24. Mason

Chapter twenty-four

Mason

W e moved through the forest, following Milly's lead. She was in her wolf form, her nose to the ground, tracking something the rest of us in our human forms couldn't smell.

I scanned the trees, my eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Every muscle in my body was coiled, ready for action at the first sign of trouble.

The forest here was dense, the trees packed tight together like sardines in a can. The canopy overhead blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving us in a perpetual twilight. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, and the only sounds were the occasional chirp of a bird or the snap of a twig under our feet.

"You sure she knows where she's going?" Derek muttered, ducking under a low-hanging branch. "Feels like we've been walking in circles for hours."

"She knows what she's doing," AJ said.

Milly let out a low growl, her ears flattening against her head. She clearly didn't appreciate the commentary.

"Maybe we should just let the wolf do her job," I said, keeping my voice low. "Unless you want to be the one to tell her that you think you're a better tracker than she is."

Derek snorted, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, I think I'll pass on that. I'd rather not have my ass handed to me by a pissed-off werewolf."

Milly's tail swished in agreement.

Suddenly, a scent hit me like a bolt of lightning. Shya. It was faint but unmistakable. My heart thundered as I inhaled deeply, trying to pinpoint the direction it was coming from.

"This way," I said, my voice urgent. I veered off east, moving swiftly through the trees. The others followed without question.

I pushed through the underbrush, my strides lengthening as the scent grew stronger. Branches snagged at my clothes, leaving small tears in the fabric, but I barely noticed. All I could think about was Shya. I had to find her; had to get to her.

Then I heard something that made my blood run cold. Labored breathing, punctuated by soft whimpers of pain. It was coming from the north, just ahead, beyond a dense thicket of brambles.

I burst through the thicket, branches tearing at my skin. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the sight of Shya, my mate, lying naked and broken on the forest floor.

Her body was a canvas of injuries. Deep gashes marred her skin, and dark bruises bloomed across her ribs and abdomen. Her left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, the bone likely fractured. Blood matted her hair and trickled from the corner of her mouth, stark against her ashen skin.

But perhaps most alarming was the stillness of her chest, the shallow, labored breaths that barely seemed to move her battered frame. Her eyes were closed, her face slack and unresponsive.

Rage and anguish surged through me, my heart constricting painfully. The smell of river clung to her. We'd crossed one at least a couple of kilometers away. Had she dragged herself all the way from there?

I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands moving gently over her broken body, afraid to cause her more pain. "Princess, baby, I'm here," I whispered, my voice cracking with emotion. "Hold on, please hold on."

Derek and AJ stumbled in behind me, their expressions morphing into shock and horror as they took in the extent of Shya's injuries. Milly went rigid.

I gathered Shya gently in my arms, cradling her against my chest. Her eyes fluttered but didn't open.

"Mase!" Derek hissed.

I looked up as he jerked his chin to the northeast. "Wolves, coming in fast. Probably tracking Shya."

My head snapped up, the sounds of the forest fading away as my focus narrowed to the incoming group.

I gently laid Shya back down, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry, princess. I'll make them pay," I vowed, my voice a low growl.

I surged to my feet, rage burning in my veins, just as Tristan's wolves burst through the trees, a pack of eight of them, followed by one in human form, probably there to carry Shya back when they found her.

He was a big werewolf with close-cropped hair and a bulky frame that meant he'd fit right in with the army. He took in the scene before him, his eyes lingering on Shya for a moment too long, then he confidently strode forward, palms up, as the wolves spread out around us.

"Easy there. We're not here to hurt anyone. My name is Cliff. That she-wolf belongs to us, so I'm gonna ask that you back up. I'm going to walk over, pick her up, and then we can all be on our own merry ways, alright? There's no need to die over a female."

My wolf growled inside of me, demanding blood. I didn't think, didn't plan, just let the anger take over for the first time in years. I charged forward, a roar ripping from my throat. They were going to regret hunting my mate.

My fist slammed into Cliff's chest, sending him flying back. I was on him before he hit the ground, broke his back over my knee, then snapped his neck. To my left, a wolf came at me fast, but I slammed my knee into the side of its head, then stomped hard on its throat.

Derek and AJ flanked me, their own attacks brutal and efficient. Milly's jaws snapped, her teeth tearing into flesh as she fought a wolf twice her size.

I grabbed a wolf by the scruff of the neck, hurling it into a tree. It yelped as it fell to the ground in front of me, the sound cut short as I kneeled down and crushed its skull with my hands.

Blood splattered my skin, hot and sticky. I reveled in it, in the thrill of the fight.

Two wolves were taking on AJ and Derek. The remaining three circled me warily, fangs bared. I snarled, beckoning them forward. "Come on then, you fuckers! I'll rip you apart."

They lunged as one, a mass of fur and claws. I met them head-on.

I pummeled them with relentless force, my fists and feet finding their marks with lethal precision. Bones shattered, flesh tore, and blood sprayed.

The last wolf fell, and I stood amidst the carnage, chest heaving, knuckles raw.

AJ wiped blood from his brow. "That all of them?"

I nodded curtly. "For now. We need to move."

I strode back to Shya, gathering her limp form into my arms. Her pulse fluttered weakly against my skin.

"Hold on, princess," I gritted out. "I've got you."

I started running, my strides eating up the ground. The others fell into step beside me.

We had to get Shya help, and fast. Nothing else mattered. Our car was at least two hours to the south. I pushed myself harder, faster, my lungs burning with the effort. I ran, my mate cradled against my chest, her blood staining my skin.

I wouldn't let her die. Couldn't. She was everything to me, my whole damn world.