The bear turned away from the cave. The mate bond thrummed inside him like a compass, pulling him deeper into the forest. James let his bear take control, trusting instinct over thought.
Through the swirling snow, he caught glimpses of her passage, a broken branch here, disturbed snow there, the faint impression of footsteps already filling with fresh powder. Each sign was a lifeline, a confirmation that he was on the right path.
His bear pushed harder, muscles burning with effort. The wind howled through the trees, carrying away any sound that might have guided him. But it couldn’t touch the bond thatconnected them. That primal, unbreakable tether that had recognized her as his from the first moment they’d met.
It blazed inside him now, a thread of heat through the ice, urging him to reach her before the cold stole anything more from her.
Then, through a break in the trees, James spotted movement. A dark figure staggered through the blizzard, bracing herself against the wind. Doreen. Relief hit him so hard his legs nearly buckled.
But he kept going, his bear sliding to a stop in a flurry of snow. Then he shifted and stumbled toward her.
“Doreen!” he shouted, though the wind nearly swallowed the word.
She didn’t turn around, she was too focused on staying upright, every step an act of sheer will. When she finally heard him, she whipped around, her face pale. “James?” Her voice cracked with shock and relief.
He reached her in an instant, grabbing her shoulders, steadying her as she sagged with exhaustion.
“You came,” she whispered.
“I will always come for you,” he said fiercely, pulling her against his chest, trying to shield her from the wind.
His bear rumbled inside him, overflowing with a mix of pride and terror.She’s safe.
“Jake,” she gasped. “And Bash… they’re in a cave. I tried to find the road…I needed to bring help back.”
James pressed his forehead to hers, emotion clogging his throat. “You did everything right. Everything. I’ll get us all out of here.”
Her knees buckled then—not from fear, but from sheer exhaustion—and James caught her easily, scooping her into hisarms. She buried her face against his shoulder, her breath warm against his skin.
“Hold on to me,” he said, voice low and fierce. “I’ve got you now.”
James tightened his grip on Doreen, squared his shoulders against the storm, and headed toward the smell of smoke.
He had found her.
And nothing—not blizzard, not fear, not fate itself—would ever take her from him again.
Chapter Nineteen – Doreen
He was here.
A sob clawed up her throat, sharp and unexpected, as her knees nearly buckled with the sheer force of relief.
Despite the cold, Doreen could feel a familiar pull in her gut that told her he was near. The mate bond. All her previous skepticism vanished in that moment.
Before she could process it, his arms wrapped around her, and she sagged against him. Her fingers dug into his jacket as she clung to him, terrified that if she let go, he might dissolve into the bitter cold like a cruel hallucination.
“You came,” she whispered.
“I will always come for you,” he said fiercely, pulling her against his chest, shielding her from the wind.
“Jake,” she gasped. “And Bash… they’re in a cave. I tried to find the road. I needed to bring help back.” James pressed his forehead to hers as tears pricked her eyes.
“You did everything right. Everything. I’ll get us all out of here.”
Her knees buckled then, not from fear, but from sheer exhaustion. James caught her easily, scooping her into his arms. She buried her face against his shoulder and inhaled his scent.
“Hold on to me,” he said, voice low and fierce. “I’ve got you now.”
