HELP!

It repeated twice more before I felt Baldr shaking my shoulders. My heart was racing.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, searching my eyes. “What’s going on?”

“I… I heard Flynn,” I said, shaking my head. “In my mind.”

Baldr lifted an eyebrow. “Is he a witch?”

“No.” I looked up at him, feeling slightly ashamed for not telling him. “But we completed the bond last night.” I paused. “Is it normal to hear the other person’s voice? I thought it was just feelings.”

“It usually is.”

“Could it be a trick?” I asked. “Is Tyr trying to mess with me?”

Baldr paused, thinking it over. “As far as I know, there’s no way he could do that. Especially not in Flynn’s voice. They’ve never met.” He cocked his head to the side. “What did he say?”

“Help,” I repeated. “Just that.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Baldr snapped, tearing me up and out of the chair. “GO!”

“I don’t know where he is–”

“You’re a wolf! Use your fucking nose you idiot!” Baldr gave me a shove. “I’ll get the others and be right behind you!”

I nodded, my heart still pounding a mile a minute. My doubts were suddenly gone, and a cold fear filled the pit of my stomach. My mate was in trouble, I just didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into.

“Oh no,” I said, looking back at Baldr, my eyes suddenly growing wide. “It is Tyr… he… he smelled Flynn on me the other night. When he attacked you.”

“THEN GO!” Baldr shouted. “For fuck’s sake! Run like Fenrir himself is on your heels!”

There was no more hesitation as I leaped into action. I sped out of the suite, down the hall, sprang down the stairs to the bottom floor, and tore my clothes off in the process. By the time I burst out of the stairwell doors, I was already a giant white wolf, claws clicking on the hard stone floor as I dashed toward the exit. Several guests screamed, but I paid them no mind as I took a flying leap and crashed through the entrance window, glass shattering all around me.

Glass cut through my fur and down to my skin, drawing blood all across my body. But I didn’t care. I just ran, knowing the wounds would close themselves before I reached my destination. I didn’t have to stop to sniff Flynn out either. Now that we were mated, I had an internal compass pointing me in his direction. I caught his scent on the wind anyway, proving to me that the wolf knew exactly where he was going.

I dug my claws into the soil, racing down the mountain in a blur.

Hold on, Red. I’m coming for you!

???

Ten minutes later I was at the bottom of the mountain standing at the edge of the forest just outside a small farm. I hadn’t been there before, but I recognized it immediately from the things Flynn had told me about it. There were goats, chickens, a little cabin and a big barn with a shed behind it. It was just the way he’d described it, cozy and welcoming with a hint of nostalgia for a life that neither of us had ever lived.

This was definitely his grandmother’s farm, and he was there. I couldn’t see him, but his scent was strong. He had to be close by. But his wasn’t the only scent I picked up. Floating on the breeze was the scent of an older female human, Flynn’s grandmother I assumed, and a male werewolf. That scent I’d come across many times. It was the one my father was drenched in when I found his body lying on the side of the mountain.

Tyr.

I should’ve known that he’d do something like this. There was no way Flynn came here on his own. He’d been coerced. Judging by how prolific Tyr’s scent was, he’d been on the farm for a while. Maybe all day. Chances were he’d done something awful to Flynn’s grandmother to get him to come down on his own. I didn’t smell blood or death in the air though, so that was a good sign.

I felt a rush of guilt squeeze my chest as I watched on. Flynn had tried to reach out to me earlier and I’d pushed him away, thinking it was nothing. But he’d needed me, and I purposefully ignored him. That would never happen again. I swore it on my life. Never again would Flynn need to worry about me not hearing him because I was never going to leave his side.

My personal declarations were cut off as I heard a yell from inside the house. Without a second thought, I shot out of the woods, running full tilt toward the front porch. As I neared, I saw two figures through the large picture window. One was tall and muscular. That one had to be Tyr. And he was standing over a smaller figure on the ground. Tyr was raising a clawed hand in the air, preparing to strike.

NO!

I leaped through the air, clearing the entire porch and crashing through the glass into the main living room of the cabin. On my way through I collided with Tyr, throwing him off his feet and grinding him into the floor away from Flynn. As soon as I hit the ground, I sprang away, leaning my full weight into Tyr as I went. I heard him crunch slightly below me and I couldn’t help a wolfish grin as I ran to Flynn’s side.

My nose went wild as I snuffled him, checking him over to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Besides a bruise or two, he looked unharmed. His grandmother lying on the floor bound to a chair however didn’t look like she was in good shape. Still, I was sure I could smell the blood pumping through her veins. She was fine for the time being.