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I edged sideways, squeezing Blue's hand to pull him forward. My wolf remained completely silent within me, letting me fully concentrate on my feet and Blue's breathing. As we moved, the path widened a bit, and I fought the urge to snatch my omega up and race toward the other side.
Everything inside me screamed this was wrong. I was putting Blue in too much danger.
There was a crack of thunder, and I jerked, looking at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. I widened my eyes over the camp below us, trying to figure out where the echoing sound came from and hoping no one below noticed it.
Thankfully, the camp remained quiet and still, and I let out a slow breath of relief.
Tzidal squeaked, and I turned to see her slapping a hand over her mouth. I followed her gaze past me.
The stone under Blue's feet cracked again. Dirt and rock sprayed into the air in thick puffs as the small mountain groaned. Then it started to crumble beneath him. I gripped Blue's hand harder and pulled him to keep moving toward me, but he stayed still, frozen with fear.
Blue swallowed hard and turned his eyes to the sky, tears already starting to form, but to his credit, he didn't make a sound.
I looked all around me, trying to figure out what the hell to do. I couldn't jerk Blue to me—we both might fall. Hell, we could all end up falling.
Deciding going back was the fastest option, I pointed past Lex, indicating we needed to retreat. The siren inched backward, trying to pull Blue with him. Blue moved one foot ever so slightly and more rock crumbled between his feet. He shook his head fiercely at the siren, going completely still again.
Making a quick and dangerous decision, I readied myself to grab Blue and fling both of us toward the other side. I met Joon's eyes, and he nodded, seeing my intentions.
Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Blue. A few tears fell down his face, and his scent was thick and sharp with fear. I nodded slowly to try to reassure him.
Then just like that, his hand slipped out of mine.
And he was gone.
The Broken Path
Tzidal
* * *
I staredat the cracked stone where Blue once stood, a cloud of dirt still hanging in the air. I should have been screaming, crying, or trying to look for him, but I couldn't move. Fear and shock seized my mind and body.
The mountain groaned, angry and loud, snapping the night air again.
And Lex fell.
The ledge beneath him turned to dust as he fell through it and into black shadows, his frightened eyes following Blue into the dark below.
I let out a horrified scream, and Joon clapped a firm hand over my mouth, pulling my back against his chest.
My whole body shook uncontrollably with fear for my friends. I couldn't see over the ledge and had no idea how far they had fallen. They could be injured or dead.
Byriel's glowing red eyes looked past me at Joon. I felt my mate's body move slightly behind me. Then Byriel jumped.
I tried to yell around Joon's hand, but my mate refused to release me. Instead, he jerked me across the last of the path, flinging me toward the grass and trees. I hit the ground with a pained grunt, then rolled. Before I could push myself up, Joon was on top of me. His chest pressed firmly into my back, the cool, dry grass against my stomach.
It didn't help.
Every nerve in my body yearned to stand up and scream into the valley. I needed to see Lex and Blue's bodies to know they were really gone. I wanted to rip through the camp of alphas and scoop my friends up with my own two hands.
Sensing my distress, Joon settled even more weight on me, and my breathing slowed. His long fangs punctured the juncture of my shoulder, and my whole body eased.
Once I was calm and no longer shaking, Joon slowly lifted his chest off my back, and I sucked in a deep breath of air. Reaching my hands out in front of me, I dug my nails into the hard earth and inched forward. I was surprised when Joon didn't try to stop me but moved with me, looking at the ground below.
At the bottom of the tiny waterfall, a soaking wet Blue and Lex sat next to a tuft of bushes. It was so hard to see Lex's dark form, but his glassy eyes gave him away. His flashing, grey eyes would have terrified me if I hadn't known it was the siren.
I blew out a slow breath of relief through pursed lips, thankful to see them alive and seemingly uninjured.
