Page 34 of Alpha's Hidden Gem

My wolf senses are overwhelmed by the thick smoke, making it nearly impossible to locate Lila's scent.

Too much smoke,my wolf howls internally, its panic rising.Can't smell her!

I try to calm both of us, focusing my thoughts. "Focus," I tell myself, pushing through the haze. "We'll find her."

But my wolf's growing panic mirrors my own, urging me to move faster.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

Through the flames, I spot a familiar wolf figure running toward me. Elena. Relief washes over me as I rush to her side, taking in her soot-covered fur. She's alive.

"Elena!"I shout through our pack bond over the roar of the fire."Where's Lila?"

"She's trapped,"Elena coughs, pointing deeper into the barn."A beam fell on her. I tried to free her, but..."

I nod, understanding the unspoken.

"Go,"I tell her, helping her to her feet. "Get out of here. Help the others."

Elena hesitates for a moment, her eyes reflecting the flickering flames.

"Keep going that way and you will find her."

Then, with a determined nod, she disappears into the smoke, leaving me to face the inferno alone.

The barn groans ominously above me, the structure weakening with each passing second. I push deeper into the flames, my heart pounding in my chest. As the smoke swirls around me, I catch a faint whiff of a familiar scent. Vanilla and cinnamon.

Lila.

My pulse quickens, hope and fear battling within me as I follow the scent trail, praying that I'm not too late. The flames grow higher, the heat more intense, but I refuse to turn back.

Hold on, Lila,as I push forward into the heart of the inferno.I'm coming.

There.

Through the haze of smoke and the dancing flames, I finally spot her. Lila, my Lila, lying unconscious, pinned beneath a heavy wooden beam. My heart lurches at the sight, a mix of relief and terror flooding through me.

Save her,my wolf roars within me, its desperation palpable.

Bite her, turn her.

Make her one of us!

I shift back to my human form, the vulnerability of my naked skin against the searing heat a stark reminder of the urgency of the moment. I rush to Lila's side, my hands gripping the beam, muscles straining as I try to lift it off her. The wood is hot, blistering my palms, but I barely feel it. All that matters is freeing her.

As I struggle with the beam, I realize with a sinking feeling that Lila is barely breathing. Waves of fear and desperation crash over me. I can't lose her. Not like this.

It's forbidden,a part of me whispers, even as my wolf grows more insistent.

We can't...

She dies if we don't,my wolf counters, its voice filled with anguish.

She's meant to be pack.

To be ours.

The internal debate rages within me, even as the flames lick closer, the heat almost unbearable. Lila's life hangs in the balance, and I know I have to make a choice.