Page 5

“No!” Winter said. Another cry ripped through the storm. Winter was already moving forward toward the edge of the perimeter. “That sound. Look! Something crashed.” It was difficult to see because of the snowstorm, but he definitely saw a figure fall from the sky and hit the ground.

His bear pushed him forward, with a single word.

Mine.

He took only a heartbeat to recognize what that word might mean, and also that whoever was out there was in mortal danger right now.

“Whoa, whoa!” Alder grabbed his arm. “What the hell, man?”

“Let’s go!” Winter said.

“It could be a trap.”

“It’s not. I know it in my heart.”

Alder frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Grab a flashlight. Every second counts.”

Winter shook Alder’s grip loose and resumed his trek through the safety of the perimeter and out into the vast darkness, guided only by his bear’s intuition about where the person had landed and the Northern Lights, which offered a little muted light to the ground.

It was slow going, since he had to fight against the wind, and his eyes watered from the sting of the wind and ice, but he didn’t stop moving. He heard the security team members joining him as he moved, flashlights lighting up the space ahead of them.

It felt like forever before he saw something. Someone.

“Hold up,” he shouted.

There was a spot where someone had hit the ground, leaving a mark in the fresh snow the size of a person. But where was the person?

Flashlight beams swept the area, and that’s when one of them landed on a figure huddled nearby, pulling a coat on over…wings?

“Hey! Are you okay?” Alder called.

She was scowling when she shielded her eyes, long pale hair spilling over her shoulders highlighted by the beam. “Fucking yes! No, damn it. This snow! Fucking dickhead Frost!”

Winter couldn’t help but grin. She was feisty, and he liked that.

He made his way through the thick snow, and when he drew near his bear pushed at him again with a grumbling purr.

Snow clung to her hair and clothes and her cheeks were flushed from the cold.

She looked furious.

Then their gazes met and his bear roared with joy.

Mine.

The truth slammed through him like a train. She was his truemate.

She blinked at him, her head tilting slightly, like she was having the same thoughts. Her gaze moved over him, confusion flashing across her beautiful face. “You—” her words cut off abruptly as the adrenaline that had kept her going – or the sheer fury at the storm – vanished. Her knees buckled and she toppled forward. Winter lunged and caught her, lifting her against his chest.

“Is she okay?” Alder yelled.

“She’s hurt,” he said. He wasn’t sure what was wrong aside from a fall from the sky that would have killed a human, but her wings didn’t look right. He adjusted his hold so he wasn’t touching her wings and turned. “Let’s get her back into Northernmost.”

The males followed him as he moved as fast as he could, his gaze switching from her to the safety ahead. The storm fought his movements, but he pushed through, because it wasn’t safe for anyone outside Northernmost.

By the time they made it through the perimeter and reached the infirmary, his polar bear was humming with worry.