Page 79 of The Wolf's Mate

It hurts. My movements are jerky and ill-timed. Blackness blurs my vision.

Hettie is going to see me die.

Run, Dove, run.

My death doesn’t have to be for nothing. She can escape; she can…

Something hard hits me across the face, and I crumble to the ground. The disease spreads through me, and I’m not able to hold my wolf any longer. I shift back, my body broken. Blood fills my mouth, and it takes me a moment to see clearly. Michael stands above me—no longer a wolf. He’s holding an ax. Hettie’s ax.

“Now that I got your fucking attention,” Michael growls and slams the end of the wooden handle into my stomach. I groan…maybe scream?

My body feels like it’s been dragged behind a horse. My ribs are broken, and I’m sure other parts of my body are too.

I’m losing so much blood. Consciousness is an effort.

“Rip!” Hettie’s sobs reach me. I turn my head slightly. What a sight I must be. I can feel my eyes swelling shut. My lip is busted, and blood trickles down my nose. I’ve been in bad shape before, but none of that compares to the current state of my body.

I smile, but I think it’s more of a grimace. “Dove,” I whisper, my voice hoarse and rough.

“Do not die on me, Alpha. Don’t fucking die. You were supposed to stay with the pack. You were supposed to…” Hettie breaks off in a sob. Grass is with her. He’s such a good boy. The perfect pet. Hopefully, he’ll be able to see Hettie through this.

“You can run, Dove, but I’ll find you. I’ll always find you.” My words end up in a cough. Blood fills my mouth.

“No…” Hettie sobs.

I’m the one dying, but I want to wrap her in my arms and promise her everything will be okay. It’s absurd to feel happy, but right now all I feel is joy. Joy for knowing and loving Hettie. For experiencing love for the first time.

“I love you, Rip. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. Please don’t die. Live. I need you to live,” she begs, and I want to tell her nothing hurts. I don’t feel anything, but words don’t come to me.

“Alpha Michael, they’re here,” a voice says above me. All their faces mix into one, and I can’t decipher who is talking or who they are talking about. “Should we kill him?”

“Don’t touch him!” Hettie screams, but her pleas are greeted with cruel laughs.

“Leave him,” says a voice I recognize as Michael’s. “He’ll be dead soon, anyway. We have the Nephilim to deal with. Let the girl say her goodbye. Don’t say I never did anything for you, Red.”

Nephilim. Seems like they are finally going to show their faces. The group of wolves all grunt and walk over me to join Michael in…whatever he has planned with the Nephilim.

Hettie is by my side the moment the others leave me to die. Apparently, I’m no longer of concern to them. I’m as good as dead.

Soft hands cradle my face gently, so as not to cause me any more harm. “Rip, you silly, foolish man. You were supposed to stay with the pack. They need you. I…need you.” Hettie leans down, her forehead pressed against mine.

I think this might be paradise.

“I love you, Hettie.” The words don’t accurately convey how I feel about her. I just wish I had more time to tell her. She deserves to hear it every day.

“Don’t you dare, Alpha,” she snarls. “Don’t say that because you think you’re going to die. If you love me, you’re going to live. Do you hear me, Rip? Live.”

I smile, though it’s painful. I wish she knew how much I wanted to live. How much I wanted to spend every waking second with her. But I don’t think that’s in the stars for us. At least not anymore.

We would need a miracle. But that’s not what we get.

Instead, we get fire that lights up the whole forest.

Chapter 38

Hettie

The world is on fire, and I watch it burn right in front of me. I don’t move, resigned to my fate. Maybe this is hell. My mate is dying, and I can’t do anything about it. I wanted to make things better, but I’m cursed to only make things worse.