and I didn’t know how Zev managed to keep us on the road as I blinked my eyes clear. Luna sagged against Ian and me as we held her between us, her hand slipping from Alarick’s grip.
“Is she okay?” Shannon inquired, hurrying to undo her seat belt to get at the pup.
“She exhausted herself, but she’s not hurting now,” Ian assured her with a tired sigh of his own.
“Okay, Fillian, I don’t care if you slap me. Fucking hell, that was insane,” Chann exclaimed, shaking his head with wide eyes as he looked between us.
“Ari?” I murmured hesitantly. Luna was still slumped in my arms, preventing me from reaching forward to check on him.
“I’m with Chann,” he muttered.
“Raff?” My voice held a quiver now, and a hacking cough met my ears, followed by a sputter as if he cleared his mouth of fluid. I glanced frantically at the GPS, nearly groaning in relief when I saw we were close. “Hold on, Raff,” I called. “Just hold on, we’re almost to you.”
“I’m holding,” he whispered.
“Fillian, Alarick,” Zev began, his voice hard. “Are you strong enough to head straight there? You’re our best chance at reaching him and getting him stable. We’ll park and follow behind you.” Both took deep breaths and nodded before slipping their seat belts off.
“Luna, honey, Ian’s gonna climb over us, okay?” I murmured to her. “Just hold really still.” I pressed her up against me as Ian basically climbed onto my lap so he’d be able to launch himself from my door when Zev pulled up at the front of the hotel.
“The rest of you, I’m going to take the first parking spot I can,” Zev instructed. I’d rarely seen him take this role, but now I understood it better. He didn’t flinch when it came to these moments, his mind working as quickly as Ian’s or Alarick’s. “Don’t run, you’ll just draw attention. Keep Luna between us at all times. Shannon, if anyone approaches, push them back with a slap of any negative emotion you can think of. Pixie, I don’t care what you use, Luna is your priority. Chann, you take the rear. There’s no one for point, but I’d rather keep them penned between us anyhow.” We all nodded our understanding.
The phone was silent now, and we all shared a look as Alarick pressed his lips tightly together.
Zev skidded to a stop, the valet jumping back with an oath as Alarick and Ian jumped out, heading for the door. Zev took off down the block. “There!” He whipped into the spot, cutting off another car with a squeal of tires, and we slipped onto the sidewalk. Luna clung tightly to me, her hair hiding her face, as we walked toward the hotel entrance. My wolf was howling, and I prayed we weren’t too late.
Chapter Sixteen
Alarick
We didn’t bother with the elevators, heading straight for the stairs, hurling our bodies up the flights as we ran for my father’s floor. My wolf was howling in my head, desperate to be let loose, but I knew I couldn’t release him, not here in the middle of this human hotel. It was why my father had come here, a last resort to hopefully increase the little bit of time he would have so we could get to him. I just hoped it would be enough, because when Gwyar realized my father was no longer the Alpha of Lupine Hollow, he would be furious—and I had no doubt he would be mad enough to kill, challenge or no.
Fillian’s steps beat in time with mine as we hit the hallway door, not caring when it slammed into the far wall with a crash of metal and wood as we searched for the room. My blood pounded in my ears, my heartbeat drowning out the words I wanted to scream as the seconds ticked away. The door at the end of the hall hung open, and I swore as Fillian and I pushed ourselves even harder as we shoved our way inside.
The room was large, but filled with wolves the way it was, it seemed small. I could barely see my father on the bed, the white sheets tangled around his waist where he sat propped up against the wooden headboard. His face was gray, his cheeks sunken in, and sweat slid down his cheeks in rivulets to drop onto the soaked sheets. His blue eyes were dull, staring sightlessly in front of him, and my breath stalled in my chest,