It hadn't worked, though. Even now, when my wolf should have been relaxed and looking forward to the midnight run, the bastard paced inside me, growling and demanding we stay on the road. Keep hunting. For what, neither of us knew.
But nothing short of an emergency would keep me from my pack tonight, so I was heading back to Tehachapi whether my wolf liked it or not. He might not have been happy, but we had our responsibility to our pack. Even if the beast wasn’t in the mood, my human side respected our duty.
My mind continued to wander, wondering why I'd been feeling a low-key urgency myself recently. The last time I’d felt this way, like I was on the cusp of a major life change, I’d ended up killing a man a few days later and inheriting his pack. This time felt… different, somehow. Like my very life depended on protecting something. Someone. The problem was, in order to defend them, I needed a clue as to what was in danger.
The closer I got to home, the more the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and my stomach clenched. Whatever was about to happen in my life, it was close. My eyes automatically started scanning the road, my shifter-enhanced vision helping me see more of the dark ground off to the sides than a human ever could.
I eased off the throttle and slowed as I came around the first curve taking me into the higher mountain. If I hadn't, I might have missed the brown dog lying half out of the ditch. At this speed, I was able to stop in plenty of time to check it out.
The poor thing looked dead. Hopefully not, though, since I was feeling strangely drawn toward it. Had someone's dog been hit by 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 eye on my mate for any sign of further distress.
The journey was over before I knew it, and I had a moment to be glad Matt had removed the gate separating his property from the rest of the pack, so I didn't have to slow down heading up his driveway. Then I realized Matt had no idea I was coming. Belatedly, I hit the Bluetooth and inspected my phone to call him. A short conversation later, I was already parked and lifting my mate as Matt and Eli came rushing out to greet me.
I barely had a chance to explain and request to see their epsilon before I found the man himself watching from the porch. Isaac, like every other healer-type I’d ever met, looked mysterious as hell and emitted powerful vibes, leaving little doubt of his gifts. I didn’t care how long that gray beard was or whether his shirt paired well with his red corduroy pants. I just wanted to know if he was the real deal. Then he spoke in the elevator and made me a believer.
His eyes were kind, even as his words socked me in the gut. "Don't worry. Thirteen is stuck in this form because his wolf is the sole thing keeping him tethered to our world. Your presence will assist in bringing him back. But first, we must take care of his wounds and alleviate much of the pain. All will be well in the end. It's been foretold."
When he referred to my mate as Thirteen, I assumed he was talking about how many patients he’d seen and couldn’t understand why. Maybe to take my mind off the stress while we headed to his clinic?
Looking down at my mate, then back at Isaac, I frowned in confusion. "Why did you call him Thirteen? Do you number your monthly patients or something?"
"Why ever would I do such a thing? No. I called him Thirteen because it is his name. Or rather, the number assigned to this dear, unnamed soul."
Fuck, if my heart wasn’t already breaking, hearing that nearly brought me to my knees My mate wasn’t merely unclaimed at birth—nobody had even taken a moment to name him somewhere along the way.