Chapter 107

Harper’s POV

A loud roar, sharper and scarier than anything I’ve ever heard, tears through the forest.

My foot snags on a root, and I tumble forward. Dirt knocks up beneath my feet, hitting me in the face as I hit the ground. Burning pain sears across my palms and knees, making me gasp.

Erie circles me, nudging me up.

My heart hammers, and I look over my shoulder. I can’t see through the darkness, but whatever Lucas told me to run from is back there. Lucas is back there, and he’s going to fight it. I know he is. It’s why he didn’t run with me.

Panic and dread tighten like a fist around my lungs as I push myself back to my feet.

Again, he’s risking his life to protect me. Just like he promised.

This time, I don’t want to run. I want to turn back, to help him, to make sure he’s safe.

“Erie,” I whimper. It doesn’t feel right to run. Abandoning Lucas to whatever creature lives in this forest makes my gut churn and my heart stutter. He’s always there for me, grounding me with his strength and care, so why can’t I do that for him.

Erie whines and pushes at the back of my legs, trying to get me to run. I stumble into a slow jog, tangling my hand in her fur for guidance. We speed up until we’re running through the forest with Erie guiding me around the trees.

I can see more than I could before because sunlight seeps through the broken canopy above us, but I rely on her sharp instincts and vision. For a second, I imagine I’m holding onto Lucas, and the thought jolts me.

My feet fumble, my mind filling with images of Lucas bloody and broken on the forest floor, and I skid to a stop.

Erie urges me on. She pushes at my legs, pulls at my pants with her teeth, and barks demandingly at me. She tries to drive me toward safety, but what I want isn’t safety. I want Lucas.

“E-Erie, stop,” I stutter, trying to slow down. “We have to go back.”

She stares up at me, her bright gold eyes glowing.

“I can’t leave Lucas. He would never leave me.”

Her head tilts to the side.

My heart jumps in my chest again at the realization of what I’m saying.

Breathless, I whisper, “We’re going back for him.”

Erie barks in agreement, spins, and waits just long enough for me to grab onto her before she charges back toward our mate. Everything blurs. Pain splinters in my face, arms, and legs from branches that whip across my body. I try to duck closer to Erie’s back as she weaves through the trees.

Another loud, non-wolf roar splits the air, and I grip Erie tighter, “Faster!”

More images of Lucas close to death fill my mind. I don’t know what they’re fighting, and I can’t fight, but I can heal them.

Erie barks as the sounds of growls and roars become closer. The sound of metal clashing against something hard reaches my ears, and I hold my breath.

What are they fighting?

Erie and I burst into the clearing, and the world slows.

The massive creature lifting one of Lucas’s men off the ground roars. It throws Ronan aside like a piece of trash before turning on Lucas, and I finally see it fully.

The creature has to be at least nine feet tall, packed with muscle, and… wrong. The mixture of many animals makes up the body, creating a broken canvas of predators. Its claws are jagged and long, fangs protrude from its mouth, and its fur looks like a patchwork of different animal hides.

Nightmare. It’s the only word that comes to mind as I watch the monster swing its enormous arm, claws nearly hitting Lucas and his men.

An unfamiliar, heavy magic fills the clearing, making it hard to breathe. Did someone create this creature? There’s no way this is a natural being.

“Look for weaknesses!” Lucas shouts, right in the center of the clearing. The monster whirls on him, swiping those jagged claws out in an effort to shred my mate to ribbons. Lucas is quick, though, and he dodges. He and his men attack with lethal precision, darting around the creature, but they’re not fast enough.

The monster swings its hand out, and two men fly through the air.

Lucas moves. He doesn’t hesitate and leaps onto the monster’s back. A flash of silver in the dim light, a squelch of metal sinking into flesh, and a roar of pain ring in the air.

The monster rears back, thrashing violently and reaching for Lucas. Its massive hand slams down on Lucas’s back, and within seconds, Lucas is flying through the air and hitting the ground. The thud is deafening, followed by a loud snap of bone and a groan.

“NO!” The scream tumbles from my lips before I can stop it, and I’m moving. I sprint toward him. Fear claws at my lungs, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Lucas’s eyes connect with mine before I reach him, and a fire lights in the blue depths.

He struggles to sit up, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as I fall to my knees at his side.

“I-I told you to run,” Lucas growls, his eyes moving to the monster behind me. “You’ll g-get hurt.”

A pained groan falls from him as he struggles to speak.

“I couldn’t let you get killed,” I mutter, running my hands over his body. I let my magic spread through him to find the injuries, my hands shaking and heart beating wildly.

For a second, Lucas stares at me. His eyes don’t leave my face while I focus on his injuries. I press a spot on his shoulder, and he curses. Pain flashes in his eyes, but as I push my healing magic into the broken bone, something warm fills his eyes.

“Harper.”

The way he whispers my name, with so much awe and emotion, chases away some of the terror constricting my lungs. When I look at him again, Lucas’s lips twitch before pulling up into a smile.

A loud thud sounds behind me, and the ground shakes.

Lucas shoots up, grimacing at the sudden movement.

“I haven’t finished healing you!”

“Doesn’t matter…” he staggers then straightens, standing tall despite the injuries he’s sustained. I want to force him to stay and let me heal him, but a shout from his men pulls me back to reality. “I need to get rid of this thing…”

“But—”

Lucas’s hand cups my face, a finger softly brushing my cheek as he says, “I need to get rid of the monster, so my mate won’t get hurt.”

Mate.

The word knocks the air from my lungs and sends the butterflies in my stomach alight. Two words, and I’m practically a puddle. It’s too much, and not enough at the same time, but there’s no time to think about this because he’s gone in the blink of an eye.

Charging at the monster, Lucas signals his men to follow and surround the monster.

Fearless, reckless, and mine; Lucas fights to keep me safe.