a car? Or even worse, had an animal been abandoned and left to die? While sickening, such cruelty wasn't unheard of, especially on high traffic roads like this. No matter. I’d always wanted a dog. If this one could be saved, I’d give it a home with all the love its heart could handle, since I knew a thing or two about being tossed aside.
Parking my bike as close to the side as possible with the attached sidecar, I hit my flashers and crossed my fingers no one would come hurtling around the corner and crash into my ride. My headlight lit up the area, letting me see the unprotected stomach and balls of a medium-sized, toffee-colored wolf. Huh. Seeing such sensitive areas on display told me the wolf was either dead or knocked out.
Before I took a step away from the bike, my wolf howled and tried to jump forward. He slammed against my chest, pushing to take over. Fighting him back took more strength than it ever had in my life, and within three more steps, the wind shifted, and my human nose understood what my wolf had already discerned.
This wasn’t a wild wolf, and he wasn’t dead. This was my mate.
I took off at a run, rushing to his side and frantically checking for a pulse. Between the thick fur and my own nerves, finding the fluttering proof of his heartbeat took longer than it should have.
Even as I breathed out in relief, I felt almost foolish. On some level, I’d known he was alive since he didn’t smell like death. No, he smelled like candied ginger and some soft herb I couldn’t quite name at the moment. And more importantly, he smelled like… home. Like my home. The one place where I would always belong.
His weak heartbeat concerned me, as did the dried blood covering his paws and the ridiculous amount of burrs and nettles matted into his fur. He clearly needed a healer. Sliding a hand under his head, I gently lifted it and brushed my fingers over his muzzle while I considered my next steps.
A human doctor was out of the question, but the one thing lacking in my new pack was anyone with medical skills. The sole epsilon I knew of was an hour away, give or take, in Lucerne Valley.
Shit. Of course I should've thought of Matt's pack immediately. Not only did they have an epsilon, they were better set up to help protect and defend my omega mate than my newly trained deltas. The men in my pack had fighting skills, but they weren't soldiers. Matt sent a couple of his Delta captains over to help with my newly formed squadron, but it was a work in progress. Not until this week had we finally been able to start zeroing in on possible captain candidates to take over when Matt’s men left.
Carefully lifting him, I cradled my mate against my chest, shielding his body from further injury. A semi rumbled by, throwing a blast of heated air our way. Seeing the truck reminded me of our vulnerable position, further hammered home as several cars roared past.
Moving carefully, I hustled as much as I dared, carrying him to my bike, where I settled him on the sidecar's floorboard. I snagged a blanket from one of the compartments, tucking it around him as best I could to help protect his smaller body from the wind. I wasn't sure if it would hit him down there, but better safe than sorry.
Once I had my helmet on, I fired up the beast and merged with traffic while I tapped the button for my Bluetooth. As soon as Raul came on the line, I explained the situation and asked him to oversee the pack run tonight. Raul had already proven himself to be efficient and the perfect beta for me, so I wasn’t surprised at his easy acceptance.
"No problemo, Lucian. I've got things here. Your mate comes first. We'll be here waiting to meet him when he's well. I'll let Mamá know—she'll want to light a candle. Be safe. Don't drive like a demon tonight. Remember, getting in an accident will only prolong getting him to a healer." Considering the way he drove, I grinned at his warning, but I appreciated the concern.
"Thanks, Raul. I'll be in touch." After I ended the call, I pushed aside all worries about my pack. For the rest of the drive, I focused on two things—the road and keeping one