Everything in my body hurt.
From my scalp down to my toes, no area was exempt from the throbbing agony that devoured my attention and stole the breath right out of me. I tried to take shallow panting breaths to regain my air but it felt like someone was sitting on my chest, gleefully stabbing a white-hot poker in my lungs on each inhale. I had to have a broken rib, probably several, if the unbearable ferocity of pain was any indication.
The stench of blood consumed the air around me and overwhelmed my sensitive nose. Instinct demanded I recoil from the offensive smell, but even if I could move, there was no avoiding the foul scent because the fresh tang of metallic iron flowed freely from my own skin.
"Make sure every damn one of our healers is present and ready to treat him by the time we get back!" Ever barked out orders.
"Got it!" someone grunted.
I couldn't see who he spoke to. From the location of Ever's voice, he must have been hovering over my prone body, but my eyelids were just too damn heavy to open and look at him. Blackness swam at the edges of my consciousness. I prayed for the blissful numbness to overwhelm me, to give me a brief respite from the torture but unwillingly stayed awake instead.
My Wolf was silent in the back of my mind, whimpering. I didn't know if his acute distress was physical or emotional, probably a combination of both. We were still alive. It wasn't the outcome he planned. And I'd almost agreed with him. Hell, I had agreed with him. I'd given up, willing to let the bear consume us both.
The thought astounded me. Even in my darkest hour, I'd never contemplated ending my own existence. But I'd known that dark desire danced in the shadows of my Wolf's mind which was why I'd resisted his pleas to shift. His downward spiral had gone exactly as I'd feared.
"I don't know if he'll make it back," Asher whispered tensely, drifting through the fog of my mind. "Maybe we should have the healers come to us."
"No! We can't treat him properly in the middle of the damned forest," Ever snapped. "He'll make it back alive." His tone hardened, the sound close as he gritted right next to my ear, "Did you hear me, brother? We're going to carry you out of here. And you're going to fucking live! Is that understood?"
He radiated Beta strength and power doing everything he could to force his will upon the circumstances.
I couldn't answer him. Tongue thick, my mouth felt like I'd been gnawing on cotton for days.
But he wasn't waiting for my answer. Several hands forced themselves beneath me. I cursed when they came in contact with my ruined flesh.
At some cue I couldn't discern, all six wolves lifted, bearing my weight amongst them. White-hot pain hit me like lightning, searing down my spine. I wanted to howl, but the only that came out were deep muffled groans.
"Fuck," Ever hissed under his breath, but my noises of discomfort didn't keep them from accelerating into motion. Long strides ate up the ground as they maneuvered around trees and the thick underbrush.
"Wait a minute!" Asher bit out. The wolves came to an abrupt halt causing me to curse violently in my head.
"I need to reposition my hands. His skin...it's coming apart," Asher's voice hitched, his own pain coming through, "Let me just..." Hands beneath my left flank rearranged themselves as he pulled the edges of the gaping wound together as best he could.
This time, a long howl did slip from my throat, but I immediately regretted it. Fire slashed through my lungs courtesy of several splintered ribs poking into flesh where they didn't belong.
"Okay, now..." Asher gritted out.
I panted breathlessly as they resumed their grueling trek through the forest.
"There's a narrow but accessible trail five miles east of here," Ever grunted with exertion. "Have two ATV's meet us there, one for Leander and the other to transport his kill."
I wasn't quite sure I agreed with his assessment. We hadn't dealt the final deathblow to the bear, but I was in no position to argue.
A short beat went by before Ever continued, "On second thought, get one of the healers to meet us there. Have them bring pain meds and anything usable to treat him on the way back."
"I'm on it!" someone replied from a distance. Was that Samuel?
"Oh, and make sure the healer is male. Leander will lose his damn mind if a female other than his mate tries to touch him again...even if it is to save his sorry life," Ever grumbled the last half of his order.
"Understood!" Samuel called.
Even with their fast pace, it took close to an hour for the wolves to navigate the woods. I ground my teeth together the entire time to keep from crying out. Finally, they slowed and stopped. I panted. The scent of several more wolves surrounded us as I was placed on a makeshift stretcher on the back of one of the large ATVs.
Keane, a male healer, instantly began his inspection, his fingertips lightly tracing different parts of my body. I tried unsuccessfully not to flinch.
"Let me get an IV in him before we go," he said.
"Do it quickly!" Ever demanded.
The healer didn't reply. He just tore open supplies, and I felt a sharp sting in the cradle of my arm.
"Here. We brought you some shorts," a male voice said. I didn't open my eyes but recognized the voice of one of the Enforcers. Fabric rustled as the wolves got dressed. Nobody bothered to cover me with anything. Not that it mattered. The healer needed access to nearly every inch of my damaged skin.
"How much blood has he lost?" Keane asked, his tone tense.
Ever replied grimly, "Too much."
"That's what I thought," the healer muttered. "I've got three bags of blood in a cooler. I'm giving him one now. Hopefully, it will be enough until we get back."
Within just a few minutes, Keane had everything connected to his satisfaction, and climbed onto the rumbling off-road vehicle, straddling me, the only space available to sit. He was careful to keep his weight off of my body. "Okay. Let's roll. I'll do the rest while we're moving."
The ATV lurched forward. I thought I was going to throw up as pain and nausea swirled in my gut. There was a sharp sting in my other arm.
