Suddenly Fated (Wolves of Riverton #1)

7. Ari

7. Ari

I carried her on my back, in my wolf form, because it was quicker and would keep her warmer. I found the backpack that one of the rogues dropped in the trees and made her a bandage with part of an old ripped t-shirt. I doubted it was clean, but it would stop the worst of the blood.

My goddess, the blood. My heart nearly stopped when I saw her, lying under the branches all covered in mud and more blood than I’d ever seen on a person. She looked so small and pale. Would she heal in time? She has to, I thought. We’ve had no time together at all. I can’t lose her already. I picked up my pace, crossing into River pack lands and heading for the guard cabin hidden in the forest about a mile away from the line. It hadn’t been used in a while because we rarely had border problems these days. The Star pack, whose lands met ours at that same border, kept to themselves, especially since our alliance with Sunset. They had nothing to offer either of us land wise, so they tried to stay under the radar.

“Please, just let me be alone for a while so I can think,” she asked me earlier that day. Even though I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and hold her for the next year, I gave her the space she wanted. I couldn’t imagine how difficult this must be for her, but I would spend the rest of my life proving to her how amazing she was. Her choice would be worth it if it killed me.

Hours earlier, I’d sat in my office looking through the photos on her camera. It felt a little like I read her diary, and I hoped she wouldn’t be angry at the intrusion, but when Jamie brought it to me, I couldn’t help myself. She was incredibly talented. Pictures of everyday people and things turned into beautiful art through her eyes. It was a fascinating window into her mind, and I loved every second. I made a few notes for myself about the photography and editing studio I’d create for her when suddenly an overwhelming sense of loss and doom filled me. I couldn’t breathe, and my hands clenched into fists. Esyn. Somehow I knew that she was in trouble.

Tearing up the driveway and ripping open the front door before Harris could even step toward it, I burst in shouting. “Where is she?” Harris’ face was ashen.

“Sir, she said she was going for a walk before dinner. She went out the back door.”

“And she hasn’t come back yet? After all this time? And no one thought it appropriate to let me know?”

“My deepest apologies, Sir. Luna Elise said she would inform you.”

I tore through the back entrance and off of the porch as visions of strangling my mother filled my mind. She wasn’t out here. I ran all over the grounds calling her name. It wasn’t until I reached the tree line that I spotted Avelin’s neatly folded dress. She hadn’t just gone for a run, I was sure of it. Panic filled my chest, making it hard to breathe. “No! Esyn, what have you done?”

She let out a moan, and I gently rolled her to the ground so that I could shift. I picked her up and carried her in my arms to the door, punching in the security code and bringing her in out of the rain. I took her straight back to the bathroom, turning on the water as hot as I thought she could stand, and stepped us both into the shower. I rinsed her thoroughly. Turning off the water, I dried us as best I could manage and made a beeline for the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed and covering her with a rough blanket. I checked her wound, finding it mostly healed. This shocked me, as it was severe, and even powerful wolves generally didn’t heal that fast. Regardless, she didn’t wake up, even when I stroked her face and then her hair, spreading it out on the pillow. I stared at her for what seemed like hours, sick with worry. Finally I turned off the lamp and stood in the darkness, listening to her breathing for a moment. It was deep and even. Her heart beat steadily. I breathed a small sigh of relief, but knew I couldn’t relax until she opened her eyes.

Sudden rage filled me as I thought about what she’d been through in the last two days. I wanted to kill those rogues all over again, this time in my human form, ripping them to shreds with my bare hands. I wanted to find Alpha Blackwell, punch him in the nose, and then lock him in a jail cell. I wouldn’t mind giving my mother a kick in the ass either. I left the bedroom before I started smashing things. I didn’t want her waking up to that and getting the shit scared out of her all over again.

I moved to the window of the front room, one of four in the house. I didn’t even realize that I’d grasped the window sill until I heard a loud cracking, and looked down to see that I’d clenched it until it crumbled under my grip, leaving finger shaped indentions in the wood. I relaxed my hands and tried to reign in the anger and fear swirling in my gut.

The storm raged outside, and the weather matched my mood. I had no idea how long I stood there, on edge and looking out into the darkness, when I heard a shuffling behind me. I spun around in a defensive stance, causing Esyn to scream. I immediately grabbed her, but she began to scream louder and fight me. “Shhhh, Little Mate. It’s me! It’s Ari, please! It’s ok”. I struggled to hold her tightly as my words sank in and she stopped fighting me.

“Ari? It’s Ari?”

“Yes, Love, it’s me.” Esyn began to sob, heart wrenching sobs that soaked my chest and tore out my heart.

“Ari, those men, they wanted to…I tried to…she told me…Ari, I’m so so sorry!” she wailed.

“Esyn, love. You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s not your fault. Those men were rogues, and they were evil, but they’re gone now. Shhh. I’m here and you’re safe.” I held her as her cries slowly turned to whimpers, then sniffling. I stroked her hair and whispered comforting nothings as the storm raged outside.

A flash of lightning filled the room with sudden light just as she raised her eyes to me. I wiped her face with both thumbs, clearing it of any remaining tears. It was then that we both became aware that we were standing in the middle of the room, holding one another. The blanket she’d been holding to cover herself dropped when she began to fight and it now lay useless on the floor. We were both completely naked.