Page 50 of Stuck with my Pack

Her cheeks are pale, too pale. Her lips are tinged blue.

She’s not moving.

“No. No, no, no.” My voice cracks as I press my fingers to her throat.

A heartbeat.

Faint. Too faint.

Relief and terror crash into me at the same time. She’s alive. Barely.

I scoop her up, cradling her against my chest. She’s freezing. The heat of her scent still lingers, thick with Omega desperation, but her body is cold, too cold. She’s caught between the fever of her heat and the brutal reality of the storm.

“I’ve got her!” I roar through the wind. “She’s alive!”

Footsteps pound toward me, Ethan and Tyler’s voices cutting through the storm. But I don’t stop. I need to get her inside.

The moment I step onto the inn’s porch, the door flies open, and warm air rushes out, chasing away the ice trying to cling to my skin.

Tyler and Ethan clear the way as I carry Sophie inside, my boots leaving wet prints across the wooden floor. The scent of burning wood and warmth wraps around us, but she doesn’t stir.

I lay her down on the sofa near the fire, my pulse hammering as I really see her.

She’s so still. Her breathing is shallow, and her skin is too cool.

Tyler is already moving, grabbing towels and warm water. Ethan yanks blankets from the back of the couch, shaking them out before draping them over her.

I kneel beside her, my hands flexing uselessly as I scan her face. Too pale. Too still.

A deep, desperate growl rumbles in my chest. “Come on, Sophie,” I whisper, my voice rough with emotion. “Stay with us.”

She doesn’t move.

I push my fingers through my hair, my control slipping. My Alpha is raging, instincts screaming at me to do something.

Ethan kneels on the other side of the couch, pressing the back of his hand to her cheek. His jaw tightens. “She’s burning up,” he mutters. “But she’s freezing, too. She’s stuck between her heat and the cold.”

Tyler kneels beside me, his hands hovering over her as if afraid to touch her. His face is grave, his usual easy grin nowhere to be found.

“She was scared,” he murmurs, his voice tight, “And now she’s paying for it.”

Something sharp stabs into my chest at his words. She ran. She left the safety of the inn, away from us, when she needed us most. Why?

“Maybe she didn’t know what was happening,” Ethan says, his voice quieter, his eyes locked on Sophie.

“She was already fighting it earlier,” I grind out. “Trying to handle it alone.”

Tyler exhales harshly, his hands running down his face before he stands abruptly, pacing the room. “Well, it didn’t fucking work.”

No, it didn’t.

Ethan shifts closer to Sophie, brushing damp hair from her forehead, his fingers barely grazing her skin. “She’s trying to wake up,” he murmurs. “Her breathing’s stronger.”

I clench my fists, willing myself to be patient, but every second she stays like this frays my control.

My Omega.OurOmega.

“Sophie,” I whisper, leaning closer, my lips brushing her temple. “We’re here. You don’t have to fight it anymore.”