Gunnar was everything. He spread me open and filled me with heat, light, energy. As his teeth sank into the soft flesh at the nape of my neck, a burst of pain blazed a path down my spine. Just as quickly, it gave way to the deepest pleasure I’d ever known.

I saw myself through Gunnar’s eyes. He’d made me a wanton, wild thing. Oh, it felt so good. Colors became more vibrant. My sense of smell, keener. Even the earth beneath my fingertips felt different. Then there was Gunnar himself. Before, I’d felt his pulse along with my own. Now, there was no distinguishing them. We were one. His heart beat for mine and mine for him.

My Alpha. My mate.

A fresh orgasm ripped through me. It was quicker than the first, but even more intense. I sensed he could bring me to it over and over if we had the time. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for more time.

Gunnar emptied himself in me. At the same time, I felt myself filling him too. True mates. Fated. How could I have waited so long for this? We both tumbled to the ground, exhausted. Gunnar slid his arms around me, cradling my body with his. I felt safe, warm, protected. If only we could have stayed like this forever.

But, we were not that lucky. We both knew it. Able was gone. Gunnar didn’t have to tell me. I could feel his thoughts even if I couldn’t hear them. He was grounded now, centered. He was with me.

“Are you okay?” he finally said, his eyes shining silver. I felt his need to shift ripple through me. It was like a second hunger. He kept it at bay.

I sat up, feeling suddenly shy. He reached for me, gently grasping my nipple. A moan of pleasure escaped from me, unbidden. Oh, I wanted him again already.

“I’m okay,” I said. Reality started to close around us. What we’d shared had shifted my world on its axis. And yet, the danger hadn’t passed.

Gunnar sensed my mood. He sat up and we scrambled for our clothes. “We have to find the others,” he said.

“The Pack?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“No,” he said. “Listen. It’s quiet now.”

I closed my eyes and did as he bid me. At first, I heard the normal sounds of nature. The leaves skittered in the wind; a mourning dove warbled in the distance. Then, slowly, it was as if a second layer of hearing opened up for me. Everything became sharper. It was Gunnar. When he marked me, somehow I could hear through him.

My hand went to the mark he’d made at the base of my neck. Already, it had begun to heal. I wished I could see it. On instinct, I knew it was nothing like the one Melanie had. Hers stayed angry. Mine was faint, almost as if it had always been there. It was a part of me. It wasn’t something that had been done to me.

Gunnar was already up and dressed. My limbs felt heavy as I pulled my shirt over my head. Our mating had been a serious workout. Heat flared between my legs at just the thought of it. Oh, I wanted so much more.

He went to the two dead wolves, checking for signs of life. I knew he’d find none. I hit the red one straight through the heart. Vera’s shot had hit the other in his frontal lobe. No shifter I knew could survive a direct hit with our poison-laced bullets. And that was the last secret I’d kept from Gunnar.

“How?” he asked, turning to me. My old defenses fell away. I was more a part of Gunnar than the Twelve. I knew that with each new beat of my heart. His heart.

“Those weren’t regular bullets. They’re laced with a neurotoxin that’s deadly to shifters if we hit the target.”

“Brain and heart,” he answered. He reached down and felt inside the red wolf’s wound. With a grisly pop, Gunnar pulled the bullet out. It was flat and misshapen, but even now my heart flared with alarm. I had no idea if the toxin would affect Gunnar just by touching it.

He held it up, examining it. Then, he slid it into his back pocket. He went to the gray wolf and retrieved the other bullet. “There’s no point letting the Pack get their hands on it. They took Lowell, but let’s not give them any more help.”

“We should get moving,” I said, slinging my rifle back over my shoulder. “Vera and the others can’t have gone far. You sure those were the only two?”

Gunnar nodded. “Yeah. Able’s gone too. Without them and without...me...I think he’s blind where we’re concerned. We just bought some time. That’s all. You know he’s going to come back harder next time. As far as he’s concerned, we can’t win.”

I swallowed hard and went to him. “I know,” I said. I saw doubt and fear cloud his eyes. I wouldn’t let it. “Gunnar, I know. And I wouldn’t change a damn thing. I will not lose you to him. Do you hear me?”

He cupped my jaw in his palm, running his thumb along my cheekbone. “I won’t lose you either. I’m going to figure out a way to get you over the border where you’ll be safe.”

I noted that he didn’t say “we.” My heart dropped, but there was no time to argue. Vera and Melanie wouldn’t make it far trying to carry Caroline. Whether Vera liked it or not, she needed Gunnar and she needed me.

