Page 21 of Knot a Chance in Hell

I cranked up the speed and turned the snow machine off the road and into the forest. The wind whipped around me, and the snow came down in near blinding sheets. She was going to get herself eaten. And I couldn’t stand the thought. I wanted to rip the world apart to find and protect her.

Growing up here, I knew these woods. They were a part of who I was, my soul. Even in a dark storm, I easily steered the snow machine. The big logs and rocks were clear in my head as if it were daylight.

Bears were crepuscular, being active the most at dusk and dawn. So the beasts would be out already hunting, smelling Nicolette miles away.

She better not be dead. Fuck everything if she was dead.

With the storm, I couldn’t track anything. I caught a glimpse of a trio of deer leaping away into the brush. There had been no sign they were there.

Back and forth, I zigzagged through the woods with the wind picking away at my sanity. My chest felt like it might explode. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if I found her body. Worse yet, if we never found it.

She had come to our home. We were the Alphas, and even though she wasn’t my Omega, what kind of bastard was I if I couldn’t help keep her safe?

How long had it been since I left the shed? Thirty minutes? An hour? It was too long.

Mini avalanches of snow slid off the boughs of pines. Shadows played havoc with my vision. I had less than a quarter tank of gas left. Damn me for not filling it up before I left. I wasn’t going to find her. The merciless state of Alaska had claimed another victim.

And then, just out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. Running to try to catch me.

A dog. Atka!

I slowed and turned in his direction. The husky barked, jumping up on me and licking every bit of exposed skin.

“Yeah boy, get down. Where’s Nicolette?” When he continued to lick me, I grabbed his head and looked him directly in the eyes. “Nicolette. Where is she? Kavik too. Show me.”

I didn’t know whether Atka knew the Omega’s name, but he knew his sister’s. He took off running and I followed on the snow machine, winding between the trees, almost losing him a half dozen times in the storm. Huskies had a whole shit ton of energy. I didn’t know how long he’d been out there, but Atka could run for days if we let him. Shae bred her dogs for endurance, and I never appreciated it as much as I did now.

My hands tightened on the handles. I dare not go faster than the dog, but he was maneuvering with more ease than I was. The fucker was fast but had no brains. He better not be taking me on a wild goose chase.

Then a flash of blue huddled against the base of a tree had me slamming the brakes. I left the light trained on her. Nicolette.

Her head lifted. Big shining green eyes met mine.

Kavik, sitting to her right, barked as I got off the snow machine and rushed forward.

“Nicolette.” I crouched down and didn’t even wait for her to respond as I scooped her up. She was small and light in my arms, shivering violently. She wore a big coat and a woolen hat, but just those thin jeans females wore these days. No good for Alaska. “I’ve got you.”

I squeezed her to me. She was cold and scared, but she wasn’t dead. The relief shocked me almost as much as the rightness of having her pressed against me.

“So cold,” she whispered and buried her face against my chest.

Fucking hell. I hated how good this felt.

Kodiak and Ezekiel were already fighting over her. I wasn’t going to add to that mess.

I sat her on the snow machine in front of me. The seat and the handles were heated, plus my body surrounded hers. It would be enough to get her back home, and then she needed to be submerged in warm water. If I thought I could get a signal, I’d call Ezekiel and tell him I found her and to get the sauna going. But a bath was going to have to do.

“I know. Just hold on and I’ll get you home.” My voice was raspy, I felt so raw. I drove the snow machine slowly at first, letting her get used to the feeling. The dogs ran alongside us. Atka looked like he had the greatest day ever.

We didn’t say anything as we drove through the woods and I took us onto the road. Once we hit that, the wind struck us like it was determined to blow us off the mountain. I sped up to get us home as fast as possible. Her curvy body fit snug against mine. I could hold her like this forever.

The huskies zoomed ahead as we approached the house. Kodiak’s truck wasn’t back yet, but Ezekiel came running outside and was upon us before I could fully stop the snow machine.

“Nicolette!” He picked her up as if she weighed no more than her down coat and nuzzled the top of her head. I bit back my growl that he had taken her from me. She mumbled something to him, limp in his arms.

Ezekiel brought her inside, ignoring his dogs as they followed him with excited yips. I was left alone outside with the howling wind. Everything in me pushed to follow them in. I had to make sure she wasn’t hurt, that she didn’t have frostbite, that she was comfortable in a warm bath, that she had everything she could ever want and need.

I had to make her mine.

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