Page 30 of Wolf Chosen

He helps me into the back of the cruiser, where I slide on the back seat and collapse. The blankets Zane wrapped around me do little to chase away the infinite chill that has settled in my marrow.

With trembling fingers, I brush a lock of matted hair from Liam's brow. His skin is clammy, beaded with sweat. Each shallow breath rattles in his chest, an echo of the vibrant, strong male I know him to be.

Tears blur my vision as I cup his cheek, my thumb tracing the sharp line of his cheekbone. I reach for our bond, desperate to feel that shining thread that has become as essential to me as my own heartbeat, but where there once was a symphony of emotion, a cascading rainbow of color and light, now there is only static that thickens. Liam's essence is there, but it's muted.

He's being pulled away from me, inch by excruciating inch.

I close my eyes and pray to my golden angel to help me just one more time, but the cruiser hits a pothole, jolting me from my spiraling thoughts. I glance up to see Mitch's eyes in the rearview mirror, his brow furrowed with concern.

“Taylor, is there anything else you can think of that might help us understand what's happening to Liam?” he asks, his voice strained.

I swallow hard. “His wolf...it's different too.”

Mitch’s voice cracks over the sound of the straining engine. “Different how?”

I shudder, remembering the moment Liam shifted in the clearing. The blankness in his eyes, the absence of the warmth and intelligence that always shone through, no matter his form.

“When he shifted, it was like...like the humanity was gone. The thing that made him Liam just wasn't there.” A sob catches in my throat, and I press my face into the curve of Liam's neck, breathing in his scent beneath the tang of blood and sweat.

Mitch swears under his breath. Gravel sprays beneath the tires as he punches the accelerator, the engine roaring. In the passenger seat, Zane is a coiled spring of tension. He barks orders into the CB radio, his tone controlled but laced with urgency.

I tune out their voices, my entire world narrowing to the male in my arms. I stroke Liam's hair, my lips pressed to his temple as I murmur a litany of pleas and promises.

“Stay with me, Liam. You have to fight. You have to come back. I can't do this without you.”

But he remains still, his chest barely rising with each labored breath. Despair crashes over me in a suffocating wave.

A memory surfaces, unbidden. Liam's face, alight with laughter. The press of his lips against mine, tender and gentle. The way his eyes shone with love every time he looked at me, as if I were a miracle he couldn't quite believe was real, even when I didn’t know who he was to me.

If only he’d wake up and look at me the same way now.

“Nearly there, Taylor,” Mitch says.

The cruiser flies over a rise, throwing me back against the seat. In the distance, I see lights. Willowbrook. I tighten my hold on Liam, my heart hammering against my ribs as Mitch takes the turn to the ‘Bite’ and when we screech to a stop, several figures are waiting for us on the front porch beneath the soft glowing lights.

As we exit the cruiser, a curvy redheaded woman hurries toward us, her face pinched with worry. She wrings her hands, her eyes darting from Mitch to the limp form of Liam slumped in the cruiser.

Mitch leans in close, whispering something in her ear. Her eyes widen, shock and horror rippling across her features. When her gaze meets mine, it's filled with a deep, aching sympathy.

“I'm Sarah. Mitch's mate. I'm so sorry for what you've been through, Taylor. We'll do everything we can to help you and Liam,” she says, her words gentle.

I nod, my throat too tight for words. Mitch and Zane carefully maneuver Liam's unconscious body out of the vehicle, their faces grim. Panic claws at my insides, a scream building in my chest. He's so still, so pale. Like a corpse.

Another woman approaches, her long brunette hair cascading over her shoulders. Her pale blue eyes are shadowed with concern as she reaches for my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I'm Aria, Zane's mate. We're here for you, Taylor. You're not alone,” she murmurs.

Cindi appears, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She pulls me into a fierce hug, uncaring of the grime and blood that coat my skin. Her familiar scent wraps around me, a comfort I didn't know I needed until this moment.

“Take Liam to Taylor's room,” she instructs Mitch and Zane, her voice thick with emotion. “I have everything ready.”

As they carry Liam inside, I take a moment to absorb my surroundings. The foyer of the 'Bite' is just as I remember, warm and inviting, but it feels different now. Like a lifetime has passed since I last stood here. Like I'm a stranger in my own memories.

Cindi's hand rests on my shoulder, a grounding presence. “I can't imagine what you're going through,” she says softly, her eyes shining with empathy. “But you can lean on us, Taylor. We'll get through this together.”

She gives me a watery smile. “I'm going to prepare some food for you. You must be starving after...after everything.”

My stomach twists at the thought of eating, bile rising in my throat. How can I even think of food when Liam is broken and unresponsive? When I don't know if he'll ever open his eyes again?

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