The Alpha and The Enforcer [TATE]

Chapter 24

Jacob's P.O.V

"Help."

The word rang in my head like a bell, sharp and desperate.

Ellie's voice.

My body skidded to a halt mid-stride, my heart stopping as if someone had punched the air from my lungs. The wind hissed through the trees around me, but all I could hear was the echo of her voice. Faint. Weak.

My hand shot to my side — no wound, no blood. But a phantom pain lanced through me anyway, like I was feeling an injury that wasn't mine. 

What's going on?

"Ellie?" I reached out through the link, panic rising. No response. Just silence.

I shifted without hesitation. The second my paws hit the ground, the world snapped into sharper focus — scents, vibrations, the heat of scorched earth on the wind.

That's when I caught it.

The smell of her blood.

My muscles tensed. I ran.

Branches whipped past me as I tore through the forest, lungs burning, heart pounding like a war drum. The scent trail grew stronger — blood, fire, smoke, pain.

No

I shook my head as the memory of the last time I saw something like this, was the day Emily died. Pushing those memories aside, I focused on the task at hand. 

She was close.

And she was slipping.

"Hold on," I whispered aloud through gritted teeth, shifting mid-run back into my human form without stopping. 

"I'm coming, Ellie. Just—please—hold on."

The clearing broke open ahead.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I launched forward, pushing my legs harder. I leaped over fallen logs slick with moss and ducked under low-hanging branches brushing my face. The forest blurred past, but the scent grew stronger.

Smoke burned my eyes before I even saw the flames.

No.

I skidded to a halt at the northern borders. Trees crackled and hissed, flames licking hungrily at dry bark and dead leaves. A wide circle of scorched earth lay in the clearing's center. The smell of smoke and blood hung thick in the air—coppery and bitter.

One rogue's blood, and one of Ellie's.

Rogues had invaded our territory. And I hadn't known.

"Ellie!" I shouted, voice raw with fear.

No answer.

I crept forward, scanning the clearing. The ground was trampled, leaves crushed beneath invisible feet. Blood splattered against a tree trunk—fresh and dark.

"Ellie!" I called again, louder, shaking with dread.

Then, soft but clear: "I'm right here."

My head snapped toward the voice.

She was slumped against a tree, her skin pale as ash, her breath shallow. A rusted pipe was jammed deep into her lower abdomen, blood oozing from the wound and soaking her clothes.

"Ellie..." I dropped to my knees beside her, heartbreaking at the sight. Her golden eyes fluttered open, barely meeting mine.

"What... took you so long?" she whispered, forcing a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes.