Lost Wolf (A New Dawn Novel Book 4)

by Rachel M Raithby

  “It’s okay, Zac.” Katalina soothed. “You’re safe now. You can come back.”

  Relief washed through him as Bass heard Katalina safe and unhurt. Glancing at her briefly, he smiled before returning his attention to Zackary. Holding out an arm, Bass backed Katalina up as the wolf prowled toward them.

  “Bass, do something,” Katalina hissed. “You’re his alpha. Help him.”

  He studied the wolf. So much rage was contained in one person, but in the wolf’s eyes were the pleas of a lost boy, desperate for control. Bass stopped backing away and took a step forward, softening his shoulders, facing his palms out.

  “You’re okay,” he said, lowing his voice. Bass submitted in all the ways he could, showing Zackary he meant no harm. “It’s okay, Zac, you did good. You protected Katalina when I couldn’t.”

  The wolf paused.

  “Do you hear me, Zac? You did nothing wrong, you protected your alpha’s mate, but your job’s done now. The danger’s gone. I’m here. The danger’s gone.”

  “Come back to us,” Katalina whispered, stepping up beside him. “Come back to us.”

  Zackary shifted, the boy sinking to his knees and crying out. Bass rushed forward at the same as Katalina, catching the boy in his arms.

  “I… I… I killed him.”

  “You did what you had to do,” Bass answered.

  Katalina brought her hands to his face, cupping it gently. “Listen to me,” she whispered, searching his face. “That man would have killed me and you and Tyler. He’d have then gone into our home and took out as many innocents as possible. This world is harsh, Zac, but it doesn’t mean you have to be, and it doesn’t mean that what you did was wrong.”

  “Do you understand, Zac?” Bass asked a little firmer. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  He nodded.

  “Bass, Tyler’s hurt really bad,” Nico yelled from across the clearing.

  Bass met Katalina’s gaze. “Go,” she urged. “I’ve got Zac.”

  Leaving Katalina and Zackary, Bass rushed toward Tyler. He was on his front, his white T-shirt coated in blood.

  “He’s breathing… just,” John said as Bass dropped to his knees. “Blade’s cut deep.”

  Hesitantly, Bass placed a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. His pain hit Bass like a punch to the gut, causing him to gasp as he absorbed the pain and gave Tyler the lifeforce of his alpha blood.

  “Hold on, Ty,” he whispered, as his energy drained away, feeding Tyler life. I need you to hold on. I can’t lose anyone else. “We need to get him to Oliver, now,” Bass instructed, meeting John’s gaze. “He’s in a lot of pain.”

  “Karen. Take him to Karen,” Katalina said, appearing above them.

  “Kat, he’s Dark Shadow,” Bass replied.

  “Trust me, Bass. Take him to Karen, and we need Regan too, I think… I think she’s his mate,” she urged.

  “What?” John and Nico gasped together.

  Shock was Bass’s first emotion. Then everything clicked into place, the late days to patrol, how he’d felt Tyler pulling away from him after the day he and Nico had found him frozen in the forest. As a friend, Bass was nothing but happy for them, but as an alpha, he worried of the complications this union would bring, but all of that could wait because if Regan was his mate, then she may be the only way to save Tyler’s life.

  An alpha’s bond was strong and able to hold a packmate to life for a short while if needed, but Bass could already feel Tyler fading, already feel himself reaching the point where he could give Tyler no more. Yet a mate, a mate was the one bond stronger than an alpha. Regan, Bass hoped, might just be able to keep Tyler with them in the living, long enough for Karen to fix his wounds.

  Bass nodded his okay to John, and he and Nico helped pick Tyler up and carry him.

  “I’ve got the keys to my truck in my pocket. It’ll be quicker to drive to River Run,” John instructed.

  “Stay alert,” Bass warned everyone, but his gaze locked with Katalina. “The danger may yet remain.”

  Zackary might have killed Tyler’s attacker, but the Indiana pack might have sent more than one wolf. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down. Racing toward River Run, Bass focused on keeping his emotions in check. On being a strong, grounding presence. An alpha.

