Page 93 of Hunted

Clicking the talk button off, she continued barking orders, all fierce Alpha. “Brody and Topher are prepared to evac Sofia off the bridgeway. They’ll be here in four minutes. Rossi’s shot grazed her across the temple. They’ve controlled the bleeding, but she’ll need a transfusion as soon as we can get her to the hospital. Where’s Jori—” She turned, scanning the crowd.

“I’m good, Alpha.” Jori waved from beneath a metallic heat retaining blanket, coughing badly. “Send the others first.”

“Yeah, you don’t look so hot. I’m putting you in the first ambulance after Sofia and the high priorities move out.”

“Where’s Cris?” Vlad interrupted.

Rowan straightened, fingers tightening in my fur. “He was right behind me. Did he not make it back? River went in the water after Rossi took Ellie.” She whirled on London. “How long has he been out there?”

Everyone began shouting at once.

“I’m going,” Vlad said grimly, shaking his head when Rowan tried to protest. “You’re in no shape to go back out again. I’ll find them.”

“Cris,” Rowan began, and I was sure I saw her brush away tears. “And River. Oh my god. Vlad—”

“I know.” Vlad pulled her into a quick, fierce hug. “I have to go now.”

And then he was gone.

I gagged up more water, trying to bark. What came out was wild, panicked yips. Apparently, no one had time for the hysterical newly-turned werewolf when there was a crisis at hand.

River.

My heart slammed in my chest. I scrabbled up on shaky paws. Which direction was the river? I had to get back down there, had to find him. I couldn’t lose River, couldn’t—

“They’re back!” West shouted, and I whirled to see Vlad, Cris and River collapse in the center of the floodlights in a tangle of limbs. I darted forward, legs shaking as a team of paramedics descended on them. Before I could get there, arms seized me from behind.

I snarled at my captor, snapping like a hangry kindergartener denied graham crackers at snack time as they wrestled me to the back of an SUV.

“Did I not say she would go full Hannibal Lector the first time she wolfed out?” My sister grunted. “I told you we should have been feeding her veggie burgers three times a day this entire week as a precaution. But does anyone listen to me?”

“She’ll calm down once we get protein into her,” Ethan said mildly. “But they’re not going to want her eating right now anyway. There’s a good chance she needs to go into surgery right away. And maybe don’t squeeze her so tightly if she has a gut wound?”

I whined gratefully, wagging my tail. I felt like I could eat two entire sacks of Thai food. But not until I knew River was okay. I squirmed, trying to get away from Hayden’s iron Valkyrie grip. Curse her years of guitar playing, she was so strong.

Hayden nuzzled my ears. “And of course, you would be all ridiculously fluffy like a labradoodle. You’re like the cutest werewolf ever.”

I knew she was just trying to distract me from the paramedics, who were busy working on River. I whined, wanting to rush over there, to see what they were doing. No doubt that wouldn’t be welcome. Labradoodle wolf or not, they would be freaked out if a werewolf leaped in the middle of their rescue scene and started licking the patient.

“Ellie, can you shift back?” Ethan asked.

I whined again.

“Okay, try to relax. Take some deep breaths so your heart rate will come down. You were stressed the first time you shifted.”

My heart slammed in my chest. What if I was permanently trapped in my wolf form, like Ben Caldwell had been, locked in the wolf’s skin for months or even years?

Suddenly there was a commotion. River, shirtless and looking battered and bruised, pushed his way through the crowd of his brothers and several paramedics hanging off him with blood pressure cuffs and what looked like the start of an IV in his wrist.

“Ellie,” he rasped. He held out his arms. Hayden released me. I sprang into them. River caught me. “You have to shift back,” he cooed, rocking me gently, like I wasn’t one hundred pounds of wet, shivering wolf and he hadn’t nearly drowned. “They won’t let you in the ambulance in wolf form and we need to get you to the hospital.”

I shivered in his arms, so glad he was okay.

“All right, that’s it,” River barked. “Is Mom stable?”

“She’s good,” Topher called. “They’re loading her up now. Brody’s riding with her. She’s pissed Rossi got away and demanding a phone so she can call Guillermo, which is a nonstarter until her blood pressure stabilizes.”

“Yeah, I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.” His face darkened. “How’s Cris?”