She would die. Caroline had never been anything but sweet to me. She, like the others, had every reason not to trust me, and yet she had. Today, it was with her life. With each step I took, my wolf raged to get out.

This was a waste. All of it. Caroline couldn’t be more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old. But, as I held her limp body in my arms, she looked frail and old. She’d lost so much weight and water, her skin was almost translucent. A web of dark veins popped at her temples. She wore jeans and a loose-fitting red t-shirt. Her right leg swelled and went stiff, her body riddled with infection. I should have followed my instincts days ago. Screw Vera, I should have brought Caroline to safety.

Clarksville was easy to find. A small, rural town, it sat nestled in a deep in the river valley. As I emerged from the woods, I sank low, hiding us both among the foliage. From here, I could see the whole town spread out in a grid. Dawn was just about to break.

Clarksville had a single church in the northeast quadrant of town. The safest thing might be to take Caroline there. Safest for me, but possibly deadly for her. No. I would have to bring her straight to the emergency room of whatever hospital I could find.

I scanned the town then closed my eyes, letting my keener senses lead the way. There. Almost dead center. At five stories, it was the tallest building in town. I would have to move faster than any non-shifters could see. There was no way to escape notice if I waltzed through the streets carrying Caroline’s limp form in my arms.

She murmured something past dry lips, her agony written in the deep lines above her brow. “Shhh,” I whispered. “It’s going to be all right. I’ll make sure of it.”

She didn’t deserve this. She should be graduating from college or getting married or doing whatever it was that normal twenty-somethings do. Instead, she’d spent years living in fear and hiding from the ruthless, vindictive Pack patrols, afraid for her life.

“It’s all right, Caro,” I said. “I’ve got you.”

The truth was, I had no idea if she was going to be all right. The infection had spread so fast, it might be too late to save her. Rage tore through me. It wasn’t fair. Because, no matter what, I couldn’t stay with her. I could only get her to people with the expertise to help her if they could. But, she would wake up alone and afraid. I couldn’t even risk leaving a note or word with what happened to the rest of her friends.

The hair prickled at the back of my neck. A heavy band pressed around my head. The Pack wasn’t far. I couldn’t sense them in town, but there was movement to the northeast. We were so close to the Tennessee border here. I’d downplayed it to Jett. I told her we’d never seen Pack this far. I think even she knew the opposite was true, but she didn’t question me. We all knew it was either this or we’d all sealed Caroline’s fate.

I gathered her close to me and started to run. My wolf clamored to get out as the scent of the Pack drew closer. They wouldn’t be looking for me here. Hell, they’d never think I was dumb enough to come waltzing into a populated area like this. If I was quick enough, I’d get in and out before any of them were the wiser.

The irony was, the thing that made me safer was also the thing that could put Jett in harm’s way. Marking her had strengthened my inner Alpha to the point I couldn’t hear Able Valent at all anymore. Maybe that would change if I ever came face to face with him again. For now, he couldn’t touch me. But, if he got close to Jett…

I pushed it out of my mind. Two orderlies leaned against the wall near a dumpster in the alley. The blazing red lights of the emergency room were just ahead. The smoke from their cigarettes reached me. I moved by them in a blur.

The ER opened into a large waiting room. Glass separated it from the main hospital. I had to get past a receptionist at a long, U-shaped counter. She didn’t look up from her computer screen as I approached. A few of the other patients did. Jaws dropped at the sight of me. It wasn’t even Caroline’s lifeless form that caught their attention. It was me. This was Kentucky. They knew what I was.

I saw an empty wheelchair against the wall and carefully put Caroline into it. Her head lolled to the side, but she didn’t fall. I wheeled her up to the counter and cleared my throat. Finally, the receptionist looked up; her owl-like eyes widened even further.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“No,” I said. “But you have to help her.”

She looked at Caroline and quickly got to her feet. She pressed a button on the side of her workstation. She was either calling for security or medical help. Either way, I knew I couldn’t stick around to find out. Though it killed me to do it, I had to run. Somewhere, deep inside this building, I felt the Pack. Able had maybe one or two members here. They didn’t sense me yet, but they would.

I leaned down and pressed my mouth against Caroline’s ear. I didn’t know if she could hear me. Probably not. But I had to at least try.

“Stay strong,” I said. “Stay alive. I’ll try to figure out a way to get word to you. Smart people who care about you won’t forget you.”

Then, I turned and let my wolf out just enough to give me the speed I needed. Those still waiting in chairs would only feel a strong breeze and see a shadow. By the time the Pack felt anything, I had hoped to be long gone.

I said a silent prayer for Caroline and headed back for the woods where I belonged. Jett’s heartbeat thundered inside of me like a beacon calling me home. She was scared. It would only be about four hours from the time I left her side to when I returned. Even that was too long.

I needed Jett. Jagger and Liam had tried to tell me what it was like to have a fated mate. It seemed starry-eyed and foolish. Also careless and dangerous. The thing Jagger feared over all else had happened. The Pack had used his mate Keara against him...or tried to. She died before they could torture our location out of her. Losing her had split Jagger’s mind apart. He might never be the same.

And now, I understood that he would likely do it all over again for just one more day with her. Jett was part of me. I would live and bleed for her for the rest of my days. Even the thought of any danger coming to her stirred my wolf to rage. Every inch separating us cut into me like a thousand daggers. It was like trying to breathe underwater.

One thing was certain: once I got back to her, I wouldn’t leave her side again. Golden Rock wasn’t safe. It was a good hideout since they had access to clean water and shelter. It was so far away from the nearest town that the Pack likely didn’t patrol there often. The viaduct provided a perfect place for a sentry so Vera or Jett could have easily kept watch before I came along. But, now that I had come along, they were too open. I couldn’t stay above ground for long periods of time anymore. And, I’d be damned if I’d leave Jett behind.

As day bled into evening again, I heard the rushing waters of the river and Jett’s steady heartbeat beneath it. She would probably sense my question before I asked it, but there was only one place safe enough for Jett to be.

It was time to go back to Mammoth Forest.