Griffen grimaced. He didn’t think a closer look was necessary. He could assure her it was bad. The pain alone was making him nauseous, and he wasn’t normally a wuss when it came to pain.
Trace and Zachary angled him onto a large flat rock on his side while Rebecca unzipped her pack and rummaged around.
Sharon leaned over to help ease Griffen onto the rock. “See. Good thing I brought a nurse.” Her tone was almost a tease, but she was smart enough to realize this was not a laughing matter.
There was no way in hell he could walk off this mountain on his own two legs. And it was growing late.
In fact, as Rebecca rubbed antibacterial gel on her hands and squatted next to him, he realized he had a bigger problem.
He was going to have to shift. Soon. And there would be no way to keep that from Rebecca.
“How bad does it hurt?” she asked as she gently set her hand on his thigh above where the stick had emerged.
Griffen stared at the top of her head. “Far worse than anything you have in that backpack of yours will be able to fix.” He gritted his teeth as she prodded.
Her face was grim, but as she ducked her head to check the other side of his leg where the stick entered, she pulled her lips between her teeth and went white. “Roll onto your side more for me, Griffen.” Her voice was gentle, soothing.
He leaned toward his right leg so she could see better. He could feel the blood oozing out of the wound even though they hadn’t removed the stick. He didn’t have much time. His brothers needed to dislodge the stick so he could shift before he got too weak.
“You’re losing a lot of blood.” Rebecca put pressure on the entrance around the stick, holding his pant leg firmly. “Somebody give me something to hold against the wound.” She twisted her neck around.
He could see the panic building. If he were human, as she thought, this would be a grave situation.
But he was not.
“Rebecca,” he whispered, grabbing her arm. “Step back, baby. Trace needs to remove the stick.”
Her eyes went wide. “No. God no. That’s the worst thing we could do. You’d bleed out so fast.” She shook her head, panicking. “Griffen, we need help. A few of us are going to have to run to the campsite and get help. We need a helicopter. We need—”
“Baby…” He gripped her arm tighter, using the last of his energy, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Look at me.”
She let her gaze land on his. Her eyes were frantic. Her heart beat so fast he could feel it through her arm. Logan came up on the other side, preparing to hold Griffen down.
Sharon set her hands on Rebecca’s shoulders.
Rebecca didn’t release Griffen’s gaze. “We have to go for help,” she repeated.
He shook his head. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to find out like this.”
“Find out what?” Her voice rose. She glanced down at her hands on his leg.
He could feel the sticky bloody oozing out. He knew it would be all over her. He didn’t have time to explain. His siblings would have to do it for him.
After.
He looked up at Trace hovering above her and nodded. “Do it. Turn her away. And then go get Miles.”
Chapter Six
Rebecca couldn’t believe what was happening. What was the matter with these people? Didn’t they have any sense?
Rule number one in stabbings or any sort of impaling—never remove the object.
She knew he would bleed out in minutes if they did.
Nevertheless, she found herself being pulled off Griffen by Sharon on one side and Zachary on the other. “No,” she shouted as the others moved in closer.
Sharon wrapped her arms around Rebecca and held her tight while Zachary moved back toward Griffen.
“Stop. Oh God. Do not pull that stick out,” she screamed, but no one paid any attention to her.
Trace grabbed the stick above and below while Zachary steadied Griffen’s leg at the knee.
When Logan gripped Griffen’s shoulders and leaned over him to hold him down, she wailed on them for real. “Holy mother of God. Stop it.” She squirmed against the hold Sharon had on her. The woman was strong.
Rebecca twisted to make eye contact with her friend. “Tell them to stop. He’ll die.”
“There’s no time. Trust us. I’ll explain in a minute.” Sharon’s voice was calm. Too calm for the severity of this situation.
Rebecca barely knew Griffen, but she had fallen hard for him in the last day. Every minute of their time together raced through her mind in rapid frames.
The way he’d pulled her into his arms last night against the outside wall of the bathroom.
