A split second later, Logan sprinted toward the wreckage of the SUV, which had been thrown onto its side. Through smoke and debris, he climbed up to the driver’s seat door. The blackened windows obscured his view.
“Wynter!” he screamed into the car. A low moan emanated from inside it.
Logan grunted as he yanked open the door. Gas and dust from the airbag deployment wafted into the air, causing him to cough. He managed to elevate the door fully, exposing the deflated white side curtain bags.
“Hold it open,” he ordered, noticing that Léopold had climbed up onto the hood to help. Léopold took hold of the door and effortlessly ripped it off its hinges, tossing it into the street.
Dimitri flipped open his switchblade and passed it forward to Logan, who knifed at the plastic. They tore off the curtain, revealing the inside of the compartment.
“Wyn! Can you hear me, baby? Say something,” Logan called into the car. Silence greeted him. As the powder settled, he was finally able to see Jake, whose left arm and face were badly injured.
“Shit,” Logan spat out upon seeing the damage inflicted on his friend. “Jake, hey man. Come on, wake up buddy.”
With no response, Logan continued talking to him. “We’re gonna get you out now. You’re going to be all right after you shift.”
“Cut ’em down. I’ll hold him up so he doesn’t crush Wynter,” Dimitri suggested. Jake, secured in his seatbelt, hung downward like a marionette on its strings. Thankfully, since he was belted, he hadn’t yet fallen onto Wynter.
“Ready, D?” Logan asked as he started slashing at the nylon belt. Dimitri held tightly to Jake. “That’s it.”
Together, they heaved their friend up and out of the car. Dimitri took Jake in his arms and laid him out on the street.
“Zeke, get him out of his clothes now. He’s gotta shift,” Dimitri ordered. “I’ll be right back. I need to help Logan get Wynter.”
Logan’s breath caught as Wynter came into view. Still in her seatbelt, her head rested against the sagging airbag. Although she was unconscious, her heart still beat strongly. Logan leaned all the way into the car until most of his body was inside. When he reached the straps, he frantically cut at them.
“Wyn, sweetheart. I’m here. I’m so sorry.” Logan pushed the hair out of Wynter’s face and kissed her forehead.
Logan cursed; his heart tore in a million pieces seeing her like this. He’d said he’d keep her safe and he’d failed her. Guilt washed over him, and he prayed she’d be okay. He felt the emotion swell up in his chest. Seeing her hurt and vulnerable was more than he could bear. Her heartbeat was steady, but she remained unconscious. He kissed her again, this time on her cheek.
“Please, baby. Wake up now. I need you here with me. You’re my…” he choked but couldn’t finish.
She moaned and her eyes fluttered. “My Alpha,” she whispered.
Thank the Goddess, she’d woken. He wished he could tell her right then about how she was his mate. But sanity won over and he focused on the task at hand; he needed to get her home. They could talk later.
“We’re goin’ get you out of here, okay? How do you feel? Are you in any pain?”
“Fucking vampires,” she coughed. “Do you believe this shit?”
“Fucking vampires,” he agreed with a small smile. She was a fighter. His fighter, filled with spirit. An Alpha for an Alpha.
“Hmm,” she moaned. “What happened?”
“Someone set off an incendiary device. Not sure how they got it on the car, but it had to be a vampire to get it on without anyone seeing or hearing.”
“Jake…he knew. He heard something.”
“We’ll talk about it later, baby. All right, my tough little wolf. Let’s get you out of here.” Logan hugged his arms under hers. “D, I’m comin’ out.”
Dimitri grabbed Logan’s hips, helping to hoist him and Wynter out of the car. When they were finally extricated, Logan scooped her up, never letting her feet touch the ground. Logan glanced to Jake who had blacked out on the pavement. Naked, he still hadn’t shifted. Second degree burns blistered along his cheek. He began to regain consciousness and groaned in pain.
“Come on, Jake. You gotta shift, man,” Logan heard Dimitri say. Zeke was bent down on his knees at his side.
“D, I need you to take Wyn,” Logan ordered. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do.
Logan had always known that decisions weren’t easy for an Alpha. Challenge after challenge, the brutal mauling between wolves had proved that fact early on in his reign. No, easy didn’t equate with what was right. Even though he’d just gotten his mate back, he’d have to relinquish her. Trust his beta. Jake was his responsibility and damn if he’d let him die because he couldn’t shift on his own.
Dimitri stood, sensing Logan’s internal struggle. But as he expected, his Alpha put pack first, above his personal needs. Arms outstretched, he patiently waited to accept Wynter.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Logan spoke softly to her. She slowly lifted her lids to look at him. “I need you to go with Dimitri for a minute.”
“No,” she protested with a small moan. Within the warmth and safety of Logan’s embrace, she didn’t understand what Logan needed to do or why he’d leave her.
“Just a minute, baby.” He kissed her cheek lightly. “Jake needs me. He’s burned real bad and is having trouble shifting. I promise you’ll be safe with D. This’ll just take a few minutes. Then we’ll go home. Trust me.”
“Okay,” she agreed quietly.
“Do not let her go. Not one second, D,” Logan instructed, his tone of voice deadly serious. His eyes locked on Dimitri’s as he gently placed Wynter’s body into his arms.
Dimitri cradled her head into his chest, breathing a sigh of relief. Jake desperately needed his Alpha. At this point, he was too far gone to heal on his own.
“I’ll be just a second,” Logan promised, running his hand lovingly over Wynter’s hair.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Naturally, someone had heard the explosion and had called the authorities. Logan wanted to get out of there before the police came asking questions. New Orleans had a supernatural police force, P-CAP: Paranormal City Alternative Police. But at the moment, Logan couldn’t trust anyone, not even P-CAP, to find Dana’s killer. He knew they’d come to him eventually when they found the charred car, but he’d deal with that later. It’d be easy enough to tell them it had been stolen. Besides, after they found the dead bodies riddled with bite marks, they’d be busy breathing down Kade’s neck for a while.
The Alpha crouched down to the pavement so that his head was level with Jake’s, taking his hand. He bent over so that his mouth was inches from his friend’s ear. Concentrating, Logan let his power flow, urging Jake to listen, to obey. No longer moaning, Jake could sense his Alpha. His eyes flew open, staring into space as if he was devoid of awareness. Jake’s comatose expression didn’t worry Logan; the mental connection to the injured wolf strengthened.
“Jake, now listen to me, buddy. It’s me, Logan. You’ve got some pretty bad burns here. I know you’re feelin’ tired but you’ve gotta shift. You hear me?”
Jake’s eyes closed and in that second, Logan’s heart caught in his chest. This would go a whole lot easier if Jake was awake. Jake coughed, his eyes darted to Logan’s in acknowledgement. The flesh on Jake’s forearm and face had already formed boils, and Logan could feel the pain radiating off his wolf.
“That’s it. Okay, we’re gonna do this together.” Logan began to strip, tearing off his own clothes as fast as he could until he was entirely nude. Calling on his Alpha demeanor, Logan brought forth his dominance. It was time to get his wolf to shift.