind us. My terror gives me a fresh burst of energy, and I leap ahead, keeping up with Bailey as he sprints along the grassy trail.

He’s covered in blood. It’s dripping down the back of his head, marking his shirt across his stomach and splattered in patches over the rest of his body. I don’t know how many wounds he actually has, but I know the head injury alone is extremely serious.

If we could just stop and rest for a while, he would heal!

And then what? Take on the whole pack?

I struggle to believe those creatures chasing us through the woods are even wolves. They have no honor at all. I didn’t hear much of Bae’s conversation with the alpha, but I heard enough to know these are cruel, violent creatures, an insult to everything else that bears the name of wolf.

Under my fear and my worry for Bae, there is a bright, flaming rage that burns through me, desperate to punish this pack for its crimes.

No one should be allowed to get away with this!

Bae takes a sudden turn into the thick trees, tugging on my hand so hard, I almost fall flat on my face. I catch myself just in time and follow Bae into the underbrush. I see him duck down and slither through a rough trail, and I follow him, letting go of his hand so we can go through one by one.

He’s found a small trail through the scrub that might have been made by an animal and is trying to push us through it as quickly as possible without breaking any branches to show we went through. It might deter the other pack long enough for Bae to rest.

Then what?

I don’t know. I really don’t.

Suddenly, the screams of the others sound behind us. They are close, too close. Bae turns and looks at me, and I’ve never seen him look so afraid. There is a deep, all-encompassing fear in him that I thought a powerful man like him could never feel.

He’s not afraid for himself—he’s afraid for me and the rest of the pack! He thinks he failed us!

Bae raises a finger to his lips, and I nod. I wasn’t about to make any noises, that’s for sure. We stay crouched down under the leaves and listen to the others running through the forest some distance behind us. They wail and scream, hurling their fury out into the forest for all to hear.

I guess it’s supposed to be threatening. It works.

Not only does it terrify me, all the other animals in earshot are fleeing the area as well. Wolves, this bloodthirsty, must completely purge their territory and leave nothing to hunt.

This whole place must be picked clean. No wonder they want more land.

The forest falls silent, and the pack sounds far away now. Bae relaxes just a little.

“Gotcha!” the scream comes from somewhere above us, and I barely have time to look up before something falls on me.

Bae roars in anger, and for a few seconds, I can’t understand anything that’s going on. We tumble through the thick scrub, rolling in the damp, rich earth. When we come to a stop, I’m face-down on the track, and I can hear the others fighting.

It’s the alpha. He must have tracked us while the others ran off, so intoxicated by their need for the chase, they lost the scent.

Bae springs up from the ground, grabbing for the alpha’s throat. They go down in a struggling pile, and I watch helplessly as they grapple against each other.

My pounding heart skips a beat when I hear a fierce growl that is definitely not human split the air. I see a flash of pale fur, and then Bae screams, a sound that rings through the forest.

The alpha shifted, latching onto Bailey’s arm as he did. I jump up, ready to run into the fight, but Bae shifts, too, and manages to throw off the other wolf as he does.

They stand a few steps away from each other, glaring at each other and panting. Bae stands resplendent in a beam of sunlight that spears through the canopy. His beautiful coat is a creamy white, scattered with golden streaks.

The other alpha is a sickly, pale shade that reminds me of bleached bones. His eyes are a bright yellow, like a poisonous wasp.

They only stare at each other for a couple of seconds before they leap into the air and attack.

They crash into each other and hit the ground fighting. All I can see are flashes of teeth and white fur streaked with blood. I can’t tell who’s winning, and I don’t know what to do to help Bae.

If I shift and jump in, I could just make it worse, but I have to do something!

There are a lot of heavy rocks around. I find a decent-sized one and get as close to the fight as I dare, waiting for my moment.

After a furious skirmish, the two wolves break apart. Both are covered with blood, but Bae can hardly walk. The other alpha charges to finish him off, so intent on his prey that he doesn’t even notice me.

With a scream of effort, I heave my rock and bring it down hard on the alpha’s skull. He yelps as he goes down and falls in a heap at my feet.

As I rush over to Bailey, I notice the other wolf is still breathing.

We don’t have much time.

“Gina,” Bae’s voice bubbles out of his throat as he shifts back into human form. I’m shocked to see blood pouring from his mouth as well as multiple wounds. His eyes look pale, and his skin is cold and clammy.

“No, no, no!” The words come rushing out of me. “No, Bae, no! Don’t die! We have to run!”

“I can’t,” he gasps, getting up and falling back down.

“Yes, you can!” I scream at him. I bend down and grab his arm, hauling him to his feet. He almost falls back down, but I push him forward, holding him up.

“Where are we going to go?” I mutter, looking around. Bae points ahead.

“A stream. I could… smell it.”

