Page 63 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

“Connell, cut her free.It won’t do us any good if she falls and we have to carry her,” Jace called.

Connell looked back, saw what Jace had done, and nodded.Tracy slowed to a stop and held her arms out.She winced when Connell cut through the rope.

Mitchell’s blood heated with anger when he saw the red welts.Tracy shook her head at him, turned, and began following Jayden, who hadn’t realized they had stopped behind her.Freed from the bonds, he and Tracy were able to move across the uneven ground with more confidence.

When the wind picked up, Mitchell instinctively tucked his chin, shielding his face from the biting cold.The temperatures were rapidly dropping.They wouldn’t make it to the cave before the storm.No sooner had the thought occurred to him than a torrent of freezing rain and ice pellets started descending from the sky.Within minutes, their clothes were drenched and clinging to their bodies.

Gritting his teeth against the discomfort, they plowed forward, slipping and sliding on the ice beginning to form as the temperature dropped below freezing.Ice crystals formed on his clothing.His exposed skin burned from the frigid wind ripping down from the mountain.

Relief coursed through him when he recognized the slabs of boulders.He pushed forward, reaching out to steady Tracy when her foot slipped on a rock.She looked up at him.Her cheeks were rosy from the wind and cold, but it was the fatigue reflected in her eyes that made him tighten his grip.

“We’re almost there.The entrance is behind those boulders,” he murmured, holding her hand.

She nodded.He wasn’t sure she had the strength to answer him.He stayed beside her, holding her hand and guiding her across the slippery slope to the entrance to the cave.Time slowed to a crawl and every step was pure torture.They had been driving themselves hard for days now with little food or sleep, and it had finally caught up with them.

Using the last of his dwindling strength, he guided Tracy around the boulder.Almost instantly, the wind disappeared, blocked by the massive slabs.Without the headwind pushing them back, he was able to catch a second wind.

Tracy leaned wearily against him as they entered the narrow entrance.Warmth struck them ten feet inside.Protected from the volatile weather and warmed by the multiple firepits that distributed heat around the cave, the warmth made the interior of the cavern almost hot after being outside.Unfortunately, it also melted the layers of ice that had formed on their clothing.

Mitchell felt Tracy shiver as the cold water seeped through her protective layers of clothing.Her teeth began to chatter.Her breath came in trembling pants.She moaned when his fingers brushed the raw skin on her wrist.

“Mitchell!”Mallory exclaimed.

Excited murmurs burst from the others as word spread of their arrival.Mallory and Rand came over, slowing when they saw Tracy.Mallory’s eyes widened when she noticed Tracy shivering.

“Mitchell?”Mallory asked.

“Mallory, this is Tracy.She needs to get into some dry clothes and get some rest.Can you please help her?”he requested.

Mallory looked back and forth between them before her expression softened with compassion.Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief.While Jayden might be stubborn as hell, her mom and dad were both compassionate individuals.He gently guided Tracy into Mallory’s capable hands, grimacing when he noticed Jayden’s stern glare followed by her rolling her eyes as she turned away.

He would change and meet with the other elders.Bert or Thomas would have brought his things with them when they left their last encampment.He scanned the cave.Small groups had formed around the young.

“Your stuff is over here.Let’s get changed,” Connell said with a sigh.

“What happened to having me bound and all that?”he asked.

Connell shrugged.“I’m too damn cold to worry about it at the moment.Besides, with the weather like it is outside, I don’t think either you or the beast-girl will want to leave.”

“Tracy… her name is Tracy.She’s important to me,” he quietly replied.

Connell looked over in the direction Mallory had guided Tracy.“Yeah.I could tell.Get changed.I’ll see if I can find us some food.”

Mitchell watched as Connell walked away.As he glanced around, he noticed the group’s wary eyes fixed on him.Shaking his head, he walked over to the far side of the cave.Bert sat on a log, puffing on a weathered wooden pipe that seemed to have aged alongside him.

“See you brought something back,” Bert said in greeting.

“Someone, not something, and her name is Tracy,” he growled.

Bert chuckled and puffed out a ring of smoke.“Shifter got underyourskin too, I see.What is she?”

Mitchell glanced across the cave.Tracy had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt.Mallory was holding a handwoven blanket out to her.Tracy must have said something that Mallory liked because the older woman beamed with delight before ushering Tracy to sit on a log that had been set up near a small firepit.

The glow of the fire danced across Tracy’s face as she listened to whatever Mallory was sharing.Tracy must have sensed she was being watched because she glanced around the cave.Their eyes connected and she gave him a slightly bemused smile before blinking and turning back to Mallory.Mallory turned and gave him a knowing smile.

“You never did say what she was,” Bert reminded him.

Mitchell turned and scowled at the old man.“She’s a grizzly shifter,” he replied.“Do you know where my things are?”

---