Page 41 of A Wolf's Treasure
As the adrenaline drained from his system in a rush, Duncan swayed and then stumbled, landing on his haunches in the mud. He was wet. And cold. And utterly exhausted, physically and emotionally. The wounds he’d sustained hit him all at once, every beat of his heart sending a pulse of agony through him.
Ryanne rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him as far as they would go to keep him from toppling over. And when he tried to scare her off, she ignored him completely. “Hush, wolf.” Digging her fingers into the fur on the sides of his throat, she swung his large head around until he was forced to look into her eyes, bright with colors from the fight.
His two natures warring with each other, he tried to pull away, but she was strong, and he couldn’t allow himself to hurt her.
“I’m not here to hurt you, Duncan. Let me help you.” Still holding his head, she looked around. “We can’t go back to your Jeep. Not yet. And we’re too far from my cabin.” Catching his eyes, she said, “Stay here. Don’t move. Please.” And then she ran off into the darkness.
As soon as she was gone, Duncan’s front legs gave out and he slid down into the mud. Blood covered his fur, the coppery smell strong in his nose. Was it his? He didn’t know, though he felt a number of good-sized wounds. Some burned and throbbed still, others were merely a slight sting when the rain hit them.
He kept his mind carefully blank. Or maybe he was just too tired to think. For now, he would rest and heal, right here in the middle of the forest. And hope another large predator didn’t sniff him out and come to investigate.
When Ryanne returned—if she returned—he would need his strength.
His wolf snarled at the insinuation.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when she finally came back. She had a blanket folded up in her arms. His heart leapt within his chest at the sight of her in spite of himself.
“Can you walk?” she asked him. “Or can you shift?”
Duncan huffed out a response. No. He didn’t think he could. But he would try. For her.
It took him a few minutes to do it, and when he finally managed, the process was long and excruciating. When it was done, he fell to his side. His chest heaved as he desperately sucked in oxygen through his teeth.
But with the return to his skin, all of the chaos in his mind returned. Once again, he was back in the cave, beaten and broken. His physical wounds manifesting themselves in his head, translating into the psychological terrors he’d endured, reliving months of torture in a matter of moments.
Ryanne slapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes roved over his nude form, and when he rolled his burning eyes to her face, hers were filled with tears. She lowered herself to her knees and her hand fell into her lap. “Duncan,” she whispered. Slowly, she reached out to touch him.
He jerked out of her reach, ribs screaming in pain. “Dinna touch me!”
She froze, her hand paused in mid-air. “I just wanted to see—”
“No! Dinna touch me!” Wet leaves stuck to his ass and back as he tried to put some distance between himself and his torturer. She couldn’t fool him. She didn’t want to help him. She was there to hurt him. To laugh at him. To make him scream until his voice was nothing but a rasp of air bursting from his lungs.
Throwing himself to the side, he managed to get his legs beneath him and then pushed himself onto all fours. She touched his shoulder and he threw up his arm, throwing off her hand, baring his teeth and snarling at her.
A sound came from her. A sound of distress that made him pause, but only for a brief second. Gathering what little strength he had, he pushed himself to his feet and staggered away.
Water hit his skin, aggravating his wounds and dripping into his eyes. He blinked fast, trying to clear his vision, but there were no colors to be seen. Only dark figures surrounding him, swaying with the breeze, their skin rough like bark to abrade his skin when he stumbled into them.
What new kind o’ hell is this? What new creatures brought tae life by th’ Faeries?
He had to get away. Had to get back to his pack. Where were they? Were they alive? Were they dead?
I just want tae go home.
Tears joined the rain on his face. He didn’t know how long he wandered through the cold night. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. But eventually, he heard a wolf howl far off in the distance, and then, closer, a familiar voice.
“Duncan!”
“Cedric?” His voice cracked. He tried again. “Cedric?” His legs gave way and he fell to his knees. “Help me, Cedric. Dinna leave me. Help me.” The words stumbled over each other, making no sense. But somehow, his alpha heard him.
Warm hands gripped his upper arms, pulling him to his feet, and he found himself staring into ice-blue eyes.
“I’ve got ye, Duncan. I’ve got ye.”
“Dinna let them have me, Cedric. Please. Please. Dinna let them have me!”
Powerful arms wrapped around him, and he was pressed close to his alpha’s hard body, the heat of his skin burning his wounds and warming his soul.
