Chapter Twenty - Nine

WOLF

Throwing my entire body against the metal gate for the umpteenth time, I know my shoulder is fucked, it’s dislocated and numb, battered from the heavy blows of my launching myself against the gate, but I don’t care.

I’m getting out of this cage one way or another; they can try and contain the man, but not the beast, not anymore.

The moment I collide with it one last time, it suddenly pops off its hinges, crashing to the ground, the metal clanging on sudden impact.

I stand, hands fisted by my side, my entire body vibrating furiously as I rapidly breathe in and out, my chest rising and falling with the determination to kill Mason.

Looking down at my dislocated shoulder, I smirk, welcoming the pain suddenly coming to life within it; I immediately grip my battered arm with my other hand, yanking hard as it pops back into its socket.

Pain, fuck pain, I feel nothing.

“MASON!”

My voice suddenly thunders across the hole as I feel the ground beneath my feet quake, the energy driving its way through my body as little sparks quiver with excitement; it comes alive as if for the first time, and I’m suddenly driven by that force, that determination to rip everyone apart who caused my mate pain. I will make them pay and cause them pain like never before.

My beast isn’t the same as before; I can feel something raw, wild, and feral transforming within me, far beyond my animalistic capabilities, like the roots of where I come from surging through me with a deep and threatening growl.

Traveling up the long mine shaft tunnel, I’m pulled by her scent. It’s faint, but I could pick it up anywhere.

Sasha.

My mind is racing; I’m zeroing in like a racehorse on a race track; nothing else matters; if I find my mate, I will find the rest of them. Mason, Caius, Lisbon... I’ll fucking destroy them all.

I pick up the pace, running faster and faster, explosive energy rippling through my body. Sasha’s scent is swirling around my nose like an intoxicating drug, and it’s only getting stronger; my brows furrow as the animalistic nature of my beast claws at my brain; her scent is laced with her blood, and I’m almost choking on the tang of the metallic taste lingering in the air. It’s then that my beast growls,

MATE. SASHA. MATE. CLOSE.

My feet skid to a sudden halt; six feet away from me, my eyes zero in on Caius and Lisbon, standing frozen in place, staring at me in bewilderment.

A deep, threatening growl reverberates through my chest. Still, it falls short the moment I see Sasha’s unconscious body cradled in Caius’s arms. My entire body goes into overdrive, and I can’t breathe.

“Wolf, she’s still alive; she has a pulse. It’s faint, but it’s still there...”

My eyes fly up to Caius’s wary ones as if this monster of a man is suddenly fearful of me, and he should be; I’ll kill him. My body shakes and trembles with rage when I snarl, baring my teeth as shivers run through my body.

“Did you hear me? She’s alive; she needs to shift; only you can command her to do that, Wolf...” His voice sounds unsure, like he’s trying to pacify me, but it won’t work.

He’s holding my girl.

Mine.

My wolf wants to murder them all.

My eyes lower as they rake over Sasha’s still form, fear almost crippling me where I stand when, within a split second, my wolf takes over, and I close the gap between us; the apparent reaction from both Caius and Lisbon is clearly fear as they gasp in response.

I look down at Sasha; there’s so much blood that my heart shudders behind my chest.

MATE. HURT. MATE. DYING.

I instantly blink as I try and come to grips with what I’m seeing; she’s so pale, with no real signs of life. However, when I close my eyes, I can feel her faint pulse beating like a tiny fluttering butterfly. It’s slowing down, almost completely gone, but it’s still there; there’s still hope.

“Give her to me, now!” I growl, and Caius instantly releases her to me; her fragile frame feels cold and pale. Her body is completely limp in my arms, and the sudden onset of tears stings behind my eyes as my bottom lip quivers.

"Sasha.” I breathe her name like it’s the last time I’ll ever speak it,

“There’s no time to waste on you standing and holding her, Wolf; if you’re going to save her, you must act now.” The urgency in his voice suddenly has me pushing past them with a deep growl, running with her in my arms; all that matters is saving her life.

I can’t lose her.

Caius and Lisbon are behind me, but I don’t care. The moment I push into my room, I quickly lay her down gently against my bed, my eyes raking over her face, the blood staining her nose and mouth... and my jaw clenches. The moment my eyes fall down to her wrists, I see only red as the gashes against her flesh have me instantly knowing what Mason had done, slitting her wrists, true Mason nature. My body trembles with anger.

Fuck.

My eyes move over to her stomach, and the blood staining her shirt instantly has a shiver running through my entire body; my baby girl, my perfect princess... I’ll kill Mason for this.

I lift Sasha against my chest, lowering myself down against the hard floor when tears begin rolling down my cheeks as I push my lips against her forehead.

My jaw clenches, my entire body contracting as my heart shatters inside my chest.

I can’t lose her, not when I’ve just found her.

Please don’t die, please baby, please...” I whisper as I sob, burying my face against her hair as I cradle her.

I can’t lose her, I can’t...

My wolf growls inside of me when I grit out,

“Shift!”

I wait, but nothing happens; my voice’s desperation makes me want to break down in tears. Am I giving up?

No.

