Page 1 of Blinded
CHAPTER ONE
Brett
It was a strange scent that woke me. An ingrained knowledge that danger was approaching. Not that it mattered, I couldn't run. I couldn't see what was coming. All I could do was try and focus through the pain that consumed my body. I tried to lift my head, but only managed to get it barely off the ground before dropping it back onto the blood-soaked dirt beneath me.
Bears.
The scent was strong enough that I was able to place bears. Hell, if this was how I was meant to die, so be it. It was better than being trapped and left to starve to death, which I figured was what was going to happen. At least with the bears, they would kill me quickly, consuming my body until all that was left were bones.
As the scent grew stronger, I tried to growl, but it came out more of a whimper. I was exhausted, my wolf beaten and bloodied. As much as I wanted to stand and fight, I couldn't.
"What the fuck?" A deep male voice said from several yards away.
I tensed, the smell of bears becoming almost overpowering. They were shifters, like me, which meant they probably wouldn't tear my body apart and have me for an afternoon snack. Hell, I wasn't even sure what time of day it was, or even what day.
"Jesus, who would do this?" another male voice asked.
I wanted to know the same thing. Who the fuck did this to me? Who beat me and left me to die up here on the mountain?
I'd come up with Bridger, my friend from college. We hadn't seen each other in over two years. He had come home to Montana to join his pack, while I'd gone back to Utah to join mine. I'd been excited for the week-long visit, but now, as I lay in the dirt beaten and blinded, I wished I'd just stayed home.
"This one smells like Kurt's pack, but I can't place the other." One of the bears had moved closer.
"Dead?" the other asked.
"Yeah. Looks like his neck was slashed with a knife," one of the bears said.
"This one is alive, but I'm not sure for how long."
The bear's smell was strong. He was close. I tried to growl, scared to let anyone near me, but again, it came out nothing more than a whimper.
"Can you hear us?" The bear asked.
Again, I tried to lift my head, but didn't have the energy.
"Damn, we've got to get them to Kurt and let his pack figure this out."
My fear increased, but it wasn't as if I could do anything to stop them. I was so weak, so tired, and my body so broken that it really didn't matter. I was probably going to die anyway.
"Leave the wire on his legs. It looks embedded into the bone already. I'm afraid removing it could do more damage, and he's in no condition to shift." One of the bears was right beside me. I smelled him strongly. I was lost being unable to see. It left me at a disadvantage. I wanted to tell them to kill me. Just end the pain and suffering now.
I'd tried to shift after I woke up, but I was too weak. All I could do is lay here and wonder where Bridger was. Now I knew he was dead. Hopefully, it had been fast. Too tired to feel the grief I should, I just waited.
A gentle hand caressed my side and I whimpered again, wanting to lash out and bite at the unfamiliar touch, but unable to.
"Easy. If you can hear me, we're going to get you help. We'll get you to the pack doctor as soon as we get you off the mountain. My name's John and my friend is Paul. We're part of the local bear clan. We're not going to hurt you. Just try and stay calm."
The bear's voice was soothing, but after all I'd been through I didn't dare trust anyone. I tried to shy away from the touch, but my body refused to move.
"You got that one? I'll take this one."
"Yeah, he won't be a problem." John ran his hand down my fur again. "I'm going to cut this wire you're caught in. It might hurt a little, but I'm trying to be as gentle as I can."
Even if I'd wanted to fight him, I couldn't. He did something to my back legs that sent pain like fire through me. I yelped, panting as I fought to stay conscious. There wasn't an inch of me that didn't hurt, but the worst was my eyes. I could see nothing, and the pain was immense.
"Okay, I've cut the wire, now I'm going to pick you up. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but there's no way for me to do this without causing you more pain." John slid his hand under my body, and I braced myself for more pain.
It came fast, hitting me hard as I let out another yelp.
