This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,57
partial print of a boot forms a third, shocking bruise across the middle of her arm. Someone took hold of her, dragged her down, and then stepped on her arm.
Tristan said that Baxter Griffin attacked the girls, but I’m suddenly flashing back to memories I’d rather forget.
My voice hardens as I glance at Jace.
“Who did this to her?”
I already suspect the answer, but I don’t want to believe it’s possible. It’s the same maneuver Dawson used to use on me.
My hands start to shake and I can’t stop the motion. Dealing with the pain when it happened was traumatic, but seeing it now inflicted on someone else brings back fears I’ve pushed away for years. “Did my brother do this to her?”
Jace gives me a stern nod. “It was Dawson Nash.”
“How is that possible? Dawson lives in the Highlands.”
Why would my brother be anywhere near here? He shouldn’t be in the city. He should be far behind me back in the Cascade Range.
I gasp a mouthful of air and squeeze my eyes closed, pushing away my questions. I need to restrain my power or Tristan will react to it.
We have enough problems already.
Jace remains silent, his focus shifting to a spot behind me, and I sense Tristan move closer.
“Your former alpha, Peter Nash, has pledged an alliance with Baxter Griffin,” Tristan says. “He sent his son to the Eastern Lowlands to join forces with Baxter against me. The other alphas will soon join him. Since my father died, they’ve been trying to claim my territory.”
I thought I’d left Dawson behind…
Taking a deep breath, I begin reciting lists, the same way Ella does, whispering them beneath my breath. “Blue treasure… Pink ocean… Yellow forest… Violet sunset…”
My breathing returns to normal.
I open my eyes.
I’m aware of Tristan’s gaze burning my back, the slightly unsettled crease in his forehead when I glance his way, but he doesn’t say anything about my list reciting.
I can’t do anything about Dawson right now. I focus on Becca. Focus on what I can do.
“Give her to me,” I say to Jace, hooking my arms beneath Becca without waiting for him to agree.
His lips purse. He looks ready to say ‘no,’ but he surprises me by shifting her carefully into my arms. She’s heavy, but I’m ready for her weight. I sink slowly to the floor with her, curling my legs under her body and releasing my wolf at the same time.
Becca doesn’t try to fight me, turning her eyes up to mine.
My wolf’s energy emerges slowly.
My wolf raises her head at my side before curling her body around Becca, her energy passing right through the girl as my wolf takes up position as close to my chest as she can. My animal stands with her head lowered to Becca’s chest, her gentle eyes meeting the girl’s.
“You’ll be okay,” I whisper to them both, telling myself that too.
Becca is fixated on my wolf, her sobs slowly subsiding and her breathing becoming more regular. As far as I can tell, her injuries are bruising and shock—and fear for her sister. All I can do is ease her emotional turmoil as best I can.
We stay like that for another ten minutes while Becca’s eyelids lower, open again as she fights my wolf’s calming energy, then lower again.
“Everything will be okay,” I whisper to her.
Beside me, plastered up against the wall, Jace stares down at us with an unsettled expression that matches Tristan’s. The way I’m sitting, I’m blocking him from moving away. He has just enough space between my legs and the wall to slip free.
Tristan takes himself off to the other side of the room until, finally, Helen falls silent.
She’s stopped speaking spells.
My focus wrenches to her where she stands gripping the edge of the examination table, her wand abandoned on it.
She’s pale, trying to catch her breath, but she raises her head with a smile. “Carly’s going to be okay.” She pulls away from the table. “I need to help Becca now.”
Using my wolf’s energy to give me a surge of strength, I rise to my feet holding the resting girl before I remember that there’s nowhere to place her. Carly’s taking up all the space on the examination table. When I stood up, my wolf remained standing at my thigh. I’m not willing to separate from her and reveal my skills to Tristan or Jace yet.
Determined not to fail Becca, I carry her toward Helen, who works over her quickly, humming spells under her breath, the pages