Page 44 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

Fred!

I cried out for my protector, worrying about his state more than mine. I couldn’t back up any further and I didn’t have much strength against this gigantic beast.

Fred latched onto one of the wolf’s ears. The wolf released a mighty roar that smelled awful, giving me time to skitter underneath his body and crunch his rear left leg between my jaws. My tiny nips from earlier had caused hairline fractures—giving me the ability to give a crushing break with one final snap.

He teetered over as I shuffled out from beneath him, ducking away from his swiping paws. Fred was still on his back, dutifully biting into his ear repeatedly. The massive beast bellowed viciously and shook himself violently, sending Fred into one of the trees.

Fred barked, whimpered, and then fell silent when he hit the ground. My heart stuttered in my chest as I darted toward him. Up close, I could see that his chest still rose steadily. The massive wolf was attempting to swipe the blood pooling in his eyes with his paws. I took that moment to snap at his other rear leg, listening with satisfaction to the loud, distinctpopof his ankle breaking.

Another mighty roar. He started stomping his front paws, shaking the earth aggressively as I snagged Fred by the back his neck and dragged him away. Not a moment could be spared. I had to get Fred to safety. I had to check him for breaks or wounds.

I had to do it before it was too late to fix it.

***

After dragging Fred for what seemed like miles, I located an abandoned mine and huddled inside with him. Beyond the hills and evergreen trees, something vicious roared. Something angry and wild and gigantic beat the earth with its paws over the state of its injuries.

Luckily, the beast had been blinded by blood. He hadn’t watched our getaway. I kept my eyes on him the whole time as I dragged Fred backward, never once losing sight of the monstrosity as I sought safety. Adrenaline had kicked in ages ago, giving me an edge that sharpened my senses instead of clogging them up.

My nose twitched. I kept squinting at the trees, studying the very tops of them to see if any of them vibrated or moved. The ground was still. Light rain pattered the entrance of the mine, clicking against old posts, signs, and shiny rocks.

Everything was quiet here, tinted with a foggy gray layer that chilled me to the bone.

We were alone.Finally. I could dress his wounds.

I shifted and dropped the bag from my shoulders, searching for the clothes I had grabbed. Sweatpants and a T-shirt went on in a flash. Socks could wait. Fred needed me first.He hadn’t changed out of his wolf form. Too many things could have been going on in his body for that to happen—enemies were still close, conditions were simply undesirable, or there were great injuries that I couldn’t see on the surface.

As I chewed the inside of my cheek, I dumped the rest of the contents from my bag. A plastic container marked with a red cross hit the ground. Once I had it open, I set it near Fred, noticing his chest heaving now. His breathing was too erratic. Something was wrong.

Panic swept through my chest in icy hot waves that made me shiver. “Stay stable. For now.Please.”

Shaky fingers sifted through his fur, starting at his rear legs and going over his rump. Everything looked okay back here. No broken bones, though there might have been a possible fracture. That was easily handled by his rapid healing power. A break would have made it difficult to run, but not impossible.

I kept searching.

Under the fur covering his shoulders, I found more fractures. Some broken skin on the nape of his neck dripped blood. His eyelids fluttered as I checked his scalp, and then he yelped loud enough to rattle me right down to my bones. Blood poured from just behind his ear.

That must have been where he whacked his head against the tree. A concussion was possible. It wasn’t something I wanted to consider, but Ihadto consider it. Everything was possible at this point.

Death included.

My heart raced as I cleaned the wound and patched it carefully. Every whimper he made shocked my heart, fear zapping every corner of me. I knew I had to keep myself undercontrol so he wouldn’t freak out. Wolves were so sensitive to each other.

Especially wolves that had so much physical intimacy.

Hours ago, the two of us had been in the throes of passion, woven together by the selfishness of lust. Had we not done that, we wouldn’t have been able to release the mounting stress of the situation. Endorphins like that were good for relaxation. It was one of the most peaceful naps I had ever taken.

Even when he’d woken me up. Even when I’d realized we were in danger. I felt safe with him the whole time. I didn’t fear for my safety in his care.

I only feared for us parting ways without talking about what had happened.

“Shh, it’s okay now,” I assured him as I swept my fingers through his fur. His lips were twitching, and he kept making this squeaky whimper sound that hurt my heart to hear. “I’m right here. I promise I won’t leave you, Fred. I’ll never leave you.”

I scooted closer and cradled his head in my lap. Each time I stroked his snout, his shaking seemed to ease. I watched as his limbs twitched abruptly and then he collapsed, huffing with exhaustion against my thighs. He looked up at me with those round kryptonite eyes while his breathing steadied.

Soon, he wasn’t panting anymore. He was simply resting his head in my lap as he peered up at me. So much admiration and affection poured from his gaze alone that it made me wonder whether our hookup earlier had been more than just lustful curiosity.

Okay, so I gave in to some urges that I was having. Big deal.

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