Page 25

Austin

“Austin? Austin is this you?”

I grip my phone tightly to my ear as the tiny voice comes through the receiver. “Yes, this is Austin,” I answer. There’s a lump in my throat. When I left my card at Yelena’s last night, I figured she would throw it away. I never dreamed that Cleo would call.

She sniffles, and it sounds an awful lot like a sob.

“Cleo?” I ask tentatively.

“It’s Mama,” she wails. “She’s in danger. I don’t want her to die.”

My pulse pounds in my chest, and I reach for the keys to my truck.

“Cleo, sweetheart, where are you? What’s happening?”

“I’m at dance, but Mama is at the hospital. There’s so much blood!” she continues, sobbing.

The hospital? Panic fills me, and I tear out the door. I can’t lose Yelena. Not like this.

“Who am I speaking with?” a stern voice comes over the phone.

I fumble with my keys and almost drop the phone.

“I’m a friend of Yelena’s. Is Cleo safe?” I ask brusquely.

“She is. Is her mother okay?” the voice asks, quietly. I can no longer hear Cleo’s crying, so I have to assume the teacher has helped her.

“That’s what I’m going to find out. Please, take care of her and tell her that I won’t let anything happen to her mama,” I promise her before hanging up the call.

I pull out of my driveway and speed down the road. My mind is racing with concern. If anything happens to my mate….

“I’m coming, Yelena,” I mutter to myself as I turn toward the freeway. With a prayer to the Moon Goddess for protection, I press on the gas and rocket toward the hospital.

Just let her be okay. Please, Moon Goddess. Let her be okay.

The trees whizz by. I can hardly believe Cleo called me to ask for my help. It warms my heart that she knew she could turn to me and that she found my card.

I smile to myself. She’s a special kid, and I hope and pray that I’ll be able to see her grow up in the pack.

I may have missed the first five years of her life, but I don’t want to miss any more of it.

I want to be there when she starts school in the little pack schoolhouse.

I want to run with her when she meets her wolf and teach her about the woods.

I can’t wait to introduce her to her extended family and watch as she thrives.

And, if she is the new Seer, I desperately need to protect her. To guard her and keep her safe from any and all who would harm her or use her for her talents. I want to be the one who stands between her and the world and gives her the space to learn her gift.

I want to be her Dad.

Traffic is heavy as I get to the exit for the hospital. Police cars and ambulances line the road. My senses go on high alert and my wolf paces in my chest. I reach deep inside, checking the bond I have with Yelena.

Something’s wrong. It feels…off. Horror fills me as I think of all the possibilities.

I need to get to her. I have to find out if she’s okay. I drum my fingers nervously on my steering wheel, desperate to get to her.

The road is blocked by a large fire truck and police officers who are taping off the road, so I quickly turn down a side street and park in an alley.

As much as my wolf is clamoring to be let out, it’s too dangerous to shift in the city.

Instead, I jam my ball cap on my head and take off at a run.

My shifter abilities let me run faster than the average human, and I take full advantage whenever I can.

I make it across the hospital parking lot before I hear the screams. The closer I get to the emergency room door, the more chaotic the scene in front of me becomes.

There are people everywhere. Some are bleeding, some are uniformed and trying to help. The scent of blood, gasoline, and fear is heavy in the air.

I move quickly, darting through patients and personnel who are gathered in the outdoor triage area. I don’t know where to start my search. People push and shove, shouting over each other to be heard.

The pandemonium makes my head ache.

A damaged SUV comes screeching up behind me, and I leap out of the way at the last minute. A blood-covered man jumps out and pulls a small child out of the car, carrying him in his arms and running for the doors.

The security guard waves him through, and I take my chance, following him inside. The little boy in his arms is bleeding heavily from a head wound, and it makes me immediately think of Cleo.

What if something like this happens to her? How would I cope with seeing her injured like that?

I try to use my wolf senses to seek out Yelena, but the scents are all too overwhelming in the emergency room.

Shouts and cries echo throughout the space as medical staff rush to aid the injured.

I round a corner and there: her scent. Faint but unmistakable. I follow it, weaving between patients and staff until I reach a set of double doors.

“Move!” someone yells, and I turn, diving out of the way as two paramedics rush a gurney through the hallway.

Someone screams from beyond the doors, raising my hackles.

