Page 11 of The Fated Hunter Wolf
We need to talk, I sent, keeping my tone steady, but firm.
Not now, Logan’s voice snapped back, clipped in a way he rarely used with me.
I stiffened, taken aback by the force of his reply. Logan wasn’t one to brush me off lightly. I pushed back, leaning into the bond.It’s important.
I said, not now!His response came like a roar, a command that hit me square in the chest and made my wolf lower its head.
I was stunned by the sheer power of it. Whatever was going on, Logan needed his beta. I had to find him quick.
I patted Blair’s shoulder, trying to shove the unease aside. “You focus on getting better,” I said. “Don’t worry about the rest.”
Blair nodded weakly, his eyes closing as exhaustion took over. I turned on my heel and marched toward the door, Raina following me without a word.
The hospital was too quiet, every sound amplified by my heightened senses. My chest tightened, the remnants of Logan’s command still buzzing in my veins. I’d just reached the door when it suddenly flew open with enough force to rattle the frame.
Logan stormed in, his face pale but furious, his arms wrapped protectively around Eve. She was limp against him, her hair spilling over his shoulder like a dark curtain.
“Shit,” I muttered, my pulse spiking as I stepped back to give him space. Raina gasped beside me, her hand flying to her mouth before she rushed to Eve’s side.
Logan’s breathing was ragged, his eyes blazing with barely contained fury. Eve’s lips parted as if she’d been caught mid-sentence. Her arm dangled loosely, the tips of her fingers brushing against his side as he carried her like she weighed nothing.
“What happened?” I demanded, the words tumbling out before I could stop myself.
Logan didn’t answer, didn’t even look at me as he pushed past. His focus was locked on the nearest available room.
I followed, my mind racing. Eve was still, appearing lifeless, and a wave of dread coursed through me.
Raina was already moving, barking orders to the nearest nurse and sending for Anwen, the elder healer from the Heraclids. I stayed back, crossing my arms to keep themoccupied as I watched Logan lower Eve onto the bed with a care that seemed out of place for the barely controlled rage rolling off him.
“I was sure,” Eve whispered from her place on the bed, her head flopping to the side, tears streaking her pale cheeks. Her voice cracked, softer than the rasp of dry leaves, but it hit my ears like a howl in the dark.
Logan crouched beside her, his hands hovering over her as if the act of touching her might break her further. His entire body trembled with the effort to contain himself, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. His wolf simmered so close to the surface that even my own bristled in response. I inhaled deeply, calming that instinctual side, seeing immediately that what Logan needed from his beta was a cool head and a strong pillar beside him.
Raina placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder. He growled low, his chest vibrating with the sound.
If that’s how he reacts to Elder Raina, then he is seriously in a bad state.
“Logan,” she said, her voice controlled. “Step back. She needs space to breathe, and you need to contain your wolf.”
The growl deepened, his wolf answering her command with resistance. Logan’s eyes flared, glowing amber, his hands curling into fists as though he could claw through her suggestion.
“Alpha Logan.” Raina’s voice was firmer yet she spoke with deference, her elder energy rippling out. It wrapped around him like chains, not harsh but also unmoving. “Let me take care of her.”
I watched as the force of her words seeped into him. His shoulders dropped by a fraction. With an audible snarl, he pulled away, his movements stiff and jerky, like it was taking everything in him not to lose control.
Raina turned to me, her sharp eyes flicking toward the door.Take him, the glance said, clear as if it had been spoken aloud.
I stepped in, gripping Logan’s arm, and he jerked under my touch. “Let’s go,” I murmured, trying to steady both of us.
“I’m not leaving her,” he growled, his breath hot and uneven, his wolf wrangling at my hold from beneath his skin.
“You’re not helping her like this.” I tugged him toward the door. “Logan, look at me.”
He didn’t. His eyes stayed locked on Eve, his chest heaving like he’d just run for miles and hadn’t stopped. Through the bond, an avalanche of emotion crashed against my own mind. Rage, grief, helplessness. His wolf clawed at him, snarling for release, for revenge.
“Logan,” I said again, more forcefully this time. “Your wolf wants blood, but Eve needs you alive and steady. You hear me? If you shift now, you’ll rip through everything in your path, including what’s left of her peace. Is that what you want?”
His head snapped toward me. His eyes were wild, glowing with an otherworldly light, and his teeth were bared. “They’ll pay,” he hissed, his voice fractured and raw. “For what they’ve done. For what this curse is doing. I’ll end every one of them.”
