One minute we were driving and the next the truck was rolling.

My screams echoed in my ears along with metal tearing and glass breaking. When the truck finally came to a stop we were upside down. I couldn't hear anything apart from the loud ringing in my ears. Something warm trailed down my arm. I slowly turned my head to the left when I heard a low moan. Devon opened his eyes and blinked. He glanced at the roof of the truck and then out the window. A hoarse curse fell from his lips.

"Val?"

I had to swallow a few times before I found my voice. "Y-yeah?"

"Can you move?" He turned to look at me. "How badly are you hurt?"

"I don't k-know." I carefully moved one leg and then the other. Pain shot through me but I ignored it. I turned my head to glance at David. Panic hit when I realized that he wasn't moving. I glanced at his chest. It rose up and down with every breath he took. He was alive but unconscious. I turned my head back to Devon when he gave a low grunt.

Devon used his claws to cut through the seat-belt that kept him in place. It gave way without a sound when his claws cut through the material. I winced when gravity got to work. He hit the roof of the truck hard. For a few seconds, he just laid there with his eyes closed.

"We need to leave before they come," he rasped. "Should've agreed to back-up."

I glanced up at my body. My arms had a few scratches, but it was nothing serious. It didn't feel like I had any broken bones. My head hurt and my knees throbbed. Once we got moving, I was sure that I'd feel all the other injuries I had, but couldn't identify at the moment. Devon shifted, drawing my attention to him again. I frowned when he moved under me.

"Place your hands on my shoulders," he ordered softly. "I'm going to count to three and then I'm going to unclip your seat-belt. I'll try to brace you as much as I can."

"Wait," I breathed, but I reached down to place my hands against his shoulders as he ordered. "You're hurt. I'll fall on top of you."

"That's the point, Val. There's glass on the roof. I don't want you cutting yourself."

"Devon—"

"One."

"Wait—"

"Two."

I gasped when I was suddenly free and falling. He didn't move fast enough to slow my fall and I was too surprised to lock my arms. I landed on his chest hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. Devon sucked in a sharp breath and bit down on his lower lip.

"I'm sorry." I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees to ease my weight off him. Glass crunched beneath my knees. "Are you okay?"

"Think I cracked a rib," he muttered. "I'll be fine, baby."

A low pained groan made both of us glance up at David. He didn't open his eyes but he shook his head slightly. I moved forward and leaned down slightly to get a better look at his face. He had a bad cut running along his left eyebrow that was bleeding profusely. My eyes darted over his body and stopped on the piece of glass stuck in his thigh.

Before I could react, David reached down, felt around until his fingers brush the glass, and then wrapped his hand around it. I gasped when he just pulled it out like it was nothing.

"Stay here, Val."

I barely paid any attention to Devon when he crawled out of the cab. I lay down on my back and reached up to cup David's cheeks. His eyelids fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes. His were unfocused. I gave him a small smile when his eyes locked with mine. David licked his lips.

"Devon?"

"He's outside. He'll be back soon. Where does it hurt?"

He groaned. "Everywhere, doll." I heard him swallow. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Movement near my feet made me glance down. Devon kneeled by the door and gestured for me to come closer. I hesitated but did as he ordered. When I reached him, Devon cupped my cheeks and forced my eyes to his.

"I need you to stay here and stay low. Don't wander off and scream if you see someone coming. I'm going to help David free."

I nodded. As soon as he was back inside the truck, I turned and glanced around. I ignored the muttered curses and pained moans that came from the truck. My eyes darted around, searching for danger. It was only when I felt a brush against my arm that I turned. Devon gave me a small smile, but it looked forced. I moved aside and watched as he crawled out. He reached inside and helped David. Once he was out of the truck, Devon guided him down to lie on his back.

"See if you can stop the bleeding on his leg and head," Devon order. "I'm going to see if we still have any weapons left."

He walked off before I could utter a word. I glanced down at David's leg and then around. We needed something to use as a bandage. Didn't the truck have a first-aid kit? Most vehicles had them. I turned to look inside the tuck. My eyes darted to the glove box. I needed a key to unlock it and there was no time to search for stupid keys.

Think Val, think! Anything would do.

I knew they couldn't get infections so I didn't have to worry about that. David has fallen unconscious again. Moving closer to him on my knees, I pulled the t-shirt over my head. A grunt fell from my lips when I tried to rip the material. I wasn't strong enough to do it. Tears of frustration filled my eyes.

"Give it to me."

My body jerked in fright. I glanced at the hand David held out and then up to his face. His eyes were half-closed. It looked like he was having trouble keeping them open. I thought he fell unconscious again. Swallowing, I held the shirt out towards him. He made quick work of tearing it into strips with his claws.

"Thank you."

I wrapped a few strips of material around his thigh as tightly as I could and then moved up to his head. Wrapping the material around his head was another problem. I struggled but did the best I could to stop the bleeding of the cut. Once I was done, I leaned back and glanced around.

The truck had rolled off the road a few miles ahead of where we were hit. Glass and other plastic stuff lay scattered across the road. My eyes darted to the truck. The whole front half was bent at an angle. I couldn't see the other side, but I was sure it looked worse because of David's injuries. Either one of us could've died. We still could.

Devon suddenly appeared from the back of the truck with a gun in his hand. Knives were strapped to his thigh and ankles. He dropped onto his knees on the other side of David and lowered the gun to the ground.

"David," he called softly. "How badly are you hurt? We need to get moving."

"I think I have a concussion," David muttered. "My head fucking hurts. Everything hurts."

"Fuck." Devon ran his hand through his hair and muttered another curse. "We are too far from our pack to head there. Our best option would be to head back to Alark."

"But that's where the danger is," I whispered.

