Page 101 of Forbidden Moon
“Wolf people at the Preserve! I dint know Russell was Yoop’r Tooper.”
Now he had RJ’s attention. Ben mentioned someone named YooperTrooper in connection with the attacks, maybe even working with the blogger guy. Could this be...”
“Hold on, Dominic. Are... are youBirdman?”
He nodded his head as the tears flowed.
“Russell crazy. Can’t stop im. They gon die Sunday!”
Oh, God. Shards of icy fear prickled RJ’s spine as he broke out in a cold sweat. Jonahdeadin two days? No. NO, damn it!No onewould harm his mate! The epiphanous moment immediately swept away the doubt, replacing it with a hungry determination to protect and cherish. Jonah, he finally understood, belonged to him now and forever. So be it. He would return to the Preserve, warn them of the coming attack, and claim his mate as he should have.
With no more time for thinking or debate, RJ turned to the still-blubbering Dominic and struggled to help him up. Tender ribs throbbed with the effort, sweat beading his forehead.
“You’ll never make it on foot. Let me give you a ride home.”
RJ steadied the wobbly man as they lurched the rest of the way to his vehicle. Once there, it took a lot of grunty lifting to get Dominic into the passenger seat and belted. RJ climbed in, started the truck, and turned to ask the man for directions. Too late. Dominic was out like a light, leaning against the window, breathing through his mouth. Out of time and with no other choice, RJ headed towards the Preserve and his future.
Chapter 39
THE GUARD ON DUTY RECOGNIZEDRJ’s pickup before it came to a stop and wondered what he wanted. Like everyone else on packlands, he couldn’t help resenting the person who’d hurt Jonah so badly. He approached the open driver’s side window and sampled the scents. Excitement, fear, longing, and... alcohol? That explained the other guy passed out in the passenger seat. Interesting.
“What may I do for you, Sir?”
RJ flinched. If the guard knew who he was, he didn’t show it. Perhaps he wasn’t welcome here any longer.
“I’m RJ Wilson. Can you get a message to Ben Blair? Tell him I have Birdman with me. He’s been drinking and passed out before I got his address, but he claims the Preserve will be attacked on Sunday! Also, please ask Jonah if he would be willing to see me.”
Surprised, the guard told RJ to wait while he jogged back to the guardhouse and dialed up the Alpha.
“Ben, RJ Wilson is at the gate. He wants to see Jonah and claims his passenger is Birdman! The guy’s been drinking and has passed out.”
“Birdman? What the... never mind, let him through. I’ll meet him myself.”
The guard returned to explain and then waved RJ through the gate, wondering if the human would stay this time. For Jonah’s sake, he sure hoped so.
Cleared to go, RJ made short work of the curvy road, trying not to jostle Dominic more than necessary. He didn’t have any idea what they’d do with the poor guy but knew they would probably want some information out of him after he sobered up. Honestly, he was more concerned about Jonah. Would he refuse to see him? Would he ever forgive him for walking away? Could the damage be repaired?
As the parking lot came into view, RJ spotted Ben, Evan, Dr. Follett, and two others waiting for him—but not Jonah. He supposed it wasn’t realistic to think the man would be eager to see him, but it hurt anyway. He parked, got out, and went directly to speak with Ben and Evan.
“His name is Dominic Bluett. We met at the bar, and he told me YooperTrooper was going to attack you on Sunday. He passed out before I could take him home, so I brought him along.”
He watched as Dr. Follett opened the passenger door to briefly check on Dominic and then stood back as two helpers wrestled him out of the truck to carry him towards the infirmary. RJ continued to explain.
“From what I can tell, he’s pretty broken up about putting you in danger, and he’s scared of this Russell fellow. You aren’t going to hurt him, are you?”
