“Stay with me! Don’t you dare leave me,” Gavin whispered to an unconscious Bailey. Cradling her gently in his arms, he moved as fast as he could without jostling her too much. Though they appeared to be severe, Gavin had no idea what the extent of her injuries were.

It was true that shifters healed faster than humans, but for some reason, Bailey’s injuries seemed to be getting worse. Every few steps, he’d glance down, hoping to see the wounds starting to knit themselves back together, but it never happened.

“How much further?” Gavin shouted to Calder, knowing he could lose his mate any second if they didn’t find a way to help her.

“Just over the next rise. We’re going straight to Daisy’s clinic. I also had her call in help from another pack.”

“Explain!” Gavin growled.

“One of my closest allies is the Black Paw Pack. Let’s just say they have two women with extraordinary capabilities when it comes to majik and medicine.”

Gavin wanted to have hope that whoever these women were they’d be able to help Bailey. No matter the cost. “You would trust them with your life or the life of your mate?”

He glanced down once more at the battered body of his mate. Pain exploded in his chest at the thought of losing her.

“Unequivocally, yes. I’ve seen what these women can do. I watched them bring shifters back from the brink of death.” Calder paused, almost as if he was trying to decide how much to tell Gavin. “There is a catch, though,” Calder warned.

“Of course there is. Go on, tell me what to expect.” Gavin held his breath, waiting for an answer.

“You will see her saved. No matter the price!” his bear demanded.

“Agreed.” Gavin knew exactly what his bear had meant. If he had to rip out his own heart and throw it on the table to save his mate’s life, he’d do it.

If forfeiting his own life meant saving his mate, he do it in the blink of an eye.

No questions asked.

Calder motioned for the remaining wolves to go ahead, waiting for them to be out of earshot before replying. “The women, they’re not like us.”

“What do you mean? They’re from a wolf pack, right?” Gavin was confused by Calder’s statement. What in the hell did he mean by ‘they’re not like us’?

“They are halflings.”

“Halflings? Half what?” Gavin had never heard of such a thing.

“Half wolf, half witch.”

“Witches!” Gavin shouted. He knew little about the majikal species, but what he did know wasn’t good. The only interaction he’d had with a witch had been years ago and it left a bad taste in his mouth. He’d payed a witch to bespell his amulet so he could mask his scent when needed. To this day he didn’t know if the concealment spell was the only one she’d put on the amulet.

The whole thing freaked him out, and he swore long ago that he’d never willingly seek another alliance with any of their kind.

“Keep your voice down. Daisy and I are the only ones in this pack who know about them, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Gavin stewed over Calder’s words for a minute before speaking again. “I thought your mate was a doctor? Can she not help Bailey herself? Do you really think it’s necessary to bring the witches in?”

“Daisy is good at what she does, don’t get me wrong. Before she became my mate, she worked in a human hospital. Only recently has she started treating shifters. But these women, the witches—they know their shit. Trust me on this one. After all you’ve done for this pack, coming to our rescue tonight, I’d never betray you or your mate.”

 

***

 

Daisy paced back and forth, nervously waiting for Calder and Gavin to return with Bailey. She glanced at her watch, wondering how quickly the healer from Black Paw could possibly get there. They were hours away at best, even at a full-speed run.

She couldn’t fathom why Calder asked her to call them in the first place. From the sounds of the situation Calder had described, Bailey’s life was on the line. No matter how good this person was from Black Paw, they’d likely never make it in time. It was up to her to try and save her friend.

Running to the supply cabinet, Daisy gathered everything she thought she might need and placed them on a cart beside the table, then resumed her nervous pacing.

The lights in her clinic flickered, bringing her pacing to a sudden halt. The tiny hairs on her arms stood on end. Her nose twitched as the smell of wolves filled her nostrils. The air in front of her rippled. She took a step back, not knowing what the fuck was going on.

“A little help here,” she asked her wolf.

“They’ve come to help,” her wolf replied.

Daisy looked around the clinic, hoping to see someone at the front door. “They who?”

Just as she’d contemplated whether or not her wolf had lost her mind, two figures stepped through the ripple in the air she’d seen.

Perched at the tip of her tongue was a horrified scream. Her wolf’s statement replayed in her mind. “They’ve come to help.”

“Sorry to frighten you. I’m Erin, the one you talked to on the phone. This beast is Tanner, my ride.”

“I—I’m Daisy. Uhh, nice to meet you,” Daisy tripped over her words. “How did you—”

“Teleportation. It’s one of the tricks of my trade.”

Daisy craned her neck up to take in the full height of the man. Her mouth gaped open.

“Yeah, he gets that a lot,” Erin chuckled.

“I’m sorry. I guess I’d just expected the two of you to walk through the front door, or yanno… something normal.”

“Normal schnormal. Where’s the fun in that?” Tanner walked over to the row of chairs and made himself comfortable.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Teleportation takes a lot to get used to. On both ends. It’s freaky as shit when you’re the one actually being transported.”

Daisy shook her head, unsure of what to say. “I’m sure it is.”

Erin glanced around the clinic. “So where is the person who needs help?”

“They’re on their way in now. They should be here any second.”

“Great.” Erin pulled a couple of vials from her bag and lined them up next to the supplies Daisy had already set out.

“What is that?” Daisy eyed up the purple potion.

“It’s an elixir that can help heal the animal spirit of a shifter. I’m assuming that’s why Calder wanted me here. For a shifter who’s been mortally wounded.”

“My friend, Bailey. She’s a bear shifter. From what I understand, she was ambushed and jumped by a group of bears. From the sounds of it, she’s in bad shape.” Daisy fought back the tears that threatened.

Tanner jumped to his feet and threw open the door. Calder was the first one through, followed by Gavin, who had Bailey wrapped in a precious bundle in his arms.

Calder greeted Erin, “Thanks for coming.”

“Thank Tanner for bringing me here so fast.”

Calder nodded to Tanner. “Thank you.”

“Now that the greetings are out of the way, can you please help my mate?” Gavin huffed.