Page 98 of The Gamma's Second Chance

“Nolan, wait!”

My eyes widen, and I rush towards him, flinging my body into his at the last second. He topples over to the ground and rolls out of the way. I scramble to join him, but the door crashes open, and as it does, a wall of flames roars to life, the fire swirling out into the hallway and engulfing the interior of Haven and Wesley’s hotel room.

Chapter 34

NOLAN

Cassandra screams in agonyas flames flare to life in Haven and Wesley’s hotel room, leaping out and licking over her feet and legs as she crawls towards me after tackling me to the floor. The bloodcurdling sound echoes in the hallway, louderthan the roaring fire and the harsh chirping chimes of the fire alarms and sharper than a knife in my soul.

My wolf roars in agony with her, and I leap into action, tugging her away from the flames before they can do any further harm to her. Unintelligible noises fly from her mouth, her body shivering with pain in my arms. The flames can’t reach her anymore, but the damage is done—the fire seared her flesh, burning through to the deep tissue beneath the outer layer of her skin. I scoot us as far away from the room as I can, until we’re next to the stairwell we used earlier. My heart sinks, and my chest heaves as I stare at Haven and Wesley’s room and then down at my mate in my arms, my soul aching.

The sprinklers kick on, raining water down on us, the downpour an outward echo of the hopelessness rising in me. It’s too little and too late. The fire grew too large and too hot too quickly, spreading throughout the entirety of Haven and Wes’s room and now it’s seeping into the hallway.

I lift my eyes to their room again and grit my teeth, cradling and clutching Cassandra to my chest as I rise to my feet. She cries in pain and jerks sharply in my arms before returning to the shivering tremors wracking her body.

“I’m sorry,” I croak out, smoke already coating my throat.

She only nods, hugging her arms against her body and curling into me. I glance at her injured legs and feet again, my throat tightening at the severity. I set my jaw, and with one last look at Wes and Haven’s room, I exit into the stairwell, heading downstairs and out to the parking lot as fast as I can without hurting Cassandra more.

Even if I was alone, or Cassandra wasn’t injured, there’s no way for me to get through the burgeoning flames and into their room to help them. And with how violently the fire raged behind their hotel room door…

I shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut, shoving that thought away for now. I need to focus on Cassandra and getting her to safety. Getting her home. Emergency services will be here soon, and there will be too many questions about the speed of her healing if the EMTs get their hands on her.

A severe burn will take longer, even with our enhanced healing, since new skin cells need to grow, but it will still be much faster than a human. Fast enough to raise suspicions.

I burst out the door to the hotel exterior and rush towards the south parking lot. Other guests already fill the lot, lingering near the edge furthest from the hotel and staring up at the top floor. I skirt around them as best I can with a shivering Cassandra in my arms. Thankfully, it’s only the lower half of her legs that are burned, but the wounds are severe, and even the slightest bounce of her body has her whimpering and gritting her teeth or tensing and crying out in pain.

I scan the crowd for any sign of our pack members, but I see none. I don’t have time to dwell on that, though. My priority is getting back to Crescent Lake and dealing with the aftermath of this event.

“Shit!” I say, stopping in my tracks in front of Wesley’s truck. Cassandra’s eyes flutter open for a second in reaction to my exclamation before they shut again. “I don’t have the keys.”

I glance back over my shoulder at the hotel, towards the top floor, where the flames continue to spread, covering at least half of the floor. Tears form in my eyes, but I blink them away. I can dwell on our loss later. For now, I need to find a way to get home.

“Nolan!”

I whip my head towards my yelled name, to where Benjamin stands with a small group of his pack members, all of them half asleep, half dressed, and disheveled. His eyes flick down towards Cassandra in my arms, concern filling them as soon ashe realizes she’s injured, and he excuses himself from his pack members, rushing over to us.

“What do you need?” he asks when he reaches me.

“I need to get her home,” I say. “I don’t have the keys. Wes and Haven—” I cut myself off, glancing towards the upper floors, hoping he’ll understand what I can’t put voice to.

He follows the path of my eyes, and his face falls, a sadness matching mine filling his eyes as he turns back to me. “Here,” he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys. “Take my jeep. Get her to Crescent Lake. I’ll take care of your pack members.”

“Thank you,” I say with a sigh of relief, grabbing the keys from him.

He nods, his gaze catching on the fresh mark on Cassandra’s neck before meeting mine again. He claps me on the shoulder as sirens from emergency vehicles echo off the nearby buildings, signaling their impending approach. “Let’s go,” he says, leading the way towards his vehicle.

I speed walk to his jeep, careful not to jostle Cassandra too much, sliding her into the backseat after he opens the door. His jaw clenches as he stares at her and me, and when I shut the door, it seems as if he wants to say something to me, but instead, he nods and sprints back over to his pack members.

I hop into the driver’s seat, glancing over my shoulder at my mate as I start the engine and take my phone from my pocket, calling home.

Reid answers on the first ring. “What the fuck is going on?” he asks, and I can hear him pacing in the background. “I have tons of pack members blowing up my phone, and no one can get ahold of Wesley or Haven.”

“There was a fire,” I say, backing out of the parking space. “It started in Wes and Haven’s room. I don’t…” I shake my head and swallow. “I don’t know if they…”

Reid’s pacing stops and his breath catches. “What is it?” Taryn asks from somewhere near him.

“I need to talk to Taryn,” I say, clearing my throat of the emotions forming a knot there, once again pushing the thoughts of Haven and Wesley to the side so I can focus on my mate. I can’t change what happened to them, but I can help her. “Cassandra is injured.”

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