back underneath the cabin. Leigh came and stood on her left side, and she hoisted her injured leg over his back, laid her body flat against him, and wriggled until her weight was distributed evenly. As her fingers gently grasped the loose skin at the back of his neck, he began to move.
Her grip on his body felt light, hesitant at first, but as he speeded up, she clung on, squeezing with her thighs. It was a nice feeling having her wrapped around him; more than nice, in fact. He ran into the dense forest, and kept going for a mile or so, and then he stopped. He had used every reserve of his energy, and he could barely move. Being attacked while he was in mid-shift had had a huge effect on his body. Shifting was so difficult for a shifter in the first place, and being caught mid-shift was something every shifter dreaded. There was a danger that he could’ve been trapped like that, half man, half bear, and unable to return to either form. There were folk tales of unfortunate shifters who had suffered this fate, and had to spend the rest of their lives looking like freaks. He shuddered at the thought. Adaira stroked his back and behind his ears, seeming to understand that he needed to regain his energy. He allowed his muscles to relax, but his ears and nose were on high alert, ready for the wolves to come after them. There was no sign of them though, and he wasn’t too surprised. He’d just killed their leader. Their energies would be occupied by figuring out who was going to be the new alpha. Wolves. He hated the way they were so obsessed with their hierarchies.
“Leigh, are you ok?” Adaira said, her voice startling him. He made a purring noise. She gave a soft laugh.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He stretched his body. He felt better now, capable of the journey back up the mountain. He began to move at a walking pace, listening out the whole time, just in case.
Some time later, they were back at Leigh’s cabin. He hunkered down beside the rock he’d been sitting on all afternoon, allowing Adaira to slide off his back and sit on the rock, and then he dashed inside. He wanted to get back to his human form as fast as possible so he could speak to her. He pulled on the t-shirt and jeans he’d discarded earlier and came back outside. Adaira was gazing up at the sky. It was very clear tonight, and so many stars were visible. He stopped in his tracks and gazed at her. Up until now, she’d been an injured person that he needed to get away from the wolves as quickly as possible, but now he saw her with new eyes, as the woman he’d seen in her profile photos, but even more beautiful in the flesh. Despite having just carried her on his back, he hardly dared approach her now. She’s your mate , his bear insisted, scrabbling beneath his skin. But she went off with the wolf , he silently reminded it. It huffed, as if that was of no consequence.
Adaira turned at the sound of his step.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine now, thanks to you,” she said, her voice soft.
“Let me take a look at that leg.” He walked over to her, knelt down and untied her boot with trembling fingers.
“It’s just a sprain, I’m pretty sure,” she said. He felt around it as gently as he could.
“I think so too. It just needs plenty of rest, and then it’ll get better. I don’t have any ice, because I don’t have an ice box up here, but I think it’ll help if you put it in cold water.”
He ran to the stream and came back a moment later with a bucket of fresh water. She sighed as her foot sank into it.
“God, that feels better already,” she said. “I can’t believe I made it out of that damn window in one piece, only to land on a rock!”
“You climbed out of the window?”
“Yep. That wolf had me trapped in there.” He felt a burst of anger, at the wolf who’d trapped her, and at her for deciding to go off with him.
“Why did you follow him to his lair instead of coming to see me?” he said, more
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