  Chapter 48

  Regan sat opposite her mother as she again tried to explain her reasoning behind beginning her training again. Her mom said nothing as she spoke, the expression on her face grim and worried, but at least her mom was listening. It was more than her father had done. Jackson had informed them he’d been instructed to “run off some steam.” Their alpha had said nothing more about her father’s anger toward him and for that, Regan was grateful.

  “But I’d thought you were happy,” her mom said finally after a long silence.

  “Did you really think that?” Regan asked, disappointed in her mother’s delusions.

  Her mom sighed heavily. “Well, no, but recently you’ve seemed to be.”

  She spoke the truth, but Regan couldn’t tell her the reason behind her happiness. Wouldn’t dare whisper Tyler’s name after the reaction they’d had today. “Yes, because I’ve finally started to get back to the person I was before everything went wrong.” Because Tyler made me want to live again.

  Her mom began to speak, but Regan heard none of it. Doubling over in pain, Regan cried out as pain sharp pulsed through her heart. Her phone began to ring at the same time realization hit. Tyler! Regan answered the call, bringing the phone to her ear.

  “Where is he?” she rasped, shutting out the pain that was Tyler’s not hers.

  “We’re on our way to Jackson’s. Karen’s meeting us there. Be quick, Regan,” Katalina implored.

  Regan was on her feet before Katalina finished speaking. Running to the front door, she paused, only to slam her feet into her shoes.

  “Regan, what is it?” her mom yelled, clasping her arm and preventing her from exiting the house.

  “Tyler’s hurt. I need to go,” Regan explained, pulling from her grasp.

  “Tyler? But we don’t have a—”

  “He’s Dark Shadow, Mom,” Regan answered, racing from the house, not bothering to wait for a reaction or reply.

  A truck skidded to a stop as Jackson’s house came into view. Regan saw Katalina and Zackary jump from the cab and dash into the house. She reached Tyler as Bass and Nico were lifting him down from the truck bed. “Oh, God,” she gasped, taking in the sight of him covered with blood. “Oh my God.”

  “What’s going on?” Jackson asked, running from the house, Karen behind him. “Where’s Oliver? Why bring him here?”

  Bass didn’t answer or look at Jackson. Instead, his piercing dark eyes met hers. He knows.

  “Ask questions later,” Karen ordered, barging past Jackson. “Quickly, inside.”

  Regan followed the group inside, her mind a jumbled daze. Her feet carried her upstairs and into the medical room they’d carried Tyler into. She walked to his side, not daring to touch him as tears burst from her eyes. He was so pale. If it wasn’t for the slight movement of his back indicating he was breathing, she’d have thought he was already dead.

  “Everyone out,” Karen snapped, and then gentler, “Bass you’ve given him enough. It’s up to him now.”

  Bass had a hand on Tyler’s shoulder as he slumped against the bed, struggling to keep himself upright. Nico stepped forward, hooking an arm around his back, helping him stand. “Come on, Bass.”

  But Regan couldn’t move. Her feet were frozen in place as if cemented to the floor. Terror coursed through her blood as she watched him take each far too shallow breath. Don’t leave me, Ty. Please don’t leave me.

  “You too, Regan,” Karen ordered as she began to cut away the material surrounding Tyler’s wound.

  Her head snapped upright. “B-but I can’t,” she stammered.

  “She can help,” Bass said.

  Karen glanced up between Bass and Regan. “How?”

  R
egan’s gaze met Bass’s, willing her to keep Tyler with them. There was no contempt or hate that she’d feared for so long, just understanding and a shared pain.

  “I’m his mate,” Regan whispered. And as she said the word, she felt the bond snap into place. Tyler’s pain surged into her, his fading lifeforce connecting with hers.

  “She’s his what?” Karen and Jackson asked together.

  “I’m his mate,” Regan repeated firmer. “And I cannot lose him.”

  The bond had been there waiting. Giving her the time she needed, waiting until she was ready to accept it. For her to be brave enough to face their uncertain future together. Taking his hand, Regan willed Tyler to live. She threw all that she had into anchoring him in the land of the living right beside her.

  “Okay then, well, someone get this girl a chair and then give me space so I can make sure these two get a future together,” Karen said into the quiet.

  Regan took the seat, keeping her hand firmly in Tyler’s as she repeated a mantra in her head. Stay with me, Ty. Stay with me. Please stay.