The way his lips felt against hers.
The way he kissed the top of her head and held her hand.
The way he stroked her cheek before they went to sleep in the quiet darkness of the tent.
It was like they’d had a secret love affair that hadn’t gotten off the ground yet, and now he was going to die right before her eyes.
Tears fell down her face, and she screamed, just sound now, not words. Words were lost on her as she watched the scene unfold rapidly before her.
What was wrong with this family? They should know better. They were all trained in First Aid.
One second she was arguing with them to stop, and the next second Trace snapped the stick in two and yanked it out of Griffen’s leg.
Griffen’s screams joined her wailing.
And the blood.
So much blood.
Her eyes glazed over with tears, but she could easily see the free flow of blood from the enormous hole left all the way through his thigh. She heaved for a breath, her throat hoarse.
“Get Miles,” he repeated barely above a whisper.
Trace nodded.
All three brothers leaned back. No one bothered to try and stop the blood.
What the hell was the matter with them?
Rebecca resumed her struggle, but stopped abruptly when Griffen sat up. He met her gaze for a moment, sorrow in his eyes. And then everything Rebecca had ever known to be true in her world vanished in less than thirty seconds.
The pop of bones was the first thing she heard, followed by the strange contortion Griffen folded into. As she blinked through the unbelievable, his entire body transformed. His clothes ripped along the seams and fell to the ground, shredded pieces of material that no longer resembled clothing.
His face elongated and fur grew out of him everywhere at an alarming rate.
Rebecca slumped, but Sharon held her as she eased her to the ground to sit.
Trace came up beside them and handed Rebecca a bottle of water.
Rebecca stared at the bottle first and then Trace and then back toward Griffen—or the spot where Griffen had been. She couldn’t have cared less about the water.
There was now a huge wolf just feet from her. She planted her feet and scrambled backward…more of a crab walk on her ass. “What the—” She glanced around, looking for Griffen. He was nowhere. And there wasn’t a chance in hell her mind would process that he’d just become this large animal. Right?
Sharon hunched down in front of Rebecca’s face, blocking her view of the wolf as it lay on the ground on its side, breathing heavily. “It’s okay.” She reached forward, but Rebecca leaned back. Sharon took the water bottle from the ground and opened it. She gently grabbed Rebecca’s hands and poured the contents over them, washing away Griffen’s blood.
“Where’s Griffen?”
“Right behind me.” Sharon didn’t turn. Her voice was calm and even. She set her hand on Rebecca’s leg as she lifted her gaze to whichever brother was now behind Rebecca. “Who’s going after Miles and who’s staying?” she asked as though they were discussing the weather.
Trace spoke. “Logan and I will go. I’ll take my cell. Zachary will stay with you. Try to stop the bleeding. We’ll be as fast as we can.”
Sharon nodded and tipped her head back to Rebecca. “I know this is completely unbe
lievable to you, but I need you to listen to me. You can take your time to absorb what I’m telling you. Just listen.”
Rebecca didn’t move. She couldn’t even blink.
“We’re lupine—wolf shifters. Our entire family is.” She glanced over Rebecca’s shoulder again, nodded, and then resumed. “We can change into wolf form at will. Trace and Logan shifted and took off to get Miles. The rest of us will stay here and wait.”
“Who’s Miles?” She had no idea why she honed in on that one detail, but it was something she could grasp that didn’t make her head spin.
“He’s a friend of the family. And he’s a vet. He and Griffen have been close friends for years. He’s also a shifter. He’ll know what to do.”
Rebecca blinked finally. “Uh-huh.”
Sharon exhaled and took her arm. “You’re the only one here with any medical training. It would be great if you could help.”
Rebecca peeked around Sharon at the large wolf lying on its side, its chest rising and falling irregularly. Her gaze shot back to Sharon. “You can’t be serious?”
“I am.”
“You expect me to believe that wolf over there is Griffen? That’s crazy. And-and-and it looks injured. I’ll give you that. But I don’t know the first thing about taking care of animals. What if it bites us?”
