Page 18 of Wolf Forsaken

Clawing at the snow, I tried to stand. The faint sound of footsteps drew my attention to the three wolves approaching. I didn't think I'd been passed out that long if they were just now approaching me.

Fuck. Do it for Ivy. Get up and fight for her.

I got to my feet, but felt like I might collapse again at any moment. I hadn't given the wound proper time to heal, and whatever poison Dante had used was still in my system. My body didn't even feel like my own.

With the small bit of strength I had left, I surged forward, Dante doing the same. He had the upper hand, with two wolves at his side, but I would die fighting. It was all I could do now that they had me cornered.

Before we collided, Dante was suddenly gone. A yelp came from somewhere nearby, and then the sounds of two fighting wolves filled the silence. Had Xander and Eli not listened to me?

There was no way either of them could take Dante on their own, but maybe together they could put him down or hurt him enough for him to flee. But then there were two other wolves to contend with.

I skidded to a halt, my legs feeling like they were going in ten different directions, and the two other wolves circled me. From the look in their eyes, they were unsure of what they should do. I couldn't talk to them—which meant Dante had enough wolves from the pack following him that my alpha status was no more—but I pleaded with my eyes. Did they even know what Dante had done to me?

"Run."Ivy? She was nearby and alive. Relief flooded me and my eyes stung with tears. I was so fucking glad she was okay.

Growling, I lunged for one of the wolves, our bodies colliding and teeth biting at each other. He fought with uncertainty, and I put him on his back in no time, despite being at my weakest. But then again, he wasn't trying to dominate me.

There was hope yet for me getting my pack back.

Each inhale of air burned as I backed off him after he submitted. I looked at the other wolf and now there were two... no, four of him. Stumbling to the side, I barely stayed on my feet as several Dantes appeared next to them.

I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision. Where did the other wolf go that attacked him?

A vicious warning came from beside me, sending a chill down my spine. Everything was happening in slow motion, and I couldn't make sense of it. When had Ivy gotten here?

She crept forward, her teeth bared. Dante stood his ground, but the other two wolves backed up, tucking their tails. She snarled louder, and Dante snarled back, but without as much gusto as he usually had.

He was bleeding from his neck and had a cut on his nose, the blood dripping like a slow leak onto the snow. Dizziness washed over me, and I felt myself falling right as Ivy lunged forward. Dante turned and ran, Ivy hot on his heels.

I fell into the cold, white oblivion. Finally, I could rest.

Chapter Seven

Ivy

The taste of Dante's blood was still in my mouth as he ran away with the two other wolves flanking him. I had jumped on his back and bit into his neck again. My aim was to kill him, but he was larger than me and I still didn't know what the hell I was doing.

I bit into some snow and spit it out again, trying to get the taste of him out of my mouth. I needed to get back to Cole. I had a feeling Dante wouldn't be back anytime soon, but the quicker we could get away, the better.

How was I going to get back to my car? It had to be two miles away, if not more. I wasn't exactly the best at directions, so it was an estimate. I'd barely found my way to the house and then picked up the scent of my mates. I didn't even really know how to communicate with them. I just pushed what I wanted to say toward them and hoped for the best.

When I couldn't taste blood anymore, I ran back in the direction I came, sniffing the air for any scent that would lead me back to Cole. All I smelled was snow.

The snow was still falling hard, but the wind had let up, giving me more visibility. Plus, my wolf was better at seeing than I was in human form.

I felt like I was walking in circles. All the trees looked the same to me.

Spotting Cole, I rushed to him. He looked like he was dead, and my heart skipped a beat. I licked at his snout, making small whimpering noises to try to wake him up. I put my head on his chest and even though it rose slightly, his breaths were shallow.

Don't die, please.

I laid down next to him, putting my snout over his. How was I going to get him to safety? Where were Xander and Eli? I had smelled them when I got to the house and figured out which direction they'd gone in, but now the only thing I could smell was Cole.

“Can you hear me?”I hit what felt like a brick wall trying to communicate with Cole. It wasn't something I'd experienced before when talking that way.

I thought of Eli, thinking of his dark brown hair neatly slicked back, his dark eyes burning into my soul.“Eli, can you hear me?”

“Ivy? Where are you?”Excitement filled me that it worked, even though I could barely hear him. Was there a volume button for wolf thoughts?

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