Embracing the Wolf

“Adam.” I tapped his cheek. “Adam, wake up. I’m here.”

His eyelids fluttered as though fighting with his weak body. When they opened enough for me to see his eyes, I released the breath I’d been holding.

“You’re going to be fine,” I told him, but as I looked at the arrow sticking out of his chest and the blood staining his skin, I wasn’t so sure. His naked body was cold to the touch, and his skin paler than normal.

“Do you hear me?” I said, raising my voice. “You will be fine. You have to be.” My voice lost its edge as I realized how much that was true. What kind of world would it be if Adam wasn’t part of it?

Footsteps sounded to the left, and I whipped my head around, a snarl falling from my lips. I prayed it was the person who had done this so I could tear them apart, but when Joe’s wolf stepped around the trees, I sagged back on my heels.

“He’s been shot,” I said.

“How bad is it?”

I looked over to find Joe’s naked body coming toward us. He knelt on the other side of Adam, his mouth falling open in surprise. He shot me a brief look before glancing back down to Adam, but in that moment I saw what he was thinking. He didn’t think Adam would survive.

“He’s going to be okay,” I told Joe. “We just need to get this arrow out.” I began to move my hands toward it, but Joe grabbed me.

“Don’t,” he said softly. “If you move it, he could bleed out.”

“He’s already bleeding out. We have to do something.” I reached for Adam’s hand, squeezed it, and leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Anna,” Adam breathed, his eyelids fighting to open.

“I’m here,” I told him.

Save him, that voice inside my head whispered. You have the power.

That same sensation I had felt in the cave washed over me, an eerie calmness that didn’t fit with the setting, and suddenly I knew what to do. I clasped the arrow in both hands and when Joe began to stop me, I shot him a look that had him bowing his head and scooting away from Adam and me.

Gently, I broke the arrow in half and tried to ignore the wince wrinkling Adam’s face. I threw the broken piece behind me and turned Adam on his side with as much gentleness as I could. A hiss broke through his lips, and I cringed in response.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “I have to get the arrow out.”

Once Adam was positioned onto his side, I gripped the part sticking through his back—relieved it had gone all the way through. This would have been more difficult if the broad-head had been buried in his heart. Softly, I pulled the other half out. Adam sucked in a sharp breath and began coughing. I moved him so that he was lying on his back again. Joe shifted, wiping a hand over his face as he stared at his friend.

Leaning down, I covered the wound in Adam’s chest with both of my hands and placed a soft kiss on his cool lips. My heart sped as his breathing grew shallower. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead atop my hands.

You have the power, the voice repeated.

I concentrated on the wound closing, of my power slipping from my body and into his to give him strength—healing him. My new tattoo burned against my skin, and I sat up to find a slight red glow emanating from it. The harder I focused on the wound mending, the more the mark burned. Tendrils of energy traveled down my arms, to my fingertips, and into Adam’s body. The spot around the wound glowed red, warming beneath my hands. I threw my head back, mouth opening as the rush of power transferred from my body into Adam’s. I could feel the skin moving beneath my palm, shifting as it stitched itself back together.

Dizziness blurred my vision and, before I realized it, a vision played out behind my eyelids.

I saw Adam’s black wolf weaving through the trees, shadowed in the cover of darkness. A form stepped out from the trees, raising a crossbow, and by the time Adam realized what was going on, the arrow was already sailing through the air. When it smacked against his chest, a sharp pain burned my own. Adam went down instantly, and the attacker fled through the woods.

When I opened my eyes, I looked down at Adam and found him staring at me. I removed my hands from his wound and began laughing and crying. The wound was completely gone, just the smear of blood remaining. Joe moved closer to inspect Adam’s chest and gasped when he didn’t find a hole. I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn’t stop looking at Adam.

“What did you do?” Adam asked, sitting up slowly.

“I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “I healed you somehow.”

He eyed me warily for only a moment, and then his hand was in my hair and he was guiding my face to his. He kissed me so fervently that it felt as though he was breathing life into me. My body came alive, wild with desire for him. I fisted my hands in his hair and kissed him back with as much dedication as he gave.

“Uh, should I leave?”

Adam and I broke the kiss; I was laughing from the joy of seeing Adam healed.

