Jacob

I don't question why Kierren is here. The first thing that I see is that gorgeous hair, singed to breaking point, and I know who he is carrying. My heart feels like it is going to collapse in on itself.

Immediately, I jump down from the bed of the pickup truck. I can faintly hear myself shouting, but my mind has tunnel vision. It is as if I am moving in slow motion towards Kierren, who continues walking at me.

The flames, the heat, the smoke, all of it disappears into the back of my head. Nothing matters if she's hurt.

"Please, Moon, let it not be as bad as I fear," the thought races through me, begging and pleading for something to reverse this.

"You need to get her to a healer," Kierren insists when I draw level with him. He places her gently on the ground. The jacket that he has covered her with splits open, revealing the horror underneath.

"God, Ana," I collapse beside her on my knees, gingerly wiping a stray hair from her once beautiful face. I can hear her struggling to breathe, but I am surprised that she is still alive at all.

"I found her behind one of the houses," Kierren explains. "I'm not sure that she's going to make it."

Most of his words travel over my head. All I can think about is the gory scene in front of me.

"I don't understand," I breathe, fighting back the tears that threaten to overwhelm me. "Why were you here, Ana? You're not supposed to be here…"

"Jacob," Kierren's voice suddenly slices into me with authority. His wolf wrestles against mine, but it is an easy battle. I am already defeated. "She has to get to a healer, right now. If we stay here any longer she will die."

"I know, I know, oh, God," I look up to see where the trucks are stationed. The fire has managed to spread across the street, and my men are struggling to kill any of it.

"If you take the roads, it will take too long, and the flames might consume you," Kierren is pulling me up from the ground. I resist at first, not wanting to be any further away from Ana.

I want to wrap her up and hold her and promise her that she will be alright.

"You have to focus!" Kierren shakes me, and forces me to tear my eyes from her to look at him. "Listen, I will take charge of what is happening here. This fire is getting out of control and your men need leadership."

I nod, I can't argue with that, but I can't stay with them either. They would understand my choice. Ana is dying, and I cannot lose her, too.

"I will meet you there when I can, but get her to your healer as fast as your legs will allow," Kierren continues, bending down to lift Ana from the ground. Her body is limp, and hangs across his arms as if she is already dead. "Shift, stupid boy!"

Immediately, my wolf complies, instinct taking over from sheer heartache. It is difficult to stand still long enough for Kierren to lift Ana onto my back, but I do it. He uses his tie and jacket to fasten her limbs to my neck.

"Now, run!" Kierren commands, and I turn, wanting to get out of the heat and the flames as quickly as possible.

"Ana, hold on," I think to her, wondering if she can still hear telepathy. I hope that she can, that her nightmares are not plaguing her in this state.

I burst into a full gallop, making a beeline for the healer's building. I leap across fences and weave through houses, ignoring everything else that I hear or smell.

"Why were you here?" I keep thinking, but I cannot find a rational reason for her to be at her house instead of mine. Did she decide to leave without telling me? Why would she do that?

"I still could never love you." That day on the beach echoes through my limbs, and I have never regretted a sentence like that. Did Ana think that it was too much to live in the same house as me? What was she feeling, to leave without a goodbye?

Is it possible that she did this to herself? I can't imagine that.

"Why wasn't I with you?" The blame suddenly shifts inward. If I was at home tonight, I could have spoken to her, could have stopped her from leaving. None of this would have happened.

If it wasn't her, is there someone after her? Was Ana's house the first to burn?

"Why didn't I take you with me?" I know that Derek would not have been seen with her at the Alpha's Hunt. But do I truly have so much pride that I could even think that the embarrassment of having her there would be worth the rejection?

Does she think that I am as humiliated by her presence as others claim to be? It is possible. I've never shown her otherwise, in matters where my ranking takes center stage.

It's not helping to think like this, but I can't stop myself. I didn't realize that seeing her like that would hit me this hard.

I sail over yet another fence, and hear a soft groan from Ana when I land.

"Don't leave me yet, Ana, please," I think to her, begging her to keep herself alive. It feels like it is taking far too long to reach the healer.

It is as if I am in a dream, running down a hallway, never to reach the door at the very end of it. The flames have dissipated in the distance. Where we are now, the night is too quiet, with only the scent of salt water and faraway smoke lingering.

