shuhaige
Chapter 32
I drift awake to the pale light of dawn filtering through the cave mouth. My eyelids feel heavy, crusted with dried tears and exhaustion. As my surroundings slowly come into focus, I’m aware of the solid wall of heat pressed against my back.
Wraith.
His arm drapes over me, a protective weight holding me close. I tense instinctively, every muscle coiling like a wire pulled taut. But he doesn’t move, doesn’t react to my stillness. Just lies there, unmoving, unblinking.
Watching me.
Those pale eyes bore into mine from beneath the shadowed ridge of his hood. His chest rises and falls with each ragged, mechanical rasp of his breathing, but otherwise he’s utterly motionless. Statuesque.
Frozen.
As if he’s afraid the slightest shift might shatter this fragile moment between us.
My gaze drifts to the fresh bandage wrapped around my arm, the gray fabric stained with rust-brown blossoms of dried blood. The pain radiates through my entire limb now, a dull, throbbing ache that pulses in time with my heartbeat.
Fever, maybe?
Infection?
I can’t afford either right now. Not out here in the merciless wilderness, with only this untamed beast for company.
Wraith’s eyes follow mine, that icy gaze lingering on the wound. A muscle twitches in his temple, his chest rising with a deeper inhale. I can practically see the thoughts flickering behind those frosty depths, the war between instinct and restraint raging just beneath the surface.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Slowly, carefully, I try to sit up. Every movement sends fresh lances of fire searing through my arm, the agony stealing my breath. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision as I slump back against Wraith’s solid frame, gasping.
A low rumble vibrates through his chest, the gravelly sound somewhere between a growl and a purr. His arm tightens fractionally, drawing me closer, shielding me from some unseen threat.
I should be terrified. Should be fighting with every ounce of strength I have left to break free of his unbreakable grip.
But I’m not.
Because as much as this alpha is a beast, a brutal force of nature encased in flesh and bone… he’s also the reason I’m still breathing. The reason this fever-dream of a life hasn’t ended in a gory splatter or a frozen, forgotten grave.
He saved me.
The realization settles over me like a warm blanket, quiet and comforting in its simplicity. This monster, this nightmare given form, chose to spare my life when he could have so easily snuffed it out.
And not just spare it—protect it. Tend to my wounds and shelter me from the elements and whatever other horrors lurk in these unforgiving peaks.
I owe him a debt I can never repay.
My chest tightens at the thought, a strange ache blooming behind my ribs. This feeling, this fragile spark of… what? Trust? Kinship?
It terrifies me more than Wraith ever could.
Because to trust an alpha, to let one get under my skin… it’s a death sentence. A surrender of everything I’ve fought so hard for, all the boundaries and walls I’ve erected around my heart to keep the monsters at bay.
A soft huff of breath escapes my lips, the sound ragged and raw. Wraith’s head tilts ever so slightly at the noise, his pale gaze boring into me with renewed intensity.
I can’t bring myself to look away.
Can’t bring myself to shatter this strange, tenuous peace between us.
A howl pierces the still morning air, distant but unmistakable. Wraith’s entire body goes rigid, every muscle tensing like steel cables pulled taut. His head whips toward the cave mouth, a guttural snarl ripping from his chest as he surges to his feet.
I cry out as he moves, the sudden motion jarring my wounded arm. Pain explodes through me in a blinding wave, the cave spinning sickeningly around me.
Wraith doesn’t seem to notice. He’s already stalking toward the entrance, shoulders hunched and bloodied fists clenched at his sides. Every line of his massive frame radiates a feral, predatory menace that has my instincts screaming at me to run, to hide.
Another howl splits the air, this one closer. Followed by the muffled crunch of boots on snow, the unmistakable sounds of voices drifting through the trees.
Wraith snarls again, a bestial rumble that sets my teeth on edge. He plants himself squarely in the mouth of the cave, a looming silhouette backlit by the watery gray light filtering in from outside.
I struggle to sit up, fighting a fresh wave of dizziness. Whatever is out there has triggered some primal switch in Wraith’s fractured psyche, sending him hurtling back into that dark abyss of savagery and violence.
The thought should terrify me. But all I feel is a strange sense of relief, of gratitude that this brutal alpha has chosen to stand between me and whatever new threat waits beyond our meager shelter.
The voices grow louder, closer. I tense, fingers digging into the hard-packed earth as a familiar figure emerges from the trees.
