BROOKE

I crawled from the car, shifted, and ran, entering a dream I'd had more times than I could count. Moonlight cut through the trees, crisp streaks of blue in a sea of black. My paws pounded the terrain, pulled by the moon and a desperate longing for freedom—to be with Huck. But unlike my dreams, I didn't race effortlessly. My body was malnourished and dehydrated, and I had no direction other than down. Every snapped twig or rustling bush sent my heart into overdrive, and I held my breath, imagining Titan waiting in every shadow. If he caught me now, he would do worse. He couldn't wait to do worse.

"I'm free. I'm here. Please find me." My pleas smashed against a wall no bond could cross. It didn't work like that. I could call out to him however many times I wanted, but I had no way of telling him where I was. It was up to me to find him, but how could I when the woods were so vast? He could be anywhere, and I was nowhere.

My foot splashed into a puddle, and I immediately stopped, and drank greedily. It was too thick, but it was cool, and my eyes slid closed as if I were sampling the world's most luxurious wine. I lifted my snout, scenting the air, then scanned my surroundings. This wasn't like the woods surrounding the garden. Like Huck and the valley wolves, this hadn't been tamed, and I had. I'd spent my whole life in a completely different world. I wasn't equipped for this, and I was too weak to defy the odds.

My wolf growled softly and pushed onward, determined to prove me wrong. It was a slow journey, and I was forced to fight for every inch through the dense foliage. Branches dug into my flesh. Thorns caught in my fur. I kept moving, feeling like a rat on a wheel. For all I knew, I was walking in circles. But then the forest finally thinned, and the sight of the moon made me weep. I picked up pace, thrilled to have gotten somewhere.

My foot slipped. My ankle snapped. The ground gave out beneath me. I whimpered and whined, scrambling for traction on the muddy embankment. The moon reflected in the river below, seeming to laugh at my effort.

I plunged, I sank. My legs instinctively propelled me toward the surface. I broke through and peddled forward, adrenaline dulling the pain until I made it to the bank.

I collapsed, panting, done. My bones protruded. My body was broken. I was hungry. I was tired. I was lying in the mud, and I didn't know where I was, my mate was wanted by an army too great to outrun, and things couldn't possibly get any worse.

A low, rumbling growl echoed, and I looked over to find yellow eyes reflecting from the tree line. My throat dried, heart stuttered. Titan? No.

A massive paw coated in tawny fur emerged into the moonlight. A wide head ducked low followed.

The goddess hated me.

The mountain lion snarled in agreement.

My wolf growled a warning, but who was she kidding? We couldn't fight. We couldn't even run. I was going to die here.

It stopped walking and stared me down, ears folded back, tail swishing, ready to pounce.

I struggled to my feet, but my left, back ankle wouldn't bear any weight. I limped back a step, growled louder.

The lion lifted its front paws and barrelled forward. So fast. Too fast. I dodged, howling as a jolt of pain rocketed up my leg, and by the time I returned my sights to the beast, it was already rushing me again.

My wolf snarled, readying to fight until the end.

A black blur entered my peripheral and slammed into the lion's side. They crashed to the ground, claws and teeth and gnashing maws warring for the upper hand.

Shock stole my senses, and my brain couldn't process the sudden change. A sickening, wet sound echoed in my ears, and the world fell impossibly still.

Glowing orange eyes latched onto me. His eyes. His scent. This couldn't be real. It was too good to be true. I shifted back, sure my wolf was hallucinating, but fur gave way to smooth, golden skin, and then he was in front of me, his hands clasping my face, those same eyes crazed as they scanned over every inch of me. "Tell me I haven't lost my mind."

I flung my arms around his neck, buried my face beneath his jaw, and the longing that had been building for so long exploded out of me. Gut-wrenching sobs erupted from my soul, and once they started, they wouldn't stop.

"Shh. I've got you. I've got you," he murmured, his words thick with emotion. He held me tighter than he ever had before, and he didn't let go until all my tears were spent. Then he pulled back and took me in again. His hands ran over my shoulders, down my arms, up my spine, seeming to outline every one of my protruding bones. I wasn't the woman he remembered. Half of her had wasted away.

His jaw twitched, and he focused back on my face, running both of his thumbs over my cheeks to wipe away the tears. "Where are you hurt?"