I can smell her flesh clearly now. It is like nothing that I've ever smelled before. The intensity of it is revolting, and it is tearing at my chest.

"Do you need some help?" I remember her face from that afternoon when I was having a hard time with my tie. A mix of admiration and amusement.

It was one of the moments where that little flash of electricity ran across my stomach. A flitting second of being in love again.

"I will not fail you," I accompany the thought with a howl. It's tuned specifically to indicate an emergency. The healers will be prepared to receive an injured person when they hear it.

The rest of the town may panic about it, but I don't care. Every second counts right now, and I will destroy my own reputation if it saves her. The last streets to the building lay just ahead of me.

I leap over yet another fence, and there is another groan from my back. It is weak, but present. I don't know if Ana is completely unconscious or not, but her reactions are a good sign. At least, that's what I'm trying to convince myself of.

At the entrance to the Healer's clinic, Robert and his team are already waiting by the doors with a gurney, gearing to start.

I skid to a stop in front of them, and bend down enough so that they can reach Ana on my back.

"Alright, I'm going to need an IV immediately!" Robert begins to bark orders at the rest of them. Ana is taken off from me and placed on the gurney. "Check vital signs, let's see the condition of the lungs! We must stabilize her quickly!"

I watch as they rush her inside, away from me. Even after the doors have closed, I am staring.

One nurse has stayed behind. "Alpha, we have clothing for you in the shifting room."

I walk after her, my mind still racing, hoping that Ana will be alright. Robert's face hadn't shown any signs of whether he thinks she is too far gone. Still, the urgency with which they were treating her couldn't just be because I am the one who brought her in.

"Here you are, Sir." The nurse opens a larger door for me to fit through. On the other side is the shifting room. It was built into the Healer's clinic for situations like this. Calming music plays and a row of hangers against the wall offer clothes for my human form.

"When can I see her?" I ask the nurse through telepathy.

"I'm sorry, I can't say," she answers empathically, and closes the door behind her.

I shift, and immediately sink into the bench that stands along one wall, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes.

It won't stop the tears, but I need to gather myself as quickly as I can. I am no use to Ana if I'm a complete mess. I should get dressed and get back to her as soon as possible. Even if I am the Alpha, though, I know that Robert's team won't let me near her until she has been stabilized.

I get up from the bench and flip absentmindedly through the clothing options. I eventually go with a jean and a plain red shirt. Nothing fancy, but at least I am dressed.

My head won't sit still. I pace across the room several times, only to realize mere minutes have passed. I can't stay in here.

Leaving the room, I immediately start to make my way to the emergency reception. There are a few others waiting there, but none look nearly as seriously injured as Ana is. They might be waiting for hours to be seen.

"Where is she?" I ask breathlessly when I get to the receptionist. I ignore all the eyes cast at me. Being the Alpha, I am used to being stared at wherever I go in this town.

"Sir, they are attempting to stabilize her now," the receptionist answers with an even voice. Her name tag says that she's called Velisha. "You cannot see her yet."

"I have to be there," I insist, wringing my hands together. "I need to ask her to keep fighting."

"I understand how you feel." Velisha looks up at me with sympathy in her eyes. My rank does not seem to faze her. "But she is in critical condition, Sir. We cannot have you in the way of trained medical professionals. She is in the best hands that she could be."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" I am losing my mind. Who knows if they can save her? How can they expect me to simply do nothing and wait to hear if she dies or lives?

"We can prepare the shifting room for your comfort, Sir, but that's all I can do for you," Velisha says with a slight shrug. "You have to trust Robert. Other than that, you must wait."

I feel like I want to burst out and scream at her, lose my mind, stand my ground. But she is right. I cannot run in there and interrupt whatever they are doing. Every second of every minute counts. I can't save her, but maybe Robert can.

"Get the shifting room up to standard then," I say through gritted teeth. "I can't be expected to sit on a hard bench in the dark and the dust."

I don't really mean any of it, and I must sound like a pompous elitist. At the same time, it feels like I have to do something, even if that's all I can do.

"When Alpha Kierren gets here," I continue, trying to keep my voice as level as possible. "Send him there. Promise you will tell me every second that something changes."

"I will let you know as soon as I can," Velisha says as she picks up the phone to make a call. "The shifting room should be ready in a few minutes for a more comfortable wait. Please take a seat in the meantime."

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