My lungs burned with the need for oxygen as his hand closed more tightly around my neck, cutting off my air supply.
He watched with a smile as I began to suffocate. The darkness came for me, giving me relief from my fear and pain.
Blake
I sat down on the bed. The sound of the door slamming still echoed in my ears. She was rightfully upset and I couldn’t argue with that. Letting out a heavy sigh, I tried to figure out what my next move should be. We’d both been less than honest from the time we’d met and somehow we needed to untangle the mess so we could move on, whether that was together or not.
I bunched my hair in my hands as I thought about the best way to approach this.
I wanted to give her the space to work her anger and hurt off but the reality was we were running out of time. She was vulnerable and she needed to mate with me. It was the only way she would be able to survive. After everything I’d just found out about her, I felt awful. I had no idea how bad her life had actually been and to sit calmly beside her and listen to it had taken more self-control than I thought I ever possessed.
Knowing the truth had pushed the feelings of hate and betrayal from me. I was still trying to figure out exactly where that left me. There was no doubt about the fact that I cared for her and I didn’t want anything to happen to her. Did I feel more? I wasn’t sure.
I wrestled with leaving to cool off or trying to get her to let me explain further. Deciding we couldn’t just leave it like we had, I made the choice to follow her. Just as I made it out of the room, I caught a glimpse of Keri stalking out the gates.
I hung back, giving her a little bit of time before I confronted her again. The guard by the gate watched me closely while I watched Keri disappear into the forest.
Most werewolves enjoyed nature but I think for Keri it was more than just that. Maybe it was her place to cool off. But irrespective of how she felt, mating with me wasn't something she could run from. It was hard to be around her and have to stop myself from touching her. It was hard to believe that in all the time I'd known her, I'd never touched her.
After a few minutes I left the property and walked into the forest, deciding that I’d given Keri enough time. I followed her tracks and the faint remains of her scent. She’d run farther than I’d expected.
The forest was peaceful and there was no forewarning that something was wrong until I heard sounds of a fight.
My heart began to pump harder and I felt a fear like I’d never felt before spread through me with every heartbeat.
Keri.
I began to run, hoping that I wasn’t going to be too late. My anger began to build at the thought that someone would hurt her.
On the outside she portrayed herself as a heartless person who was just like her father, but when she’d opened up to me I’d gotten a glimpse of the little girl who had just wanted her father to love her.
The scene that came into view when I found the source of the noise nearly brought me to my knees. Richard was holding Keri by the neck against a tree.
Alarm filled me when I saw her eyes were closed and she wasn’t fighting back. Fear gripped my heart like an iron fist and squeezed. I swear it stopped beating for the few seconds it took me to take in what was happening.
I saw red and I lost it. I charged for him and took him by surprise, knocking him to the ground with all my strength as Keri crumpled to the ground. I got to my feet just as Richard stood up. I'd briefly met him a couple of times and knew he was just as cruel and ruthless as Victor. I made sure I stood protectively between him and Keri’s unmoving body.
If he wanted her, he would have to get through me and I would die before I’d let that happen.
"You think you can take me?" Richard taunted me. I wanted to tear him apart bit by bit and hear him howl in pain.
"By the time you’re finished with me she’ll be dead," he informed me. He knew that I wouldn't risk her life to end his.
He was right. As much as I wanted to kill him, Keri needed medical attention, fast. Richard laughed as he shifted into his wolf and disappeared into the forest.
I swore that I would watch him die one day for what he'd done. I hurried straight to Keri and dropped to my knees. There was blood smeared from an open wound on her face. I touched my fingers to her neck to check her pulse and I felt an array of emotions sweep over me as I touched my mate for the first time, confirming what we already knew: she was mine.
As much as I wanted to revel in my joy at the touch, I pulled myself back to the task at hand—keeping her alive.
I began to panic when I couldn’t find a pulse so I began to give her mouth-to-mouth. I positioned her on the ground so I could cover her mouth with mine and blew air into her lungs as I began to pump her chest.
Don’t you dare die on me!
Every moment that I waited to see her respond felt like a lifetime.
“Please, baby, don’t die,” I pleaded with her as I continued with the CPR.
I was in such a panic that I didn’t notice I had company until Curtis shoved me to the side and took over the CPR. I didn’t like the fact that he’d taken over, but I had to admit he was better trained at it than I was.
