Page 7 of Never Submit (Bad Wolves #2)

Chapter 7

Noble

T he SUV speeds around the base of the mountain, and a terrible sinking feeling tugs at my gut, growing stronger with every mile.

Ren .

Something’s wrong. I can feel it. I lift a hand to my chest and scrub at the tightening in my ribs, the way the bones cage around my heart and squeeze.

She’s alive, but she’s in danger.

There’s nothing but frost-tipped trees outside the window. No hint of color outside of a monotone world of white and gray and black. But she’s out there. Close. Even if I can’t see her yet.

“Stop the car,” I demand before common sense catches up with me. “ Now .”

The driver, a middle-aged delta named Calvin, lifts his foot off the pedal but doesn’t hit the brake. His gray eyes cut my way and then to Torin for the final command.

My word doesn’t mean shit when Torin’s around.

“ Stop the car ,” I bark again, imbuing more command into every syllable .

The mate bond goes tight and thrums like a plucked violin string inside my chest.

“What’s wrong with you, Noble?” Torin says from the back. Annoyance edges his voice.

My stomach twists again with the same wrenching sensation before full panic sets in. With the car still moving, I rip open the passenger door and leap out, rolling across the pavement.

The initial hit sends pain spiraling through me, but I can’t focus on anything besides my mate’s internal call for help. Even Torin’s shouts are muted to me.

He can kill me later.

He probably will.

Hopping back to my feet, I sprint into the woods with no fixed direction, just following my instincts, and right now those are strong enough to wash away doubts.

Ren calls to me like a beacon.

She’s out here somewhere, and she fucking needs me.

The pull is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

I bolt as fast as my human legs allow. I should shift—my wolf is itching to feel the wind against its fur—but I’m getting closer to Ren by the second, even as I crash blindly through the woods.

And there’s some selfish part of me that wants to take her into my arms and feel her body against mine as soon as I can, as a human. Not as a wolf.

I haul ass through the underbrush, ignoring branches clawing at my face and the icy air burning my lungs. My wolf howls in the back of my mind, urging me to move faster.

I don’t need the encouragement. Every step brings me closer to her.

My mate .

The bond thrums through my veins and soul like a living, breathing thing that both drives and tortures me.

It’s not just a feeling—it’s a pulse, a rhythm in my blood, impossible to ignore. She’s alive and something’s wrong. The knowledge twists in my gut sharper than any blade.

The forest is caught in the grip of winter’s slow, creeping arrival. Frost filigrees the needles of towering pines. The ground is stiff underfoot and the once-soft earth is frozen into uneven ridges that threaten to trip me.

Her scent is faint on the wind, a teasing wisp that barely cuts through the earthy chill of the mountain air.

The sights, the sounds, the chill—they’re all secondary to her.

And then another scent knocks into me— him .

Dax’s reek hits me like a slap to the face, sharp and aggravating, musky and pungent. My lips curl and a growl escapes.

He’s with her. Why the hell is he with her?

I crest a small hill, movement flickering in the corner of my vision. There .

My heart lurches at the sight of her—she’s pale, her skin marred with bruises, her clothes torn and practically nonexistent. A feral protectiveness surges through me, and my wolf snarls inside my chest, clawing to get out.

Ren’s leaning heavily against Dax, her arm draped over his shoulders as he helps her down the slope.

But then the other part of her scent hits me. The part drenched in his scent.

I stop dead in my tracks, the air around me crackling with rage. It’s not just that he’s near her—his scent is on her , mixed in a way that boils my blood and blurs my vision with jealousy.

Dax looks up then, his piercing amber eyes catching mine. A slow, infuriating grin spreads across his face, and I swear he straightens a little, as if daring me to do something about it.

“Look who decided to join the party,” he drawls. “Late as usual, Nobie.”

Ignoring him, my focus locks onto Ren. “Are you okay?”

She glances up and those dark lashes flutter over too-pale cheeks.

She’s a shadow of her usual self, and the sight of her twists something deep inside me. Her normally vibrant skin is white, almost ghostly, and streaked with dirt and smudges that highlight the bruises marring her arms and legs.

Dark purple and green marks bloom along her ribs, peeking through the tattered remnants of her shirt, which clings to her in shreds. Blood stains the fabric, some of it dried, some of it still fresh.

My heart lurches with a potent combination of fury and guilt.

I should have been the one to find her. Save her.

Her hair is a tangled mess, wild and unkempt, as if she’s been fighting the mountain itself. Strands cling to her damp forehead. Her lips are cracked, her breath shallow and uneven as though each inhale costs her more than she can spare.

The faint trembling in her legs tells me she’s on the verge of collapse even with her weight pressing heavily against Dax’s side for support.

