by Tamar Sloan
Why has Hunter stopped? Why is he looking at me like that?
He’s within reach, so I lift my hand. “To be honest, I think I wished I could so hard that I dreamed you up.”
Hunter sucks in a sharp breath, his wide chest expanding. Our thread seems to grow and expand, shimmering and swelling. All of a sudden it isn’t a thread anymore, but a golden ball that surrounds us. It feels like if it keeps going, it will swallow us both in its embrace.
We seem to draw in closer, and I’m not sure who it is that moves. It doesn’t matter. This is a magic that my whole soul knows is real.
The crack, a sharp clap of thunder, makes us both startle. My eyes widen, but then Hunter’s flare as he crumples. An anguished moan escapes my lips as I register why.
Red has exploded across Hunter’s shoulder. He catches himself, pushing himself up, pain carved into the movement.
Frantic, I see that the poacher has left a cloud of dust in his wake. But Hunter has just been shot…
I look up to the place where I came down. Another man, also in red, is standing on the plateau, a rifle leveled at us.
“No!” I scream. “Stop!”
But the man fires another shot and granite explodes behind Hunter. Hunter leaps, a garbled yelp wrenched past his throat. The glance he graces me is short, sharp, and burdened with emotion, before he spins away. He leaps forward, his right leg already giving out.
I go to follow, but Hunter looks back at me, copper eyes fierce. I shake my head, my denial a whisper. “No.”
He moves again, creating more space between us as quickly as his broken body will let him. He’s taking the target that he is away from me. Even shot and bleeding, Hunter’s working to protect me.
As I look up, I see the poacher tracking Hunter’s movements. Another shot is inevitable.
Another shot that will probably kill him.
I want to fight, but there’s no way I’ll get to the man in time. I want to run towards my wolf, but I know that’s not want he’d want.
Instead, I freeze in anguish, watching Hunter move further away from me, not being able to comprehend that this is how it this all ends.
The scream that hits my eardrums confuses me. It’s not mine, and it’s not Hunter’s.
But it’s undeniably the scream of tortured pain.
It’s the poachers.
Oh god—a wolf is attacking him!
Except it’s not the wolves I’ve been seeing since I arrived on Evelyn Island. This wolf isn’t white. It wouldn’t blend into a landscape of snow.
This wolf is grey. I gasp. It’s grey with an undercoat of red!
“Achak!”
But Achak, the wolf I raised, the wolf that shouldn’t be here, has one goal. He either doesn’t hear me or ignores me.
The poacher is down on the ground, arms raised to protect himself, pleading for Achak to stop. But the pathetic screams fall on deaf wolf ears—Achak’s head spears down over and over, snapping and snarling at the arms that are barely a barrier.
No…
Achak has never attacked anyone, but I know what’s going to happen next. The moment the man’s arms drop, exhaustion from blood loss and pain sapping his strength, Achak’s head bears down for the final blow. Mouth wide, teeth bared, he grasps the man’s head. The screams escalate, becoming high-pitched and frantic with fear.
If he knows wolves, he realizes what’s coming next.
Achak clamps his jaws shut.
I don’t hear the snapping or crushing sound that would be his skull, but I know the moment it happens. The barely-there thread that appeared the moment I saw the poacher severs. The screams stop.
Achak raises his head, the blood lining his mouth apparent from here. Even from here, I can see his eyes are clear. He holds still as I watch and wait.
Oh god. What just happened?
Except there’s no time to figure out if I can answer that question. A groan, part wolf, part human, reaches out behind me. Spinning around, my gasp is involuntary.
Hunter has collapsed. As a human he lies on the rocky ground, blood coating his upper chest, his face pale and twisted with pain.
I crumple beside him, seeing his thread grow weak…
Knowing I can’t heal him.
Ava
“The wolf.” Hunter tries to lift his head, eyes searching for the animal that just violently killed the poacher.
I scramble forward, not wanting him to add to the strain. “It’s the wolf I raised. Achak. I don’t think he’s rabid.”
Hunter’s gaze flies to mine. “He followed you?”
My hands flutter over his chest. There’s so much blood and I can’t tell where it’s coming from. “It seems so. Hunter, we need to do something.”
His lowers his head, letting out a breath, then wincing as it seems to cause him pain. “The vet pack.”
Yes. Why didn’t I think of that?
I run to the quad, my hands shaking so hard it takes me three tries to unclip the vet pack. Back by his side, I yank it open and pull out bandages as quickly as I can. Were speed would have been useful right now.
“Pressure.” He points to his upper chest. Hunter’s face is so pale, every feature tight with pain.
I don’t let myself think about what I’m about to do. I grab a wad of cotton and gently but firmly press it down.
Hunter arches, his breath sucking in through tight lips. He holds himself there for long seconds and I almost pull back. How can I be doing this to him?
But then his body releases and he sinks back to the ground. He keeps his eyes closed, seeming to concentrate on his breathing. I grab some more bandages and ignore the strain in his face as I wrap them around his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Hunter.”
I close my eyes, struggling to contain the tears. What have I done? As I look at this strong, amazing protector I don’t know how my choices have made any of this better. Hunter wouldn’t have been shot if I’d stayed back at Resolve.
