Page 42 of Howl For A Kiss
The forest blurred past in a wash of white and brown as they traversed several miles of thick, snowy terrain. Elena's weight felt perfect against his back, her hands steady in his fur. Through their bond, he sensed her tactical mind calculating distances and escape routes even as she trusted him to carry them to safety.
Halfway to Cade's compound, Damon's wolf ears picked up the sound he'd been dreading—more footsteps. His enhanced hearing caught the whistle of something cutting through the air a split second before Elena's sharp warning.
"Damon, incoming!"
He pivoted hard to the right, feeling Elena's body shift expertly with his movement. An arrow buried itself in the snow where they'd been moments before, its black fletching stark against the white ground.
Ambush. Multiple positions.
Four human operatives materialized from behind snow-covered trees, their tactical gear making them nearly invisible against the winter landscape. The Council had positioned them strategically throughout the forest—these weren't the same operatives from the cavern.
"Kill her!" one shouted, raising a crossbow. "Orders are to take her head as proof!"
Rage exploded through Damon's wolf form like molten steel. They wanted to hurt his mate. The protective fury that surged made his vision sharpen to deadly focus.
Another arrow whistled toward Elena. Damon twisted violently, taking the projectile meant for her heart. The iron tip punched deep into his right flank with a sickening thud, pain lancing through his body with white-hot intensity. He stumbled but didn't fall, his wolf's determination overriding the agony.
Protect mate. Nothing else matters.
"Damon!" Elena's voice cracked with fury and something deeper—the fierce protectiveness of a mate seeing her other half wounded.
She shifted mid-leap from his back, her clothes shredding as her rare white wolf form materialized in a burst of ethereal beauty. Her wolf was smaller than his but moved like liquid moonlight, all deadly grace and predatory intelligence.
The sight of Elena's wolf fighting beside him sent primal satisfaction coursing through Damon despite the arrow protruding from his flank. His mate. His equal. His partner in all things.
Together, they became a symphony of lethal efficiency. Elena's white wolf darted between the operatives with supernatural speed while Damon's larger form bulldozed through their ranks. His jaws found the throat of the first man before the human could reload his crossbow. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, but his wolf felt only grim satisfaction.
Threaten mate. Pay with life.
Elena's wolf form took down two of the operatives in succession, her smaller size allowing her to slip beneath their guards and tear out their throats with supreme agility before they could react. The remaining operative tried to flee, but Damon's powerful haunches launched him forward in a devastating tackle that ended the threat permanently.
When the last enemy fell, Elena immediately shifted back to human form, her naked body gleaming with perspiration despite the cold. "We need to get that arrow out. There's a Tidewater rebel safehouse two miles northeast."
Damon's wolf form swayed slightly as adrenaline began to fade, leaving only the burning agony in his right flank. The arrow had gone deep, and he could feel warm blood seeping through his fur with each labored breath.
Elena climbed back onto his wolf form, her touch infinitely gentle around the protruding arrow. "Hold on, my fierce mate."
My fierce mate.Even through the pain, those words sent infinite warmth through him. She saw him not as Beta, but ashers. Her mate. Her equal.
The rebel safehouse appeared through the swirling snow like salvation—a modest cabin with reinforced windows and the subtle defensive positioning that marked it as a rebel stronghold. Elena slid from his back and pounded on the door with desperate urgency.
"Open up! Medical emergency!"
The door flew open to reveal three Tidewater rebels, their faces shifting from suspicion to alarm as they took in the scene—a naked, blood-covered woman and a massive wolf with an arrow buried in his flank.
"Jesus, Elena! What happened?" The lead rebel, a grizzled man with silver stubble, immediately moved to help.
"Human operatives ambush." Elena's voice remained steady despite the panic Damon could sense through their bond. "He's losing too much blood."
Damon shifted back to human form as the rebels lifted him, the transformation sending fresh waves of agony through his wounded side. The arrow protruded obscenely from his abdomen, and he could feel his strength ebbing with each heartbeat.
"Stay with me," Elena commanded, her survival training taking over as they carried him inside. "Don't you dare leave me now that I've finally found you."
The world began to blur at the edges, but Damon forced his eyes to remain fixed on Elena's face. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders like a curtain of gold, and those unique blue eyes burned with fierce determination.
"Not going anywhere," he managed through gritted teeth. "You're stuck with me."
Elena's hands pressed against the wound around the arrow, trying to staunch the bleeding. "Patrick, get me hot water, clean cloth, and the strongest alcohol you have. Now!"
