Wolf Tracks

Chapter Thirty Four

“R-rowan?” I stammered.

    “Shea!” I saw two shadows come running out of the house and across the lawn towards me. I couldn’t believe it. I collapsed to my knees, unable to keep myself up any longer, and I was practically tackled as River and Rowan reached me. I hugged them tightly, breathing in the familiar scents of my packmates, my family, and started sobbing in relief. They were alive. They were really here.

“I thought you were dead,” I gasped between sobs, leaning my head on Rowan’s shoulder. “He told me you were dead. I couldn’t feel you anymore.”

“Hey,” Rowan whispered, pulling back and brushing my messy hair out of my face before wiping away my tears and some of the dried blood with her sleeve. “It’s okay. We’re safe. You’re safe.”

“What happened to you?” I asked after I had a moment to calm down. I was exhausted, but I needed to know they were okay, that they were really here with me. I was having trouble keeping my eyes open so I leaned forward and rested my forehead on Rowan’s shoulder. My wolf was overjoyed to have my packmates so close again.

“Dallas and his mates grabbed us after you were arrested and took us to some cabins outside the city. Once they left us alone we managed to break out of the cabin we were in and escaped, and ran back here,” River explained.

“We came back and the truck was gone but we knew you had been back here so we ran out to look for you. We were so worried. Where did you go? And are you bleeding?” Rowan frowned, brushing my arm away from my ribs and touching the wound lightly with her fingertips. I twitched when she brushed against it and her fingers came away wet with fresh blood. The bandage had fallen off at some point when I ran through the city, and the side of my shirt was soaked.

“What happened, Shea?” she asked, frowning. “You're bleeding."

“I was shot,” I replied quietly. My eyes had fallen closed and I was unable to find the energy to open them again. I was vaguely aware of being moved, Rowan picking me up and carrying me into the house. I relaxed, breathing in her familiar scent as she carried me up to my room and placed me on my bed before I heard her leave the room. River drew closer, her weight settling on the bed beside me.

“How long ago did this happen?” River asked, pulling up the edge of my shirt to get a better look at the wound. “It looks almost like it’s infected. That shouldn’t happen.”

“Over a week ago,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes closed.

“Jesus,” Rowan said, coming back into the room. “There must be something keeping it from healing.”

I hummed noncommittally and kept still as Rowan cleaned the wound, despite the stinging of the antiseptic. I groaned as I felt something pulled out of the wound. As soon as the bullet was out of my side, I could feel the pack bond between us again, the force of it hitting me like a ton of bricks. I was flooded with the feelings of the others and I gasped as I tried to get control before it overwhelmed me. I relaxed as I finally managed to clamp down on the bond.

“What the bloody hell is that?” River asked. I could hear the frown in her voice.

“There’s some kind of spell or something on the bullet. I can smell the magic on it. It must’ve been how the pack bond was blocked, and why it hadn’t healed,” Rowan replied.

I smiled when I heard the familiar sound of nails on hardwood as our natural wolf friends came up the stairs and padded into my room. Roma jumped up onto the bed and licked my cheek, making me laugh before curling up beside me with her head across my abdomen. I ran my fingers fondly through her fur before I fell asleep.