The next few hours jumbled together. We gave updates every thirty minutes and the evacuation orders expanded to includethe entire coastal region. The governor declared a state of emergency. And through it all, Parker and I worked in tandem, finding a rhythm that was almost effortless despite the dire circumstances.
But while my mind was on the storm, I couldn't keep images of Parker from popping to the forefront. Pics of his stubble before he'd shaved, the tiny smile as he tapped on the computer and his strong jaw that needed to be stroked and kissed filled my head.
"You're doing that thing again," Zara said during a commercial break.
"What?"
"Where you watch him like he might disappear if you look away."
I didn't dignify that with a response.
By 2 PM, the outer bands of the hurricane had arrived. Rain lashed against the studio windows, and the wind had picked up enough that we could hear it howling even through the reinforced walls. The parking lot was flooding and the water was creeping steadily higher.
"We should show people what it looks like out there," Parker noted during our next break. "Let me see the conditions and not just satellite imagery and radar."
"Absolutely not." I didn't even have to think about it. "It's too dangerous." I couldn't let this human venture outside.
"I've done live shots in bad weather before."
"Not in a Category four hurricane, you haven't." I pulled up the wind readings on my phone. "Sustained winds are already at sixty miles per hour, with gusts over eighty. You'd be knocked off your feet."
"We can do it from the covered entrance. I'll stay close to the building."
"Parker, no"
"People need to see this, Dawson." His determined expression told me my warnings were having no effect. "They need to understand why we've been telling them to evacuate."
"They don't have to see your dead body before they understand."
"I'm not going to die from being outside for three minutes."
"You could." My wolf was already pacing and agitated by the mere suggestion of Parker putting himself in danger. "The answer is no."
"Good thing I'm not asking for permission." He was already walking toward Isla's office.
I wanted to grab him and prevent him from doing this reckless, foolish act. But we were surrounded by crew members, and I couldn't explain why my protective instincts were yelling at me to keep Parker safe.
Five minutes later, Isla had approved it. They'd do a quick live shot from the covered entrance. It'd be two minutes maximum with Parker secured by a safety line attached to the building. It was still dangerous, but at least there were precautions.
I watched from inside as they set up with my wolf clawing beneath my skin. He repeated over and over how I had to stop Parker but I explained I was powerless. Thanks to the storm, we'd missed the full moon run so my beast was harder to control than usual.
Parker was getting mic'd up and the rain was already soaking through his jacket. The wind was stronger than the readings suggested, and I could see him bracing against it even under the overhang.
"He'll be fine," Zara said beside me. "We've done this dozens of times."
Not in a hurricane, I wanted to say. Not when every instinct I had was telling me something was going to go wrong.
The live shot started. Parker did his thing and he was professional and composed as ever, even as the wind whipped around him. He was explaining the storm surge and pointing toward the flooded parking lot, when a gust hit that was stronger than the others.
The wind caught Parker mid-sentence. He stumbled, trying to regain his balance, but his foot slipped on the wet concrete. I watched it happen as if in slow motion. The safety line snapped. Maybe it had been frayed by debris and suddenly Parker was falling into the churning floodwater that was already moving fast enough to sweep someone away.
My wolf took over before I could think or give him instructions.
I was running, shoving through the emergency exit. The door slammed behind me, and I threw myself around the corner of the building, out of sight of the cameras and crew. The cold rain hit me like a wall, but I was already shifting, my wolf surging forward with single-minded purpose.
We had to save our mate.
The shift took seconds. My clothes ripped away and I sprouted a tail and a muzzle. I was on four legs and my wolf tracked Parker's scent even through the rain and floodwater. My beast rounded the building and hit the water at full speed. Parker was struggling, trying to keep his head above water as the current pulled him toward the parking lot's drainage system.