“Ava.”
I look down and find Hunter’s molten gaze on me. Although his face is tight and pale, his eyes blaze bright and sure. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I can’t heal you, Hunter.” My voice is choked with helplessness.
He shakes his head. “Why would you think you’re not enough, Ava?”
“Because I’m a cross-breed mix that can’t do anything.”
“You’re the most amazing blend of the best parts of us all.”
I frown, tears trekking down my cheeks. “What are you talking about?”
Hunter lets out a slow breath, gaze staring up at the sky. When he looks back at me, his face seems to have lost some of its tension. “I didn’t think anyone would be able to reach my human heart, Ava. It’s been too battered and bruised, chopped and charred.”
He swallows, and I wonder if I should say something. Except I can’t. Pain and something else have clogged my throat.
“But you did, Ava. With your tenacity and determination. But mostly with your compassion and never-ending belief in good.”
I close my eyes as his words wrap around me. Others have told me I’m optimistic and idealistic. They never seemed to be qualities that were of much value. But for some reason, knowing this has touched Hunter gives this moment a bittersweet edge.
“You stopped me from becoming what I was scared I was.” His last words are bitten off.
I raise my hand, resting my fingers on his lips. “You were never going to be that person, Hunter. You’re so much more than that.”
His lips work beneath my fingers, they feel so warm and alive I wish I could keep my hand there forever.
His eyes close again, his breath pulling in past my finger then flowing back out. “You need to go back and get help.”
I jerk my hand back. “What?”
He looks at me, gaze unblinking. “You heard me.”
“Hunter, you’ve been shot. I’m not leaving you.”
“Well, I’m not riding back like this.” He grasps m
y hand. “It’s the only chance we have.”
“But…”
Hunter could bleed out. He could be attacked. So much could go wrong as he lies here alone and injured.
“Now isn’t the time to argue, Ava.”
I try to hold in the sob, I really do, but it bursts past my lips. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to contain all this emotion. “I can’t. I just can’t.”
How do I leave Hunter like this?
“Ava.”
I ignore the call of my name. I know it’s childish, but I don’t have what it takes to do this. I won’t leave Hunter knowing he might die.
“Ava.”
The catch in Hunter’s voice is what finally has me opening my eyes. It’s a catch I’ve never heard, but I instinctively know it’s one I’ve wanted to hear. Hunter’s face is full of wishes and dreams.
“We should have done this differently.” He swallows. “I should have done this differently.”
His hand comes up to caress my cheek. I have no defenses, nor do I want them. I lean into the palm of his hand, increasing the pressure, amplifying the sensation.
Reaching forward, I touch the face I’ve wanted to touch for so long. The skin of his cheek is smooth, so much strength underneath. I move down, the subtle graze of stubble a contrast I wish I had more time to explore.
His lips part, and I look up.
Hunter’s copper gaze is somehow brighter and deeper at the same time. His eyes glow with promise, and darken with something that has my breath disappearing.
His hand shifts back into my hair, a warm slide of skin on skin. His fingers cup my head and he tugs, his face asking a million questions.
I lean forward, a million yeses pouring from every cell in my body.
It’s a slow, delicious trip down. Hunter’s face comes closer and closer, his scent, his eyes, his intentions drawing me in. I pause as the last millimeters wait to be claimed. My breath, my heart, my soul all hang in suspended animation.
Is this really what Hunter wants?
His head lifts and our lips meet.
Touch.
Meld.
The sensations—so soft, so hot, so god damned amazing, assault me. The emotions—so true, so eager, so beautifully overwhelming, capture me.
I hold myself there, wanting more, but wanting to be lost in this forever.
Hunter’s hand tightens at the back of my head and he increases the pressure. Our lips crush and the heat intensifies.
All of a sudden keeping still is impossible. Passion detonates. Desire explodes. I want to dive into this, see how I can build it higher.
I’m just about to raise my hands, those two points of contact no longer enough, when I remember. I stop and pull back.
Hunter is injured.
But Hunter doesn’t let me go. He holds me there, inches between us, our breaths panting and blending. We study each other, the knowledge that something was just born a glorious glow between us.
I open my mouth, wanting to say something, but not knowing what. I may have just been kissing Hunter, but he was stealing my heart. My white wolf or no white wolf, I’ve fallen for him.
Hunter’s eyes flicker over my face before returning to capture my gaze with an intensity that tugs at something deep in my chest. “I want to give whatever this is a chance.”
I nod, not wanting to, but no longer fighting the inevitability. If I don’t get help, Hunter will die.
I lean down, my lips brushing his gently. Pulling back, I blink several times. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
His lips tip up in a smile, and the heat in his eyes mellows to something warmer, but just as captivating. “I’ll be here.”
Without giving myself time to think, I stand and turn away. I’m going to have to drive the fastest I have yet. I’ll get help. I’ll come back. There’s no way this can be how it ends.
Please, please let it be fast enough.
I turn, and a bolt of pain seems to spear up from the ground and through my body. I gasp, but take a step. I don’t have time for a twisted ankle or stubbed toe right now.
