The wolf beside me pounces first.

I stumble sideways, trying to dodge them, but another wolf attacks from behind me and I've got nowhere to go.

"Clover, watch out!" Thomas shouts, his voice ripping through my mind, but he's too late.

I manage to miss the first wolf by a hair's width, but the second wolf barrels into my back. I scream in the sound of a yelp, feeling my feet leave the ground. I tumble across the grass clearing, searching desperately for my footing.

When I finally stand, I'm surrounded again—this time by three wolves.

I glance at Thomas and Leyla. Thomas urgently tries to keep himself upright, but he can barely stand, and Leyla is struggling to keep the remaining wolves off.

My heart sinks.

There's no way we can fight off this many wolves—not with me being a newbie wolf and Thomas' injury.

Panting, I step back. The wolves move closer.

"Blake," I say through my mind link. "This is looking bad."

"I know," he replies. "I'm coming, just hold on."

"I don't know how much longer I can."

"Trust your instincts," he tells me. "I'm nearly there."

"I just don't understand—I thought you caught the guy that's been attacking us?"

"That's what I thought too," he says.

Before I can think about it for too long, one of the wolves leaps forward, teeth gnashing. I yelp, jumping back, but another wolf is behind me, and I collide hard.

I try to do what Blake told me, I try to trust my instincts, but my instincts aren't helpful here. All I want to do is run, but three wolves surround me. One jumps onto me, and I feel blind.

We're a tangle of legs and fur and sharp, pointed teeth. Something rips into my shoulder, and I scream, thrashing against the wolf.

I bite back, clawing at the nearest body. I hit flesh and blood pours onto the grass. The wolf whimpers and staggers off me, only to be replaced by another.

I spin, trying to get away, but my shoulder throbs and I can barely put weight on my front paw.

The wolf pins me to the grass, paws clawing into my skin. I snap my teeth, trying to catch onto something, but I'm not fast enough.

The wolf's teeth dig into my shoulder again, ripping into the already bleeding wound.

I howl, pain shooting through my body. My shoulder bleeds freely now, matting my fur and pooling on the ground. I try to move my arm, but it's too painful.

The wolf pulls back, meeting my eyes. I think he even smiles, my blood staining his teeth.

And then—another howl.

Blake's howl.

The silver rope shimmers to life and the wolf pinning me down is suddenly tackled across the clearing.

"Is that Blake?" Leyla says.

I don't have to reply. By his shining white fur and the way he easily tackles two wolves, it's obvious that it's him.

I pull myself to my feet. My shoulder stings, the open wound too fresh to put any weight on it, so I limp.

I hobble towards Blake. He's taken out the two wolves he'd tackled. I'm too scared to approach. They're not moving and there's a lot of blood around them.

The other wolves howl and turn, taking off through the woods, back to wherever they came from.

Blake doesn't miss it. He glances between the tree line and me. I think for a minute that he might take off after them, but he doesn't.

Instead, he moves towards me.

"That looks bad," he says.

I release a tight breath. My eyes water and I shake my head, trying to stop myself from crying. "It's fine."

"Doesn't look fine." He pauses, eyes studying me. "You don't look fine."

"I feel okay."

He glances at the string that connects us. "Don't lie to me, Clover."

I blink, remembering that he can feel what I feel. I sigh, looking away.

"It was a little scary," I say. Understatement of the century. For a moment there, I thought we were all done for. I glance behind Blake to where the wolves lie, unmoving. "Are they..."

"One's dead," he replies instantly.

The idea shocks me.

I know they would have killed me if Blake hadn't intervened, but seeing that wolf lie there...it's jarring.

"The other's knocked out. Ethan will be here in a minute to take them away," Blake continues. He moves closer. "You're safe now. You don't need to worry."

His words send a wave of relief through me. Instantly, my body sags and I shift back into my human form.

I collapse onto the grass. The wound looks much worse as a human. My shoulder has been torn into and blood runs down my arm, staining it entirely red.

Blake shifts back too, scooping me into his arms.

My face warms, keenly aware that we're both naked.

"I can walk, you know," I say aloud.

"Do you have to argue everything?"