“No, man,” Adam said. “I’m ready to head home.”

Joe and I helped Adam up, and the three of us walked back to the truck. Adam kept his arm slung around my shoulders, either for support or because he wanted me close.

“Did you see who shot you?” Joe asked. I already knew the answer.

“No, just a shadow, and by then it was too late.” He looked down at me, his fingers squeezing my shoulder. “I was dying,” he whispered. “I could feel it.”

“Me too,” I replied. “I think I felt the exact moment you got shot. It’s how I knew to find you. I’m just happy you told someone where you were going.”

He hugged me against his side, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. A mental thought of a human coming across the three of us naked made me laugh. Then again, it was nearly one in the morning, and the possibility that humans would camp in this area was slim.

“What’s so funny?” Adam asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing, I’m just happy you’re okay. You are, aren’t you? You feel fine?”

“I sure as hell don’t feel like I was shot in the heart with an arrow. A little tired, but that’s about it.”

I smiled up at him. “Good.”

* * * *

Back at the house, a small group of wolves stood on the lawn. When we emerged from the truck, clapping and cheers broke out. I could see the relief on our pack member’s faces as they watched Adam walking on his own.

People patted Adam on the back as we made it up the porch and into the house. I guess my freak out had gotten around, and everyone suspected something horrible had happened. And it had. No matter how unsure I was about my new wolfy powers and how much it unsettled Adam, I would never resent having them now. They had saved my mate’s life; my wolf had saved his life, and I would forever be thankful.

After everyone greeted Adam, only members of the Everwood pack remained in the main house. Adam, Joe, and I dressed and met in the kitchen. Elle fixed sandwiches for everyone, and I was grateful to have something to fill my empty stomach. I didn’t remember the last time I had eaten.

After explaining what had happened, I got a few questioning glances from my pack. I admit, healing someone was a little bizarre. More than that, they watched me with something resembling fear, and that stung. Wolves can lend power if they’re alphas, but even then, it’s not strong enough to bring a person back from the brink of death.

“You think it was Taren?” Wade asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Could have been,” I said. “I did kill Veronica, and this could be his way at getting back to me. The thing is, this was different than my vision.”

Wade chewed a few times and then said, “Visions aren’t set in stone, Anna. They change depending on people’s actions. You killed Veronica and the two others, so the future shifted to accommodate that.”

I frowned. I didn’t like how he talked about the future as though it was a living, breathing thing. Hell, maybe it was. The universe is too big to understand. Maybe some mystical being sat amongst the clouds, strings dangling from his or her hands, controlling everybody’s actions. After becoming part of the supernatural community, I wouldn’t bet against it.

“You said that Taren acted afraid of you,” Adam said. “Do you think he would risk coming back here to attack me just to get back at you?”

I eyed Adam, happy to see the color returning to his face. “Honestly, no. If Taren willingly left Veronica because he was afraid of me, I can’t see him coming back here to avenge her death. No, whoever shot you, is the one who hired the vampires in the first place.” I reached for his hand and squeezed. “The vampires were lying about Anthony, but I know it was a wolf.”

“Why would they lie about Anthony?” Elle asked, taking the seat next to me.

I thought about it for a second. “It was smart and stupid at the same time. Smart because whoever it is knows that Adam and his brother don’t get along, and everyone would automatically believe it was Anthony. I mean, he did kidnap me after all. But it was stupid because they’re screwing with someone who has visions. They had to have known I would eventually see the truth.”

“Maybe they thought you would be dead before then,” Elle added.

“The question is,” Wade said, “why are they doing this? Who hates you enough to want to kill you, or Adam, for that matter?”

That was a very good question, and only two names came to mind: Maggie and Donald Everwood. None of the other wolves knew me well enough to want me dead. And if I’d learned anything from watching crime shows, it was that politicians and wealthy families would go to desperate measures to make sure their family name remained clean. Having a mutt in the family would only soil their bloodline. Then again, why would they shoot their own son? Nothing about this ordeal made a lick of sense, and it was driving me crazy.

“We can send tracking teams out,” Joe said. “I’ll oversee everything so you can get some sleep.” He rested his hand on Adam’s shoulder.