Page 25

TWENTY

KIERAN

K ieran's chest swelled with primal satisfaction. His mate had embraced her true nature—had fought alongside him. The bond between them pulsed with renewed strength.

He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent now laced with the metallic tang of battle. "Much as I'd like to savor this moment, we need to move." His voice dropped to a commanding whisper as he addressed the pack around them. "Three minutes to dress and form up."

His brother nodded sharply, already pulling on tactical gear from a backpack one of the team had carried. Kieran kept his body between Maya and the others as they dressed, his protective instincts flaring. She might have proven herself in battle, but she was still new to this world—his to shield.

"Put this on," he said, handing Maya the white lab coat. "Blend in until we're out."

Maya slipped the coat over her hospital gown. Her movements were a bit sluggish from her recent transformation but efficient and focused. Kieran noted with approval how quickly she was adapting, especially in his presence—a survivor's instinct that called to his own.

"Southeast exit?" she asked, tying her copper hair back.

"Good instincts," Kieran replied, zipping up his tactical vest. "Gamma team secured it ten minutes ago."

Malcolm approached, now fully dressed in black combat gear. "Ready when you are, brother."

Kieran nodded, surveying his team with a critical eye. Five of his most loyal Silvercrest pack members plus Malcolm and Eli. A small force, but each wolf was battle-tested and committed to the cause. To Maya's cause. His cause.

"Formation delta," Kieran ordered. "Maya stays between Malcolm and me. No one engages unless necessary."

They moved through the sterile corridors of the Granite Ridge medical facility with practiced stealth.

Kieran felt Maya's presence behind him like a heat signature, his senses hyper-attuned to her every movement and every breath.

The need to protect her burned in his blood with an intensity that surprised even him.

Two corridors from the southeast exit, Kieran held up a fist, halting the group. His nostrils flared at the scent of unfamiliar wolves ahead—at least six of them.

"Shift," he ordered, his voice a low rumble. "They're waiting for us."

The transformation rippled through the team in near silence, clothes discarded as fur erupted over skin. Kieran glanced at Maya, watching as she fully shifted with surprising grace for someone so new to her nature. He knew it must be because his wolf was stabilizing hers now.

Her wolf form was smaller than his, russet-gold with hints of copper, her bright green eyes maintaining that fierce intelligence that had first drawn him to her.

Stay close to me, he projected to her through their mate bond, uncertain if she could hear him yet.

The slight tilt of her head told him she had.

They rounded the corner into a broad atrium, sunlight filtering through high windows onto the clinical white floor. As expected, a blocking force of Granite Ridge wolves had assembled, their postures aggressive.

Kieran launched forward without hesitation, his massive black form a blur of deadly purpose. His team fanned out behind him in perfect coordination, a testament to countless hours of training together. Malcolm flanked right while two others went left, creating a protective corridor for Maya.

The clash was brutal and swift. Kieran took the largest enemy wolf, his jaws clamping around the challenger's throat in a display of dominance and skill. He sensed rather than saw Malcolm dispatching another with ruthless precision.

Through the chaos of snarling wolves and striking claws, Kieran kept Maya in his peripheral vision. Pride surged through him as she fought with instinctive skill, her smaller form using speed and agility where she lacked raw power.

They were halfway across the atrium when Kieran's enhanced senses detected the metallic click of a rifle safety being disengaged. His head snapped toward the sound—a human hunter on a second-floor balcony, taking aim at Maya's russet form.

Silver bullets. He caught the distinctive gleam as light reflected off the chambered round. Fatal to shifters with a direct heart shot, debilitating anywhere else.

Time compressed into crystal clarity. The distance between himself and Maya. The trajectory of the bullet. The fraction of a second before the trigger would be pulled.

No conscious decision was made—only the absolute certainty that he would die before allowing harm to come to her.

Kieran launched himself across the remaining space, his powerful limbs propelling him into the path of the bullet just as the rifle discharged with a crack that echoed through the atrium.

Fire erupted in his flank as the silver-laced bullet tore through muscle and lodged, just missing his spine. The poison burned through his veins immediately, his wolf shifter magic fighting against the corrosive metal.

He staggered but remained standing, a wall of black fur between Maya and the shooter. Malcolm's enraged howl cut through the momentary silence as he and two others charged the stairs toward the sniper.

Kieran felt his shift destabilizing, the silver forcing him back to human form against his will. He fought it, his muscles spasming as he tried to maintain his wolf shape.

Kieran! Maya's voice pierced his mind, frantic with concern.

His legs buckled beneath him as the poison spread.

The transformation back to human form overtook him in waves of agony, fur receding as his body betrayed him.

Maya's wolf form appeared above him, her eyes wide with panic.

