Page 45

I don’t wait for anyone else.

The second my paws hit the ground, I take off into the trees.

I hear them all shouting behind me.

"Primal!"

"Don’t lose him!"

"Move!"

Branches whip across my face as I tear through the forest faster than I ever have before. Fallen trees become obstacles to leap over, while rocks disappear beneath my paws before I even register seeing them. My lungs still burn from whatever was pumped into the clubhouse, but I refuse to slow down.

Every stride makes the bond stronger.

I can feel flashes of emotion bleeding through the connection.

Fear.

Pain.

Exhaustion.

Hope.

The last one nearly breaks me.

She believes in me. She believes I’ll find her.

Please. . . just hold on.

Behind me, I can hear the others trying to keep up. From their scent, Justice and Tucker are close, while Corbin isn’t far behind me. Even Aziz and Orpheus have managed to keep up despite traveling on foot. Then again, their supernatural abilities let them keep up with others.

No one tries to stop me now.

I skid to a stop so violently that dirt sprays from the trees.

An old house sits hidden among the woods.

I’ve passed this place dozens of times while patrolling, maybe hundreds.

I’ve never paid it any attention.

Now I can feel her inside.

The pain crashing through the bond becomes so intense that I stagger sideways.

She is fading. Not dead, but getting weaker.

Every instinct in me screams to reach her before it’s too late.

I start toward the cabin only to have Corbin’s voice halt my advance. "Hold."

Justice immediately looks at him. "What the hell are we stopping for?"

Corbin never takes his eyes off the house.

"Primal."