Page 77 of Mated to the Mountain Bear
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ZARA
Iskirt along the front wall, keeping my eyes peeled for wolves who’ve split off from the pack. When my feet hit the ground, and with Jerry at my heels, I sprint for the truck and yank the door open. The keys slip through my trembling fingers, hitting the dirt.
“No, no, no.”
On my knees, I pat the ground until my fingers close around metal. Diving in, I twist the key in the ignition and then… nothing. The engine groans.
“Come on.” Second try, and the old truck rumbles to life.
Jerry jumps into the bed, his nails skittering across the base, and barks at me, telling me to get a move on.
I know I can’t stay, but I can’t bring myself to leave.
The truck idles roughly. Hesitating, I stare out into the darkness, just about able to make out the huge shape of Ben, who’s now surrounded but still fighting toward their leader.
Seeing me still here, the alpha takes a step in my direction, and my stomach drops.
He’s coming for me.
Except his progress is short-lived. Ben breaks through the last line of shifters and positions himself between us, blocking the man’s view. It’s enough to snap me out of my trance, and I shove the truck into gear, grinding them badly, then check my mirrors to make sure Jerry’s still with me.
“Okay, okay. You can do this. Find his brother. Send help,” I mutter to myself as the truck lurches forward then stalls. “Shit!” I restart it, and I crane my neck while driving down the narrow trail away from Ben’s cabin, trying to get one last glimpse of him through the gaps in the trees.
Jerry whines, seeing Ben’s massive form being attacked from all sides. Ben swipes at wolves, sending them crashing into trees.
But there are so many.
I’m torn, touching the brake, afraid to leave him. He’s drastically outnumbered. Sensing my presence when I should be long gone, Ben turns in my direction and then jerks his massive head toward the road.
He wants me to keep going. But…
I’m about to stop the truck and go back when Jerry howls, then launches from the back of the truck.
“No!” I watch in horror as he grabs a wolf off Ben’s back with a vicious snarl before turning and racing into the trees with the animal in hot pursuit.
Shit, shit, shit.
While I hesitate over whether to keep going or go back, a wolf takes advantage of my stationary position and jumps into the spot Jerry just vacated, snarling and growling through the glass. Its claws screech against metal as it scrambles for purchase, and its breath is fogging the rear window.
Decision made, I step on it, the jerky movement enough to send the wolf tumbling to the ground, as I careen around a corner, pointing the truck down the mountain and praying I’ll be able to find his brother in time.
The phone bounces on the seat beside me. Snatching it up, I hold it against the steering wheel and pray for some signal. Nothing yet. Aware there are animals giving chase, I push on, driving as fast as I can toward civilisation, while trying to put some distance between us.
I scan the trees but see no sign of Jerry. Hopefully, he found somewhere safe to hide.
I take the next curve too fast, tires screaming. Cursing as I scrape the front of the truck along a ditch, I grip the steering wheel tightly and listen for any signs that I’ve done more damage than scraping the paint job.
“Yes.” When a solitary bar appears on the phone, I nearly sob with relief. “Call Maddox!” I shout, beyond impatient as the Bluetooth does its thing and tries to connect to his number. There’s a faint click and then silence as the call gets picked up.
“I must be seeing things because there’s no way my hermit of a brother is calling me.” The voice on the other end is a deep, slow drawl, like he’s got all the time in the world.
Immediately, I feel like screaming, but I need to make sure he listens to me.
“Maddox. I’m Zara, Ben’s mate. He’s in trouble.”
I curse again as I ricochet off another embankment, panic making me sloppy, as I take the winding corners way too fast. There’s a beat of silence and then he’s back, his tone transformed completely.