Taking the chance, I follow the gurney and slip past the double doors. The main treatment area is bustling, with injured people everywhere. Harried-looking doctors and nurses rush to and fro. The only good thing about this situation is that no one has noticed me or asked why I’m here.

I breathe deeply, trying to pick Yelena’s scent out from the crowd.

I slip through them into a quieter ward, the sounds of chaos fading behind me. Her scent grows stronger, a beacon guiding me to her.

The screaming starts again, and soon, a flood of people come running out of the far hallway.

“Call security! He has a knife!” someone yells.

The surrounding people push and shove to get out of the way. But, unlike them, I move forward toward the disturbance.

The closer I get, the stronger Yelena’s scent is. I push past a nurse and round the corner. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and a flash of bright pink. If I didn’t know better, I swear I just saw Sylvie. But when I scan the area, she’s nowhere to be found.

“Hurry! Yelena’s still in there!” I hear a nurse cry on the phone.

Yelena.

I surge forward, jogging down the hall until I reach the final treatment room. I can hear her before I can see her.

“You don’t want to do this. It’s going to be okay. I promise we’ll do the best we can to help her. Just put down the knife,” Yelena coaxes.

I peek through the door to assess the situation. What I see makes me clench my fists and see red.

An old woman is lying in the hospital bed, and she looks unconscious.

Yelena is hovering over her, blocking her with her body, while a young, deranged-looking man is crowding her and waving a knife.

His face is twisted in pain and distress, but there’s blood dripping off the knife, and there’s blood on Yelena’s scrubs.

My wolf doesn’t allow me to hesitate. Someone hurt our mate. I have to respond.

In a flash, I’m in the room. Both the man and Yelena gasp and whirl around at my presence.

I growl and stalk forward, grabbing the man by his wrist and twisting, sharply. A crack sounds, and he howls with pain. His knife clatters to the floor.

“Go to the door, Yelena,” I order, keeping my eyes glued on the man who hurt my mate.

He’s trying to cradle his injured wrist, but as soon as Yelena scoots by, he launches himself at me. I dodge him easily, catching the back of his shirt and slamming him up against the wall.

“You touched her, and for that, you will pay,” I growl in his ear.

He jams his head backward toward my nose, but I’m too fast for him. I wrap my arm around his throat and squeeze, stopping only when he goes limp. When he slumps to the floor, I quickly pocket the knife and hurry over to Yelena. She’s holding herself and looking terrified.

“Talk to me. Are you hurt? Are you okay?” I ask her urgently, scanning her for any more visible signs of injury. My hands are on her shoulders, and I can feel her shaking.

“Yelena, baby, talk to me,” I plead.

“It’s just a scratch. I’m fine,” she whispers, finally, “But I was so scared.”

I pull her into a hug, smoothing her hair and holding her as she shakes.

“How did you find me?” she asks when she pulls away.

The security guard bursts into the room, interrupting us, and we hurry out, motioning to the attacker on the floor. I lead Yelena back out into the hall while they attend to him.

“Cleo called me,” I say, keeping my eyes locked on her. She pales and leans against the wall for support.

“Cleo? How?” she demands.

“I guess she found my card on the table. I don’t know. But she called me from school. Her teacher said she would be watching her until you came to get her. Yelena, Cleo was so upset. She was crying and so worried that you were going to die.”

Yelena gasps, her hand coming up to her face. “I have to go. I need to get to her. She’s going to be frantic.”

“Come on. We’ll take my truck,” I tell her, digging my keys out of my pocket. Yelena nods, and I grab her hand as we navigate through the hospital.

“Do you need to tell someone you’re leaving?” I ask as she stops by the employee locker room. She shakes her head. “I’ll send my boss a text. I just need to grab my bag and my coat.”

I wait outside the door, pacing until she returns.

We hurry back out through the parking lot toward the alley where my truck is parked. Yelena’s face is hard to read, but there’s tension rolling off her.

As soon as we get to the truck, she hands me her phone. The map app is already running with directions to Cleo’s school.

“Austin,” she says, looking over at me as she buckles up. “Hurry, please.”

“On it,” I reply, reversing and pulling out to the main road.

Thankfully, Cleo's school isn’t too far away and we make good time. As soon as we arrive, tires screeching on the pavement, Yelena grips the door handle, ready to jump out.

I barely come to a complete stop when she leaps out of the truck and runs down the sidewalk toward the front door. I follow after her, catching up as she talks animatedly to the receptionist.