  Chapter 49

  “How long have you been keeping this a secret for?” Jackson and Bass snapped almost at the same time.

  “This is the type of thing you’re supposed to tell alphas,” Jackson added with a pointed glare.

  “Hey!” Katalina’s hands landed on her hips. “I just found out, and that’s rich, coming from the two of you when you’ve been doing the same. Tyler asked me to meet him, and when I arrived, I caught the tail end of a conversation that upset him. He was so upset, I had to take a wild guess to get the truth from him.”

  “Who was the conversation with? He asked you to meet him alone and then you were attacked,” Bass replied.

  “No, no, Bass.” Katalina placed a hand on his arm. “Don’t let yourself go there. Tyler’s not Bill. Ty protected me. He didn’t lure me there.”

  “I suspect the conversation was with Regan. She’d had a big argument with her parents before you rang for Karen,” Jackson explained.

  “They’ve been keeping it secret for a while,” Zackary added quietly, not looking at anyone in particular.

  Katalina sensed a deep hurt in the boy that worried her, as if killing had damaged him on a fundamental level.

  “You knew?” Bass asked, shocked.

  “I’m good at sneaking about.” Zackary shrugged. “I followed him one night, so he didn’t have much choice but to tell me.”

  “And you said nothing?” Jackson said in disbelief.

  Zackary looked up for the first time, meeting Jackson’s then Bass’s gaze briefly. “Why should I have? Don’t see what’s so wrong with them being together.”

  Katalina touched Zackary’s arm gently. “There isn’t anything wrong with it.”

  “Kat,” Bass warned.

  “Don’t Kat me. You should know out of everyone that we don’t have control over who we fall in love with.”

  Cage entered the room at that moment a little out of breath. “I heard what happened and came right over. Are they all right?” He glanced through the small window in the door. “Poor Regan.”

  “You don’t sound all that confused over Regan being in there with Tyler,” Jackson observed.

  Cage froze, then turned to face the room, wincing. “I’mmm not.” He dragged the words out, his expression saying, “don’t kill me.”

  “Cage!” Jackson growled.

  “I’m sorry, okay. Anna had a vision a while ago and made me promise not to say anything…. She’s my mate. What was I to do?”

  “What did Anna see?” Katalina asked.

  “It was more of a message than a picture, I think. She warned Tyler he had to tell someone. Otherwise, it would end in pain.”

  “Pain?” Katalina glanced at the door as if she could see Tyler through the wood laid bleeding out on the bed. “As in he dies?”

  “You know Anna’s visions are subjective. It could be a number of things. It could be the secret. I mean, that’s ended and they are both in a lot of pain.”

  “I hope that’s all it is,” Katalina whispered. Tyler had been injured defending her, which was hard enough for her conscience to take. She wouldn’t handle his death.

  “How are we going to handle this?” Bass asked, running his hands through his hair in an unusual display of emotion.

  “Tyler will be welcomed into River Run with open arms,” Jackson reassured him.

  Bass growled. “You think you’re having one of my most gifted enforcers?”

  “Oh, so I’m supposed to just give up Regan? Her parents have already lost one daughter,” Jackson countered, raising his voice.

  The tension in the room skyrocketed. Zackary shrank back in his seat.

  Jumping to her feet, Katalina placed herself between the two alphas. “Stop it, the both of you. Now is not the time or place for this conversation, and Regan and Tyler’s future are their own to choose, and who says they must choose. I’m of both packs. What’s the difference?”

  “You’re Dark Shadow,” Bass answered.

  Katalina sighed with a shake of her head. “If you truly believe that, then we’re in more trouble than I thought. We might say I’m Dark Shadow, but in my heart, I’m both.”

  Bass turned from Jackson and pressed a hand to her cheek. “I know that you are, but this situation is a little different.”

  “Only if we treat it as such,” Katalina insisted.

  Toby burst into the room. “Sorry to interrupt guys, but Regan’s father’s here and he’s looking more pissed off than he did earlier, Jackson. William is trying to calm him down but….”

  Jackson groaned. “I’m coming, Toby. Bass, Katalina is right. At this moment it’s not important. What’s important now is them both pulling through this whole.”