Dark eyes snapped over to mine. I shrunk back when he flashed his teeth at me. Devon growled softly as he looked around us.

"I know that, but it's the only option we have right now. We're too injured to shift so we will have to go on foot. David's injuries will slow us down. We don't know who ran us off the road."

I bit my lip to stop from uttering a word. Devon looked angry and the last thing I wanted right now was for him to snarl at me. I clenched my fists and glanced down. David caught my eyes. I instantly glanced away.

"What is it Val?" he asked softly. "Say what you want to say."

"We could find a safe place to hide while you go back for help." I looked at Devon. "You move fine and you will move faster since you don't have to worry about us."

"That's—"

"She's right," David interrupted him. "I won't be able to move without slowing you two down. Find me a safe place to stay and give me a weapon. Take Val with you."

"I'm staying with you." David reached out and grabbed my hand. "You can't even sit upright. I'm staying with you to fight."

He growled, gripping my hand tighter. "Don't argue with me. You're going with Devon and it's final."

I pursed my lips but stayed silent. Devon muttered something under his breath as he stood. My eyes widened when he held the gun out towards me and ordered me to take it. I forced myself to reach out and take it. David groaned when Devon slipped an arm under his neck and forced him to sit up.

"Help me here, David. I can't pull you up by myself."

I flinched when he cried out in pain as they stumbled to their feet. They staggered slightly but Devon managed to steady them before they could fall. I hurried closer, eager to help. Slipping underneath David's arm, I wrapped mine around his waist above Devon's. Together we stumbled into the trees.

***

I glanced at the half-hidden cave with dismay.

It was too dark to see inside. There could be any type of wild animal lurking inside. The men didn't seem to worry about that fact. I stumbled after them as they slowly made their way towards it. Rocks gave way beneath our feet and rolled down the slight incline.

"What if there's an animal inside?"

"These caves have been empty for a while," Devon muttered. "I would've smelt wild animals if there were any."

I pursed my lips. My muscles were screaming in pain. It didn't help that the shoes I wore were made for being comfortable and not for trudging around in the woods. I could feel the blisters already starting to form. The men suddenly disappeared into the cave. I hesitated near the entrance. An endless void of black was all I could see.

"Give me the gun, Val."

"I can't," I whispered. "I can't see you."

"Hold out your hand in front of you."

I jumped when his hand wrapped around mine. Devon tugged me closer until my body brushed against his. He pulled the gun out of my tight grip and gave it to David.

"Keep the knives with you," David ordered softly. "Come here, doll."

Devon guided me towards him. I sunk to my knees next to his body. He was leaning against the cave wall with his legs stretched out in front of him. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he tugged me against his body. I relaxed against him, but tears suddenly filled my eyes.

"Be strong for me, doll."

"I don't want to leave you," I whispered.

He pressed his lips against my forehead and held me tighter. "The entrance is well hidden and the wind is blowing in the wrong direction for them to pick up my scent. I'll be safe here until you return with help. Listen to Devon. Now go!"

My lips sought and found his. Just thinking about how this could possibly be the last time I ever saw him, made me cling tighter. But then a hand grabbed my arm and tugged me away from him. Devon forced me to move away. He kept an arm wrapped around my waist as we walked out of the cave. I slipped a few times on the loose rocks but Devon kept me up.

When we reached even ground his arm slipped away. I instantly missed his touch. Devon stopped and reached down to tug loosen the knife strapped to his thigh. He suddenly kneeled in front of me and strapped it around mine. Our eyes locked when he glanced up. I saw the worry and anger lingering in his dark gaze. A though hit, followed by a memory. I pressed my palm against his cheek.

"If we make it out of here alive, can we try something?"

"What?"

"David would've instantly agreed."

"I'm not David." He pursed his lip as he pulled away from me. He sighed and softly asked, "What do you want to try?"

"Something I've been thinking about a lot. I won't force you and I won't tell you about it now. Once we make it home, I'll tell you."

Devon silently stared at me for a few seconds before he gave me a nod. I smiled. Before I could thank him we were already on the move again. There was one thing I was thankful for; it was no longer snowing and most of the snow on the ground had already melted.

I wasn't sure where exactly we were or if we were even heading in the right direction. Every single tree looked the same to me. Even the damn flowers looked the same. My lungs ached. Sweat made the crop-top I was wearing cling to my skin. My hair was sticking to the back of my neck too. I had tried to tie it all together but a few minutes later strands had escaped the hair tie again.

A shocked gasp fell from my lips when I found myself landing on my ass. One second I was walking, and the next I was on the ground. I blinked. Devon crouched in front of me. He gripped my chin and forced my eyes up to his.

"Are you okay?" I nodded mutely. "Val," he said sternly.

I sighed. "I'm fine. Tired and achy, but fine."

"What hurts?" he questioned.

"Everything."

His eyes trailed over my face and then down my body. I saw them linger on my chest before he glanced away. I regretted not wearing a bra, but then again I wasn't expecting shit to hit the fan either. Devon was tensed and worried; maybe I could cheer him up.

"You know," I muttered softly, "I've never had sex in the outdoors."

His head snapped back to me so fast that his neck snapped, making me flinch. He winced and reached up to rub the side of his neck. Heat filled his eyes, but just as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. His lips parted, but before he could utter a word, I spoke.

"I'm only teasing. I know we're in danger and that every passing minute is crucial, but I hate seeing you so stressed. I just wanted to lighten the mood."

He gave me a small smile as he reached out to grip my hips. "I appreciate it, little dove. I'm worried about David and us. He needs medical care."

"Then we should get going."

It was the perfect opportunity to figure out what exactly he felt for David, but it wasn't the right time.