Page 73 of Anders
The scrubs she’d escaped in tore and fell away as she dropped to all fours, completing the change to her wolf form for the first time since childhood.
The device at her neck gave one final, desperate pulse, then went silent as her body rejected the foreign technology.It remained embedded in her flesh, its control circuits burned out by the very transformation it had been designed to prevent.
Eliana stood on four paws, her white coat gleaming in the moonlight that filtered into the cave.Her senses, already enhanced in her partially shifted state, exploded into new awareness—scents, sounds, sensations flooding her with information.
And strongest of all, the mate bond, a blazing thread of connection leading directly to Anders.
She took one step forward, then another, testing this new form that was both strange and achingly familiar.Her movements were clumsy at first, her muscles remembering patterns dormant for decades.But with each step, the wolf’s grace returned, her body remembering what her mind had forgotten.
Eliana made her way to the cave entrance, her white muzzle lifted to scent the air.Anders was close, his pine-and-earth smell carried to her on the breeze.
She managed three more steps before her legs buckled, the toll of the transformation too much for her weakened body.
The white wolf collapsed just outside the cave, a soft whine escaping her throat as her consciousness began to fade.
The last thing Eliana registered was the sound of running footsteps, the flare of the mate bond burning bright as a star, and Anders’s voice—both in her mind and in her ears—calling for her.
I’ve found you,he said, dropping to his knees beside her fallen wolf form.
Her eyes met his for one moment of perfect recognition before sliding closed.
CHAPTER 17
THE WHITE WOLF LAYstill in Anders’s arms, her breathing shallow but steady.
Her fur gleamed like freshly fallen snow—beautiful, pristine, and achingly vulnerable.Anders cradled her closer as he navigated the rough terrain, every sense on high alert for signs of pursuit.
Anders allowed himself a moment of raw emotion, his arms tightening fractionally around her still form.
Stay with me,he murmured, the words half prayer, half command.I found you.Don’t you dare leave me now.
The mate bond pulsed in response—weak but present, like a fading radio signal fighting through static.He focused on it, using the connection to guide his path through the dark forest as much as his enhanced night vision and memory of the terrain.
Each step jolted her, and Anders winced at the soft whimpers that occasionally escaped the white wolf.The neural interface still embedded at the base of her skull was visible now, the surrounding fur matted with blood where her body had tried to reject the foreign technology.The device itself appeared dormant, its control circuits likely burned out during her complete shift, but Anders knew the damage it had inflicted might not be so easily overcome.
He had failed her once, allowing his suspicions to blind him to her true situation.He would not fail her again.
Once he reached the truck, Anders reached for the medical kit Malcolm had provided, grateful once again for the alpha’s foresight.Inside, he found the neural blockers.
Working methodically, he cleaned the area around the interface, his hands steady despite the rage building in his chest at what had been done to Etta.
Attempting to remove the device without proper equipment and expertise could kill her—or worse, leave her permanently damaged.But leaving it in place wasn’t an option either.Even dormant, the foreign technology was causing her body to react, fighting infection and rejection simultaneously.
Anders prepared a neural blocker, carefully measuring the dosage for her weight and condition.As he administered the injection, he felt her awareness flickering through the bond—confused, frightened, but still fighting.
I’m here,he said aloud, knowing she could feel him even if she couldn’t fully understand his words in wolf form.You’re safe.I won’t let anything happen to you.
The medication took effect quickly, her breathing easing as the pain subsided.Anders continued working, applying antibiotics to the inflamed area around the interface, then covering it with a specialized bandage designed to promote healing in shifters’ accelerated metabolisms.
Throughout the process, he maintained a running monologue, his voice soft but steady as he explained what he was doing.He wasn’t certain how much she comprehended, but the bond between them seemed to strengthen with each word, each touch.
You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known,he murmured, smoothing the fur between her ears.Stronger than you realize.
The white wolf stirred slightly, her golden eyes opening to mere slits.Recognition flashed in their depths before they closed again, but that brief connection sent warmth surging through the bond between them.
Okay, sweetheart,he said as soon as he was certain she was stable.Let’s go home.
ANDERS’S BOOTS CRUNCHED AGAINSTthe gravel path leading to Malcolm and Larissa’s home, the sound unnaturally loud in the predawn stillness.
