Page 24 of Forced Alpha Bride
“The dark gully below the north face of the mountain,” I answer. “That’s where she said it was.”
“That’s a big area,” Damon mutters, tightening his grip on me.
It’s kind of bananas how we’re having this totally normal conversation while we’re naked and wrapped around each other.
“Is there anything else you remember?” he asks.
“Krista drew a picture of the mountain and a little trail straight from her house in a little loop halfway up, marking a trail that brings you to the north side.”
“That’s where we are now. How did you get so low so fast?”
“I fell,” I answer. “Slipped off the path.”
Damon whistles through his teeth. “Nasty. You’re lucky to be alive. Was there a trail from here to the cabin?”
“No,” I say. “She couldn’t remember the turns once you got into the trees, but she said to look out for a bend in the creek, and a white-tipped rock.”
Hope dawns across Damon’s face, and I’m struck by how gorgeous he is without the mean snarl.
“I think I know where it is!” he says excitedly. “Can you walk, Winnie?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Can you call your wolf?”
“No,” I answer in a hard tone.
I probably can’t, but even if I can, I’m not risking her wrestling Damon down in this snow and joining with his wolf!
A pact made by the wolf shape can be dismissed by the human mind as temporary insanity, but sometimes—like in arranged marriages—it can be seen as soul truth, a permanent binding.
No fucking way. I’m still getting out of this, if I can.
I look down at myself, how pale my skin is, the dark red of my fingertips and toes. My limbs are shuddering so hard, it hurts. Every breath of icy air cuts my throat and burns my lips, sending pain lacing through my chest.
Not getting out of anything today. I’m at his mercy.
Damon slowly gets up and looks around. I wait for him to make another stupid suggestion, but instead, he just scoops me up off the ground and holds me tightly against his chest.
“I’ve got you, Winnie,” he says confidently. “I’m going to get us out of this, I promise you.”
A strange feeling fills me. Something that feels a lot like hope.
He may be bad, but he’s also strong, and that might be enough to save us both.
Chapter 8 - Damon
My relief at finding Winnie alive is quickly replaced by dread. She’s so still and cold, I can barely feel her heartbeat, even after I warm her up a bit. I’m encouraged that she has enough energy left to argue with me, but the reality is, she’ll die if I don’t get her to shelter—now.
Hugging her against my chest, I look down into her face. She’s so coated with snow and ice, there isn’t a hint of color on her. Even her vibrant red hair is fully covered. Her eyelids flicker, and her head falls against my shoulder as the last of her energy leaves her.
I hurry out of the shelter of the trees and trudge through the snow, heading downhill. It would be a difficult trip for me even if I didn’t have to carry her, and I definitely need my wolf to do it safely. More than once, my feet slip out from under me, and I almost drop Winnie, but I refuse to let go of her.
As I reach the bottom of the mountain, the trees finally shield us from the worst of the wind. There isn’t as much snow on the ground, and I can jog through the forest. Winnie stays collapsed against my chest, her head rocking back and forth in time with my steps. I can’t feel her breathing, and a new wave of fear rushes through me.
What if she’s already dead?
I stop so suddenly, I almost fall, pressing my cheek to her face. I can feel the lightest touch of her breath on my cheek, but I know she doesn’t have long.
