"Big Timber," Luna's voice crackled over the CB, cutting through the fog of misery that had settled over him like a burial shroud."You need to see this."
Tim forced himself out of the truck, though every movement was like swimming through concrete.The simple act of walking required conscious thought, his body's natural coordination disrupted by the absence of his other half.Around him, the convoy had transformed the werewolf community into a medical miracle.Dragons were providing heat for the medical stations, yetis were hauling supplies with careful gentleness, and werewolf children were receiving the insulin that would keep them alive.
Victory should have tasted sweet.Instead, it tasted like nothing at all.
Luna met him at the medical station, her alpha senses immediately cataloging his distress.Her nostrils flared as she scented his emotional state, and her expression shifted to concern.
"You look like death walking."
Tim's voice came out as a rasp, his vocal cords apparently forgetting how to function without Ali there to talk to."What did you need to show me?"
"The children.Look at them."
Tim forced his blurred vision to focus on the young werewolves receiving treatment.They were laughing, playing with stuffed animals provided by the convoy members, their parents crying with relief as insulin brought them back from the edge of diabetic comas.Life where there should have been death.Hope where there had been despair.
"They're alive because you made this happen," Luna said, her voice carrying the weight of pack authority."Because you were willing to risk everything to get them what they needed."
"We made this happen.The whole convoy."
"A convoy you organized.A mission you led."Luna's eyes were steady on his, reading emotions he was too exhausted to hide."A fight you're about to abandon because your mate called you on your controlling behavior."
Tim's fragile control cracked.His scent spiked with territorial aggression so sharp it made Luna take an involuntary step backward.The emotional release bled out through his pores.
"Stay out of it, Luna."
"Like hell I will."Luna moved closer, her own alpha nature refusing to back down from his dominance display."You think I don't know what it's like to be separated from your mate?My husband died in Iraq fifteen years ago, and the bond breaking nearly killed me.The difference is, your mate is still alive.You're just too scared to admit you were wrong."
The words hit him where he was already broken, but he kept his face blank."I wasn't wrong.The federal deal would give Ali a platform to help supernatural communities on a national level.She could do more good in Washington than she'll ever do hiding in a truck with me."
"And you made that decision for her."
"I made that decision for both of us."
"No, you made that decision because you're terrified."Luna's voice gentled, but the words cut deeper than any shout could have."You're terrified that given a real choice, she might pick her career over you.So you're ending it first to protect yourself from that rejection."
Luna was right.Twenty years of solitude had taught him that he was meant to be alone, that wanting more was just setting himself up for disappointment.Finding Ali had been like discovering he could breathe underwater.Losing her was drowning in slow motion.
"She deserves better," he said, the words scraping his throat raw.
"She deserves a partner who trusts her judgment."Luna's voice carried the patient authority of someone who'd survived her own losses."Tim, I've watched you two together.She doesn't want better.She wants you.But she wants you as an equal, not as someone who makes decisions for her own good."
Before Tim could respond, his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of approaching vehicles.Multiple engines, moving fast, with the distinctive rumble of law enforcement interceptors.His body reacted before his mind caught up, adrenaline flooding his system and sharpening his senses.
"We've got company," he said, his protective instincts flaring despite the absence of his mate.
Through the trees, he could see a convoy of patrol cars approaching the werewolf community.But these weren't Grizz's Fairweather County units.These were newer, sleeker vehicles with markings he didn't recognize.
"That's not local law enforcement," Luna said, her own alpha instincts kicking in."Those are state units."
The CB radio in Tim's truck crackled to life with Grizz's voice: "Big Timber, this is Sheriff Lawman.I've got state police and federal medical units en route to your location.This is official assistance, not arrest operations.Repeat, this is medical assistance, not hostile action."
The iron band around Tim's chest finally released.Grizz had figured out the truth.The system was actually working, for once.
"Copy that, Sheriff.We appreciate the support."
"Big Timber, there's something else you need to know.Sheriff Cottonmouth has been relieved of duty pending federal investigation.But before they took him into custody, he made some threats about stopping the convoy permanently.Threats that included specific individuals.You might want to watch your back."
The relief evaporated like water on hot asphalt, replaced by cold fury that made his vision sharpen to predatory focus."What kind of threats?"