But it’s her eyes that hit me the hardest. Those usually sharp, defiant eyes are clouded with exhaustion. They flicker to me now, dull and unfocused.

There’s something else there—something fragile and heart-wrenching. Relief . As if the sight of me is the only thing tethering her to consciousness .

She looks like she’s been through hell.

“Ren—” Her name comes out rough, raw with the emotions clawing at my throat.

“Noble?”

Her voice is so soft, I almost don’t catch it.

Before I move, Dax shifts slightly, positioning himself enough to block her from me. It’s a subtle movement and snaps what little patience I have left.

My fists clench at my sides as I struggle to keep my wolf in check. It rises to the surface with a roar. “Get your hands off her,” I snarl, stepping forward.

Dax smirks. “Relax. I saved her. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“You saved her? Is that what you call this?” My gaze rakes over her again, taking in every bruise, every tear in her skin, every tremble in her frame. “It looks like you beat the shit out of her.”

I’ve hated Dax since I can remember. I’ve despised him, wanted to kill him on multiple occasions, but now I want to rip him limb from limb. Yank his tongue out of his mouth for daring to kiss her. Break every finger for touching her. Chop off his dick for…for…

A growl rumbles low in my throat as the hair on my neck bristles.

“I’d back the fuck down if I were you,” Dax warns, his skin rippling across his face as his wolf edges to the surface. “Unless you wanna die right now.”

I’d like to see you try .

My muscles bunch with the pending shift.

I didn’t care so much that Ren had fucked other men before me, before the bond. But now, she’s my mate. Mine. And my wolf doesn’t want to share. Especially not with an over-muscled baboon like Dax .

“He didn’t hurt me, Noble.” Ren’s voice cuts through the tension, washing a calm over my senses. “He found me.”

“Then who did?” I bite out.

“Who else? Andras’s lap dogs,” Dax says. “I found her running down the mountain, outnumbered and chased. If I hadn’t gotten to her when I did, she wouldn’t be standing here.”

He eyes me as if making a point, and I force my fingers to uncurl.

She escaped on her own? That’s impressive. Especially for a human.

“Did his wolves surrender? Because if so, they’ll be coming back with reinforcements,” I remind Dax.

The fucker just laughs. “No need to worry about that. They’re all dead.”

Show-off.

“There’s something else, Noble…” Ren whispers and crosses her arms over her chest.

Her hesitance and body language has me wanting to strangle Dax again.

“The Moonstone—” she starts, but when she glances at him, something unsaid passes between them. He knows something.

Something she’s not sure she should tell me.

I consider her and ask, “What happened?”

“We need to get her to Mathis,” Dax interjects. “That’s what happened.”

“And Torin,” she adds. “Then we can talk about it. And what to do next with Andras.”

She stumbles past me, continuing down the slope, and I catch a glimpse of the large wolf-head marking across her bruised torso. The clean lines of the tattoo peek out from behind her tattered shirt .

Did she always have that ?

I’m missing something, and I don’t like it. The pieces grind together in my head without finding their proper places in the puzzle.

I grab her by the wrist, and she snaps around to look at me. Leaning in close, I lower my voice. “Ren…are you okay?”

Dax shifts his large frame between us, forcing me to release her.

“Move, asshole. I’m talking to her.”

He puffs out his chest. “Red’s weak. We need to get her to the bottom of the mountain, away from here.”

You weren’t concerned for her well-being when you were fucking her before I showed up, were you?

“I know,” I snap.

“Then these questions can wait.”

As much as I know he’s right, I don’t want to allow him to stand as her protector in any way.

“She’s my mate,” I bite out, each word laced with possession. Clear enough for even a brute like him to understand. “Back off.”

The amusement on Dax’s face falters. He looks at me, then at Ren, and for the first time he seems to hesitate.

My growl continues low in my chest. “So whatever you think this is—” I motion between him and Ren. “—it ends now.”

Ren’s head jerks up, her expression confused and wary. “Mate?” she echoes. “What does that mean?”

I force myself to look at her, to soften the raging storm inside me for her sake. “I’ll explain everything later. Let’s just get you home first.”

Dax’s jaw works, but he finally takes a step back, letting Ren move away from him. She stumbles, and I’m at her side in an instant, catching her before she falls. The moment her body presses against mine, something inside me settles, even as her condition reignites my barely constrained rage.

She’s too cold, too fragile. My mate is supposed to be safe, whole—not this.

I’ve failed her.

We start down the mountain in silence. The forest looms around us, quiet except for the crunch of our footsteps on the frosted ground and the occasional rustle of wind through the trees.