I open my mouth to argue, just to close it again. Instead, I settle for frowning at him.

Blake carries me inside and lays me on my bed, pulling the sheets over my bare body. I don't miss the way he pointedly tries to keep his eyes off me.

Suddenly, the room feels too hot. Too tense.

His knuckles brush my bare collarbones as he leans over me. My eyes flicker down, sliding from his chiseled jaw to the dip of his throat, and lower...

I swallow hard, forcing my eyes away. Glancing over his shoulder, I try very hard not to stare at his chest.

"What about Thomas and Leyla?" I ask.

"They'll be okay," he says. "Let me deal with you first, then I can worry about everything else."

Outside, I can hear Thomas whimpering. Leyla mutters to him, trying to keep him calm, but something's wrong.

I shake my head.

"I think they need help."

"You need help, Clover," he says.

"I'm fine," I snap. "Something's wrong with Thomas. I saw the way those wolves attacked him, Blake."

He sighs heavily, a desperate look in his eyes. "Clover, let me take care of you."

The way he looks at me—I almost give in. I imagine what it would be like for me, watching Blake bleeding and injured. I wouldn't be able to leave him alone.

But Thomas is somewhere outside, moaning in pain, so I shake my head.

"I promise, I'll let you take care of me later," I say gently. "But Thomas first."

Blake searches my eyes. When I don't budge, he sighs heavily and stands.

"Fine," he says. "But stay here. I don't want your arm getting worse."

He sends me a hard stare which I match with one of my own, before he turns and strides out the door.

Once he's turned the corner, I scramble out of bed and to my wardrobe.

My shoulder is killing me. Werewolves may heal faster, but they definitely still feel all the pain.

I do my best to ignore it, gritting my teeth as I grab a loose t-shirt and some shorts. By the time I get it on, Blake's stepping through the front door, carrying a human Thomas in his arms.

Like me, he's pulled some shorts on, though his chest is still bare. Leyla limps in behind him, still in her wolf form.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Broken bones," Blake says. "Ribs, if I had to guess. His leg too."

"Hurts like a bitch," Thomas says, hissing through clenched teeth. He squeezes his eyes shut, his body limp in Blake's arms.

I follow as Blake carries him to Thomas' bed and gently lays him on the mattress.

"I need to call the pack doctor," Blake says, frowning down at him.

Thomas shakes his head. "No."

"Your bones will heal wrong," he snaps, his Alpha side coming out. "We need to set them and fast."

"The pack won't be happy about that." Leyla's voice echoes from behind us. I turn as she walks in, dressed in a robe.

"The pack will manage," Blake says. "We've got bigger problems to deal with."

"Yeah, what was that about?" Leyla asks, her lips pressed in a tight frown.

"I don't know," Blake says. He sighs heavily, his brow wrinkling. His entire body looks tense, with his fists clenched by his sides. "I thought it was just one person, but this—this group. They're after something."

"I didn't recognize any of them," she replies.

Blake shakes his head. His frown grows tighter.

Through our mate connection, I feel a spike of stress. Frowning, I cross the room to stand by his side.

"We'll figure that out later," I say, resting a hand on his arm. "Right now, we need to get the doctor."

Blake looks down at me, his blue eyes piercing and narrow. He meets my eye and slowly, the wrinkle between his brows softens.

"You're right," he says. He turns to Leyla. "Can you wait for the doctor and bring him in? I'm calling him now." Leyla nods and Blake looks back at me. "Let's get you fixed up."

I glance at Thomas in his bed. He's still writhing in pain, sweat collecting on his forehead, but there's nothing else I can do for him. So, I nod.

We walk back to my room in silence.

I take a seat on my bed, watching as Blake flicks the light on and shuts the door behind himself.

He turns slowly, his eyes falling to me on my bed. They trail down my body, to my bare legs, before flicking up to my bleeding shoulder again.

My face warms at the sight. Maybe my plan would have worked, if we hadn't been attacked. Maybe I could have seduced him. The thought of it almost makes me laugh—me trying to seduce Blake. My mate.

Blake kneels down beside me, prodding gently at my shoulder. I hiss at his touch, and he flinches away.

