Page 74 of Wolf Unleashed
“Just like no shifter would destroy her own wolf, or that of her daughter,” Adeline countered. “What you don’t realize, Alpha, is—”
The words blurred together, as did the voices.
“She’s burning up—”
“What did you give—”
The whimper of a wolf caught Alyssa’s attention, but it, too, was fading. She followed the pained cry until something grabbed her and pulled her under the blackness.
Chapter Twenty-Two
RAFE
“Something’s wrong!” Tiernan shouted, instantly stopping the argument between Rafe and Adeline. “Alyssa’s barely breathing.”
Rafe shoved Adeline out of the way to examine Alyssa. Tiernan was right. Her breathing had slowed, and she’d lost all her color.
Maddox, who just returned with blood on his muzzle, shifted, pushed his way to Alyssa’s side, and touched her forehead. “She’s burning up.”
Adeline’s hands flew over Alyssa, checking her breathing and her eyes. Rafe didn’t need her proclamation to know what was happening.
Alyssa was dying.
“The bond,” Tiernan said. “I can feel it unraveling. Thread by thread. We’re losing her.”
Rafe looked to Maddox for confirmation. The shifter’s hand shook as held her hand. “Fight, angel. Don’t leave us.”
When Adeline rotated Alyssa’s arm to take her pulse, she ran her fingers over the faint scar bisecting Alyssa’s palm. Brown eyes shot to Tiernan, who cradled Alyssa against his chest. “This is a blood-bond scar.”
“Yes,” Tiernan confirmed with pride. “I blood-bonded her last night.”
“What do you mean, you blood-bonded her? The serum can’t be used after a blood-bond!”
“She’d already blood-bonded me,” Maddox said.
“Yes, and we accounted for that. We worked with her DNA collected a few days ago, DNA that already changed based on your blood-bond with her. But this… another blood-bond… The serum was not configured for this new DNA. It will cause a reaction that will break down all of her DNA.”
“Give her something to counter the serum,” Rafe ordered.
“Don’t you fools understand? Blood-bonding changes a shifter’s base DNA. Her body’s attacking her blood to get rid of the serum, which is infusing itself in every cell in her body. It’s too late to do anything. There’s no way of cleaning the serum from her blood!”
“Maybe her wolf could,” Tiernan said, holding strong.
“Her wolf was caged when she was twelve. It’s never been able to heal her. That’s why the serum would have killed her wolf. Her wolf cannot defend itself while caged.”
“We need to free her wolf,” Tiernan said.
“Explain,” Rafe demanded.
“I felt her. After the blood-bond. Wild, angry, determined. I don’t believe she’s fully caged. And there’s what Alyssa said.”
My wolf. I can almost touch her. Rafe recalled her words from last night.
Tiernan slid Alyssa into Maddox’s arms. “After she blood-bonded Maddox, she said she felt more of a presence in her, as if a door had been cracked open. Her words, not mine. I think each blood-bond has helped give her wolf the power to break out of the cage her father built.”
“What do you suggest?” Rafe asked.
“Another blood-bond. With you, ” Maddox said. He understood and agreed with Tiernan. Perhaps they knew because of the bond they shared with Alyssa. Either way, Rafe would have to trust their instincts. And he’d do anything to save her.
