Chapter 6

Zane

W e've tracked the cubs to the creek, but they must have jumped into the water at some point, because their scent trail ends. "I'm going to shift," I tell the others. "Y'all wait about ten minutes, then shift one at a time. The last thing we need is for any humans to see a bunch of mountain lions roaming about."

It's already dusk and I'm hoping it's dark enough that no one will see me since I have a rare colored coat, unlike the rest of my family. I tend to blend into the landscape's background far easier than they do.

"Zane! I smell smoke and look, there's a fire!" Sebby calls.

"Go and get the water truck, Sebby, it should be full and ready for Monday. Alex, call 9-1-1 and tell them what's going on. Bub, call Mr. Stephens, he'll want to be here," I command. "I'm going to continue searching for the cubs. Alistair, I know you want to go too, but you need to stay with Misty and keep her from losing her shit completely."

Quickly stripping off my clothes, knowing one of the guys will gather them and put them in the truck, I shift then take a deep breath. Three scents are immediately evident: the two cubs and my… mate?

Despite my lion's hesitation about running toward fire, that's where the three scents are taking me, so I exert my authority over him, and we take off. I can hear the wildlife fleeing, the crackling of the fire as it eats the wood and undergrowth, the constant flow of the creek as I hurriedly run.

As I get closer to where the scents are strongest, I can see the flames licking the trees and hope that Sebby is on his way with the water truck, and that the fire department is also enroute. I spy the cubs surrounding a prone body on a boulder and make my way to them.

Mate .

Shifting back, uncaring that I'm as naked as the day I was born, I see the cubs are trying to keep the woman warm, which is an impossible task since she's halfway lodged in the water. Her skin is pale, and she has cuts and gashes on her face, neck, and arms. "Come on, you two, you've caused your parents enough worry today," I say to the two cubs who are staring at me. I use my Alpha voice which has them dropping their gazes as well as their tails, knowing they're in trouble. "Let's get her to safety, you two will go ahead of me, you hear?"

They may be in their lion form, but both nod as I gently pick up the unknown woman and cradle her in my arms. Her scent envelops me and as my heart rate increases, praying I can get us to safety, there's a level of contentment at how she feels in my arms.

It takes a little longer to get back to where I left the guys, but the female never awakens. I quickly dress, and after I check that she's safe in the backseat of the truck, I look at Alistair and Misty. She's crying while Alistair is fussing at the two cubs, who have shifted back to their human forms. Their heads are hanging down as Alistair paces, and while I understand what they're doing, my primary focus is on the woman as well as the fire which seems to have gotten out of control.

"Y'all need to evacuate, Alistair," I advise. "I'm heading to the hospital. You check with the others and keep me apprised of the situation."

"Do you know who she is?" he asks.

Looking down at the beauty before me, I answer, "Not a damn clue what her name is but I do know that she's my mate."

"Get her checked out, we've got it here, Zane," he says, slapping the side of the truck.

Without another thought, I start the truck, put it in gear, and head toward the hospital.

"Please stay with me," I murmur, as I avoid the fire trucks racing toward the fire. "I just found you, I can't lose you."

I grew up hearing about the magic of finding a mate. How the hole in your soul would be filled, you'd build a steady, solid bond, and live in harmony. As the years passed and I didn't find her, I started to think it was nothing more than a fairytale, then Alistair and Misty found each other. The only thing I can't understand is this female smells human, and I didn't think that was a possibility.

Unfortunately, there's no one left alive in my former pack for me to ask. The only reason I still breathe is due to the fact that I was out hunting the day a group of hunters found our den and killed them all. Coming back to that carnage still plays on repeat in my nightmares. Every single one of them, from the oldest to the youngest, had been skinned for their pelts, then left to rot. It took me days to dig all the graves, my mind set on revenge. For years, I tracked the scents of those who killed my family, my friends, finding each one of them and killing them.

Not my proudest moments, to be sure, but once I killed the last one, something inside that drove me on seemed to settle, and shortly afterward, I found the guys and we formed our own unique family.