“Good.” I tighten my grip on him and force him to move.

Behind us, I can hear the whoops and howls of the others as they realize their mistake and track us again. They will find their damaged alpha and be twice as angry now.

And he’s not dead. He’ll come for us again.

Sobbing with desperation, I drag Bae through the trees, only to stop suddenly as the ground drops away from us.

A swiftly flowing stream cuts through the forest right at our feet. The jump isn’t a long one, and the river doesn’t look too wild.

I look around and get my bearings a bit, realizing that this stream will take us back to neutral territory. We can’t go home, and we can’t call for help—it would lead these bloodthirsty maniacs right back to our pack.

“Ready, Bae?” I ask as I prepare to jump. He nods, leaning on my shoulder.

A howl cuts through the air, far too close. Not waiting another second, I grab Bae and jump.

The shock of the cold water rips through me, but at least it isn’t freezing. Even in human shape, being a shifter will protect me against the cold for some time.

But it can’t protect Bae… not with those injuries.

I kick hard, trying to move with the current and keep Bae’s head above water at the same time. He’s barely conscious, and seeing fresh blood pouring out of his wounds into the water sickens me with worry.

He’s lost so much blood.

My instinct about the river was right, and soon, I see familiar landmarks. I keep a tight hold on Bae’s shoulders as the stream begins to run slower and curve into a flat meadow. I kick towards the edge, dragging Bae with me until our feet touch the sand.

“Huh, what?” Bae mutters.

“Get up,” I growl at him, tugging on his arm. “Get up and walk with me right now!”

He clings to me, staggering as we crawl out of the river. I get his arm over my shoulders and lift, letting him lean on me as I take us into the forest. Before long, I see the shape of a cabin up ahead, and relief floods through me.

Please let it still be in one piece.

Back in high school, when I felt like I wasn’t good enough for anyone, I’d run out into the woods by myself and disappear. In one of my adventures, I found a little cabin tucked away in a thicket that looked almost like a fairytale cottage. It was so well-hidden and carefully made, I was always curious about who built it, and why.

Today, all I want to know is if it’s still standing.

The sun is slipping away as I push through the last screen of bushes into the small clearing. Even though it’s completely wrapped in black shadows, the cabin is still standing, and it looks like it’s still in good shape.

Bae falls against my shoulder when I stop, and I have to shake him awake again. If he falls, I won’t be able to lift him up and carry him, and I wouldn’t want to drag him, with his injuries.

I’ve been carefully avoiding looking at him because I know I might lose it if I see how deep those wounds really are.

I grip Bae’s arm again and cry out with effort as I lift him and half-drag him to the cabin. The stairs are a challenge, but Bae manages to get his feet under him and lean on me. When I finally shove the door open, I almost cry with relief.

Safe. Safe for now.

I try to put Bae straight on the bed, but he insists on helping me secure the cabin. With his help, I push cupboards against the front and back doors and pull down heavy storm shutters on the windows, locking them with iron bars.

The place has been abandoned for a long time, but doesn’t smell of decay, just pine needles and dry wood. The place is dusty but not dirty, and fairly insulated.

I help Bae to the bed and lay him down, covering him with old blankets. When I visited here regularly, I used to play house a little, pretending I was a shifter witch who’d left both humanity and the world of shifters to live alone, like a fairytale character. I stockpiled candy bars, cans of soda, spare clothes, and even a few baskets of wood.

I hurry down to the creek to get a bucket of fresh water, then run straight back to Bae, jamming the door shut behind me. He’s fully passed out when I return, his breathing fast and shallow. When I pull back the blanket to clean his wounds, I gasp in shock, covering my mouth and trying not to cry.

He’s covered in huge bruises, cuts, and grazes. There is a very deep bite mark right under his ribs and one on his thigh, where a chunk was taken out. Where the other alpha bit his forearm, it looks like the bone is broken. His head wound is a massive furrow through his skull, so deep and full of blood, I don’t want to touch it.

I clean him up as best I can, finding the cleanest rags to press against the deepest wounds. When I’m done, I cover him with blankets and sit next to him, gently holding his hand.

It’s almost dark outside, and the cabin is even darker. Still, Bae shines like gold in my eyes. I can see the gold in his hair, the sheen of his skin. I imagine the glinting amber of his beautiful eyes.

I squeeze his hand gently, but his breathing doesn’t change, and he doesn’t move. He’s always seemed so strong to me, I could never have imagined seeing him like this.

He sacrificed himself for his pack… and for me.

My heart swells with love for him, and suddenly, I wish I could take back the last few days. My fear might be justified, but I should never have let it hold me back.

I have a chance to be with him—to know him, to really know him—and I might have missed out on it completely.

I raise his hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles gently, closing my eyes and wishing with my whole heart and soul.

“Please, Bae. Please don’t die.”