9
Shelia and I jogged through the woods, leaping over roots, and ducking under low branches. The way back to the cave felt like an eternity. Neither of us spoke, but the tension hung heavy in the air. As we neared the entry, I realized I wasn’t concerned about Tyler at all. At least I had that going for me.
Instead, a weight settled in my stomach as I worried about Alec. I wish I could say I was equally worried about Kyle and Malcom, but I wasn’t. All I could think of was that I needed him to be safe.
I told myself it was because last time we’d met Tyler, he’d nearly died, but I had a feeling there was more to it than that. It made me feel guilty. I was a terrible friend. Kyle had broken me out of captivity, and Malcom was literally blood. Why couldn’t I worry for them on the same level?
“Stay close,” Shelia warned. “If you feel the urge to shift, run. You can’t risk completing that bond unless you want to be stuck with him.”
“Oh, I’ll run.” It was good advice. The last thing I needed was for my wolf to take over and follow Tyler’s wolf anywhere.
As we walked into the tunnel, my heart thundered in my chest. I knew we needed to address the Tyler problem, and I wanted him gone, but I couldn’t find the anger I once had. Between the lingering mating bond and my concern for Alec, I felt nearly numb. Why couldn’t he have just let us break the bond?
I forced myself to recall all the reasons Tyler and I shouldn’t retain our bond, finally drawing out some anger. I needed it close to the surface, ready to tap into if my wolf objected.
As soon as we passed through the cave, I could feel him. My wolf clawed inside, desperate to get out. For now, I was in control, able to let my anger drive me. Tyler might be my fated mate, but he was a monster. We were never going to be together. Another force called to me, though, making both my human and wolf halves take note. We could sense the others. Alec, Malcom, and Kyle. Their signatures were just as strong as Tyler’s.
I could detect snippets of emotion, but none of it was clear enough to know for certain what they were feeling. All I could tell was that it was intense, but the positive or negative wasn’t readable. Panic gripped me. They could be kicking Tyler’s ass, or they could be in danger. With the odds, it was far more likely that they were about to end Tyler, but I couldn’t take that chance.
I stopped and glanced over at Sheila. “They found him.”
“Which way?” Sheila asked.
I paused for a moment, then let instinct take over, moving quickly in the direction that felt right. My wolf was restless, I could sense her desire to break free, but I held fast. There was too much at stake to risk shifting.
It didn’t take long before I could sense all my friends more clearly. Their emotions were overwhelming my senses. Frustration, anger, anxiety. These weren’t good feelings. “Something’s wrong.”
Sheila’s jaw tensed and she nodded. “Keep going.”
I slowed to a walk, taking careful steps as the connection pulled me in closer. Tyler was there too, his emotions unreadable to me. I was grateful that our connection had been severed enough that I couldn’t get into his head, but right now, it might have been helpful. My wolf felt like she was pacing, as if reminding me that she would be able to sense him. I fought the urge to shift, bottling it down.Not now.
We heard them before we saw them, low growls and aggressive barks. The sounds of angry, impatient wolves. A few more steps and I had them in view. Malcom, Kyle, and Alec were in their wolf forms, circling a tree. My brow furrowed.
“Up there,” Sheila whispered.
My gaze moved up the tree until I found Tyler, sitting smugly on a branch. His naked legs dangled above my friends, and he looked pleased with himself. I was even more glad I didn’t have to feel his emotions. He was clearly trying to entice the wolves to shift back into human form and climb up to him. But he’d been in the woods a while and it was possible the whole thing was a trap. My friends were smart to maintain wolf form.
But I wasn’t a wolf. And I was the exact perfect bait to bring him down. I stepped forward and Sheila grabbed my arm. “What are you doing?”
“Going to flush the asshole out,” I said. “Don’t worry, I’ll let the guys finish him off.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she released my arm. I took careful steps forward, slowly moving closer to the gathered group. Three large wolves turned to watch me step into view. Alec’s wolf growled at me, his message clear, he didn’t want me here. I ignored him and stopped below Tyler.
“You’re like a frightened child,” I spat.
“You’re one to talk,” he replied. “In your human form because you can’t even control your wolf. I felt you earlier. Let her out. She’s the smart one.”
“Come down, and maybe I will,” I said.
Alec’s wolf growled, and I could feel his disapproval of everything I was doing and saying. I ignored him, keeping my gaze locked on Tyler.
“You do realize how pathetic you look up in that tree like that,” I said.
“Call your boys back and I’ll come down. I just want to talk,” he said.
“They’re staying right here with me. You come down and break the bond and they won’t attack you,” I countered.
Tyler didn’t respond and my friends were getting restless. I turned my attention to the wolves at the base of the tree. “If he’s not coming down to break the bond, we have no use for him. Who can knock him down?”