Page 16 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

It all happened so fast that I barely had time to breathe.

It was one of those off days where Gwen was set to go to work at the cafe, but pack business call suddenly called me away. The quad pack alliance had a lot of perks, but I was really leaning a lot on the perk of being able to call the other Lunas to watch little Rose in a pinch.

Nayeli was looking more pregnant by the day, but those pregnancy hormones seemed to be working to my advantage, since she jumped at a moment's notice to watch Rose when asked.

Well...she didn't exactly jump. She made Scott jump instead, but I knew once the Shadowbay Alpha handed my daughter over to his wife that Rose would be well-loved and cared for.

At first, I thought that maybe I had jumped the gun and been a little too paranoid.

There had only been a single report about a magic surge from one of my scouts, and that was nothing new.

The only thing that had been different was that the scout insisted that the surge was moving.

That had never happened before, and while the surge still dissipated like usual, it gave me a bad feeling.

I felt better knowing Rose was with Nayeli and Scott, but I still wanted to investigate on my own before I brought her back home and relaxed.

I sent a squad of my wolves to one part of the forest, while I decided to search the area closest to my house on my own. I was restless, the sinking feeling getting stronger with each passing hour, and I knew I had to see for myself that there was no real threat before I would believe it.

After dispatching the wolves to their mission, I hung up the phone and made my way outside, planning to shift and search the forest on four feet. I hadn't checked the time, so I was surprised to see Gwen putting her work things in her car, getting ready to leave for her shift.

“Gwen,” I greeted, and she startled a bit, looking up.

“Hi, Joe. Is everything alright? You look worried.”

“No,” I sighed. “I'm just not sure.”

“Can I help?”

The idea of her going and searching for the surge made me feel almost sick with worry.

Absolutely not. I didn't want her to get involved if I could help it.

“Not really. Just call me as soon as you get to the cafe, okay?

If you don't hear from me by the time your shift is over, go to Nayeli's instead of coming home. Wait for my call before coming back here, okay?”

I'd said too much. Gwen shut the car door and looked at me, concerned, planting her hands on her hips. “What is going on? Is this about the pack business you said you had to handle?”

“Yes,” I admitted, not wanting to lie to her. “Look, I don't know anything for sure yet, but my guys have seen a magic surge headed our way. It's moving, and I don't know why. But the last thing I want is for you or Rose to get hurt. So just please, please be careful and stay out of the forest.”

“I promise,” she said, nodding. “If anything comes up, I'll stay at work or go straight to Nayeli and Scott.”

“Thank you,” I breathed. “I have to go.”

“Okay.” She twisted her work apron between her fingers, looking down at her feet. “You be careful too, okay?”

I smiled despite the worry growing in my gut. “I'll do my best, but—”

Gwen must have sensed the surge before I did, because I saw her head jerk up and her eyes go wide. The pressure of the magic hit me a fraction of a second later, and I whipped around.

The surges were mostly invisible to the naked eye, but they distorted the air around them, much like heat emanating from the blacktop. I could see the forest behind us rippling as the surge rushed forward, heading right towards us.

Everything moved in slow motion as I lurched forward, grabbing Gwen by the arm and pulling her to the side, just as the surge struck where she had been leaning against the car, making it rock back and forth from the force of the strike.

It was moving, just like my scout had reported, but more alarmingly, it appeared the movements weren't random.

Because when it didn't manage to take us out, the magic looped around, heading back towards us once more.

“Run!” I yelled, grabbing Gwen by the wrist and pulling her toward the treeline.

Gwen stumbled at first, but she got her feet back under her and managed to keep pace with me as we fled into the woods.

The surge picked up speed, hot on our heels.

We'd managed to get a bit of a head start, but the surge was gaining.

I grabbed Gwen again and dove behind a tree so we could catch our breath, letting the magic rocket pass us.

“I've never seen one do that before,” I growled, my eyes scanning the forest around us.

“I've never seen one move like that at all,” she agreed, her voice a little shaky. “But Joe, I can feel it. The magic. It's strong.”

“Yeah, no shit,” I snapped, and then winced, not wanting to snap at her. It wasn't her fault, and it was just my nerves getting the better of me. “Sorry. We need to find someplace to hide.”

“How the hell are we supposed to hide from a magic surge?”

“I have no idea, but we're going to try.” I looked her over, taking in her wide, frightened eyes and how fast she was breathing, both her hands pressed hard to her chest. Something was wrong with her, but we didn't have time for me to figure it out.

We had to get the hell out of there, because even in the brief time we took to hide, it had turned and started towards us once more.

There was one thing we could do that would make us faster and dampen the fear that was taking her over. It would make it harder for us to communicate, but our goal was pretty damn clear. Get away without having that thing slam into us.

“We need to shift,” I told her, looking around wildly. “We're closest to Jayce's territory, so we'll go that direction and see if crossing the territory lines confuses it or makes it go away.”

“Good plan,” she panted, her eyes closing. I knew she was fighting her instincts, not wanting to reveal her weakness to me. Her face was pale, her lips a little blue.

“Just breathe, Omega,” I commanded, and she gasped, her eyes popping open, the pupils dilating.

The command wouldn't hold her for long, not while the magic was this strong.

My only hope was to keep her moving, and hopefully, we could get the hell out of there before she passed out.

“Shift and go. Run like your life depends on it.”

