Page 79 of Sold to the Alphas

He was trying to stay strong, but I saw him swaying slightly, his injuries clearly affecting him. I pressed closer to his side to support him.

Lean on me if you need to, I offered.

He didn’t argue with me, leaning on me just enough that I could still move without difficulty. I knew he had to be in a tremendous amount of pain to even lean on me slightly.

We had to keep moving. We had to find August and get out of this mess alive—all four of us and the pup in my belly.

45

Elisabed

I felt the weight of each step as we raced through the neutral town, the scent of August’s blood and the fury of his fight hanging in the air, choking me. My heart hammered in my chest, louder than my footsteps. Every breath I took felt too shallow, too rushed, as if I might not have enough air to find him. My thoughts kept spiraling back to the same question: what if I was too late? What if he was already—no, I couldn’t think like that. Not now. Not when he was still out there, somewhere.

Marshall and Finn flanked me as we moved through the streets, sniffing the air and following the trail of August’s scent. I caught flashes of fear in their eyes, but I didn’t have time to comfort them. The weight of their concern didn’t matter now. Only August did. Only him.

We passed houses, the occasional figure moving in the shadows, but no sign of August. We pressed on, quicker now, the scentgrowing stronger. My wolf clawed at my mind, urging me to push harder, to break into a sprint. But I knew better than to lose control like that—not when there was still a chance to find him alive.

When we reached the edge of the town, we turned into the trees. August’s scent was overwhelming now, mixed with the smell of pine and blood. I pushed through the underbrush, my feet light on the ground, my senses sharp. The world seemed to blur around me, everything narrowing down to that one scent.

We came to a clearing, and there he was.

August.

I froze for a moment, my breath catching in my throat. His body was crumpled against the earth, his blood staining the leaves beneath him. His chest rose and fell, but only just. His breaths were too shallow, too ragged.

I quickly shifted into my human form, barely even noticing it, then kneeled beside him and reached to cup his bloodied face in my hands. His skin was cold, and he didn’t respond when I called his name.

“Come on,” I said, gently shaking him. “You have to wake up. Please, August. Wake up. Don’t do this to me.”

I pressed my forehead against his, my eyes squeezing shut as I tried to hold back the tears.

“Don’t you dare leave me,” I said.

My fingers brushed the side of his neck, feeling for a pulse, anything. His heartbeat was weak, barely there, and my stomach twisted at the thought that he might be slipping away.

I was losing him.

“No,” I breathed. I felt the growl rise in my chest, the desperate need to protect him. My mind was a whirl of thoughts—of everything I hadn’t said or done. I was supposed to be there for him, to be the one to help him through all of this, but instead, I’d stayed on the sidelines, letting him push me away.

It wasn’t fair. I couldn’t lose him, not everything we had been through.

The others were beside me in an instant, shifting back into their human forms, their faces grim as they took in the sight of August’s near-death state. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at them. My entire world was August, and I couldn’t spare a moment for anything else. My gaze never left his face as Marshall and Finn quickly worked to lift him. My heart clenched at the sight of him so limp, so helpless. I wanted to scream, to beg the gods or the universe or whatever forces were at play to bring him back to me.

“Help me,” I said, my voice breaking as I stood. I stepped forward, pressing my body against his, offering my strength.

Marshall gave me a soft, understanding look as he and Finn worked to get August onto a makeshift stretcher they’d rigged from nearby branches. It was a poor substitute for the proper care he needed, but it was our only option. I helped them as much as I could, staying close to August, my hands never leaving his side.

I stayed by his side as they carried him. I kept talking to him, not knowing if he could hear me or not—just hoping.

Why did you do this to yourself?” I whispered. “You tried to push me away. But I’m not leaving, August.”

It was more than anger—it was fear, raw and ugly, and it clung to me like a second skin. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t. Not when I hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell him that I—

I stopped myself. I couldn’t think about that now. I needed him to live. I needed him to come back to me. I couldn’t let him die.

The path to the healer’s place felt like it took an eternity. My every step seemed to drag me further from the safety of my heart, my desperate need to save him consuming me.

When we arrived at the healer’s small home, it was barricaded shut from the violence outside. I didn’t have it in me to explain the situation, so Marshall took over, and soon we were in the middle of a controlled chaos. It was a blur of activity. They moved quickly, but I didn’t care. I barely registered the other alphas’ instructions or the other patients we had to weave between until we found an empty bed. The healer’s professional touch was gentle but swift as she worked on August, and my whole world was him, lying there so fragile, so vulnerable.

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