A fierce determination rushes through me as I lift my hand to my mouth and bite down hard; if I am her mate, if what supposedly runs through my body is tied to her through the moon, then maybe, just maybe...

Blood pools in my hand, dripping from my clutched fist as I hold my hand over her mouth. As I pray, I separate her lips, the crimson drops dripping into her mouth.

Please, please work...

"Shift,” I whisper beside her ear, the only driving force being my will for her to survive is my deep and unconditional love for her.

I love this girl more than words could ever express. We’ve only known each other briefly, but I’m all in; she is my reason for breathing, my heart, and my soul.

She’s mine.

I don’t know why I dripped my blood into her mouth; it was instinct.

My jaw clenches as I tremble with the crippling fear that I’ve genuinely lost her when nothing happens.

But then, her body suddenly begins to shift. Her bones crack, her body jerking as her wolf takes over. I’m still holding her in my arms, but I gently lay her down when her fur starts to sprout from her body.

I’m watching her transform before my eyes, and my jaw goes slack as I blink when I look down at the most magnificent creature before me.

“Wait, she’s a white wolf?” I shoot up to see Caius and Lisbon staring wide-eyed at Sasha’s wolf, and my beast loses it.

White wolves are so rare that you hardly ever hear of any still alive. They were hunted to extinction because of their unique gifts and powers; it all makes sense to me now why Sahsa’s got magical abilities, why Fenris actually kept her hidden; it wasn’t just because she’s got witch blood that runs through her veins, it’s more than that, she’s a white wolf.

I’ve heard stories growing up, but I never thought I would see one in real life; I’m in complete awe as I stare down at her before dropping to my knees and running my fingers through her long, soft fur.

My jaw clenches when I realize she isn’t moving; her body is entirely still.

“Something’s wrong; she isn’t healing...” I grind out; my eyes land on the bright red fresh blood staining her snow-white fur against her stomach when my eyes shoot up to Caius.

“What do I do?”

Caius frowns as he narrows his eyes,

“You need to shift, Wolf. She needs your beast’s powerful energy to heal; she cannot do it alone; she’s too weak,”

“How do you know?” I grit out, and Caius scoffs as his face hardens on me,

“I just do.”

Both Caius and I look over at Lisbon, who is staring me down, her lips set in a thin line as she processes what this means.

Huffing, she blows out an exasperated sigh when she grumbles,

“Fine, if it’s going to heal her, I’ll temporarily release you from your curse. But let me be clear: It’s temporary, and I can change my mind any second, so don’t give me a reason to.”

Clenching my jaw, I narrow my eyes when I nod, having to force myself to play nice with this witch to save my mate’s life.

It’s worth it.

Lisbon raises a hand towards me when she begins speaking words of enchantment I don’t understand.

The moment she speaks those words, it’s as if a heavy weighted blanket instantly lifts from me in under a minute; gasping, my hand clutches tightly against the metal dog tag around my neck.

I don’t think I just rip it from my chest as I throw it to the ground. My beast has never been happier as my bones begin to crack, shifting and transforming the moment my beast takes over.

With fur covering my body, I’m standing before them, an almighty beast; when I shake out my thick black coat, my eyes are suddenly blazing, and a threatening growl reverberates through my chest as I bare my canines straight at the monster and the witch who are responsible for everything that has hurt my mate.

My giant paw pounds down in front of me as I stake a claim over this room, stepping towards Caius and Lisbon; Caius’s eyes widen in response when he grips Lisbon’s arm, pulling her back towards the door.

“What are you doing?” She sneers at him while still keeping her wide eyes fixed on me.

“We need to get out,” he grinds out,

“No, I’m not leaving her with him,” She snaps,

“Right now, you don’t have a choice; you’re not looking into the eyes of his wolf Lisbon; you’re looking into the eyes of an Ultima; get the fuck out, now.”

Lisbon gulps as she realizes what that must mean, only then allowing Caius to guide her back; within an instant, my beast lunges toward them as my jaw snaps at them with a resounding roar. Still, Caius slams the door in my face at the last second, caging me in the room with Sasha.

My wolf spins around immediately and looks down at Sasha’s white wolf. Whimpering, he paws closer to her, crouching protectively beside her as he nudged her with his snout, licking her all along her jawline.

Growling, his body is pressed against hers, his head resting over hers as he repeats the same thing in my head.

MATE. MINE. PROTECT. MINE.

‘Yes, old friend, we’re protecting our mate and keeping her safe.’

And then he says something I wasn’t expecting,

“THANK YOU. WOLF.”

I’m suddenly thrown off my axes; my beast has never thanked me for a goddamn thing; the only words I’ve ever gotten out of him are primitive and carnal; thank you isn’t part of his dictionary.

Swallowing an emotional lump forming in my throat, I realize that no matter what happens now, my wolf and I are complete; if Sasha dies, we die together; we’ll be together with our mate, and that’s all that matters.

My wolf closes his eyes, and I suddenly feel the heavy weight of exhaustion overtaking both of us; I quickly drift into a deep sleep as I begin to feel the steady thrumming of her heartbeat against my ribs, pulling me under. I’m happy to let go, where I’m meant to be, and Sasha is the only lifeline I’ll ever need.

Mine.