Zachary gathered several items and headed back to the wolf. “Sharon. Come on.”
Sharon gave Rebecca a hard look and stood to make her way to the wolf. She set her hand on his head and stroked his fur. “It’s gonna be okay. Try to relax. Slow your breathing.”
Zachary wrapped a T-shirt around the hind leg that was matted with blood.
From the wound…
How the hell was this possible? Werewolves were a myth. She had to be dreaming.
Something spurred her into action, however. Whether or not she was awake or even in the same dimension she’d been living in two minutes ago, she still felt the urge to help. She scrambled forward and leaned over the wound. “Let me see.”
Zachary lifted his hand and pulled the T-shirt, now soaked with blood, away from the gash.
“Okay. It’s pretty deep.” She took the cleaner corner of the shirt and reapplied it to the huge cut. “Grab my bag.” She nodded behind her and lifted her gaze to Zachary. “I have some antiseptic wipes in there. And some gauze. Let’s get the bleeding to stop.” She turned back to the injured wolf and tried to think.
What if this really is Griffen?
She let her gaze wander over his body.
Sharon sat at his head, cradling it in her lap, stroking his fur.
His eyes were open a slit, and he blinked at her.
“I don’t see how we’re going to stop this bleeding. It will take too long for your brothers to get back,” she said to Sharon.
“It will slow on its own. That’s why he had to shift. We heal faster in wolf form. Normally we don’t need medical intervention at all. But this is worse than the average cut. I’m worried it won’t heal right without help.” She continued to stroke the wolf’s fur. Griffen?
Rebecca didn’t see how this wolf would live. “It will take hours for your brothers to get back.”
Sharon shook her head. “It won’t. They can run fast and cover a lot of ground in wolf form. As soon as they reach a spot with cell service, they’ll call Miles.”
“It will get dark,” she continued to argue.
“And they can see fine in the dark.” Sharon gave a wan smile.
Zachary spoke next. He had Rebecca’s bag now and set it next to her. “Miles will know what to do.”
“Because he’s a vet?”
“Because he’s a shifter. And a vet.”
“Of course.” Not.
Zachary smiled and gave a short chuckle, the first moment any of them had shown any emotion that wasn’t deadly serious since Griffen fell. “Listen. I know this is crazy to you. You’re actually handling it better than I ever imagined. It can’t be easy. But Griffen needs you now. You may not think it’s a big deal, and I know you can’t possibly understand all the implications here, but trust me—we need to clean up this wound and do our best to hold it together until the others get back.”
Rebecca lifted her face to the sky. “How long will it take them?”
“A few hours probably.”
“We don’t have that kind of time,” she pointed out.
“We aren’t going to make it down this mountain tonight. You’re right.” Zachary looked serious again.
Sharon cleared her throat. “That’s enough, Zach. You’re scaring her.”
Rebecca shook her head. “Trust me. There’s very little you could say or do right now to freak me out further.”
“Yeah. Well. I bet we could.” Sharon lowered her face.
Rebecca didn’t want to follow that cryptic insinuation. Instead she pointed out the other obvious issues. “It’s going to get cold. And there’re bears. We can’t be out here at night.”
Sharon looked at Zachary. “She’s right about that. You should take her down the mountain. I’ll stay with Griffen.”
“What?” Rebecca winced as she shot Sharon a sharp look. “No. Are you crazy? I’m not leaving you here alone with an injured wolf. You wouldn’t survive an hour alone.” She squeezed the wound harder, willing it to stop bleeding.
Zachary rummaged around in her bag and then handed her a few wipes. While she lifted the shirt to clean the wound, he continued with her line of thinking. “She’s right, Sharon. Not a good option. You wouldn’t be able to fend for yourself alone against a bear and take care of Griffen. We don’t know how long it might take them to get back.”
“Shit.” Sharon stared down at the wolf.
