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The slight tilt of her head told him she had.

They rounded the corner into a broad atrium, sunlight filtering through high windows onto the clinical white floor. As expected, a blocking force of Granite Ridge wolves had assembled, their postures aggressive.

Kieran launched forward without hesitation, his massive black form a blur of deadly purpose. His team fanned out behind him in perfect coordination, a testament to countless hours of training together. Malcolm flanked right while two others went left, creating a protective corridor for Maya.

The clash was brutal and swift. Kieran took the largest enemy wolf, his jaws clamping around the challenger's throat in a display of dominance and skill. He sensed rather than saw Malcolm dispatching another with ruthless precision.

Through the chaos of snarling wolves and striking claws, Kieran kept Maya in his peripheral vision. Pride surged through him as she fought with instinctive skill, her smaller form using speed and agility where she lacked raw power.

They were halfway across the atrium when Kieran's enhanced senses detected the metallic click of a rifle safety being disengaged. His head snapped toward the sound—a human hunter on a second-floor balcony, taking aim at Maya's russet form.

Silver bullets. He caught the distinctive gleam as light reflected off the chambered round. Fatal to shifters with a direct heart shot, debilitating anywhere else.

Time compressed into crystal clarity. The distance between himself and Maya. The trajectory of the bullet. The fraction of a second before the trigger would be pulled.

No conscious decision was made—only the absolute certainty that he would die before allowing harm to come to her.

Kieran launched himself across the remaining space, his powerful limbs propelling him into the path of the bullet just as the rifle discharged with a crack that echoed through the atrium.

Fire erupted in his flank as the silver-laced bullet tore through muscle and lodged, just missing his spine. The poison burned through his veins immediately, his wolf shifter magic fighting against the corrosive metal.

He staggered but remained standing, a wall of black fur between Maya and the shooter. Malcolm's enraged howl cut through the momentary silence as he and two others charged the stairs toward the sniper.

Kieran felt his shift destabilizing, the silver forcing him back to human form against his will. He fought it, his muscles spasming as he tried to maintain his wolf shape.

Kieran!Maya's voice pierced his mind, frantic with concern.

His legs buckled beneath him as the poison spread. The transformation back to human form overtook him in waves of agony, fur receding as his body betrayed him. Maya's wolf form appeared above him, her eyes wide with panic. Behind her, the remaining members of his team formed a protective circle, holding off the last of the attackers.

"Southeast exit," Kieran managed through gritted teeth, his naked human form vulnerable on the cold floor. "Get me out... poison working quickly."

Maya's wolf seemed to understand. With surprising gentleness, her jaws closed around the scruff of his neck, strong enough to drag him but careful not to break skin. The gesture was so primal, so perfectly wolf, that even through his pain, Kieran felt a surge of possessive pride.

My mate,he thought as the venom pulled him toward unconsciousness.Fighting for me as I fought for her.

Malcolm appeared in his vision, now back in human form, firing covering shots as Maya dragged Kieran toward the exit."Hold on, brother," Malcolm's voice seemed to come from underwater. "We're almost clear."

The sunlight hit Kieran's face as they broke through the southeast doors, the scent of freedom mixing with the copper tang of his own blood. Maya's wolf still had him by the neck, her determination a tangible force.

I'm not dying today,Kieran projected through their shared bond, hoping she could hear him.Not when I've finally found you.

With each dragging step Maya took, Kieran felt the silver's poison creeping further through his system. His vision narrowed to pinpricks of light, his consciousness ebbing and flowing. Still, beneath the pain, he registered her strength—the way her wolf form moved with purpose, navigating the terrain as if she'd been born to it.

"She somehow knows the trails," he muttered through gritted teeth.

Behind them, the sounds of battle faded. His strike teams were buying them time, sacrificing themselves for their future Alpha and his mate. The knowledge burned through him like the silver—responsibility and privilege wrapped in one painful package.

"When we get out of this—" he coughed, his body wracked with spasms, "—I'm promoting every one of them."

Maya's wolf form growled softly in what he took as agreement, her pace never slowing. Her russet fur caught the dying sunlight, making her seem to glow against the darkening forest. His scientist. His wolf. His salvation.

As they moved deeper into the mountain terrain, something unexpected began to happen. Each mile they put between themselves and the Granite Ridge facility, the burning in his veins lessened incrementally. Every time Maya readjusted hergrip on him, a wave of warmth flowed from the point of contact, pushing back against the poison.

Their mate bond. It was actually healing him somehow.

"Keep going," he urged, his voice stronger now. "You're doing something to the silver in me."

Maya took a sharp left, avoiding a ridge line where they might be spotted. Her knowledge of the territory was impressive—even more so considering she was operating primarily on newly awakened instinct.