Page 60 of Her Shifter Pack

Silence answered and my heart sank.

I was soaked, though my leather jacket had luckily kept my upper body a little bit dry.

Ollie shook out his fur coat by the edge of the cave, then shifted back, his human body dripping wet.

He shook his hair and brushed it back off his face. “I’ll get dry. You check for Markus.”

I unzipped my jacket and pushed it off my body, sweat covering my face.

“Markus?” I called again, this time directing my voice into the depths of the cave.

I couldn’t see a thing, and I stupidly hadn’t thought to bring a flashlight with me. It wasn’t night yet, but with the cloud cover and the rain, it was almost pitch dark inside the space.

I crept forward, blinking my eyes to adjust to the dim light.

I gasped as a man lying in a sleeping bag on the floor became visible. “He’s over here!” I called out to Ollie, rushing forward to press my hands to Markus’s face. Burning hot. That wasn’t good, even if a wolf shifter did run hotter than a human.

Markus was shaking and sweaty, clearly in a fever state.

Ollie came over, wrapped in a blanket. He knelt by his brother’s side. “What’s wrong with him?” Worry laced his voice.

I had to see Markus better. The bike!

“I’m going to turn the headlight on so I can see him properly. We need to make sure he’s not injured.”

I raced over to the motorcycle and repositioned it before turning on the ignition and flicking on the headlight.

The whole space was lit up as I grabbed my backpack and rushed back to his side.

“Let’s unzip him. I want to check if he’s cut or bleeding.”

I unzipped the sleeping bag as Markus shuddered, his teeth chattering. “He’s got a fever,” I said to Ollie. “He’s shaking like he’s cold, but he’s sweating.”

Of course, the one thing I didn’t buy was a damn thermometer.

I put my hand to his forehead, and he was burning up. “Fuck, that’s hot.”

I checked over his body and couldn’t see any wounds or blood. “Okay. No external injuries. Good. Let’s get some water and Tylenol into him.”

With Ollie’s help, we managed to sit Markus up and force some water and fever-reducing medication down his throat.

I found more blankets and got him out of his soaked sleeping bag, wiped him down with water using the bandages, and wrapped him in blankets again.

When he was as comfortable as I could make him, I walked over to the mouth of the cave and stared out into the forest. The rain was still coming down hard. It was a wall of water, and I found myself grateful for the fact that Markus had chosen somewhere high and dry to hide.

We’d be screwed if we were somewhere low on the mountain.

“What are you thinking?” Ollie asked, walking up beside me, still wrapped in a blanket.

“Ah... just that we’re lucky to be so high, really.”

Ollie put his arm around me. “You’re a true optimist, aren’t you?”

I smiled, not able to laugh at a time like this, and cuddled into Ollie’s warmth. “I brought my phone. Do you want to call your mom?”

He sighed and kissed the top of my head. “Probably a good idea, if we can get reception. But no one will make it up here tonight. I think we’re gonna have to camp out.”

“I agree. I’ll check out that chest and see what other supplies I can find.” I pulled my cell phone out of my fanny pack and handed it to him. “I just wish I’d brought a flashlight.”

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