Page 81 of Bound

I stare out at the forest, and for a moment, I consider running. I think about how they’ll be safer if I leave. But I don’t. Whether it’s because I know Bain is watching me right now, or because it physically pains me to think about leaving them, I’m not sure. Probably a bit of both.

But how are we going to get rid of Blaze if we don’t even know who or where he is? The fact that he’s now threatening my pack makes me worried.

No, not worried,angry. Furious.

Who does he think he is, coming to my home and acting like he has some sort of hold over me when I don’t even know who he is? Maybe it’s time I stopped cowering and crying every time a threat surfaces. Maybe it’s time I took advantage of being in my wolf form and learned to hunt and fight like every other wolf shifter.

Just because my senses seem weaker doesn’t mean I’m helpless.

These five alphas have done so much for me, rescuing me when I was at my weakest and bringing me back to their home without expecting a single thing in return. The least I can do is protect them and our home.

The hair of the back of my neck starts to tingle, and I sharpen my focus on the treeline, wondering if someone’s out there.

A loud growl reaches me right before the sound of a wolf sprinting, and I spin around just as Bain’s blond wolf speeds right past me, his teeth bared.

When I see why, I freeze with fear. A dozen wolves have appeared from around the side of the house and are charging straight for me. Bain intercepts the lead one, knocking him down before jumping on another. But there are too many and they start to pass him.

“Red! Run!” I hear Hunter yell. It shocks me out of my frozen state, and I turn back to the house and run as fast as I can, just as Maddox, Chase, and Gage run past me toward the attacking wolves.

Hunter stands on the porch by the back door, waving at me frantically to get inside. As I get closer, I see movement behind him. A large gray wolf is slowly sneaking up behind him on the porch, and I have no way to warn him.

Fear fills me and I put on a burst of speed. Not because I’m being chased by a dozen angry wolves, but because Hunter doesn’t stand a chance in his human form with his back turned.

I know the other four in their wolf forms are formidable fighters, though I do worry for them, but Hunter is my main concern right now.

“Come on!” Hunter yells when I’m only twenty feet away. I see the wolf behind him starting to pounce as a growl rips from my throat. Hunter frowns in confusion right before the wolf’s paws connect with his back and he starts to fall forward.

As he lands on his hands and knees, I leap over him, taking the large gray wolf with me right through the open door and into the kitchen. We roll once until I’m thrown from him, my body sliding across the floor and into the kitchen chairs.

Before I can even get up, the gray wolf is on me, his teeth sinking deep into my neck as a pained cry leaves me. My body loses its fight, sinking into the tiled floor. The wolf lets out a cryof its own, and I’m able to turn just enough to see Hunter’s furious wolf, ripping out its throat.

The sight is so shocking that I momentarily forget about my own pain. A loud crash averts my eyes to the door as Bain’s wolf comes barreling in, followed by the others.

He skids to a stop right in front of me, shifting to human in an instant. With his teeth bared, he grabs the dead wolf's jaw, which is still clamped around my neck and literally rips it open. The sound of bone snapping makes me twitch, and I watch as he throws the dead carcass aside.

Someone passes him a towel, and he wraps it around my bleeding throat, his eyes filled with determination and fear.

My breathing grows heavy, and I know, from experience, that this is a death blow. It will be easier if he doesn’t try to help; it will only prolong the pain.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he whispers as he bends down and presses his forehead to mine and cups my cheek.

“Red,” Maddox whispers from where he’s kneeling at his side. Only now do I notice the blood covering all of them. It trails down from their mouths as if they ripped those other wolves apart.I hope they did.

I have to turn my head a little to find Gage and Chase standing over us, and when I see Hunter in his human form, too, alive and uninjured, I let out a deep sigh.

“Red,” Maddox says again, getting my attention. “You’ll come back to us again, won’t you?” he asks, his voice full of fear and pain. I try to nod, but the movement causes me to cough up blood.

Only now do I realize I can’t feel my body. Where Bain and Hunter are touching my face is the only thing I can feel. I soak in that feeling of connection and close my eyes.

“Please, come back,” someone whispers, right before I take my final breath.

Chapter 35

Bain

Her chest doesn’t rise again and I can’t stop myself from shifting as my wolf bursts free, howling our sorrow for the world to hear.

My pack shifts, joining me, as our chorus of anguish echoes through our home.