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And I knew I was going to lose.
***
“Charlotte! Wake up!”
Heat lashed my forehead and my temples while I attempted to swim to the surface of consciousness. Every wave of dizziness that washed over me inspired me to retreat, to drift back into the unknown. I didn’t want to wake up. Everything hurt too much.
“Please, Charlotte. I don’t want to lose you, too…”
Awareness smacked me in the face as I shot up from the ground, sprinting circles over the cool green grass. An array of bugs sang around me, infecting my ears, throwing me off-balance. I ran until a pair of hands grabbed my torso and yanked me to the ground. Warm skin, tender emotions, sandalwood…
Adam.
My jaw opened and my tongue lolled out when I recognized the man holding me. His eyes brightened slightly at my attention but seemed far more dim than usual. What used to be glorious specks glittering with morning dew were now clouded with concern.
Oh gods, Henry!
“No, don’t get up,” Adam insisted while gripping my fur. “You’re hurt, Charlotte. You’re bleeding a lot.”
I’m hurt…?
Pain bubbled all over me.
Oh, I thought as more of my limbs came online.Oh, that’s so bad.
I wanted to growl, to gnash my teeth, to make whatever noises necessary to process the way I was feeling. But all I could do right then was whimper. Adam stroked the fur along my neck as he aligned his forehead to my snout.
“They took him.” His fingers paused at my scruff, clinging to the fur there. “Those fucking fang bastardstook my son.”
The panic that swept over me was devastating. Adrenaline turned up a notch as fear flooded my system, increasing my pain by about a thousand. Adam picked up my rigidity and squeezed me hard. The pressure of his arms terrified me, my wolf scratching violently at his flesh to break free.
Have to save Henry. Have to bring him back. Have to make sure he’s—
“Charlotte, stop,” he said weakly. “It’s useless. Don’t hurt yourself. Please, fuck, just… just…”
His voice cracked.
Grief was a familiar foe. Losing my family, losing my friends, and having to start over in a new place gave me plenty of experience with that perverted mistress. But this? The sound of Adam crying over his son?
It was worse than a hot poker jabbing my ribs.
Suddenly, the wolf in me disregarded her pain and lunged at the opportunity to comfort Adam, lick his face, and heal his wounds. No, I wouldn’t be able to save him from what he was feeling, but I could do everything in my power to help him cope with it. That was my only task now. It was the only thing worth doing.
His whimpers subsided as I coated his face with my tongue. Salty tears pinched my taste buds, alerting me of the long road we had ahead of us. Nothing would be the same from here on out.
“Charlotte, you need to shift,” he said while cupping my giant face. “Come on, cherry. You have to get back into human form. We need to patch up those wounds.”
Another whimper reverberated between us. This time, it was from me. I didn’t want to leave my wolf form. I felt too attached to it.
“The battle is over for now. It’s okay,” he assured. He glanced over his shoulder where a small group of people lingered near the edge of the cabin. “Valerie can help. But you have to shift. I’ll carry you. I promise.”
My wolf relinquished control, allowing my human form to surface. I gasped once the shift was complete and I could wrap my arms around Adam’s shoulders. The sturdiness of his muscles and the heat radiating from his flesh warmed me, putting me into a relaxed state that made me pliable.
After he hoisted me from the ground, he carried me toward his pack. A woman reached out to check my pulse. Adam growled but cut the noise short, whispering an apology as my vitals were taken. It occurred to me that his energy had expanded significantly, taking up most of the yard.
Wherever we traveled, the bubble surrounded us, a delightful aroma of sweet summer permeating all around us. It lulled me into a serene state that I hadn’t expected to feel, the kind of peace I might have found if I had gone to the lake and relaxed on the shore. It felt like the sun was kissing my face.
No, that was Adam’s mouth.
