JEWEL

While my entire world was being ripped apart, I had been lost in a fantasy.

Bear and I had snuck off to be alone for the night, like we'd been doing nearly every night since Huck revealed his super power. A mile away from camp, near a cliff overlooking the moonlit river, I lay atop him, propped up by my elbows on his chest, staring down at his handsome face. He groomed himself more than any man I'd ever met, combing his hair just so, and shaving his face every morning before the sun had even risen. Despite this, stubble coated his jaw. I ran my finger over his scratchy chin, enjoying the way it parted his full lips. His thick brows shadowed his already dark eyes, and the way he studied me in return made me feel like something better than I was.

"What did they call you before?"

"You already asked me that several times," he said. Though, he hadn't sounded annoyed. That might have been due to the fact that we were both naked, spent, and at liberty to go again if we chose. He was fun when he was angry, and that fun always seemed to put him in a better mood.

"That's because you still haven't told me," I said.

He sighed and shook his head, reaching up to caress the strands of my hair hanging between us. "It's a dead name, Jewel."

"You aren't dead."

"Parts of me are."

My wolf stirred, hating it when he said things like that. It was unreasonable to be jealous of a woman who was dead—let alone one who'd died so horrifically, losing her unborn child in the process. It was tragic, and I pitied her. I truly did. But my wolf wasn't reasonable when it came to her mate, and, if I was being honest, neither was I. He was mine, and I wouldn't share him, not even with the past.

"I've yet to find a part of you that didn't work." I shifted slightly, proving just how operational he was, and then grinned down at the way his eyes narrowed.

He growled softly and gripped my ass, pulling me tighter against him. "Boundaries aren't your strong suit, are they?"

"Must be a valley wolf thing."

"Must be."

His hands roamed. His mouth followed. Then the world spun as he circled my waist and flipped me beneath him, sinking into me once more. He kissed me hard, swallowing the moans brought forward by his rolling spine. He broke free with a harsh breath. "Call me yours." His voice was rough as his body slowed; his thrusts growing more deliberate. Possessive. "That's all I want to be."

My nails dug into his back, clinging on as he took control, and I was nearly too overcome by ecstasy to notice the flashing red light in my peripheral.

My eyes narrowed. "Wait."

Bear stopped. "What is it?" His gaze followed mine, and then we were both watching the blinking red dot floating across the sky.

Drone.

The word entered my mind like a bullet into a chamber, and no sooner had it settled, I was fired. I shot out from under Bear, and then I was running, sprinting, shifting mid-stride as I barrelled toward camp. I had to tell Huck. I had to warn them. We needed to hide.

I was too late.

A sudden fog exploded ahead of me, clouding the hollow. A sob caught in my throat as my eyes frantically scanned the distance, searching for the flames. My ears strained for sound, wishing, willing anyone to call out. The silence was too loud. It only meant one thing. It wasn't smoke. It was gas.

They were putting them to sleep.

I picked up pace. I had to get to Huck. Without him, we'd never—

Bear's massive wolf tackled me sideways.

I roared, fighting to find my feet, but he held me pinned, growling down into my face.

I shifted back. "Let me go!"

He did the same. "No."

I hit his chest, bucked and kicked and fought to break free. "Dammit, Bear!"

"Quiet." He didn't shout, but he may as well have.

My lips clamped shut as my eyes roamed, taking in the figures trudging through the shadows. The sentinels were here. So soon. "We have to do something," I breathed.

"We will."

"Now!" I hissed.

"What could we do now?" He gave me a harsh shake. "They're unconscious. We're outnumbered. Run in there, and they'll be no one left to—"

The air left him in a whoosh as my knee connected with his groin. He doubled up, allowing me enough space to wriggle out from under him. I clawed the earth in my struggle, making it to my knees, and then my feet.

Bear gripped my ankle, yanking me back down. He crawled over my back, burying me in his bulk.

"Get off," I growled.

"Not a chance."

"Dammit, Bear, it is my job to protect the pack."

"It's my job to protect you," he rumbled close to my ear.