“Can you sense which direction they went?” I asked. Gunnar lifted his chin and sniffed the wind.

“Due north,” he finally said. “They’ve taken to the water. Smart.”

He held a hand out to me. Smiling, I took it. There was one more secret he hadn’t asked me to tell. Magic bullets were one thing. Getting a shot off quicker than a shifter could move was something else.

---

Something was happening to me. With each step we took, my connection to Gunnar solidified. I couldn’t sense what he sensed, but I understood every move he made. We traveled along the water’s edge. The pungent scent of brine and seaweed would better mask our own. He kept tilting his head toward the southwest, pausing for no more than a second or two. Each time, my breath caught waiting for some telltale sign from Gunnar that he sensed something. But, his heartbeat stayed steady and so did mine.

My growing need for him didn’t change. It gripped me like a second hunger, but the timing couldn’t be worse. Vera and the others had too much of a head start. Alone, Gunnar could have caught up to them in no more than an hour. I slowed him down. He never said anything, but it was obvious. I had just two human legs to travel with.

“Come here,” he said after we’d crossed the narrowest part of the rushing stream. Gunnar hadn’t yet asked me where we were going. Sure, he could easily pick up Caroline, Melanie, or Vera’s scent but he let me lead the way. Reaching for me, he hoisted me up to a rock ledge overlooking the Golden Rock Dam. The water slammed into the rocks below us. It was a twenty-foot drop. Far enough to kill me if I lost my footing. Gunnar held me steady.

I lost my balance and crashed into him chest to chest. Laughing, my arms went up, gripping his strong shoulders. Gunnar’s smile melted the growing chill I felt as the sun began to set. Leaning down, he kissed me.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked. Heat rushed through me. Oh, I wanted him again, badly. We’d stopped once since he’d marked me in the big woods for a quick coupling. It helped clear my head. I’d need it again soon.

“I have no idea,” I answered. “This is new for me.”

“It’s new for me too,” he smiled. “And it’s the lousiest timing ever. Jett, do you realize what could happen if the Pack ever gets close enough?”

“They won’t,” I said. “I told you. Where we’re going? It’s safe. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not defenseless.”

“I did notice that. That’s a different conversation we’re going to need to have. Soon.”

A flare of alarm went through me, an old instinct. I’d viewed men like Gunnar as the enemy for so long, it was hard to switch my mental gears sometimes.

“It’s just up ahead,” I said, pointing beyond the ridge. Our summer encampment allowed us to hide in plain sight.

Gunnar jutted his chin and letting his gaze follow my finger. “I know,” he said. “Vera’s hiding on the other side of the bluff. She’s upwind thinking I can’t scent her.”

Alarm fluttered through me. “Gunnar, let me go on ahead. All she’s going to need to do is take one look at us to know…”

“To know what?” he said, running a hand down my arm. The last rays of sunlight danced in Gunnar’s blue eyes. “That I’d die before I let anything happen to you? That somebody’s going to have to get help for Caroline, and soon? I’m stronger. I move faster. If I can get to them, I know people who can help. It might not be too late to save her without bringing the whole Pack down on our heads.”

“How exactly do you plan on doing that?” Vera came out from behind a thick oak tree, training her rifle straight at Gunnar. Gunnar didn’t so much as flinch or turn his back. Of course he knew she’d been standing there the entire time.

I couldn’t be mad at her. Instead, my heart flooded with relief. She was safe. That meant Melanie was too. Since we hadn’t found Caroline abandoned on the side of the trail, that could only mean they’d managed to get her into the hideout safely too.

Smiling, Gunnar put a possessive hand on my back and turned to her. “The same way I’ve been surviving all along. I’m fast. I’m quiet. And I know who I can trust.”

Vera snorted. She still hadn’t lowered her weapon. I made a move to try and put myself in front of Gunnar. He held me back.

“She won’t hurt me,” I said, trying to push forward. Again, Gunnar stopped me. He emitted a low growl I knew only I could hear. It did something to me, making every muscle in my body go rigid. It wasn’t permanent, but it was a clear, preternatural command for me to stay still. I recognized it instantly for what it was: my Alpha trying to protect me. Only, I was more worried about Vera trying to hurt him.

“Vera,” Gunnar said through tight lips. I felt his pulse race with barely contained anger. “What else do I need to do to prove to you that I’m on your side?”

It sounded good when I said it. Vera didn’t drop her weapon, but she dropped her right shoulder slightly, as if letting some of the tension out of it. She was just as tired as the rest of us.