I take the bulk of Ren’s weight, but each step is a visible effort on her part. Her bare feet drag over the rocky path and her body trembles.

Her exhaustion is mine.

I glance over my shoulder once, just enough to catch a glimpse of Dax trailing behind us. His usual smirk is gone, replaced by a tense, brooding expression.

His jaw is tight as he paces close enough to watch but not intrude.

Hopefully this time, my earlier words— she’s my mate —have sunk in. He hasn’t said anything since. And I’d like to believe he’s finally keeping his distance because of it.

But I don’t trust him. Not really.

I doubt I ever will.

Ren pitches forward again and my arm tightens around her waist to steady her. She exhales sharply, her breath visible in the cold air, and the faint sound of pain in that exhalation tightens the ache in my chest.

I glance down at her, at the way she’s fighting to keep moving. Even when her body is clearly screaming for rest.

“Ren,” I say softly, stopping us both. She doesn’t look up, her head hanging low, her hair falling in tangled waves around her face. “You can’t keep walking like this. ”

“I’m fine,” she mutters.

The hoarseness of her voice betrays her lie.

“No, you’re not.” I crouch slightly and slide one arm underneath her knees with the other bracing her back. “This isn’t up for debate.”

Before she can protest, I lift her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. She gasps softly. Her hands clutch weakly at my shirt, but she doesn’t fight me.

If anything, she seems to sag closer, her head resting on my shoulder as if even holding it up is too much effort.

The connection is everything I need.

The warmth of her skin seeps into me to chase away the chill of the mountain air. It’s faint, but it’s there, and I hold onto that small reassurance as I start toward the forest line.

My boots crunch over the frosted ground, the weight of her slight in my arms but grounding.

Her steady rhythm of breathing is a reassurance, no matter how deeply her condition slices at me.

It never should have happened.

What the hell is going on in Dax’s head?

The tension radiating off him is impossible to miss. His silence feels unnatural, dangerous, but as long as he stays behind me and keeps his distance, I’ll tolerate it. For now.

The uneven path, slick with patches of frost, slopes down toward the road and I take it too fast. Ren’s fingers curl tighter into the fabric of my jacket as she stirs.

“Noble,” she murmurs.

“I’m here,” I say, keeping my tone low, steady.

Sending every bit of reassurance and comfort I don’t feel down the mate bond toward her.

Her lips part to say more, but then she closes her eyes, her breathing evening out again. I glance down at her bruised and pale face and tighten my hold on her .

I’ll get her through this. I’ll get her home, safe and warm, where she belongs. And if Dax or anyone else thinks they can come between us, they’ll have to go through me first.

“Where were you?” I ask softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

Her brow furrows like she’s trying to piece it all together. “He had me,” she whispers. “Andras. He locked me in a cage.”

That fucking prick is going to die an agonizing death. I swear. “Do you know where?”

Her voice shakes as she answers. “Deep in the mountain. In a cave.” She swallows hard. “I thought I was going to die.”

Dax is suddenly at my side, and his usual cockiness is replaced with something sharper, more serious. The hunter, ready to hunt. “A cave? Where?”

“Does it matter now?” I snap, my arm tightening protectively around Ren.

“It matters if Andras is still there,” Dax says.

Ren’s grip on me loosens slightly, and she looks between the two of us, torn. “It’s not far,” she says finally. “I can show you.”

“No,” I say firmly, shaking my head. “You’re not going back there.”

“It’s near the top of the mountain. It’s a man-made cave they’ve dug out and hidden. I’m not sure where exactly…”

Dax nods before turning back to me. “I’ll go. You stay here with her.”

“Like that’s up for debate?” I ask.

The idea of him running off while I deal with the aftermath rankles me, but Ren needs me more right now. And the thought of Dax near her again—even if it’s to help—isn’t one I’m willing to entertain.

“I’ll take care of her,” I say, my tone leaving no room for argument. “You find the hideout, but don’t do anything stupid.”

“Like kill Andras with my own bare hands?” He puffs out his chest. “I know what I’m doing. I’ll follow the trail.”

“Like something that could get you killed,” Ren says.

The worry in her voice confuses me. Does she…actually care about Dax? It seems so. Maybe even more than in a physical way. I just can’t understand why.

Dax’s eyes flick to Ren once more and then back to me. He hesitates, as if weighing his options, before finally nodding.

“Fine. But if you screw this up and she gets even more hurt, Noble—” he begins.

I cut him off. “I won’t screw it up.”

Without another word, Dax turns and jogs back up the slope. I watch him go, my jaw tight, before turning my attention fully to Ren.

“Come on,” I murmur, adjusting my grip on her. Even though we have a while to go, being alone with her, having her in my arms, has my wolf howling with relief. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”