Page 108 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

Because stopping meant death.

I heard Zane's ragged breathing behind me, punctuated by suppressed groans. Every time he moved, the metallic smell of blood in the air grew thicker.

"Almost there," I said, unsure if I was reassuring him or myself. "Hold on."

My feet finally hit solid ground.

A small platform—maybe forty square feet—nestled in a recess in the rock face. The ground was relatively flat, covered in dry moss. Above us, the hole we'd fallen through looked like a tiny dot of light, distant as another world.

I turned to help Zane.

Then I heard the sound.

Not rocks falling. Not wind. But—a snapping sound. Subtle, crisp, like a branch breaking.

The rock Zane gripped was giving way.

"Zane—"

He fell.

I lunged forward, arms outstretched, and caught him.

His weight knocked me to the ground, my back slamming against rock, pain blacking my vision. But he landed on me—warm, heavy, still breathing.

I lay there gasping, chest heaving. Zane sprawled on top of me, head buried in my neck, breathing rapid and weak. His blood soaked my clothes, warm, sticky, metallic.

"Zane," I whispered. "You still alive?"

He moved and made a muffled groan.

"Good," I said, wrapping my arms around his back. "Don't die. You hear me? You owe me too much to die like this."

He didn't answer. But his fingers moved, lightly gripping my shirt.

I lay in the darkness, holding him, listening to his weakening heartbeat, feeling my eyes burn.

Fuck.

I'd gone soft.

I closed my eyes, buried my face in his hair, inhaling that scent of blood and cedar, cursing a thousand times in my head.

Then I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and started figuring out how to get us out of this godforsaken cave.

Chapter Twenty-One

Zane

Pain was the only thing I could feel.

It started from that damn wound in my chest and spread like tree roots through every inch of me. With each breath, those roots dug deeper. I felt the blood leaving my body—warm, sticky, reeking of rust—trickling down my ribs and pooling beneath me.

I lay on the damp moss at the bottom of the cave. Above, the opening we'd fallen through looked distant as another planet. Moonlight leaked down, cutting a pale blade through the darkness.

Mia knelt beside me, fingers pressed against my chest wound, trying to stop the bleeding. I felt her hands trembling—not ordinary trembling, but the kind when you're fighting for control and your body won't cooperate.

"Zane," she said, voice hoarse but clear. "Don't sleep. You hear me? Don't sleep."