ACES POV
“Roman, get Demian on the phone. Take Leslie with you and in my son. You don’t come back until you find him and his nan Am I lear
“Leslie, you know where Liam goes for swimming lessons, right?
She nodded frantically, fear written all over her face. “Start from there.”
“Charlotte…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t come back without her,” I promised and it was one I intend to keep.
My wolf surged forward, pressing against the surface, begging to take control. Rage burned in my chest, Ariz wanted to find the people responsible and tear them apart.
I rushed into the room Ethan used whenever he was around, yanking clothes from the closet. I grabbed more from Charlotte’s room.
I gave control to Arix. My clothes ripped apart as my bones shifted, fur bursting through skin. I leapt out of the window, her scent hit me and I followed it, the fresh clothes I took were clamped between my teeth as I landed and took off.
It was dark but I didn’t care, I ran straight into the woods. I was very familiar with the woods. For weeks now, I had run through every part of it every night, watching, making sure nothing felt wrong. They knew not to attack at night, that was why they did it in the day.
I dropped the clothes at the foot of a thick oak tree and ran deeper into the woods, still following on her scent. I ran with Arix speed, my Alpha strength. There was still no sign of her. Panic crept in slowly. What if they had gotten to her first? What if I was already too late? The thought sliced through my heart, leaving something raw behind.
I slowed, my nose brushing the ground until the scent shifted, leading me toward a narrow path close to the river. Darkness swallowed most of the woods, broken only by the moon above and faint streetlights in the distance, casting weak light over the trees and bushes.
Then I heard a low growl and another. I followed the sound until I reached the river bank. My heart sank into my stomach when I saw her, an almost lifeless cream–colored wolf sprawled on the ground beside a large rock.
Arix whimpered. My gaze drifted and I caught the trail of blood leading deeper into the bush. Then I saw the red eyes watching from between the trees. It bolted the moment it realized I had seen it. I was about to go after it when a faint sound slipped from Charlotte.
“Save our mate first. We’ll hunt it down and kill it when the time comes, but let’s attend to her first. Arix pushed at me, his voice strained.
I shifted back, my body snapping into human form, and gathered her into my arms. The moment our bodies touched, she changed to her human form. Her whole body was smeared with blood. Tears welled in my eyes and began to drop. She got into this trouble because of me, if only I had listened to her that night and not taken her to my pack, this wouldn’t be happening.
She must have slammed her body hard against the rock during the fight considering the amount of blood. I ran through the woods naked in my human form, her body limp in my arms, I didn’t stop until I reached the tree where I hid our clothes. I dressed her first, gently trying not to hurt he more, then pulled something on myself.
When I got back to the mansion, Demian, Roman and Leslie were already outside. They all looked tense and worried.
“Thank goodness you found her,” Leslie cried, rushing toward us “What happened to her? Why is she like this?”
1/3
Chapter 38
“Did you find Liam? Where is he?” I demanded.
“He’s in the car.” Demian replied, pointing at Liam asleep in the backseat beside his nanny. “The car broke down on the road. Her phone battery died and they couldn’t get a cab.”
Relief washed over me. I got into Demian’s car with Charlotte a East Side, Manhattan. Roman drove behind us with Leslie and
told him to drive to one of my private hotels in Upper m
When we got to my suite, Llaid Charlotte on the bed and Leslie ready started attending to her. “How was she when you found her?”
“She was on the ground,” I replied. “Covered in blood. She was moving.”
I never get scared of anything but the look on Leslie’s face, for the first time, scared the hell out of me. “I believe she must have fallen on the rock.”
“It’s not that.” Leslie swallowed. “She was injected with Moonshade serum.”
“What is that?” I frowned in confusion.
The worry on Leslie’s face deepend, and my heart sank with it. I knew then it wasn’t good.
“She was injected with Moonshade serum, right on her neck and it spread quickly down her body. Moonshade serum is meant to weaken you fast and kill you in a few short hours. If you hadn’t found her when you did, she’d be dead.”
“Please tell me she’s going to live,” I breathed. “She’ll make it, right?” My eyes burned again.
“I can only do what I can,” Leslie replied quietly. “The rest is up to her to fight.”
I stood there as Leslie worked on her. She wiped the blood off her body with warm wet towels, checking every inch of her skin. She started an IV line, pushing fluids into her vein to keep her stable, then injected an antidote meant to slow the drug down. She cleaned the wound on Charlotte’s hand and neck properly, disinfected them. She checked her pulse, her breathing, her pupils, not missing anything.
I didn’t look away from Charlotte for a second. Then her body suddenly broke into heavy sweat, soaking the sheets.
“Leslie, what’s going on?” I asked.
Charlotte’s body jerked violently, like she was fighting someone we couldn’t see.
“There has only been only one time I ever saw Charlotte this sick” Leslie began. “We were in law school then. A boy was interested in her, chasing her without shame, never backing off. One night, after our final exams, we went to a club to have a drink. He slipped something into her drink, some kind of substance, trying to weaken her so he could have his way with her. But because she was a wolf, the substance turned into poison in her body and almost killed her.”
My wolf stirred hard inside me, rage rolling through my veins. It pushed and clawed, demanding blood. The image alone made my chest burn. I wanted to find that weak human and rip his head off his neck. How dare he chase after my mate to the level of trying to take advantage.
A low growl tore out of me. “I’m going to kill that animal.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Leslie mused. “There was another guy there that night. From his aura, I knew he was a wolf. He had honey–brown long curly hair that fell to his shoulders, very tall, covered in tattoos. I believe he killed the boy, because after that night, I never saw either of them again. When the toxins were leaving Charlotte’s body, she reacted the same way she’s reacting now. This is how she fights it. But Moonshade serum is much stronger than what was used at the club.
“You’re saying?” I pressed.
2/3
the fast a five heath Thai revised
3/3
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
