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The roar he let out when Sean made the announcement echoes in the back of my head. I hadn’t quite processed it as it happened, but I hear it so clearly now.
It broke him.
Dear Fate, bring Nathan to me, I beg. After all, we’re going to need a miracle.
28
When time is up, I let out a waning cry that surprises even me. It echoes through the dark night, but no response comes. I wait for another minute, using my superior hearing to try to decipher even the tiniest of movement.
There’s still one more chance.
I peel the beautiful gown off and place it in a pile so it’s easy to pick up when I shift. My wolf is waiting to take over, to save me from the pain I’m experiencing. She takes control in no time at all, the pain of shifting is nothing compared to the worry exploding in my heart. She picks up the gown and takes off, leaving no trace that I’d been there. When she gets to the stream in the woods, she drops the gown.
No evidence.
My only awareness is attuned to listening for any sign of Nathan. I need him to be at the car. I need to turn this into the love story I always should’ve had. Nathan is my everything. We promised each other, and dammit, he better keep that promise.
With my wolf in control, she tears through the forest, her animal instincts making it much easier than the first half of the journey I made alone. Unfortunately, the distance she has to travel is much farther than mine. When every second feels so important, time condenses. It feels like it takes her forever to get even remotely close to the rendezvous point Kinsey marked on the map.
When we’re several football field lengths away, she slows, prowling through the forest like the natural predator she is, searching for threats. At this point, we can’t be too careful. The pack may be after us by now. I don’t know how much time Sean’s wolf gave me. He could’ve shifted after I ran for it, then ratted me out to the alpha soon after.
It feels so lonely in the woods by myself. The more the night sounds close in, the more I realize I don’t want to do this alone. Nathan is supposed to be here. I won’t make it a day without him. It would be like ripping off half of myself and thinking that I would be able to survive.
The stillness that forever surrounds us is a mourning march. We get close enough to spy the car on the back road, and my wolf lets out a whimper.
He’s not there.
He’s not leaning against the trunk, smiling. He’s not pacing and searching the tree line, wondering what direction we’re coming from.
My wolf sits, panting, the energy expenditure catching up with her now that she’s settled.
At least we’re on the same page. We’re not leaving here without Nathan.
The wind trickles through her fur. Alert, we wait for a sign. Any sign. The clock that’s been over my head, ticking down since I got pulled into Ms. Ebon’s office, is reemerging with a vengeance. I brought forward my time limit. I’m doing it on my own terms. Much scarier ones, if I’m honest, because I’ve taken control of my life. If this goes wrong, I won’t just be dropped off in the middle of nowhere to live packless.
I’ll be captured, interrogated…punished.
My wolf starts to pace, whining and whimpering. We should’ve left by now. If this was just about me, I would have, but I ceased being one person when Nathan and I gave in to the pull drawing us together like magnets. If he doesn’t leave, I don’t either. He’s fighting for us. I know it. Wherever he is, he’s trying like hell to get here.
Return? My wolf asks. Her discomfort level has risen a few notches the longer time stretches on. She’s as aware of the stakes as I am.
I try to reassure her with the same thoughts that have been running through my head about how hard Nathan will fight to get here, to leave with us.
We perk up when a faint noise reaches her ears. She focuses on it, ears straightening, turning in its direction. The little noise gets louder and louder until I can make out what it is.
Car.
My wolf retreats further into the shadows as we wait. It could just be someone passing by, and I hope like hell that the car waiting on the side of the road doesn’t raise any red flags.
However, it could also be Nathan. That thought makes my heart ram against my ribcage. The beam of headlights spotlight the forest around me. When they approach our getaway car, they slow.
My wolf crouches down, waiting. The SUV inches closer, and I nearly come out of my skin when it suddenly jerks ahead, tires squealing as if whoever is driving has stomped on the gas. My wolf stands, watching as the SUV points directly at our getaway car.
It’s then that I see Sean’s outline.
Fuck.
My wolf leaps from behind the tree, paws digging into the dirt as she runs like hell. If he sabotages our escape, it’s over.