“Gunnar will sleep outside,” I said. “Like always.” What I didn’t say was that I’d stay right by his side. Vera gave no indication that she realized what had happened between Gunnar and me. I would tell her tonight, after everyone had a full belly and a clearer mind.

“You need me,” Gunnar said. “You might be able to fend off one or two members of the Pack at a time, but not if you don’t know when they’re coming. I do. Jett...go with her and make sure--”

Gunnar’s voice was cut off by Melanie’s scream. In the same instant, Gunnar’s wolf eyes flashed silver. Vera whirled around and raised her rifle. I moved toward the sound and Gunnar grabbed my arm, holding me back.

“Vera! I can’t wake her up!” Melanie’s anguished cry cut through me. Vera was already on the move. She’d given up aiming her weapon and slung it over her shoulder as she broke into a run. Gunnar and I followed close behind.

We ran down the steep embankment leading to our hideout below the dam. Years ago, during construction, they’d built diversion tunnels. Abandoned now, they’d never been filled in. We had a protected position at the base of a viaduct crossing the Rockcastle River. Melanie was there, leaning against the high cement wall, cradling Caroline in her lap.

Caroline’s color had gone gray. Her eyes were open and unfocused. Gunnar got to her first, skidding to a halt in front of Melanie. He dropped to his knees and put a hand to Caroline’s forehead.

“She’s breathing,” he said. “But it’s labored and shallow. Jett, she’s burning up.”

Vera tossed her rifle to the ground and went to Melanie’s side. Caroline’s mouth hung slack. Her lips were dry and cracked.

“I was afraid of this,” Gunnar said. “She was worse off than she wanted to let on. The infection is deep. She knew I could scent it.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Vera said, her tone thick with accusation.

“Say what?” Gunnar shot back. “Exactly what would you have done if I had? I’ll tell you. You would have told me to mind my own business and remind me how long you’ve been looking after everybody before I came along.”

Vera’s mouth hung open, but at Gunnar’s tirade, she snapped it shut. She knew he was right. And my heart dropped with the sickening clarity that none of it mattered one damn bit anymore. Caroline was dying.

“It’s probably a coma,” Gunnar said. “Shit. I can’t help her from here. We have to get her to someone who can if it’s not already too late.”

“It’s not safe,” Melanie pleaded. “They’re out there. I can still feel him.” Tears streamed down her face. For a moment, Vera tried to shush her and calm her with a hand against her cheek. It took almost a full minute before Melanie’s truth washed over her.

“What do you mean you can feel him?” she asked. Melanie didn’t look at her. Instead, she locked eyes with Gunnar. For the first time, I fully understood what Melanie meant. Gunnar was in me since he’d marked me. Though we hadn’t tested it out, I knew with absolute certainty, if we were separated, he would be able to call to me. He had claimed me as my Alpha. Dear God, in Melanie’s case it had happened by force.

“Where’s the nearest town?” Gunnar asked, turning to me.

“Clarksville,” I said. “About seven miles due east. There’s not much there. A hospital, I think. I don’t know how good it is.”

“She needs intensive care,” Gunnar said. “If I can get her there alive, maybe they can either help her or get her transferred to Lexington or someplace better. It’s the only shot she’s got.”

He’d already made up his mind. Scooping Caroline out of Melanie’s lap as if she weighed nothing, he stood. Caroline’s head lolled to the side. If Gunnar hadn’t checked, I would have thought she was dead already. Her sightless eyes rolled in the back of her head.

“Gunnar,” I said, my voice dropping low. My throat clogged with growing panic as I realized what he meant to do. He meant to leave.

“I’ll be back,” he said.

“If you get caught…” Vera said.

Gunnar turned to her. “If I get caught, Jett will know.”

No. I couldn’t stand it. The idea of being separated from Gunnar right now sent my heart racing. Panic washed over me, making me shiver.

“Let me go with you,” I said. “I know this area better than you do.” It was a futile argument. Gunnar didn’t need a tour guide. He could probably find his way to the closest town with his eyes closed just by following his nose. He could cover more ground faster than any of us and he could carry Caroline with no effort at all.

“Listen to me,” he said. Gunnar came to me. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine as he held Caroline’s limp form between us. I put a hand to her cheek. Her skin blazed with fever. “Stay out of sight. No matter what happens. No matter what you think you feel.”

“Gunnar, you have to come back,” I said.

“I will. I always will.”

He kissed me quickly, leaving me breathless. A look passed between him and Vera, then he turned toward the setting sun and bounded up the embankment.