Page 89 of Campfires & Canines
My ass hits the dirt hard. I can’t hesitate, not if I want to live. I scramble backward.
Her lean form advances, now gripping my knife. With a smug laugh, she tosses it between her hands. “I’ve been thinking about this since they brought you home like some stray bitch.”
She’s faster than I am. But what’s my other option? Pushing myself up on my feet, I turn and run with everything I’ve got, waiting for the blade to embed into my spine.
A screech splits the air along with the sound of two bodies colliding. I turn to see a flash of platinum hair.
“Don’t touch her!” Jasper roars.
Ember uses her momentum to roll onto her feet in a smooth movement.
“I think you should take off with your little mate while you can. I’m going to be the next alpha and we both know it.”
“Run, Hazel!” Jasper yells.
My feet stumble but I right myself and tear through the undergrowth.
I burst from the trees and down the steep hillside leading down to the creek. Fog rolls down the gorge, reflecting the silvery moonlight. I could cry with relief.
Slate sprints towards me, the calf-deep water soaking into his gray sweats. I meet him in the shallows and he scoops me up. I latch onto him, clawing at his shirt. I’m desperate for him. He carries me towards Bracken Creek territory.
He pulls away to study my face, but I press forward and crush our mouths together. It's not a gentle hello kiss, it's fear, relief, and need all rolled together.
I could kiss him forever, but I don’t know who is emerging from the forest behind us. The entire Granite Ridge pack could come bursting from the trees at any moment. We need to move. He slides me down his body and onto my own feet.
I turn to see our friends stepping out from the shadows. Two wolves advance, both a reddish-gold hue. Marigold and Cedar. And between them – Onyx, looking a bit pale but very much alive.
I launch myself at my friend. He lifts me in a hug and spins us once.
“I’m so relieved you aren’t dead!” I blurt out, tears pooling in my eyes for the ninety-ninth time in the last week.
“I barely needed a Band-Aid,” he jokes, shoving his unruly hair from his eyes.
Slate lets out a low growl. I whip around.
Jasper stumbles from the forest, trying to slow his descent down the hill. Blood splatters his shirt, and I have no idea if it’s his or Ember’s.
“Are you okay?” I yelp. Jasper nods, stepping into the water.
Onyx grabs my arm and pulls me against him, backing us away.
Slate stalks forward, closing the distance in two strides.
Jasper takes a step back, raising his hands defensively. Without hesitation, Slate draws back and swings. Jasper makes no attempt to block him. His fist connects with Jasper’s jaw, sending the younger brother reeling.
I let out a strangled cry and start towards them, but Onyx catches me around the waist. He holds tight, murmuring apologies into my hair.
“What the hell are you doing?” I look between Slate and Onyx, begging for someone to stop this.
Slate looks at me, his face hard. “He’s the one who sent the rogues after you and betrayed you to the other packs.”
Jasper’s lips thin, but he doesn’t argue or deny it.
“It wasn’t his fault,” I protest, “and he made it right."
"So he suddenly got a conscience?" Slate fumes.
"No," I plead with him.
