Page 89 of Beginning Fate

The fear and animosity towards myself suddenly subsided as a larger wolf ran up next to me.

Denny.

He followed me without prompting.

The other must have heard my distressed response to Kylie’s howl, too. Because I knew we weren’t alone.

I blinked at the air hitting my eyes as we ran side-by-side through the woods on the hunt for my sister. I wasn’t alone in this, and there was no way for me to properly describe how much that meant to me.

It didn’t take long before I realized there was a lot more than I thought running with us. The thunderous sounds of paws hitting the ground surrounded us. It should have distressed me even more, but somehow my wolf and I understood they were here to help.

I’d been raised in a Pack all my life, but I’d always been an outsider, never fully fitting in. It wasn’t until this moment that I truly understood what it meant to be a part of a Pack, to have a group of people to care enough to come to my aid and have my back in time of need. Never once had I felt that before now.

Sure, my Pack ensured our safety and allowed me to raise Kylie, but I was a child myself. I should never have had that responsibility put on my shoulders. There should have been others to help carry that weight, too. Running with Denny, andwho knew how many others made me feel like I wasn’t all alone in this world.

Why had I been trying to run away from this?

I couldn’t explain it in a way that made any sense, even to me.

Denny was my mate, and I was pretty positive I was in love with him. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice that for Kylie. There had to be a way for us both to live and thrive here.

But right now, I just prayed we’d get the chance.

The high of their presence waned and all the fears came flooding back to me as I tracked my sister through the woods.

As we came to a clearing, my wolf suddenly slowed.

Her scent was still strong here, but I couldn’t determine which direction she’d gone. Then I heard it, the sound of a tree limb breaking, followed by a splash below.

I couldn’t describe the feeling as I peered over the edge of the embankment and saw her small wolf submerge beneath the dark water.

I didn’t think. I just acted.

One minute I was watching in horror, and the next, I had shifted back and was diving through the air into the black water below.

Denny’s wolf roared in my wake as I dove into the cool lake water.

It had been a long time since I’d been in deep water, but I supposed swimming was much like riding a bike. It only took me a moment to get my bearings and swim over to Kylie as I pushed away every fear within me.

I had to get to Kylie. It was the only thought in my mind.

As she bobbed back to the surface, I swam faster, reaching her just before she dipped beneath the water once more.

“I’ve got you,” I told her, even knowing the words were more for me than her.

I grabbed hold of her and had a sudden panic attack.

I couldn’t see the shoreline. I didn’t know which way to swim to safety. Flashbacks of the boating accident started to surface nearly crippling me with old fears.

The sound of my blood roaring in my ears was all I heard as I struggled to keep us both afloat.

You can do this, Lauren, I told myself over and over again. You can do this because there is no other option.

Maybe if I hadn’t met Denny then it would be easier to just let go and sink into the lake forever, but I knew I couldn’t do that to him. And thoughts like that had never overcome me. I wasn’t about to let them now.

Shaking my head to clear it, I took assessment of our situation.

This time, when I looked around, I could see the others in the distance. We were only about ten yards from the bank.

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