Was it really Griffen? It was growing harder to doubt that. If it wasn’t Griffen, then where the hell was he?
Rebecca poured water over the gash and examined it before covering it with gauze and taping it around his leg. At least it was sterile. She yanked another shirt from her bag and wrapped it around the wound next, applying pressure.
Finally, she set her free hand on his back and wove her fingers into his fur. She eyed him closely. He watched her every move, his jaw hanging open. If she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed to be communicating with his eyes.
He squirmed as she stroked her hand down his front paw. When he lifted it and set it over hers, her heart nearly stopped. It was him. She knew it.
His gaze left hers and met Sharon’s.
Sharon spoke to him. “You want me to take Rebecca down the mountain? I could do it. Leave Zachary here with you and get her to safety.”
There was a hesitation, and then he shook his head.
Holy hell. He shook his head. He was communicating with his sister.
She blew out a breath. “You sure? I’ll do whatever you think is best.”
He nodded this time.
“He’s right,” Zachary said. “It’s too dangerous for us to separate. It’s not a good plan for you two girls to wander back down the path alone. And it would be a worse plan for you to stay here by yourself. We need to stay together.”
“But—” Sharon glanced at Rebecca. “It’s going to be so cold later.”
“And we’ll have plenty of fur to keep her warm.” Zachary smiled when Rebecca turned to him.
Every second of this new universe got loonier. “Sure. Yeah. You two can just become wolves also, and I’ll snuggle between the three of you.” She gave a sharp laugh.
“Exactly,” Zachary said, his voice perfectly even.
“I was kidding.” Rebecca rolled her eyes.
“I’m not.”
“He’s right,” Sharon added. “We’ll be fine.”
Rebecca shivered and leaned closer to Griffen. For some reason she felt incredibly protective of him, as if he was the sanest thing in the general proximity at the moment.
A wolf. One that had been a man she was falling for half an hour ago. One who had a life-threatening wound he might not survive.
Yep. That was
her new reality, like it or not.
Chapter Seven
It was almost dark when three figures bounded through the clearing.
Rebecca was leaning against Griffen, holding his leg and resting her head on his chest.
Sharon sat on his other side, watching. Zachary had leaned against a tree nearby, seemingly on watch.
When the three wolves came into view, Rebecca shot to a sitting position, grasping Griffen’s fur along his back. It was one thing for her to care for this wounded animal lying immobile at her side. It was another thing entirely for three enormous lupines to jump into her space, heaving for breath.
One of them carried a pack on his back, and Zachary quickly jumped forward to tug it loose.
While Rebecca sat mesmerized by the activity, all three wolves transformed in front of her eyes. In a reverse demonstration of what she’d witnessed earlier, their bodies elongated, their fur receded, and their faces resumed their normal shape. It took only seconds and three naked men stood before her.
“How is he?” One of them, maybe Trace, asked as he grabbed his clothes from a pile next to their bags and tugged on his hiking pants.
“He’s stable,” Sharon said, getting to her feet.
Rebecca couldn’t take her eyes off the two men who scrambled to cover themselves. Insanity.
She realized they must have stripped naked before they left, and now their clothes were right where they’d left them.
Except the newcomer. He had to be Miles. And he was the one who had carried a bag with him.
Zachary rummaged around in the bag and lifted out a pair of jeans. Miles turned to face Rebecca, however, and didn’t make any motion to take the proffered jeans. His chest heaved. His fucking sexy chest.
He was huge. And built. And damn hot. She thought he was Native American. She licked her lips as her gaze roamed over his darker skin and shoulder-length black hair hanging in loose curls around his face.
He stepped closer.
She flinched.
What the hell was wrong with her, lusting after yet another man? She’d already fallen hard for one wolf this weekend. She didn’t need two. The idea almost made her laugh.
Miles stood rooted to his spot, feet from where Rebecca sat. He fisted his hands at his sides as she tried to avoid staring at his cock.
Rebecca's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 6) Page 4
