Page 38 of Stolen

Love and confusion and paranoia, a need to fight and protect, a need to pull back his pack and keep them safe.

And the life spilling out of him, faster than he could heal.

Dobe crouched down next to them. “Who is it? Do you know him?”

“It’s the alpha,” he said. “He’s got—shit. Some kind of dementia, I think? Delusions. And he’s dying.”

“Oh, fuck,” Dobe muttered.

He and Gunn both knew how bad this was. An alpha who went crazy could drive his whole pack crazy, though their bond. And an alpha’s death could fracture a pack—or turn the wolves on each other in a deadly battle of dominance, until a new leader emerged.

The Outlaw Ridge pack was full of damaged, PTSD-riddled wolves. They were already losing it.

More howls split the air, growing closer.

“Help me get him in the Jeep,” Gunn said. “We’ll take him to the medical center.”

“If we can get to it,” Dobe muttered under his breath.

Yeah. If.

They carried the wolf to the Jeep and laid him in the cargo area. After giving Rex the short version of what was going on, Gunn vaulted into the back, holding the wolf’s head in his lap.

After a few minutes, the animal shimmered and became the man. Gunn winced when he got a good look at the wound. Dobe began tearing up his own shirt, using it for a pressure bandage, but Gunn doubted it would do much good.

He didn’t know if anything would do any good, and he felt a pang in his heart. He and Gregor had had their differences—enough that Gunn had left the Ridge because of them—but he was a decent man at bottom. The Ridge wouldn’t be the same without him.

He stroked Gregor’s hair as the truck bounced down the dirt track, jouncing them all. “You’ll be okay,” he said. “We’re getting you help. Do you know who shot you?”

“De León,” he said. “He had… the girl… my fault.”

Gunn and Dobe exchanged glances. De León had Ariana?

“What about Hawk?”

Gregor didn’t answer that. He needed to tell Gunn something. He could barely breathe, but he kept going. “Had… a vision. Save… the wolves.” He tried to take a breath, and began coughing weakly. Dobe opened his canteen and tried to give him a drink, but most of the water dribbled out the side of his mouth.

“Sent… the girl… back.”

Dobe’s eyes widened. He whispered, “He’s not saying he sent her back to De León, is he?”

Gunn didn’t know if Gregor heard, but he said, “Thought… it would save… the town. The wolves. Saw them all… dead… unless she went.” He shook his head fractionally. “Tried… to give her to his men… violate…”

Gunn felt sick. Gregor’s visions had been known to come true, but he had the feeling the one that had caused this was more of a paranoid delusion. What else could persuade Gregor that it was a good idea for Ariana to go back to De León?

Dreading the answer, he asked, “What happened to her?”

“Hawk,” Gregor murmured. “I tried to stop… shot… but Hawk came… saved her…”

Gunn pulled out his phone and tried to call Hawk. Now that they were down in the forest, there was no signal at all.

“What happened to the communications?” he said to Gregor.

“Destroyed… cell relays. Protect… wolves.”

Hell. Up at the airfield he’d been getting a signal from public cell towers. Without the relays, down at the camp there’d be nothing.

Dobe asked, “Is he saying that he purposely cut them off, so they couldn’t go down and help the town?”