I tried to push him off, but he was too big. Too strong. Suddenly, all the things I loved about him thoroughly pissed me off. "Bear, I have to—"

His forearm slid under me, circling my waist, and a second later, he hoisted me up with him, slinging me over his shoulder like a caveman's captured bride. My upper half bobbed as he bolted through the trees, moving far, far away from the place I needed to be. Panic rushed through me. Rage quickly followed. I imagined them all being shot in their sleep. I pictured flames consuming everyone I'd ever loved. I had to do something. I couldn't just run.

I pounded and scratched and clawed his back, but no matter how hard I fought, Bear held me locked. When the smoke grew faint and the bootsteps dim, he set me down at the base of a massive oak, caging me against the tree. "Bear—"

He covered my mouth with his hand, which infuriated me more. I bit his palm hard enough to taste blood, but if he felt pain, he didn't let it show. His silence sickened me. The seconds ticked like death notes. One, two, how many were gone? How many were left?

I stood stiffly, my throat raw, and my wolf at war with duty. We were sworn to the pack. To Huck. By standing in the way of that, Bear had made himself an enemy. Anyone else, and I'd have gone for his throat. Anyone else.

Bear's eyes softened, and he released a heavy breath out his nose. "Once they're gone, we'll track them. This isn't over."

"Track them?" My voice sounded odd to my own ears. Hollow. Too quiet for the chaos warring inside me. "You think they'll take them somewhere? That they'll keep them?"

Bear didn't respond.

"What reason would they have to do that?" I asked. "Any chance we had at saving anyone is gone!"

He covered my mouth again, casting a cursory glance in the direction of camp. When it was clear no one had heard me, he said, "You don't know that. Now stop shouting." With a pointed look, he slowly removed his hand.

"You're right. I don't. Because I'm here. You forced me here. You—"

"I did what I had to do to keep you safe."

"You had no right!"

He covered my mouth again, but this time, there was no need. His expression alone stole my voice. His jaw set, eyes flashed, and through the bond, I sensed a shift. A change. Silence settled for a beat, then two, thickening with each moment it lingered. When he finally spoke, his voice was so low and rough it was difficult to understand him. "I have every right." His fingers traced his mark, reminding me who he was. "You can be angry. You can hate me. You can kick and hit and kill me if that's what you want to do, but I won't apologize for keeping you alive. You're mine, and there is no sacrifice great enough to convince me to give you up. Not for the pack. Not for the alpha or the luna or even the goddess herself. They can all burn if it means I get to keep you. If that makes me a horrible person, then so be it, but I am not fucking letting you go."

* * *

Bear wasn't lying. He held me pinned to that tree until the sun had begun to rise. No matter what I said or how hard I fought, he didn't give in. Not even a little. It was strange to both loathe and love the same person so completely. My wolf relished his dominance, though even she didn't like being told what to do.

"You're selfish!"

He didn't deny it.

"You betray your species!"

He made no excuse.

He released me once he deemed it safe enough to return to camp, but even free from his grasp, I was a prisoner. If I got too far ahead of him, he was quick to catch up. If I went in a direction he didn't like, he took my elbow, pulling me back in line. I lashed out at him more than once, but he took it like a statue, and he offered no further explanation than the one he'd given the night before.

I deflated when I saw the wreckage left behind by the sentinels. Torn tents, scattered supplies, and mangled bedding lay where our temporary home had been. But, as hard as it was to see our progress so thoroughly erased, a wash of relief made me drop to my knees in gratitude.

There were no bodies.

"They headed east," Bear said.

I stood and headed south.

As I predicted, he caught up to me. "Where are you going?"

I pulled free and took another step.

Bear sighed, palmed my shoulders, and blocked my path. "Why are you going south?" His tone was resigned, almost apologetic. But if he thought he could just pretend last night hadn't happened, he was severely mistaken.

"Thanks to you, they captured everyone. Which means now I have to get help in order to get them back."

His gaze scanned mine, darkening as understanding dawned. "You want to ask Dominic for help."

"No, I have to ask Dominic for help. And I swear to the goddess, if you don't get out of my way, no mate bond will ever be strong enough to save you."