I shifted and leaped away, hoping that the movement would help her pull herself together enough to get a grip and follow.

For a split second, I was terrified. What if she didn't? What if she couldn't? But the thought had no sooner entered my mind than Gwen's smaller, tan-colored wolf joined me, and we raced through the trees.

The magic surge was right behind us, the rippling air seeming to bend around the trunks of the trees, the ground trembling beneath us.

The closer it got, the faster and harder the pressure beat against me.

It was hard to run, hard to breathe, and I could feel it affecting Gwen, too.

Her pace began to slow, and she kept tripping over her own feet.

We hit the boundary of my territory, but even when we crossed, it didn't stop.

Damn, so much for that idea. I looped us back around onto my land, knowing that I was stronger on my own territory.

I was going to need all the strength that I could get, because it looked like fleeing might not have been enough.

I could be looking down the barrel of a full-on fight.

But how did I even fight something I wasn't even sure was tangible?

And what did I do with Gwen? She couldn't fight. Not like this.

Ahead, a few miles away, I could see the lake that was nestled in the heart of my territory. An idea sprang to mind, and I raced towards it. It was a long shot, but we were running out of options, and if anything, it would buy us a little time.

When the lake came into view, I put on an extra burst of speed and ran until the ground fell away beneath my paws, and the water enveloped me.

Behind me, I could sense Gwen and the surge following, and I swam as deep into the lake as I could go.

The magic was a bit muffled, the pressure not nearly as overwhelming, and for a moment, I thought that I had found at least a temporary solution. Maybe water could keep us safe.

But when I turned back to find Gwen, she was a ways away, still in the shallows and swimming fast. That was when I knew the feeling of relief wasn't caused by the water. It was because the surge was targeting Gwen, and not me.

That thought made my blood run cold.

My body was tired and sore, but adrenaline was keeping me going. I pushed myself to swim after Gwen, desperate to protect her. The magic had already caught up to her, and her panic had given her a burst of adrenaline, which kept her going, but I sensed that her strength wasn't as endless as my own.

And the thought of her dying...

I didn't let the thought go any further. Gwen was alive, and she was going to stay that way. I'd make sure of it.

The water was starting to become shallow again, the bottom rising quickly. It was time to surface and get back onto dry land. Once all four feet were on the ground again, I lowered my head and sprinted as fast as I could, passing the surge and coming up next to Gwen.

I wanted to tell her to keep going, that she was almost there. But the words were impossible to form. Instead, I had to rely on nonverbal cues, such as body language.

When her eyes met mine, they were cloudy and dazed. Her gait was beginning to falter, her sides heaving, tongue lolling. My heart broke. I knew the only thing that would help her would be a command, but there was no time.

So, I did the only thing I could think of.

I lunged, catching her scruff between my teeth and pulling her sideways, using the momentum to throw her behind us and to the side, clear of the surge, which had come within ten feet.

She hit the ground and rolled, her momentum carrying her, and for a horrible moment, I wasn't sure if she would get back up.

But she did. She pushed to her feet and continued to run, the surge hot on her heels.

We raced side by side, the two of us, and the farther we ran, the more obvious it became that the magic wasn't losing its interest in her.

It was becoming fixated, and it wasn't going to give up until it caught her.

Or worse.

I was determined to make sure that neither of those things happened.

Up ahead, the river snaked across my territory. The lake had been a failure, but in the back of my mind, I recalled something I'd read about magic—that it could be stopped by running water. The lake had been still. Maybe that was why it hadn't worked.

If this didn't work, though, I had no more ideas.

I pushed myself, putting a little distance between us. When the river came into sight, I put everything I had into giving a final push. My legs burned, the muscles aching, and the sharp pain in my lungs felt like a knife.

I was so close.

My feet left the ground, and I flew through the air, landing safely on the other side. Gwen was slower, and the surge was gaining on her. Her legs were failing her, and the panic in her eyes was real.

She was not going to make it.

Jump! I thought desperately, barking at her across the river and praying she understood what I wanted. If she were only in my pack, I could have reached her through the pack bonds, but no matter how protective and possessive she made me feel, Gwen was still Samson's wolf.

I barked more, frantic, running across the riverbank. When she reached the edge, Gwen braced herself, the muscles in her haunches gathering—

But then she stopped. She shook her head and slowed, her chest heaving, her breaths coming in painful, wheezing gasps. Gwen was too tired, and she was giving up.

Like hell she is, I thought, backing up a few paces and leaping the distance again.

Gwen was going to let the magic take her, but what kind of Alpha would I have been if I let my Omega be hurt like that?

The idea of losing Gwen was the most terrifying thing I'd ever experienced, and it made me stupid. Reckless.

My paws hit the mud on the other side, and I had just enough time to crash my body into hers, pushing her out of the way, before the surge struck.

It hit me hard, like a punch, and I felt the magic rush through me, tearing into me, throwing me hard.

Then, the world went black.

I didn't remember much after that. I remembered the ground, and how cold and wet it was, and a flash of the pain, which was so intense that it made me sick. I thought of Rose, and of my pack, and how if I died, they were doomed.

But the strongest thing that stayed with me, that kept the pain and the fear from overwhelming me, was the memory of Gwen's scent.

I held onto it as the world faded. Just before I lost consciousness, I felt the pressure of the surge abate completely.

It had spent all its magic hitting me, and Gwen was finally safe.

It was enough , I thought, drifting off. It had to be.