"My ankle."

He shifted to gain access and then prodded it with gentle fingers.

I winced.

His jaw clenched again. "I think it's broken." He slid one arm around my waist, the other beneath my knees, and then he stood, hoisting me up and carrying me away.

I took in the blood trailing down his shoulder. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch."

I pressed my ear to his chest, breathing in his scent and relishing the sound of his heartbeat on the long journey to where he was camped. He set me down on a bedroll and grabbed his pack, pulling a roll of bandage from within. "Here," he said, handing me a piece of wood. "Bite down on that for me, Princess. I promise this will only hurt for a second."

My pulse increased, but I did as instructed, placing the wood between my teeth.

Huck took hold of my foot with both hands and yanked, snapping my ankle back into place like pieces of an excruciating puzzle. My muffled scream ricocheted through the trees, and he cupped my neck, kissed my head. "That's it. It's all done."

I breathed through the pain, and it faded to near non-existence.

Huck wrapped the bandage around the arch of my foot and worked his way up to my calf, securing it tight enough to keep me from moving it. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I don't think so." My stomach growled in protest.

Huck frowned. "Wait here. I'll get you something to eat."

My mouth watered, and I nodded eagerly, but before he could leave, I gripped his hand.

He looked back at me, and I didn't need to ask. No sooner did our eyes meet, he returned, and our mouths connected in a kiss more passionate than any we'd ever had before. This was what I needed—all I needed. More than food, more than water, more than air. I needed him. I needed this.

But then my stomach growled again, and he pulled away. "Hold that thought," he rumbled, then in an instant, he stood and beelined into the trees. I took the opportunity to take in his camp—if it could even be called that. All he had was a broken gun, his pack, and the bedroll I was sitting on.

He returned a moment later, and as much as I wanted to continue what we were doing before he left, the smell of cooked meat was too tempting to resist. I snatched it from his hand and tore a large bite off with my teeth, groaning as I chewed, nearly choking as I swallowed. I had no idea what it was, but it was the best thing I'd ever tasted.

Huck sat down in front of me, his arms draped across bent knees as he watched me. After several more bites, he extended a canteen, and I took it readily, guzzling down the cool, clean water.

I heaved a breath. "That is so good."

"I'm going to kill him."

His expression sent a chill down my spine. His anguish hurt more than any broken bone. I cleared my throat and focused on eating slower. "How did you find me?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"There isn't much that could surprise me at this point."

He watched me for another moment. "The goddess led me to you."

"Run."

"I saw her too," I said.

A relieved sigh rushed out of him. "I thought I was going crazy."

"I'm still not convinced this isn't a dream," I said.

"Me either." He shifted onto his knees and crawled closer, tucking me into his side. His nose pressed against my hair, and he pulled a long, slow breath in through his nose. "Tell me how you escaped."

I hesitated, then I relayed my night in as little detail as possible. I told him about Titan's drunken state, the crash it led to, but I left out his threats, his treatment, and the terror it instilled in me just remembering what it was like. Anymore would only torture him, and it didn't matter now. We were together.

But for how long?

"We have to leave," I said.

Huck stiffened, and for the longest moment, neither of us said anything.

"I know we were going to take back the mountain, but that was before. We had an advantage then. We were in the castle, and I had status and pull, and we—"

"Stop." Huck pulled back, capturing my chin in his fingers, forcing my eyes to his. "The moon chose me. She chose you. She chose us, and I will not question her. Especially not right after she gave you back to me. I am alpha. This mountain, its people, and everything we are is depending on me for survival. If we run, all of that dies. Our wolves will die."

"But yours didn't," I said. "Aster said so. In the city, your wolf, he—"

"That doesn't mean anything."

"What if it's a sign that we can start over somewhere else? Find a new mountain and—"

He kissed me hard, deep, demanding, and any argument I had was smothered by desire. Cautious hands ran over my skin as if it were made of porcelain, and then he pressed me backward, joining our bodies beneath the moon. Together. Together. Yes. Forever. The words matched the rhythm of his hips, repeating in my brain as our souls intertwined and rose in ecstasy.

It was I missed you, and I love you, and I'll never let you go, and my heart ached, because I knew it wouldn't last forever.