Page 6 of Wolf Bound

The wolf lifted his head and howled.

“Hell, that’s my cousin, Fisher,” Devlyn said.

“I told you it’s a wolf,” Billy said.

“Some dogs howl, Billy,” she said. “Okay, Devlyn, I’m climbing down to him. I’ll call you back after I’ve taken care of him.” Then she gave him their coordinates. She didn’t wait for him to answer. She knew Devlyn would rally everyone he could to help rescue his cousin and the boy. But she had to go to Fisher’s aid as quickly as she could and try to stop his bleeding and see if he was injured in any other way.

She took hold of Billy’s hands and crouched in front of him. “My boss is coming with a whole bunch of men and women to help the dog and get you home to your parents. But I have to climb down and put a bandage on him, okay?” Even though Devlyn wasn’t her boss, and he might not actually show up, she didn’t need to tell the boy that.

The boy’s eyes filled with tears. “Don’t leave me.”

She smelled his fear and she completely understood how scared he was. But she had to make sure Fisher didn’t die on her.

“You sit right here by this tree. Okay?” She gave him a package of jerky. “If you get hungry for something more just eat this. And this way you can rest your legs. Just stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Help is coming.” Then she gave him another hug and he didn’t want to release her, but she had to go to the wolf’s aid. “He’s hurt. I have to take care of him. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She didn’t want to leave the boy behind because he’d already experienced enough trauma and he was scared to death. But she couldn’t chance Fisher dying on her because she hadn’t gone down to take care of him. She couldn’t risk taking the boy down the cliff either.

Worried about the boy and the wolf, she felt her heart pounding furiously. She took the rope she had with her and tied it to a nearby tree. “You stay here. I’m going to climb down and check on the dog.”

“He’s injured. He could bite you.”

“He’ll be fine. I’ve taken care of them before in a similar situation.” She began to rappel down the cliff to the ledge and once she was on it, she hurried over to the beautiful gray wolf, his chin and cheeks blond, the arch above his eyes dark brown and black, very distinguished looking. His eyes were a beautiful golden, his black nose sniffing the air, trying to smell her scent. She pulled out her first aid kit with as much caution as she could use. She didn’t want to fall off the narrow ledge in the meantime.

“I’m a red wolf.” Though after she said it, she didn’t know why she did because he could smell her scent. “I spoke with your cousin, Devlyn, and he said you were Fisher. Don’t shift.” She was speaking low for his ears only. She glanced up to see the boy lying on his belly, peering down at them from the cliff’s edge. So much for him staying safely near the tree. “Devlyn’s organizing a party to meet us and help out. Were you shot just the one time?”

Fisher nodded.

She was already bandaging his shoulder, but it was hard to do on a wolf. It was easier to do on a man, but with the human boy watching from up above, Fisher couldn’t shift. Though it would have made it a lot easier for her to learn where else he might be hurt if he was in his human form.

“Is he a dog?” Billy called out, as if a wolf wouldn’t be this complacent and no one would try to rescue a wounded wolf—way too dangerous.

“Yes. He’s a friend’s dog who got away from his owner,” she said and privately said to Fisher, “I hope you hadn’t thought to rescue the boy in your wolf coat.”

He grunted. She took that as a yes. She kissed him on the top of his furry head. She felt so bad for him. He whimpered. She let out her breath. She hoped he was going to be alright. Their kind healed in half the time that humans did, but his injuries could be bad. Still, he was keeping her from her mission of maintaining the boy’s safety. Yet she knew she couldn’t safely move the wolf up the cliff, not if he was severely injured from the fall.

“Did you break any bones when you fell?” she asked.

He moved his left foreleg a tiny bit.

“Sprain or break?” she asked. Shoot, he couldn’t answer her again but with yes or no questions. “Sprain?” He didn’t answer her. “Break?” He still didn’t respond. She was trying to get the bandaging around his chest, and he groaned. She suspected he was badly bruised. Maybe he didn’t know if anything was broken or sprained for sure. She knew he was hurting though. His heart was beating fast, and she could smell his pain.

Yet despite that he was feeling bad, he took several more whiffs of her like a wolf would, and she thought he even managed a small smile. Glad she was a wolf too? She suspected so. There was a small shelf above them that stretched out over a quarter of the one they were on that provided a bit of shelter from the chilly breeze. At least the ledge seemed sturdy enough to hold both their weights until someone came to rescue Fisher. She thought of moving Fisher under the shelf, but she was afraid to move him if she ended up injuring him worse than he already was hurt.

“By the way, I’m Kira Westwood, a special agent with the United Shifter Force. I know your cousin Vaughn and his mate Jillian. Both are great to work with, but they never mentioned you before. Just Vaughn’s brother Brock because they wanted him to join them in the organization.” She glanced up at Billy who was still watching them from the top of the cliff. She didn’t want him too close to the edge, but at least he was lying down, and the cliff seemed stable.

Even though she was speaking quietly to Fisher, the boy probably wondered why she was talking so much to a dog. “He’s going to be alright,” she called up to Billy. At least she sure hoped so.

“Good. Can…can you bring him up here?” Billy asked.

“No. I might injure him more.”

Kira suspected Billy wanted them up there to watch over him. She didn’t blame him. She worried about leaving Fisher alone, but she didn’t want to leave Billy alone either.

But then Billy whispered, “Hey, someone’s coming.” His voice was terrified.

She only heard him because of her wolf hearing, but she worried that the Greystoke pack members hadn’t arrived yet. Just normal hikers traipsing through the woods, way off the beaten path? Or something more sinister like the kidnappers, coming to see where the boy had gone to? If they were, they would know she was a wolf and helping the boy and the wolf they had shot. They would know she was a shifter like them, and that Fisher might be also.

As carefully as she could, she pulled Fisher under the shelf to protect him, and he groaned. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I have to keep you hidden from those bastards. I’ll be right back.”

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