Wolf Bound

Chapter 12: Let Me In

Blood rushed to my head as I raced to Vincent's side. I stopped short when I got close enough to remember he was still naked. Covering my eyes, I untied my jacket from around my waist and threw it over his lower half.

"Hey, you!" I dropped onto my knees at his hip, placing a hand on his forehead. As I suspected, his forehead was boiling hot. Dammit, of course. I should've trusted my gut when I thought there was something wrong with him. He'd been acting strange ever since yesterday. This guy was un-fucking-believable.

"Vincent! Hey! You're not dead, are you?" There was no response. "Oh no, you're not allowed to die. I'm already in deep shit because of you! Seriously. You can't die on me, okay!?"

"W-why are you . . . so fucking noisy?" He fought to open his eyes. "Relax. . . I'm not dead."

"Well, you don't sound alive!" I scoffed out a laugh.

My fingers rested under his jaw, feeling for his pulse. I then bent forward, propping my ear on his chest. Surprisingly, his pulse wasn't as weak as I thought it would be. Still, it was fading as though he was on the verge of losing consciousness. He was still bleeding out too. The metallic odor of the bloody fumes was messing with my nose. I hated this new heightened sense of smell.

"You're overexaggerating, Genesis. I'm okay. I-I . . . I just need to get to Mariah. We need to go." He tried to sit up but I pressed my hand into the wound on his side. "Ow, what the fu—!?" he shouted, then coughed.

"Overexaggerating my ass!" I scowled. "Stop moving. Seriously. You're severely injured!"

He growled in annoyance. "I'll start healing soon. The healing process is faster for us."

"Healing? I don't think you understand the condition you're in. Even if you've already started healing, you'll bleed to death before you make it back to Calamitous! You need to at least let me clean the wound first and patch it up until we get back. I can help you!"

"I said I'm fine," he hissed.

I didn't miss the flicker of gold in his eyes, flashing at me, as his jaw clenched tight together. He tried to lift himself up again but I grabbed the nearest thin stick on the ground, jabbing him in his open flesh wound. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He dry-heaved and crouched over, groaning. I then narrowed my own eyes and snarled. The noise surprised both of us.

I could tell because his eyes went back to their original color. That's when I felt the two sharp canine teeth poking out of my gums. He glanced between my mouth and my eyes. Were my eyes glowing yellow? They must have been because he backed down. Smart man. He could have continued to throw a fit, used his alpha aura to intimidate me, fight back, did whatever the fuck he wanted—but he wouldn't have gotten much done against me in his weak state.

I took that as my chance to pin his arms on either side of his head. He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. His mouth was parted, his cheeks flushed with an expression I couldn't tell was due to his pain or something else. I tried not to focus on his body but his face.

"Listen, I tried to be nice. But your stubborn ass leaves me no choice. I refuse to go down for another death. You're accepting my help whether you like it or not," I gritted out.

He remained quiet. I watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. I'd observed him enough to know he was calming himself. He then exhaled and looked at me. I should've known Claudia wasn't joking when she said most wolves like Vincent were short-tempered.

"Good. I'm assuming your silence means you're going to cooperate." I sighed, shaking my head at him. "Vincent, you have a fever."

"Do I?" His eyes fluttered closed again. His breathing was lagging. I could see his chest rising in an attempt to breathe at an even pace and stay awake.