Hay Creek

Chapter 19

"Ave! Avery, stay awake! We're almost there!"

Kai's voice cut through the haze.

"They tried to shoot him. Look!" Roman exclaimed, pointing at a massive tree. "The bullet hit the tree instead of him."

Just as I was about to walk toward Roman, a wave of terror washed over me, freezing me in my tracks. I instinctively clutched my arm. What the hell was happening?

"Kai?"

Panic gripped me as my heart raced uncontrollably. I extended my arms in front of me, searching for signs of injury. Nothing was wrong, so why did I feel like this? It was Avery's feeling, not mine.

"Kai!" Greyson called again, concern etched across his face. I glanced up, my eyes darting among my friends before landing back on my arms. "What's happening?" I stammered.

Greyson stepped closer, his brow furrowed with worry.

Roman let out a deep sigh. "Let me guess, it's your first time experiencing this."

Greyson turned to Roman, confusion etched in his features. "What do you mean?"

"There's something—" I interrupted, urgency flooding my voice. "Avery is in danger."

"She's not in danger anymore. Something has already happened. The way you're acting indicates that something has already taken place. If she were in immediate danger, you would feel it and it would fade quickly. But you're acting like you can't speak and like your arm is about to fall off, which means she's hurt. She's bleeding," Roman explained, his tone grave.

I shook my head, desperately trying to steady myself, but the feeling wouldn't dissipate. I had to find her, and that was exactly what I was determined to do.

I turned away from them, breaking into a run. I wanted to shift and cover more ground, but I knew I couldn't reveal myself as a wolf in public.

"Kai!" Greyson shouted from behind me. To my surprise, Roman and Theodore were with him as well. "Marley called. Avery and Quinn are at the Alpha house. It's bad."

Dammit!

Avery.

Everyone was talking at once, and the cacophony made it impossible to understand anything. I felt completely limp, unable to move, and the pain in my arm throbbed insistently. Why wasn't I healing? Wolves were supposed to heal themselves, right?

Deborah, Kai's mother, pressed a cool cloth to my forehead, but my body still felt like it was on fire. "Avery, this is going to hurt," she said gently. "I need to inject you with this. We can't wait for Alpha Kai; by the time he arrives, it could be too late, and I won't risk that. This injection will help with the pain, and then I'll remove the bullet."

"What—what is happening to me?" I stuttered, my body starting to shake. Without hesitation, Deborah injected me with the syringe. I barely felt the needle.

"Everyone out of the room!" Mary ordered. "But—" Quinn began, but Phoebe cut her off.

"She'll be fine. We're doing our best," she reassured, pulling Quinn into a hug. "Don't die, Ave!" Quinn yelled, tears streaming down her face. My heart sank at her words. Was I really in such danger?

As soon as they left the room, Kai stormed in. "How is she?" He rushed to my side, sitting down beside my limp body. "Kai..." Deborah started to explain.

"Mom, I can't lose her," he said softly, desperation lacing his voice.

"You're not going to lose her," his mother replied firmly. My eyelids felt heavy, and I succumbed to the darkness, overwhelmed by pain. I wanted to cry, but for some reason, I couldn't. I didn't want to die; there was so much I still wanted to experience.