Behind her, the remaining members of his team formed a protective circle, holding off the last of the attackers.

"Southeast exit," Kieran managed through gritted teeth, his naked human form vulnerable on the cold floor. "Get me out... poison working quickly."

Maya's wolf seemed to understand. With surprising gentleness, her jaws closed around the scruff of his neck, strong enough to drag him but careful not to break skin. The gesture was so primal, so perfectly wolf, that even through his pain, Kieran felt a surge of possessive pride.

My mate, he thought as the venom pulled him toward unconsciousness. Fighting for me as I fought for her.

Malcolm appeared in his vision, now back in human form, firing covering shots as Maya dragged Kieran toward the exit. "Hold on, brother," Malcolm's voice seemed to come from underwater. "We're almost clear."

The sunlight hit Kieran's face as they broke through the southeast doors, the scent of freedom mixing with the copper tang of his own blood. Maya's wolf still had him by the neck, her determination a tangible force.

I'm not dying today, Kieran projected through their shared bond, hoping she could hear him. Not when I've finally found you.

With each dragging step Maya took, Kieran felt the silver's poison creeping further through his system.

His vision narrowed to pinpricks of light, his consciousness ebbing and flowing.

Still, beneath the pain, he registered her strength—the way her wolf form moved with purpose, navigating the terrain as if she'd been born to it.

"She somehow knows the trails," he muttered through gritted teeth.

Behind them, the sounds of battle faded. His strike teams were buying them time, sacrificing themselves for their future Alpha and his mate. The knowledge burned through him like the silver—responsibility and privilege wrapped in one painful package.

"When we get out of this—" he coughed, his body wracked with spasms, "—I'm promoting every one of them."

Maya's wolf form growled softly in what he took as agreement, her pace never slowing. Her russet fur caught the dying sunlight, making her seem to glow against the darkening forest. His scientist. His wolf. His salvation.

As they moved deeper into the mountain terrain, something unexpected began to happen.

Each mile they put between themselves and the Granite Ridge facility, the burning in his veins lessened incrementally.

Every time Maya readjusted her grip on him, a wave of warmth flowed from the point of contact, pushing back against the poison.

Their mate bond. It was actually healing him somehow.

"Keep going," he urged, his voice stronger now. "You're doing something to the silver in me."

Maya took a sharp left, avoiding a ridge line where they might be spotted. Her knowledge of the territory was impressive—even more so considering she was operating primarily on newly awakened instinct.

The first drops of rain pelted them as the storm clouds gathered overhead. Perfect. The rain would mask their scent and make tracking them more difficult.

Lightning cracked across the sky as Maya pulled him under the shelter of a dense pine thicket. She paused, her wolf ears swiveling to catch any sounds of pursuit. Kieran forced himself to stay silent despite the pain, trusting her newly heightened senses.

When she moved again, it was with renewed purpose. The rain fell harder now, soaking Kieran's naked form. The cold was actually helpful, numbing the worst of the pain from the silver bullet still lodged in his side.

Through bleary eyes, Kieran spotted the dark mouth of a cave up ahead. Safety. Shelter. His wolf recognized it instantly.

"Perfect," he managed. "You found us a den."

Maya dragged him the final distance with a herculean effort, her wolf form trembling with exertion as they cleared the cave entrance. The thunder crashed outside as if celebrating their temporary victory.

Inside the cave, she gently released his neck and moved to the back, checking for other inhabitants with efficient sweeps of her powerful nose. Finding none, she padded back to him and began the shift.

Kieran watched through half-lidded eyes as fur receded, limbs elongated, and his beautiful mate took human form. Even naked and exhausted, Maya moved with determined precision, gathering what dry vegetation she could find to create a bed for him away from the cave entrance.

"You need to stay warm," she said, her voice husky from the transformation. "The silver is fighting your healing abilities."

She knelt beside him, pressing her warm body against his side, sharing her heat. Where their skin touched, the burning of the silver poison retreated slightly.

"How did you know where to find this place?" Kieran asked, reaching up to touch her face.

"Wolf habitat mapping. It's literally what I do for a living." Her lips quirked in that half-smile he found so endearing. "Plus, your wolf shifters' territory patterns weren't that difficult to decode once I started looking for them."

Kieran laughed despite the pain. "Remind me never to underestimate you, Dr. Collins."

"Too late for that." She carefully examined his wound, her touch clinical but tender. "The bullet's still in there. I need to get it out or the silver will keep poisoning you."

"Do it," he commanded, his eyes locking with hers. No hesitation and no doubt.

Lightning illuminated the cave briefly, highlighting the determination in her eyes. "I might not be a medical doctor, but I've extracted enough tracking devices from wolves to know the basics."

"Such pillow talk," Kieran smirked, then winced as she probed the wound. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."