Chapter 67 CHAPTER 67

Chapter 67 CHAPTER 67
CELIA'S POV

I kept running until my legs felt like jelly and my lungs burned. Jasper’s hand was still tight around mine, pulling me deeper into the thick woods. Finally, when the sounds of fighting faded completely, he slowed down and stopped in a small clearing. Tall trees surrounded us, sunlight barely cutting through the leaves. We were alone. Completely alone.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Shit. No brothers. No rogues. Just me and Jasper.

I yanked my hand free and spun around, looking for any path back. “We have to go back,” I said fast, voice shaky. “The others are still fighting. We can’t just leave them.”

Jasper didn’t answer right away. I kept turning in circles, scanning the trees, trying to figure out which way we came from. My mind raced. Being alone with him like this felt dangerous in a whole different way. His scent was everywhere, strong and male, making my skin tingle even though I was scared and pissed.

“Why the hell did you drag me so far?” I snapped, still not looking at him. “I need to get back. Now. I don’t want to be stuck here with you.”

My chest felt tight. Panic bubbled up hot and fast. Jasper was the one who almost drowned me before. The one who kissed me and made me feel things I hated wanting. If he tried anything right now, I didn’t know if I could fight him off… or if I even wanted to. That thought made me angrier.

“Jasper, are you listening? We need to—”

I finally turned around and froze.

He was on his knees in the dirt, head hanging low, one hand pressed to his side. Blood soaked through his torn shirt. His breathing came out rough and ragged. He looked bad. Really bad.

“Oh my God…” I whispered. I hadn’t noticed before. We were running so fast, I never saw it. Now I couldn’t look away. “Jasper?”

He lifted his head slowly, face pale, sweat dripping down his forehead. His dark brown eyes met mine, but they were glassy with pain.

I rushed over without thinking and dropped to my knees in front of him. “What happened? You’re bleeding everywhere. When did this—”

My hands hovered over his side. The wound looked deep, edges already turning an ugly black color. My stomach dropped. Werewolves healed fast. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t a normal cut.

“Poison,” I breathed, fear hitting me like ice water. “Only poison does this to someone like you. Those rogues… they must have used something on their claws or blades.”

Panic flooded me again, worse than before. My hands started shaking as I pressed them against his wound, trying to stop the blood. His skin felt burning hot under my fingers. I could feel his muscles tense, his breath hitch every time I touched him.

“Jasper, stay with me, okay?” My voice cracked. “Don’t you dare close your eyes. You can’t leave me alone out here. Not like this.”

Inside, everything twisted. I hated him. I really did. But seeing him like this — on his knees, hurt because he was protecting me — made my chest ache in a way I didn’t want. My fingers trembled against his bare skin where his shirt was ripped. Heat still sparked between us even now, that stupid mate pull making my nipples tighten and my breath come faster.

“Why did you run after me?” I whispered, pressing harder on the wound. “You should’ve stayed with your brothers. Look at you now… stupid alpha.”

He gave a weak smirk, even through the pain. “Couldn’t… let you go alone. You’re mine, Celia.”

“Shut up,” I said, but my voice wasn’t as sharp as I wanted. Tears stung my eyes. I was panicking hard. If he died here because of me… I didn’t know what I’d do. The woods felt too quiet, too empty. Just us. His blood on my hands. His eyes locked on my face like I was the only thing keeping him here.

I kept pressing on the wound, trying to think straight. “We need to get help. I can’t lose you like this. Not after everything.”
I knelt there in the dirt, hands pressed to Jasper’s bleeding side, and for the first time I wasn’t pretending. My heart was actually racing with real worry. “Jasper… don’t you dare die on me,” I whispered, voice shaking. I told myself it was only because I didn’t want to see his dead body lying here. That was it. Nothing more. I wasn’t soft for him. I couldn’t be.

“Come on, get up,” I said, sliding my arm under his shoulder. “We need to move. There might be more rogues coming.”

He groaned but leaned on me, heavy and warm. His body felt burning hot against mine as I helped him stumble deeper into the woods until we found a small rocky overhang that gave us some cover. I eased him down against the stone, my hands sliding over his chest where the shirt was ripped open. Even now, with blood everywhere, touching him made my stomach flip in that stupid way.

“Stay awake, okay?” I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling. No signal. Of course. “Fuck! Why is there never any damn signal when you need it?” I waved it around, checked again, nothing. I shoved it back in my pocket and hurried back to him.

Jasper’s eyes were closed. His breathing was too shallow. “Jasper?” I dropped beside him and shook his shoulder. “Hey! Wake up!” No answer. He was unconscious.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Panic hit me hard again. I ripped more of his shirt open and pressed both hands on the wound. Black lines spread under his skin from the poison. I remembered stuff from biology class and the little healer training we had at school. I had to get the poison out.

I took a deep breath and pushed my fingers into the wound, trying to force the bad blood out. Jasper jerked and growled low even while passed out. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” I muttered, tears stinging my eyes. “You big idiot. Why did you run after me?”

His body started shaking. Bones cracked. Fur rippled over his skin. He shifted right there, too weak to stay human. His big dark brown wolf lay on the ground, sides heaving, the wound still leaking black blood.

“Fuck…” I stared at him. He looked huge and beautiful even hurt. I ran my hand through his thick fur, feeling the heat. “Don’t die, Jasper. Please.”

I left him for a minute and searched the woods like crazy for herbs. I found some wild ones that might help with poison and rushed back. I mashed them with a rock and pressed the paste into his wound. Then I remembered how much blood he lost. My own wrist… I didn’t even think twice. I bit into it hard until blood welled up and pressed it to his mouth.

“Drink, you stubborn wolf,” I whispered. “Take it. You need it more than I do right now.”

His tongue moved weakly against my skin. The feeling sent a weird shiver through me. Even like this, the mate bond pulled. My nipples tightened under my top and heat pooled low in my belly. I hated how my body reacted to him. “This doesn’t mean anything,” I told myself. “I just don’t want you dead.”

I kept feeding him my blood until I felt dizzy. Then I tore a strip from my own shirt and wrapped his wound as best I could. My hands were covered in his blood and mine. I sat back against the rock, exhausted, legs shaking.

The woods were quiet except for his rough breathing. I watched his big wolf chest rise and fall, my eyes stinging. “You better survive, Jasper. I still have so much to hate you for. You can’t die before I make you pay for everything.”

I curled up closer to his warm fur, too tired to keep my eyes open. My head rested on his side, feeling the slow beat of his heart. “Just… don’t leave me alone out here,” I mumbled, voice cracking. “I’m scared and I hate admitting that.”

Sleep pulled at me hard. I fought it for a while, but my body gave up. I rested against him, hoping like hell he would survive the night.