Page 68 of Claiming Ours
It was way too early to be awake after the exhausting day and late-night fun with Liam and Memphis. So why was I, and with my heart pounding in my chest?
Lids heavy, I started to nod off again, assuming it was my internal alarm from my early morning runs before the busy workday. Inhaling the crisp, clean air, I scooted closer to Liam’s radiating body heat.
Almost asleep, my eyes popped open again at a rustling sound outside the tent. Fully awake now, I slid away from Liam, careful not to rouse either him or Memphis, who lay sprawled out on my other side, and pushed up to my elbows.
With the heels of both hands, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and then squinted out at the clearing, searching for thecause of the noise. A quick movement in the thick trees, barely noticeable in the early-morning sun.
Running the tip of my tongue along my dry lips, I glanced between the two men. I wasn’t positive about what I saw, the silhouette too small to be a large predator, and they needed their rest for the long day ahead. No need to wake them yet.
“Where are you going?” Liam’s husky voice froze me where I’d shimmied out from between him and Memphis.
I scanned his closed lids and chest, rising with deep, even breaths. He looked seconds away from falling back asleep.
“Bathroom. I’ll be right back,” I whispered.
It wasn’t technically a lie. Now that I was up, I needed to pee. It just wasn’t the sole reason I was leaving the tent.
Pushing to stand, I straightened the loose T-shirt I’d packed to sleep in and tiptoed to the edge of the tarp. Forgoing socks, I slipped one bare foot into my boot and then the other, all while keeping a watchful eye on the area where I caught movement minutes ago. Grabbing Liam’s discarded flannel from the day before, I pulled it on, the sleeves long and baggy. Nose pressed to the collar, I inhaled, loving the manly scent that filled my lungs, reminding me of him.
Out in the dawn glow, I paused, taking a precious moment to appreciate the utter peace that came in the mornings. These moments were why I treasured Alaska. There was freedom for me in the vast silence it offered, as if the world stood utterly still and all that mattered was that moment.
A deep, threatening growl broke the tranquility, freezing me in place. The horses stomped their hooves, snorting and shifting along the line, fully aware of whatever animal was out there.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, alerting me to the threat somewhere behind me. Heart slamming against my ribs, breaths quick and shallow, I slowly twisted around. That was when I saw it, the shadows no longer concealing the animalas it prowled out from between two thick trees. The massive wolf snarled, the fur along its spine raised.
No. Not a wolf.
Eyes squinted and head tilted, hoping to see farther, I studied the somewhat familiar dog as it drew closer. It watched me, studying my reaction as I did the same, attempting to remember why the particular husky seemed familiar.
Recognition hit me so fast and out of nowhere that I actually stumbled back with a gasp, hand coming up to loosely wrap around my throat. At my sudden movement, the dog’s ears went back, coupled with a painful whimper as he slowly lowered to his belly and laid his head between his paws. Nothing signaled a threat from the dog; instead, he seemed terrified and vulnerable.
My heart sank, knowing that meant he was probably injured.
“Henry?” I whispered. When the dog continued to watch me, not responding to the guessed name, I racked my brain. “Damnit, Baylee, think. Harvey?” The dog huffed, and I swear he rolled his eyes. “Okay, so clearly not Harvey.”
I chewed on my lip while gazing at his rust-covered muzzle. My stomach churned, realizing it was probably dried blood.
“Hank?”
His ears went up, and he shifted to stand on unsteady legs.
“Hank,” I breathed in relief. “Are you hurt, buddy?” I started toward him, only to freeze with a single boot in the air. “Wait, where is she, your owner? Fuck, what was her name?” Hand out, I dared another step toward the frightened animal, but he turned and bolted back the way he came. “Hank,” I whispered. “Come back here so I can help you.”
He paused at the edge of the clearing and looked over his shoulder, a pitiful whine cutting through the quiet morning. Without thinking of the consequences, only Hank, I started off after him, leaving my two protectors behind. When I was withina few feet of him, Hank slipped into the trees, trotting along a somewhat-worn animal path.
Thin branches and brush scraped my exposed legs while prickly Sitka spruce needles poked at my cheeks as I weaved through the trees, keeping Hank within sight as I followed him deeper and deeper into the forest. Each heavy breath fogged in front of my face, the morning chill even colder in the dense trees.
“Hank,” I whisper-shouted, head whipping every which way to make sure someone didn’t jump out and kidnap me. I swallowed hard, realizing that was a legit possibility, and I was putting more and more distance between me and camp. “I think I should get the guys, okay?”
A few feet ahead, Hank whined, his bright blue eyes pleading with me to keep going like two beacons in the faint light.
“This is a terrible decision,” I muttered, pulling Liam’s flannel even tighter around me to trap what little body heat I could to keep from freezing to death on this dumb, side quest.
Oh, Liam and Memphis both will be explosively pissed about this later.
Blowing out a raspberry, I continued on, following the dog I barely knew instead of turning around like any wise person would.
I should have but didn’t because… maybe Liam was right, and I had no self-preservation skills. Or maybe after everything I’d been through, I just didn’t give a fuck anymore. But with him and Memphis in my life, bringing me back from the brink of a grief-induced death with smiles, laughter, and love, that “I don’t give a fuck what happens” mentality was fading.
