Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,86

fine.”

The wolf hesitated, still growling, but eventually eased to his feet and retreated. His dark eyes glowed in the light as he stared down the crowd of people who burst through the gate and into the enclosure. They even had a stretcher. I was impressed they were so prepared. As someone I didn’t recognize bent over me, I tried to keep my eyes open despite the lights that made my vision blur. “Men here. Bad men. Be careful.”

“They’re all dead,” the guy said cheerfully. He put a plastic cup over my nose and mouth and slid a little strap around my head. “Breathe deep, friend. This is oxygen. We need to get you on the stretcher, then we’ll be on our way. I’ve got a little morphine for you, but this is going to hurt.”

I inhaled and the cool rush of air against my face nearly made me dizzy. A little pin-prick against my hip wasn’t really noticeable, not when the numbness retreated and the pain roared back to life. An odd, cold sensation rushed into my muscles and then the agony melted away. I tried to nod but someone wrapped a hard plastic collar around my neck and I couldn’t move.

When they lifted me, I cried out. I couldn’t help it. There were too many hands touching too many painful spots to keep it to myself, but I knew it didn’t matter. It just made me feel better to make some noise.

The wolf, though, wasn’t having any of it. He heard me and immediately charged. He knocked someone down and more shouting erupted. A crowd of bodies surged forward and tackled the wolf. He almost escaped, throwing people off left and right, but then I was on a stretcher and floating through the air. When I tried to look back, the crowd of people blocked me from seeing anything, but I still heard the growling.

Then I was inside a vehicle and more people surrounded me, doing things and putting sensors on my chest and taking blood pressure and pulse and starting to put pressure on wounds. But my thoughts stayed with the wolf and his heated gaze. Maybe it had been Dodge. Maybe he still lived. Maybe I really was that lucky.

Chapter 39

Dodge

Dodge heard her cry out and the wolf lost control. He charged, trying to free her from the small army of people who tried to carry her away. Even though the man knew she needed a hospital, the thought that they would take her from him sent him into a spiral. He snarled and fought as more of the pack surrounded him, in human and wolf form, and kept him from reaching Persephone.

His own injuries didn’t matter. Only reaching her mattered. He’d protected her from the tiger, he’d killed the bastards that hurt her. Dodge struggled with the wolf, to keep from being lost entirely in the beast’s mind. More people piled on and eventually they threw heavy chains over him to keep him from chasing after the SUV that hauled Persephone away.

He felt her loss as if he’d been shot again, and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. The wolf retreated, but didn’t give up control entirely, when it became clear they wouldn’t be able to reach her.

Dodge reached for her mentally, needing some kind of connection. He hadn’t thought that humans could sense the mate bond or a pack connection, but when the bastards hurt Persephone and she needed strength, he’d felt her. He’d felt her and gave her as much of himself as he could. He only hoped it was enough to carry her through.

It was only a blink before Evershaw stormed up, newly returned to human form, to loom over him in a cloud of absolute rage. “What the fuck is wrong with you, wolf?”

Dodge growled but avoided making direct eye contact, since he didn’t want to get his ass kicked in front of so many people. The chains wouldn’t make it a fair fight, but he was pretty sure he could make a good showing against even Evershaw. Silas lingered at the edges of the pack, as if everyone had forgotten he was supposed to be the dangerous one, and avoided drawing attention to himself. But he made sure Dodge saw him.

Dodge’s chest constricted. At least he still had his battle buddy.

Evershaw’s shoulders flexed. “Get your shit together. Persephone needs your stupid ass. Change back and if you can control yourself, we’ll get you to the hospital so you can be with