  “Agreed,” Bass said.

  “Do you need help with Noah?” Katalina asked.

  Jackson met her gaze. “I’m afraid right now, Kat, Noah probably likes you about as much as he does Tyler. I suggest both you and Bass stay up here out of the way.”

  “I actually need to get back to my pack. Nico will stay behind with Katalina,” Bass said.

  Jackson nodded. “Well, slip out of the back unseen then. We’ll talk later.”

  Bass left after Jackson, promising to return as soon as he could. There’d been no further sightings from the Indiana pack, but that didn’t mean Dark Shadow didn’t need Bass. This attack had stirred fears that hadn’t quite left them since the last time. They needed their alpha strong and present. But most of all, they needed the fresh start Katalina hoped building new homes on a new site would bring them.

  She sat back down next to Zackary. “How you are doing?” she whispered, bumping his shoulder with hers softly.

  His desolate eyes met hers. “Do you want the truth?” he asked her quietly.

  “Always.” She nodded.

  “Every time I close my eyes, I see that guy’s face, mangled and blank with death.”

  Katalina wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “You’ll get through this, Zac. I know it might not feel like it now, but you will, I promise.”

  He shrugged off her hold. “Oh yeah, how many guys have you killed?” he asked sarcastically.

  “I’ve lost count,” Katalina replied honestly. “But I’ll never forget my first. I think it will always haunt me.”

  Zackary blinked twice at her, searching her face as if he wasn’t sure she told the truth. “How do you live like this, after being… normal?”

  “I guess we don’t really have a choice, do we? We can’t go back. We’re not normal. We’re shifters.”

  Zackary nodded sadly, sinking down in his chair. “I hope Ty makes it.”

  “Me too, Zac,” she sighed. “Me too.”

  Chapter 50

  Unable to watch Karen as she operated on Tyler, Regan kept her gaze fixed firmly on Tyler’s face. Her free hand stroked his mop of dark hair from his forehead, her thumb brushing over his too pale skin. She studied him, tattooing every detail
of his face to her memory, each freckle across his nose, the sweep of his eyelashes, and slight dip in his cheek even when asleep. She imagined he was sleeping, imagined they were alone in bed, and as he pulled the energy from her body, she gave it willingly.

  At one-point, Clare—Karen’s trainee—came and checked her pulse. She spoke but Regan was struggling to stay focused. Her eyes were becoming heavy, her breaths harder to pull in and out of her lungs. With each passing minute, her body became numb, but still, she willed her life into Tyler, chanting silently, Stay with me. Stay.

  I’m just going to close my eyes. She rested her head on the bed beside Tyler, leaning her weight against the table. Just for a moment, only a moment….

  “Regan… Regan, baby, wake up.”

  “Ty?” She blinked, trying to focus her vision. Tyler’s face was above hers, his smile like sunshine after a storm.

  “Hey, beautiful girl,” he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.

  His kiss breathed life back into her but only for a moment. “I’m so tired, Ty.”

  “I know, baby. It’s time to let go.”

  His hand tried to leave hers. Regan’s gaze fell to their linked hands as urgency and fear flooded her blood. “No. Stay with me!” she gasped, holding him tighter.

  His free hand caressed her face. “You’ve given enough, Regan. It’s time to let go.”

  His hand was slipping from her grip. “Tyler, no!” she screamed as his face dissolved above her. “No, stay with me!”

  “I love you,” his voice echoed around her.

  “Tyler!” Regan shot upright, her heart in her throat, terror in her veins. “Tyler?”

  “Regan, shh, it’s okay.”

  She whipped her head around, staring at Katalina next to the bed she’d lain in. Beyond her was Tyler, on his stomach, his face tilted her away from her. Her heart stalled, stone-cold terror racing through her. Regan swung her legs from the bed, dropping to the floor to go to Tyler, but as she stood upright, her head swam.

  “Wow,” Katalina soothed, reaching out and steadying her. “Take it slow. You’ve been out for a while.” She helped her over to a chair seated next to his bed. Regan still couldn’t see Tyler’s face and with her blurry vision, she was unable to make out if he was breathing or not. “Here, take my seat.”