I’m about to break into a jog, the quad not far away, when another lightning strike of pain hits me. I arch, teeth gritted. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t afford to find out.
Hunter needs my help.
“Ava?”
Hunter’s voice is full of worry, but it seems far away. I turn back, confused. There are only a few feet between us. The sight of the bandages and blood snap me out of it. I need to get back to Resolve.
My legs give out and I crumple, a cry wrenched from somewhere deep inside. My body feels like someone just took a flamethrower to it.
“Ava!”
I hold up my hand. “Don’t move!”
I try to push myself up, but everything feels broken. My bones feel like they’re shattering, my skin feels like molten metal has been poured all over it. I clench my teeth, holding the next cry in. If I let it out, it’s going to become a wail of agony.
Another wave hits, bigger and more destructive than the last. I don’t know if I want to arch or cave in on myself. I try to bring my hands to my face, only to find I can’t.
I look down, the cry finally escaping as I watch my hands shorten. Then thicken.
Then take on a glimmer that’s even more impossible.
I haven’t taken a breath when I feel the rest of me change. My body contracts then expands. Every part of me is rearranging. Heat explodes from every pore.
I know when it’s done, because like electricity whose supply has been cut, it suddenly stops. I push up, adjusting to the unfamiliar, but for some reason not surprised, as four paws are now my foundation. I straighten, feeling like the world has been brought into sharp relief.
There’s the increased hearing and sight and smell. All the senses are dialed up. There’s the smell of snow, not coming for days, in the air. There’s the sound of silence and absence of breath coming from Hunter.
There’s all the white surrounding his beautiful eyes as they watch me, wide with shock. “Ava?”
But more than that is the amplified sense of connection. Our thread feels like it’s strengthened, no, magnified. It’s the same thread it’s always been, I’m just seeing it in a level of detail I’ve never experienced before.
I step forward, coming to stand beside Hunter. The thread is a pulsing, river of golden motes. They flow and whirl, a watercourse of life.
Hunter’s hand comes up. “My wolf. My beautiful, golden wolf.”
He brushes my face, and it’s so much like my dreams. Except this time, I can feel it.
And there’s nothing more I’d like to do than glory in what’s just happened, but Hunter’s hand drops, his face contorting with pain. I’m already crouched beside him as I close my eyes.
I know what I need to do.
The thread, so much more alive and detailed, is there. I tap into it, being swept into the space that Hunter and I have always shared. There, I see him, the essence of this amazing guy. Instinctively, I know what I’m looking for, what I couldn’t see before.
I see his lifeforce and go deeper. There, I find that part that makes him Were and breathe life into it. The motes flare and shimmer, throwing out their healing energy. I feel Hunter pull in a deep breath and the particles flame again. The energy expands, discharging through the thread.
There’s another breath, even deeper than the last, and I feel his body relax. My own tension abates as I realize Hunter’s no longer in pain.
I pull back, leaving the beautiful well of gold, suddenly tired.
As I open my eyes, I’m glad I’m lying beside Hunter, my legs feel like they wouldn’t have the strength to hold a feather let alone this great Were body.
This Were body…
I shifted!
But…but that’s impossible.
I feel the strength start to leave me, and I know I’m about to transform back to human. I take in the shimmery gold that is my fur. I’m a wolf.
I’m a
golden wolf.
I look up at the guy beside me as he sits up.
I’m Hunter’s golden wolf.
Hunter
Three days of souped-up Were healing thanks to Ava’s unique brand of magic, and my bullet wound is almost gone. Joshua performed his amateur doctoring on me when we got back to Resolve, figuring the bullet must have missed any major organs since I was able to travel back.
I hook my fingers into the wire of the fence, wondering where Sakari is. Ava and I didn’t mention the puddle of blood that’d collected where I lay.
No one, not even a Were, could’ve survived that amount of blood loss.
Which means Ava saved my life. Ava, who was my golden wolf all along.
Sakari leaves her den, all sleek white lines and proud posture. She sees me standing at the fence and pauses. It’s been a few days since I’ve been here. First, I was healing, then there was the fallout from my attack.
I can still remember KJ returning with Joshua from where it all happened. Their job was to locate the body of the second poacher so we could tell authorities.
“It’s gone.”
I’d almost shot up from the sofa but Mom had quickly put her hand on my shoulder. Ava’s hand in mine had anchored me. “What?”
KJ had flopped into the chair across from me as Riley gravitated towards Joshua. “We found where you were shot—that was a lot of blood, dude.”
I hear Mom shift behind me, feel her hand flutter around my shoulder, and I frown at KJ. “Luckily I’m fine.”
Ava has asked me to keep her shifting and her healing a secret for now. We need to figure out what it all means before we make any announcements. It also means Mom won’t find out how close I was to repeating Dad’s fate. I suppressed a shudder. I don’t think Mom has the capacity to cope with another loss.
“The body of Pakak was there, just as you described, so we’ve brought her back.” KJ shrugged. “But the poacher was gone.”
Ava had shifted forward, her thigh brushing mine. “But there’s no way he could’ve survived Achak’s attack.”