Mate.
My knees nearly give out.
I cross the room in three strides and drop to my knees beside her, hands hovering inches from her skin because I don’t dare touch her yet.Not until I know she’s okay.Not until Christian checks her.A second later, he’s at my side and checking her vitals.
“She’s alive,” he says, voice steady.“Deep sedation, though.I can smell the drugs.Pulse is strong.”
I release a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
“Cut her loose,” I say, voice rough.
I cut the binds on her wrists while he does her ankles.The rope burns on her wrists makes my hands clench into fists.
Someone did this to her.Someone thought they could take her.Own her.Break her.Rage simmers under the surface, dark and lethal.
As gently as I can, I remove the gag from her mouth.She blinks blurry eyes open at me, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“We’ve got to move,” Christian says.
I slide my arms beneath her, lifting her slowly, carefully, like she’s made of glass.
She melts into me instantly, and my heart kicks hard in my chest.She feels so perfect against me, fitting just right in my arms.
Her head drops against my shoulder, and her breath ghosts across my throat.Her scent surrounds me fully now, warm and sweet and alive.
Something in my chest loosens.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, barely above a whisper.“You’re safe.”
My wolf presses closer, wrapping around her presence like a shield.
“Let’s go,” Christian says quietly.
I rise smoothly.Her weight is nothing.Her importance is everything.
We move back through the house and out into the night.
Cold air brushes against her hair.She shivers faintly, even unconscious.I pull her closer, angling my body to block the wind.
“Vehicles secured,” Jameson whispers from the shadows.“Road is clear.”
“Let’s move,” Russo says.
We don’t run.We glide.Every step is quiet, every sense alert, but the woods stay silent.The world seems to hold its breath as we slip back down the path.
When we reach the trucks parked well beyond the compound boundary, I don’t stop walking.Christian opens the back door before I even reach it.
“I’ll drive,” he says.
I nod.No question, no argument.
I settle into the back seat with Roxie still cradled in my arms.Russo climbs into the passenger seat.Christian takes the wheel.The engine starts low and smooth, and I let out a deep breath as we drive.
Trees blur past in the darkness.Gravel crunches.The steady thrum of the road hums beneath us.
I keep my gaze fixed on her face.
Her lashes flutter once.Her lips part with a small sound.