Page 39 of Spike

"Nitro? Did something happen to Spike?" was the first question that came out of my mouth.

My heart pounded with worry as Nitro confirmed Spike had indeed faced some trouble.

The fear that gripped me intensified as he described the situation they'd encountered in the woods.

Nitro didn’t go into much detail. He probably thought it was a way of protecting me, but I wished he told me more.

"I need to see him," I blurted out, my concern overriding any other thoughts.

Was I being demanding and pushy? No, I just wanted to find out how Spike was doing.

"I'll take you to him. I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes," Nitro said. "Spike's recuperating at the Ravens' compound, so it's a little hard to get to on your own."

Relief flooded through me at Nitro's offer. I nodded, grateful for his help, and hung up the phone. There was no time to waste.

I hurriedly prepared myself, then called my boss, telling him I was going to take a day off due to personal reasons.

He was unhappy about it, because Fridays were usually busy but I managed to appease him by promising to work an extra shift next week.

Fifteen minutes dragged on like an eternity, but soon enough, Nitro's motorcycle pulled up outside my place.

It was evident Nitro hadn't had much sleep last night; dark shadows lingered under his eyes.

Without wasting a moment, I hopped on, anxious and nervous to see Spike. I even felt a little guilty for being mad at him earlier on.

Nitro revved the engine and we took off. We entered the MC compound, but once inside, Nitro didn’t find a parking spot.

Nitro kept going, veering onto a small dirt road that led deeper into the woods.

I squinted against the sunlight filtering through the trees as we rode deeper into the forest. The morning breeze carried the scent of pine and earth, and birds chirped overhead.

Despite the urgency of the situation, there was a strange serenity to the surroundings.

It was then that Nitro's words sank in – the Raven's compound was hidden deep within the heart of the Moon Burrow woods.

Nitro was right, I would never been able to find this place on my own. It was a good thing he offered to drive me here.

As I dismounted from Nitro's motorcycle, my mind raced with worry for Spike.

Images of him injured and in pain flashed through my mind, each one more vivid and terrifying than the last.

Lost in my anxious thoughts, I barely registered Nitro's reassuring grip on my shoulder.

It wasn't until a raven shifter approached us, and spoke to Nitro, that I snapped back to reality. The raven shifter introduced himself as Julian.

“Gray,” I said, feeling a little slow and foolish.

"Hey, I might've sounded too worried on the phone, but Spike's fine," Nitro told me.

He continued, “Just a few scratches and bites. The healer wanted him to stay one more day, but he keeps insisting he's ready to go and wants to see you."

Relief flooded through me, washing away some of the tension that had been coiled tightly within me.

Spike was okay. That was all that mattered. I followed Nitro and Julian, eager to see Spike and talk to him.

As Julian led us towards the clinic, he chatted casually with me. His words provided a welcome distraction from my racing thoughts about Spike's condition.

"Micah, the healer, is also mated to Greed, another MC member," Julian was telling me.

---