"I need some help!" I cry out, carrying the woman into the emergency room. She's still unconscious, and I don't like her gray pallor, but I'm no doctor, so the best I can do is get her help.

"Here, lay her on this," a nurse commands, a gurney by her side. "What can you tell me?" she asks.

"I was looking for a couple of our kids that escaped their parents and came across her. She was half in and half out of the creek, unconscious, and cut up just like you see," I reply, leaving off the part that it was actually cubs I was looking for so I don't freak her out totally. "Oh, and the area she looked to have fallen from was engulfed in flames."

As I talk, I follow the nurse into a curtained area and watch as she deftly places an oxygen mask on the woman before she attaches a blood pressure cuff. I sit in the chair that's in the corner, close enough to reach out and hold the unconscious woman's hand… no, my mate's hand, trying to help warm her. The nurse rushes out of the room, and a few minutes later, she comes back with several warming blankets that she puts to the side before another nurse, who follows her in, helps her undress my mate and slip a hospital gown on. I'm impressed that they managed to do that without exposing her completely, but I guess they've learned.

"Here are her things," the first nurse says, handing me a bag. "And you don't know her name?"

"No, she looks familiar to me, so I've probably seen her around town, but to be honest, I work fifteen-to-sixteen-hour day shifts, so outside of work and home, I'm rarely out and about," I admit.

A doctor comes in and I hear a slight gasp, before she turns and says, "Call Mavis Andrews. This is her daughter, Emilia."

The nurse's eyes widen, and she asks, "Isn't she blind? Why on earth was she in the woods if she can't see?"

My lion bristles inside at the slight to my mate, but I remain silent when the doctor speaks up. "She's quite resourceful for not having her sight. Plus, she's dating a man who likes to hike. I bet she was out there with him. Now, please go make that call."

"Right away, doctor."

As the doctor begins her exam, she notices me sitting there quietly, just observing everything. "Are you the boyfriend?" she asks. "Do you know what happened?"

"No and not really," I advise. "While looking for a friend's two kids who snuck away while their mom was taking a nap, I found her and realized she needed help, so I brought her in. Is she going to be okay?"

"It's too soon to tell. I smell smoke on her," the doctor murmurs, continuing her exam.

"The woods where she apparently came from were on fire," I reply. "All I can tell you is I found her, unconscious, with those cuts and whatnot all over her."

The nurse returns and the doctor says, "We need to get X-rays, a CT scan, and draw blood. I'll put the orders in, so the lab knows what to run. Go ahead and take her down to X-ray so they can get that started. Hopefully, by the time they're done, they'll be ready for her in the scan room."

"I'll take her now," the nurse says.

"Once you're done, we need to start an IV with fluids and let's add a broad-spectrum antibiotic since she was in the creek with open wounds."

I wince as it dawns on me that this might cause Emilia a lot of pain in the coming weeks, depending on what the tests show.

"Her mother and aunt are on their way. We also have victims from the wildfire."

My heart seizes, wondering if my family escaped or not. I decide to reach out as soon as they take Emilia for her tests.

"Wildfire?" the doctor asks, washing her hands.

"Yes, ma'am, it's not far from the sawmill apparently."

"That's not good. Okay, you get Miss Andrews taken care of while I go see what I can do to help the other survivors."

It's been hours since they took her for the tests and I'm now sharing the small area with her mother and her aunt. Both have been side-eyeing me, one with suspicion and the other with interest. When I introduced myself and explained I had found her, her aunt wanted to know where her boyfriend, Paul, was at, and I had to tell both of them that she was alone, there was no one else with her.

That set off a flurry of phone calls, most of which I barely heard, but with my heightened hearing, I still knew that they called Emilia's father, Roy, as well as a friend named Bonita. Right now, we're waiting for Bonita to arrive.

"How about I go and get y'all some coffee or something?" I ask, anxious to do something.

"Thank you," the aunt, Della, replies. "We both drink it black. Hopefully, it's not too horrible, but hospital coffee is a crapshoot."

Chuckling, I nod. "You'd think that the fact that all the doctors need to be focused and awake would ensure they have good coffee, but I know what you mean. I'll be back in a few minutes."

