I tried to turn Snowdrop around, hoping to find a gap to escape through, but as soon as I moved, a massive wolf—its fur almost black—stepped forward and growled. The deep, guttural sound made my heart stop.
This was it. I was going to die because I’d been stupid and careless. The pit in my stomach twisted painfully as I closed my eyes, waiting for it to be over.
Then a snarl ripped through the air—louder, sharper than the others. My eyes snapped open, just in time to see a large wolf leap between me and the others. Its fur was a deep auburn, muscles rippling as it landed in front of me, teeth bared at the three wolves.
For a moment, silence hung in the air. The other wolves hesitated, their ears flattening. And then chaos erupted.
The three wolves lunged at once, and the auburn wolf met them head-on—teeth gnashing, fur flying. Snowdrop reared back, her fear overwhelming her, but I was frozen in place, unable to move. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
The auburn wolf was fighting to protect me, but there were three of them and only one of it. They tore into each other,and I could barely breathe as I watched. Time seemed to slow, the scene unfolding in jagged flashes—growls, yelps, bodies colliding—and then the auburn wolf hit the ground with a thud, one of the others sinking its teeth into its side.
I needed to do something. I needed to help. But I couldn’t even scream.
The fight ended almost as suddenly as it had begun. The auburn wolf lay still, blood staining the dirt beneath it, and the three other wolves turned their attention back to me. My heart stopped. This was it. They were going to kill me. And I hadn’t even been able to save the wolf that tried to protect me.
Before they could move, a roar shattered the air—deep, earth-shaking. I whipped around, eyes wide, just in time to see a massive bear charge out of the woods. It barreled into the wolves, swiping at them with paws bigger than my head.
The wolves scattered, their snarls turning into yelps as they fled, tails tucked between their legs.
My brain screamed that I should run too—because if three wolves were terrifying, what was I supposed to do with one bear?
The bear stood there for a moment, chest heaving with each breath, and then it turned, locking eyes with me. My breath caught in my throat as it padded over to the auburn wolf, nudging it gently with its nose.
Right in front of me, the wolf shifted—its body contorting, bones cracking—and suddenly Noah lay there, unconscious and battered.
“Noah?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
The bear turned to me, and then it shifted too—its form blurring, rearranging itself—until Holden was standing there, fear etched into every line of his face as he looked at me.
“Oh,” I said flatly, numbness washing over me. It was all I could manage.
Holden didn’t waste a second. He moved to Noah, lifting him effortlessly into his arms, and then glanced back at me. “Follow me,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “We need to get him back.”
I nodded, still too stunned to say anything else.
Holden leaned close to Snowdrop, his voice low but reassuring. “Go home, girl. You know the way.”
Snowdrop whinnied softly, her ears flicking back as if she understood. With a nudge from Holden, she turned and began trotting down the trail toward the compound.
Holden carried Noah toward the main grounds, and I followed, my body on autopilot while my mind reeled.
Bear shifter. Wolves. Noah.
Somehow, in the strangest way, it all made sense. But I didn’t know what that meant—for me, for Holden, for any of this. All I knew was that right now, I had to keep moving. I had to make sure Noah was okay.
Everything else… I’d figure out later.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
HOLDEN
The entire walkback to Bishop’s clinic, I didn’t say a word, even though my brain was screaming. I focused on getting Noah’s limp body to my brother. That was the only thing that mattered right now. Still, I could feel Mylo’s eyes glued to my back.
It was easy—for now—to ignore the fact that I’d just shown him exactly who I was. He’d seen me shift. He’d seen Noah go down for him. Everything I’d dreaded, everything I’d tried so damn hard to avoid, happened in a single heartbeat.
But I couldn’t think about that. Not yet. Not until I knew Noah was okay.
Over and over, my brain reminded me:Mylo knows.There was no undoing it.
