Moon Dancer - Hidden Wolf 1

Finley

I had just managed to drift to sleep when I'm startled awake by the raging emotions inside of me. Ryker stirs beside me but doesn't wake.

Gasping against a wave of anxiety, I bring a hand to clutch at my chest.

Jagger groans on my other side.

Shit. Whose feelings were these? It was so intense. Like one of my panic attacks.

I steel myself and close my eyes, able to feel better with them shut.

The pack bond shuttered, Ares pulsing with anxiety and concern and guilt.

But then there was more. I reached my mind over to the mating bond, which we all had blocked off to give Grayson more reprieve from it. But it was still hella strong. Stronger than we ever thought a bond could be. And it wasn't even complete. As I touched the strings connecting all of us to Grayson, a sharp wave of terror comes straight from Gray.

Both Jagger and Ryker snap their eyes open.

"What's going on?" Ryker asks, the sleep clearing away from his eyes immediately.

I shake my head. "I don't know."

Jagger's eyes are wild. "Where is Grayson? Is she okay?"

I feel useless. "I don't know."

We simultaneously jump out of bed, running for the door.

Desperation claws at me. I didn't know if Gray was okay. She needed to be okay.

I had just seen her.

She was sleeping peacefully on the couch.

Only a few hours could have passed.

Ares said he was going to watch after her, and he had meant it.

Had the Gypsy found us already? I felt for Gray again, and her fear and sadness almost made my knees buckle. I threw myself at her mind. "Are your hurt? Where are you!?"

Red power clouded and sparked against me, shoving me out of her mind. Shit. She was blocking me out. I could force my way in, but I would need to stop and concentrate. And if she was close by, I couldn't spare the time.

The three of us run down the stairs, the wood practically shaking. I barely notice the morning sunshine. "Ares!" Ryker shouts.

He turns his head from side to side, looking for Ares.

I catch his campfire scent and start walking toward the spare room, my strides long and quick. Jagger and Ryker follow at my heels.

At the end of the hallway, Ares sits on the floor, his back against the bedroom door and his head in his hands.

When I reach him, I don't hesitate and drop to the floor, grabbing his face and making him look at me. "Ares? What happened?"

Ryker sniffs and looks at the door. "Gray is in there. She doesn't seem hurt."

I relax a little.

But the look that Ares has in his eyes stops any relief from hitting me.

I lower my head to take a better look at his face. "Are you okay?"

Ares' eyes are wide and distraught. "I don't give a fuck about me." His voice is rough like he had been yelling. "Do you not feel her?" His bottom lip trembles. "She feels like she's useless. That she's filthy. That we're going to reject her because of it."

Jagger kneels down beside me. He takes Ares' hands and holds them tightly. "Breathe, Ares. Take a breath."

Ares bares his teeth at him. "No!" He pulls away from both of us. "Gray!" His voice raises as he looks up at the ceiling. He pounds on the door behind his back. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry! Just please let us in! We can help you calm down. I'll stay away if that's what you want."