After I leave, I quickly call Alistair who tells me that all the guys are safe and accounted for, but Sebby got a few burns that have already healed when he escaped with the water truck when the fire took off. Right now, about fifty acres are fully engulfed, and they've evacuated the surrounding area. Fire evacuation planes are using the lake to get water so they can get the fire under control, and wildlife rescuers are on standby to assist any animals that are found.

"Y'all keep me posted, brother," I tell him as I finally reach the cafeteria.

"How's the girl?" he asks.

"Not sure yet," I answer him. "They've taken her for a bunch of tests, and apparently, the doctor knew who she was, so now her mom and aunt are here as well."

"How are you explaining who you are?" he questions.

"Just said I was the one who found her," I reply.

"Yeah, not thinking you sharing that she's your mate will go over all that well," he teases, chuckling.

"Shut it. Keep everyone safe, Alistair, especially those cubs. I know Misty's upset that they escaped like they did, but if they hadn't, Emilia would be dead. My mate , Alistair. So I understand if y'all have to make sure they never do that again, but I'm grateful that when they found her, they protected her as best as they could, by keeping her warm." Fate definitely works in mysterious ways.

His voice sounds suspiciously choked up when he replies, "Got it, Zane. I agree with you. I think they understand the severity of their actions, but they've asked a few times about the pretty lady that was calling to them."

I shake my head, not even wanting to go down that road. "Gotta run. Call me later with an update."

"Will do." After he salutes me, he turns on his feet and makes a quick exit.

While I don't want to leave, I need to check on my guys. Emilia is now settled in a room and her mother and aunt are fussing over her prone body. She's still unconscious but the doctor isn't too concerned. She indicated it was a combination of Emilia hitting her head and the smoke inhalation she suffered, and that she'd wake up when she was ready.

"Mrs. Andrews? Here's my card. Can you please let me know when she wakes up?" I ask.

"I guess that would be okay," she replies. I know she's still not sure about me, confused about my interest in her daughter. I'm sure her stranger danger bells are ringing, but thankfully, the aunt seems to understand my innate need to know how her niece is doing.

"Thank you," I exclaim, giving her a polite smile. "I need to check on the rest of my team and make sure they're safe, plus find out how it's going with regard to the wildfire."

"Totally understand. I'm sure Adam is pulling his hair out, worried about his people," her mom states.

"This will definitely cause the company some trouble," I admit. "But he's got good employees, and we'll do whatever it takes to get it all back on track."

I'm already planning to reach out to the tree vendors. I've got enough money set aside to help purchase trees to replant once we can get into the damaged area and get it sorted out.

"Emilia works for him, too," Mrs. Andrews suddenly says. "She inputs orders. Still don't understand how she can do that, but according to Adam, she has special equipment that helps her do her job accurately."

Being sincere, I state, "I'm glad she's able to do that, I'm sure it helps her feel good to be doing something."

"She's always been independent," the aunt adds. "And this past seven or eight months, she's really started to come into her own."

"Because y'all got her that house," Mrs. Andrews says.

"Mavis, she couldn't live with you and Rex her whole life. She's a vibrant young woman who needs to create her own life. Bud and I just helped a little is all," the aunt retorts. "Do you know if Bonita is taking care of the cats?"

My ears perk up at that because I remember Alistair telling me that the cubs told him a woman was calling out to them. I bet they were playing at the creek, and she heard them, and just thought they were house cats or something.

"Let me call her and see if she's already on her way," Mrs. Andrews says. "If not, I'll have her check on the cats before she comes up here."

"Please keep me posted," I reiterate again, as I head to the door. I can tell that Emilia will be okay, but I still don't want to leave her even if she has a strong support system surrounding her.

"We will, Zane," the aunt promises. "Now, go check on your family. I'm sure you're worried."

Slowly releasing my pent-up breath, I respond, "Yes, ma'am, I am."

With that, I leave, my heart torn in two. Part of it stays with Emilia, even though she doesn't have a clue who I am, and the rest is on my team and the company.

How will this wildfire affect us as a community, and who started it to begin with? And the biggest question I have is, why did they start it? What's their goal?