Whiskey.
The burly alpha’s head swivels back and forth, rifle sweeping the treeline in a wide arc. His lips peel back in a snarl as his gaze lands on Wraith, raising his gun.
‘You son of a bitch!’ he roars, finger tightening on the trigger. ‘Get the fuck away from her before I—’
I don’t let him finish. Adrenaline pulses through me, hot and sharp, lending me a burst of strength I didn’t know I had left. I scramble forward, shoving past Wraith’s immense bulk to plant myself squarely between him and Whiskey’s rifle.
‘No!’ I rasp, raising my hands in a desperate plea. ‘Don’t shoot!’
Whiskey freezes, eyes going wide with shock. His jaw works soundlessly for a heartbeat, two, the muscle in his cheek twitching. ‘Ivy?’ he finally manages, tone thick with disbelief. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’
‘He saved me,’ I gasp out, fighting to stay upright as the world tilts sickeningly around me. ‘Don’t hurt him.’
Wraith looms at my back, a hulking shadow radiating menace and restrained violence. If I wasn’t delirious with fever, I’d be petrified. As it is, all I can focus on is the weight of Whiskey’s stare, the naked fury etched into his rugged features.
‘Saved you?’ he snarls, fingers flexing on the rifle stock. ‘You expect me to believe that feral piece of shit did anything other than try to kill you?’
‘I do,’ I rasp, bracing myself against the tremors wracking my limbs. ‘He could have… but he didn’t. He bandaged my wound, kept me warm through the night. If it wasn’t for him…’ I trail off, the words sticking in my raw throat.
Whiskey’s nostrils flare, broad chest heaving with each harsh exhale. His eyes bore into mine, searching, assessing. For a long, charged moment, the only sound is the rasp of our mingled breaths misting the crisp air.
Then, slowly, he lowers the rifle, though the tension doesn’t bleed from his shoulders. ‘You’re hurt,’ he growls, dark gaze flicking to the bloodstained fabric wrapped around my arm. ‘Let me see.’
He takes a step forward, hand outstretched. Wraith rumbles low in his chest, the warning vibration rippling through me where my back presses against the solid wall of his frame.
Whiskey’s jaw tightens, fingers clenching into white-knuckled fists at his sides. ‘Goddammit, Wraith,’ he grits out through his teeth. ‘I’m not gonna fucking hurt her, you psycho piece of—’
The words die on his lips as I sway on my feet, knees buckling beneath me. Whiskey lunges forward, catching me before I can crumple to the frozen ground.
‘Easy there, little wildcat,’ he murmurs, looping one thick arm beneath my knees to scoop me against his chest. ‘I gotcha.’
I try to protest, to insist that I can walk on my own. But my tongue feels thick and leaden in my mouth, the words dissolving into a low, incoherent moan.
Whiskey shoots Wraith a look filled with equal parts challenge and warning. ‘We’re taking her back to the compound,’ he growls, already turning to head back the way he came. ‘Don’t make me put you down.’
Wraith snarls something harsh and unintelligible, but he makes no move to stop us. Just watches, those eerie blue eyes glittering from the shadows beneath his dark hair as Whiskey starts the arduous trek back through the snow.
I let my head loll against Whiskey’s shoulder, too drained to even keep my eyes open. The steady rhythm of his strides is oddly soothing, lulling me toward the blessed oblivion of unconsciousness.
‘You’re lighter than a fuckin’ feather, you know that?’ he mutters, jarring me back to wakefulness. ‘Had to haul Valek’s dead weight down that whole damn cliff after you clocked him. You weigh half as much.’
A flicker of amusement ghosts across my lips at the thought of the brutal alpha laid low by my hand. ‘He’s going to kill me for that,’ I murmur, each word an effort.
Whiskey snorts, the sound rumbling deep in his broad chest. ‘Nah, I think you impressed the sick bastard. Can’t remember the last time someone actually got the drop on him like that.’
I hum softly, letting my eyes drift shut again. The pain is starting to recede, the fevered delirium dragging me under into a welcome haze. ‘Was just… trying to survive.’
‘Yeah, well. You did one hell of a job, little wildcat.’
The words fade into the distance as I finally surrender to the darkness pulling at me. The last thing I’m aware of is the crunch of snow beneath Whiskey’s boots and the distant, rhythmic tread of another set of footfalls following in our wake.