NO RESPONSE

Adrian’s POV

The sun was rising already in the sky and I felt like I didn’t want the morning to come. I wanted everything to stay still till Jemima woke up. The sun was rising but my spirit wasn’t. Everything about me felt paralyzed. It was too bright for my liking. 

Jemima lay in my arms, her body lifeless and limp, her breathing shallow. At least she was still breathing. The rising run focused its light on her skin, and it shined like she wasn’t dying in my arms. For a brief moment there, she looked like a goddess, too perfect to be real.

“Come on, Jemima,” I murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “You don’t get to quit on me now. You hear me? You’re tougher than this.”

She didn’t stir, she didn’t even move or shake. My wolf growled restlessly in the back of my mind, he was angry and desperate. I forced myself to stay calm for her sake.

The others had shifted back into their human forms, their expressions obvious with worry and tiredness. One of my men, Ronan, stepped forward, holding a neatly folded set of Jemima’s clothes. I don’t know where he got it from or why it was even folded. I honestly didn’t even care.

“Alpha,” he said hesitantly, looking down at her. “Should I dress her?”

I snapped my gaze to him, my voice sharp before I even thought to soften it. “No. I’ll do it.”

He nodded and stepped back without another word. The others busied themselves around us, giving me space. I knelt down carefully, laying Jemima on the soft grass. Her head rolled slightly to the side, and for a moment, I just stared at her.

She looked fragile, and Jemima was fragile. But seeing her like this, on the brink of death maybe, did something to my heart that didn’t really sit well with me. This couldn’t be the end, at least not yet.

I took the clothes from Him and began to dress her. My hands trembled, but I didn’t stop.

“You’re not done, Jemima,” I said softly as I worked, pulling down her shirt over her limp arms. “We still have so much to do. You still have so much to do.”

The words were more for me than for her.

As I buttoned her shirt, I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re the toughest person I know. You don’t give up. Not on me, not on the pack, and definitely not on yourself.”

Still no response. I hardened my jaw, swallowing down the fear I felt in my stomach that almost swallowed me whole.

Once she was dressed, I carried her back into my arms. She felt lighter than ever, and it terrified me. I didn’t wait for anyone else, I started walking and the others started walking slowly behind me too.

The forest was unusually so quiet. The battle was over, but the result of the battle hung heavy in the air, the scent of blood, the tension in every step we took. Jemima lying limp in my arms.

As we walked, I found myself looking down at her every few seconds, watching for any sign of improvement. To see if she would just so much as twitch groan or do anything other than lie limp and lifeless in my arms. But she was still, too still.

“Adrian,” Kanon said from behind me, his voice cautious.

“What?” I snapped, barely looking back.

“You need to slow down. You’re pushing yourself too hard, and we don’t even know what we’re dealing with yet.”

I stopped abruptly and turned to glare at him. “She’s dying, Kanon. I don’t care how hard I’m pushing myself. I’m not stopping until we figure this out.”

Kanon held my gaze, then sighed, nodding. “We’re with you, Alpha. Always.”

We moved forward again, the trees becoming smaller as we were closer to the edge of the forest. Just as I thought we were clear, I just remembered something, or rather, someone. A nagging feeling gripped at the back of my mind.

Something wasn’t right.

I stopped suddenly, my heart skipping a beat. The others looked at me in confusion.

“Garret,” I said, turning to face them. “Where’s Garret?”

The pack exchanged uneasy and confused looks with each other.

“He was with us during the fight,” Ronan said, frowning. “I saw him take down one of the rival wolves near the east side.”

“That was hours ago,” I growled. “Where is he now?”

No one had an answer.

“Damn it,” I muttered, shifting Jemima ‘s weight in my arms. My heart rate quickened, guilt and frustration mixing up together in my mind. Garret was one of the strongest fighters in the pack. If he wasn’t here, it meant something had gone horribly wrong.

“We have to go back,” I said, glancing at Kanon.

Kanon looked at Jemima, then back at me. “And what about her? She can’t afford to wait while we search.”

“I’m not leaving him,” I said firmly. “You know that.”

Kanon hesitated, then nodded. “We’ll split up. I’ll take Jasmine to the pack house with Ronan and the others. You and two men go after Garret.”

I didn’t like the idea of leaving Jemima, or even taking orders, but Kieran was right, and my head was not in the right space right now. She needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere she could heal.

“No,” I said. “You’re with me.” I turned to Ronan. “Take her and go. We’ll catch up as soon as we find him.”

Ronan stepped forward, and I reluctantly passed Jemima into his arms.

“Take care of her,” I said, my voice low but firm. “If anything happens to her, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Always, Alpha.” Ronan replied.

As they headed toward the safe house, I turned back to the forest, my jaw tight.

“Kanon, Axel, you’re with me,” I said. “We’re finding Garret, no matter what.”

They nodded, and together, we entered back into the trees.

Almost.

I heard something and turned back. I couldn’t have been mistaken. That was Jemima’s voice calling out to me through the mind link.