Page 141 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

KNOX

My insides were a suffocating twisted knot. We were going too fucking slow. And yet that thought twisted me up even more because faster meant more strain on Audrey. She was keeping up — because my mate was strong — but I feared it wouldn’t last. Even the strongest shifter could break with enough stress and she was under so much.

And I could still feel her stress despite my wolf freaking out while I fought the threatening feralness inside me.

She was fighting to be strong for me, sending a near-constant stream of love and determination through our bond, but the emotions were edged with fear. A fear I couldn’t do anything about because I couldn’t shut off my most primal nature and get my emotions under control.

I was also pretty sure she was feeling some of Bishop’s agony. She didn’t seem to be experiencing the constant stream of pain slicing into her soul like I was, but I saw her flinch whenever the pain surged. And on top of that, her scent had changed, deepening with need like when she’d first started fighting her heat before we’d even left Stonehaven to go north.

Back then, it had been her incomplete bond with me setting her off, so I was certain it was her bond with Bishop doing the same thing now.

Her scent, however, hadn’t changed this quickly before. Her bond with Bishop was less than a day old, and I feared she was going to have a heat fever again, possibly before we even reached the pool.

All of which she was trying to hide from me because she didn’t want me to worry.

Except all I could do was worry, since I couldn’t hold both her and Bishop, and I had to hold Bishop. His soul was the weakest right now, and if I let go for too long, I’d lose him.

As if thinking about losing him to the poison gave it strength, agony burst through my twin bond, blacking out my vision for a second. Bishop moaned and tensed, the precursor to a convulsion.

“Whil,” I growled, and she pulled out an elixir without me having to say more while I had to watch Audrey stumble and couldn’t do anything to help her.

“Shit,” Cyrus hissed, grabbing her before she fell, his body almost as stiff as Bishop’s.

His nose twitched and his eyes squeezed shut for a moment, but Audrey didn’t notice, her worried expression locked on Bishop.

So, he could smell it, too.

Was it as potent to him as it was to me? Was her need so strong because I was attuned to her and was partially feeling it through our bond, or could everyone smell her?

A growl bubbled in the back of my throat.

Mine.

She was mine, and my wolf didn’t want anyone else to know she needed sex, especially when I couldn’t satisfy her right this minute.

“We have enough elixirs to make it to the pool,” Whil said, mistaking my growl for worry for Bishop. “I’m not letting him die.”

I huffed and gave her a tight nod, the pressure and wildness inside me squeezing so tight I could barely breathe.

Audrey took a big step away from Cyrus, her cheeks just a little too pink. “I can make it to our next camp without stopping for lunch. How about you, Whil?”

“No,” Cyrus barked with a snap of power that made Audrey tense. “Neither of you can hike on two meals a day. I won’t have you slowing us down because you’re hungry.” His power stuttered again, slipping out of his control, and Audrey squared her shoulders and glared at him.

“It’s only three days. I’ve survived worse for longer.”

More power snapped from Cyrus and my wolf growled.

She’d suffered without food for longer than three days?

If her previous alpha wasn’t already dead, and I could get to her realm — which I couldn’t — I’d kill him for making her suffer.

“I doubt you were also exerting yourself at the same time.”

“And we’re losing time arguing about it,” Deacon said with a snap of his power, what little control he had also slipping.

My wolf seized our body and I jerked forward. “Mine.”

Deacon’s eyes widened and more power snapped from him. He threw his hands up and backed away from Audrey even though he wasn’t even close to her.

“Yours,” Audrey assured my wolf, wrapping her hands around my biceps. “Always yours.”

Love flooded our bond, easing the crushing tension in my chest, and I nearly dropped to my knees with relief.

“But Deacon’s right,” she added, looking exhausted for a split second before her sweet, soft smile returned. “We have to keep moving.”

“And you have to eat,” Cyrus insisted as he started walking at a fast pace.

“I’ll eat and walk,” she shot back.

“You’ll choke,” he growled.

“I won’t choke.”

He shot her a hard glare. “You tripped over nothing on the completely flat death god’s lands. I’ll just consider it a miracle if we get to the pool without you breaking something.”

“The rest of the way to and from the death god’s lands was just as rocky as here.” She swept out her hand, gesturing at the rocky, uneven landscape.

Trees, thick with leaves, as well as evergreens, crowded close, creating a thick cool shade, blocking the summer’s heat, but that also made the jagged landscape and fallen trees slippery with moss and rot.

“You just tripped.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to where we’d stopped a moment ago.

“Bishop was about to convulse. I was distracted,” she huffed. Then her eyes widened and a new worry trembled through our bond. “I’ll stop long enough to eat a granola bar and an apple.”

What the fuck? Why the hell had she just submitted to him?

The worry quickly turned into frustration as if she were angry at herself for not standing her ground.

“A wise wolf knows how to pick her battles,” Deacon whispered to her even though both Cyrus and I could easily hear him. “He’s too stubborn to see sense right now. There’s no point going up against that brick wall unless it’s absolutely necessary. Stopping for a quick snack is a good compromise. Well done.”

Surprise and pleasure leaped through our mating bond, and she dropped her gaze to her feet, her cheeks turning pink again.

For a second, I thought she was reciprocating Deacon’s flirtations until I realized she was actually reacting to his praise.

She practically lit up at a simple well done. Of course, if I praised her, it would come out all wrong. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try, but the best mate for that was Bishop and I was sure as hell telling him that little fact about Audrey.

I’d make sure he praised her as much as he told her she was beautiful. We just needed to get to the damned pool first.