Alpha's Curse

Chapter Four: Wounded and Weak

Jared's POV:

I swear as I hear growling a few hundred feet from where I'm at. Damn that Alpha and his instincts. The rest of the pack is drawn to the noise. I start running. "Back down, all of you! Go home!" I take off toward the sounds of the fight, but Josh is head of me, shifting his weight from paw to paw uneasily.

"I can't break them up!" He says through the pack connection, his ears flicking back as one of the two give a brutal snarl. "They're really going at it!"

Growling, I jump into the mix and grab the girl by the scruff of the neck, ripping her off of Drew and throwing her away. She lands on her side and rolls. It takes three seconds for her to stand. She braces herself for another lunge. I shift into my wolf form right as Dew recovers and tenses for another attack. I hunch my shoulders, bare my teeth, raise my hackles, stand at my full height and stare down at the female.

"Enough!" I roar. They both growl, teeth shining with saliva and blood. She jumps to the side, but I'm between her and Drew, and she can't take a clear shot without the chance of getting me instead. Drew, feeling the rank beginning to bare down on him, stands to his full height, no longer coiling his muscles to fight. I stand, raising my chin, and stalk toward her. She bares her teeth at me even more, brown fur standing on end. I can see red tints to it that aren't her regular color. I turn to Drew. "You wounded her?"

He's licking at his front paw, which I see is also hurt, and glances up at me. His fur quivers. "She was going to fall into the river! I had no choice!"

"Alphas," I growl. "Always think you know everything!"

Shylah's growls have died down. I turn back to her and stop pulling rank, going over to poke my nose to her shoulder. "You're running on adrenaline and Lunac power. Those wounds that he inflicted need to be treated, but I can't help you if you don't give me consent. If you want answers, I can help you."

She whines at me. Speech seems to be beyond her ability. It's not uncommon when they first shift. I go back to human form and crouch at her side. My hand threads through her fur. "You're safe with us," I say. "But you've got to trust me, or I can't fix you."

She whines again, and her eyes glance between me and Drew before her muzzle dips into a nod. And then her eyes shut and she faints. Drew is beside her in human form before she even touches the ground, arms tucked under her side and lifting her up.

"I got her," he says gruffly.

I give him a wary look. "You're pushing yourself, Drew. Are you--."

"Go get Calypso and have her bring two med kits to my house. I can manage, Jared." He holds my gaze and nods in reassurance. "I'm fine."

His hand is bleeding, his shirt is slowly blooming red, and he walks with a limp. But if he says he's fine, then he's fine. I nod at him. "Alright," I agree. "Just...call, if you need a break. I'll hear you."

"If I call, you better hurry your ass there," he says dryly. I'm not entirely sure he's joking. I go wolf and jog away.

*~*~*~*

My mind is foggy, and every part of my body hurts. I'm cradled against something, but I can't tell what it is. I smell spice and thunder, cedar. It's his smell. I can feel cotton against my cheek, a soft t-shirt. Less than a quarter aware of what I'm doing, I turn my head toward the material. The scent fills my nose. I crack my eyes open for just a second, and immediately regret it—the sun glares down at me, partly blocked out by a masculine head. I fade back into unconsciousness with amber eyes staring down at me.

*~*~*~*

Drew looks down at the passed out form in his arms. Her fudge-colored hair is tinted red in the sunlight, and her face is lit in a way that makes her look peaceful. She's much prettier asleep than awake and scowling at him. His chest thrums and he looks away. Damn it. His wounds get the itching feeling of healing. He can feel the one on her shoulder bleeding through her shirt. Fuck. He looks back down at her and swallows: her hair is in her face.