"You're healing," he says. "We just need to make sure it heals right. Let me bandage that up for you."

Ah, the perks of being a werewolf.

He leaves the room for a second and returns with a wet rag and a bandage. I sit up, watching as he gently wipes blood from my arm, then wraps a bandage over my shoulder. His hands move quickly, confidently. He knows exactly what he's doing.

"Where did you learn to do this?" I ask.

"Got injured a lot growing up," he says, his voice low as he focuses on my wound. "Eventually got sick of going to the pack doctor all the time. Learned to fix things like this by myself."

"Why were you getting hurt so much?"

He shrugs. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a stubborn man."

I laugh, rolling my eyes. "You don't say."

"If I believed in something, I didn't let anything get in the way. Most wolves don't take kindly to that." He pauses, stands, and looks down at me. "That should be good."

"Thanks for patching me up, doctor," I tease. He lets out an empty chuckle, then turns silent. Sighing, he shakes his head.

"I wish you would stop getting hurt," he says.

"You and me both."

He sighs again, probably for the hundredth time tonight. Still kneeling beside me, his hand lifts until he's pushing a strand of hair behind my ear and cupping my face.

"I did this to you," he says.

I frown. "What are you talking about?"

"Your injuries. This. The wolfsbane," he says. "If I hadn't met you, if we weren't mates, none of this would have happened. You would have been—"

"Dead," I interrupt. "I would have been dead if you weren't there to save me that night in the forest."

His lips twist. "You could be living a normal life right now."

"On the streets?" I ask, lifting a brow.

He shakes his head. "You know what I mean. You wouldn't have to deal with all this."

He waves his hand around, gesturing between us at the silver rope that juts out of my chest.

"You think I'm dealing with this?" I ask, letting out a hollow laugh.

His expression turns unsure. "You didn't ask to be my mate. You didn't ask to be a werewolf."

"I didn't ask for a lot of things in life, Blake, but this—this is the best thing that's happened to me," I say honestly. My face warms, but I can't stop now. "I may not know a lot about what being mates means, but I know we're connected for a reason. I wish you would stop worrying so much about taking care of me and let me take care of you for once."

Blake blinks at me, his mouth falling open but no words escaping. Slowly, his eyes soften, and he leans closer.

"You'll take care of me?" he mutters.

I nod, my face on fire. My whole body is on fire. It sounds silly, hearing him say it. How would someone like me take care of Blake?

But I nod.

"If you'd let me," I reply, my voice strained.

"Oh?" He leans an inch closer, his lashes fluttering. "And how would you take care of me, Clover?"

I swallow drily, my mind turning blank.

My wolf instincts scream at me. All I want to do is kiss him. Run my hands all over him. But I hold myself back. I don't want to scare him off. Not again.

"I..." The words die in my throat.

Blake's lips twitch.

"Speechless?" he asks.

"A little," I say.

He chuckles, his breath fanning over my lips. If I move forward, just a little, our lips will be pressed together.

"Don't make such bold promises in the future," he says. His words snap me back to reality.

"I meant it," I say stubbornly. "I wish you'd feel safe enough to let your walls down around me. Stop...running away all the time."

Blake stares at me. When he says nothing, my face burns red hot, and I glance away.

This is the most embarrassing moment of my life, bearing my heart out like this to my mate who wants nothing to do with me.

But I'm already this embarrassed, I might as well let it all out.

"I wish you'd kiss me," I say, forcing the words out.

He says nothing and I'm too scared to look up, fearing I'll only see what I usually see; rejection.

The room is silent except for our heavy breathing.

And then Blake groans.

"How am I supposed to say no to you?" he says. "When I want to...so badly..."

Surprise shoots through me. I glance up to find him watching me, eyes dark.

"Don't say no," I answer for him.

Blake's eyes flicker between my own, uncertain. I lean closer, my eyes falling to his lips. Our breath mingles together, all heat. Heavy.

"Don't say no," I repeat, my voice barely audible, despite the silence of the room.

Blake's throat bobs in a hard swallow.

And then, unbelievably, he leans forward and catches my mouth with his.