“Molly!” The frantic tone of his voice mixed with the scrambling of heavy footsteps tell me he’s closer and more determined.
I hang on to the sound of each footfall, my heart swelling as each one gets closer.
“Molly, baby!” Wolf is only feet away now, and I feebly call his name out before finally, his upper body appears over the edge of the ravine. “Baby!” He drops to a crouch, his eyes desperate with worry.
I let out a breath I’ve been holding in for God knows how long. “Wolf.” I say, the sting of my eyes threatening tears of relief.
“Molly, oh my god.” He rapidly assesses the situation as he crawls down on this stomach. “Jesus Christ, look at you,” he mutters as he positions himself and takes hold of a tree root close to him.
“Excuse me? What the fuck?” My brow knits as I try to blink up at him.
“We’re in the middle of a fucking thunderstorm, and you’re not freaking out,” he tries to explain. “You’re pulling yourself up out of the crater instead!” he shouts over the rain as he reaches down, a huge smile on his face.
Oh.
I take a breath and focus as I concentrate my strength to my left hand so I can reach for him with my right. We lock palms, and though both our hands are wet, the grip of Wolf’s hand is too strong to allow for any slippage. Using the strength of that one bicep, he pulls, and I rise a few inches, enough so he has to shift his body back to give us more leverage. He repeats, pulling with his arm and shifting his body back until I can let go of the root. After another pull, my chest is level with the edge.
Wolf clambers up onto his knees, pulling me over the lip of the ravine and onto the stable ground with him. Using hisinertia, he falls back onto the muddy ground pulling me on top of him. “Baby, oh my god baby…” He’s reaching for my face with both hands, trying to push the wet strands of hair out of my eyes. “I love you…I love you so much,” he professes, leaning his head up to smash his lips against mine.
35
WOLF
Igo from never wanting to talk about intense feelings—let alone actually feel them—to immediate word vomit the second Molly is safe in my arms. As I crush her on top of me, taking in how heroic she is in this moment, I can’t hold in even a single word. “I love you,” I tell her between clumsy kisses. “You’re so fucking amazing ,baby. I can’t believe you did that…”
I knew from the first roll of thunder that I had to get to her. I wasn’t sure what to expect with her being alone during a thunderstorm out in the open with no shelter. I wasn’t necessarily expecting to find her in the fetal position, but I was damn sure blown away to find her climbing and pulling herself out of a ravine.
Wet strands of hair that have come loose from her ponytail are sticking to her face, and I push them out of the way, just trying to get a good look as I kiss the hell out of her at the same time.
She doesn’t say anything, still trying to catch her breath. I can feel her heart racing through both our wet shirts, and I pullher tight against me again, hoping I can slow everything down. She’s been brave all this time. Now, I want to make her feel safe.
“Are you okay?” I ask into her neck, and despite the cold rain, she still smells like a warm field of wildflowers basking in the sun.
She nods as her body starts hitching against mine. Her adrenaline is wearing off, and her breath is starting to come in gasps.
“It’s okay, baby. Stay with me,” I urge, hugging her tighter. I roll us so that she’s on her back, and I give her a little of my weight, a sense of security, a sense of holding her together. “You’re safe now, Moll. You understand?” I ask, rubbing a hand up and down her wet back.
She nods again and wraps her fingers in my soaked T-shirt. “I’m okay,” she says on a breath out.
“You’re fucking phenomenal is what you are,” I speak over the rain. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
Her shoulders continue to heave up and down as her breath tries to escape her, and she suddenly snaps her head up to look at me. “Riley!” The word comes out throaty.
“We found him, baby. He’s in cuffs,” I assure her. “It’s over.”
“It’s over.” She nods and brings a hand to her forehead, covering her eyes. Her body wracks as a sob breaks free from her chest.
“Shhh…” I try to soothe her, squeezing her tighter. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. I’m going to take you home,” I promise her.
She lets out a few more sobs and hiccups but manages a watery smile. Talk about mind over matter. My girl has been fighting falling apart all this time, and she deserves a goddamn medal.
Maneuvering my body just right, I’m able to get to my knees and help her stand while still in a hug. When I shift my feet, however, she jerks and yells out in pain.
“My ankle,” she explains between a couple hiccups. “I twisted it in the fall.”
“Come here.” I lift her into my arms and start trudging through the woods. The storm has passed—the last clap of thunder was ages ago—but the rain continues to pour, making the ground beneath me slick and muddy.
“I want to walk,” she protests. “It’s not broken.”
