297- JAX

297- JAX
POV Jax:

“If we had known that all it would take was a terrified alpha searching for his mate to wipe out half the population of rogues, we would have taken care of everything on the mountain long ago,” London said, panting. Around him, three wolves lay dead.

“We need to keep going,” I snarled. “The longer we take, the weaker her scent gets.”

We were already at least a day behind. I had hoped Anna’s pregnancy would slow her down a little, make her sleep, but with Finn at her side, she would probably be able to regain some ground. Elonso and Jenson had tried to stop me from leaving. We needed to be watching over Lunessa.

Surprisingly, it was London who helped me. He pointed out that having the ternary running around was even worse, since she didn’t have an entire pack and a share of magic to protect her. I knew guilt was driving him. He would never forgive himself for bringing traitors into our lands.

Even if they had their reasons. London needed to run, and I was glad to have him at my side.

Only once had I been able to break the spell Anna had cast over our bond. When it shattered, I was overwhelmed by fear and pain. It was so crushing that, as soon as she reforged the spell, I didn’t try to break it again.

I had made her feel that, and I deserved to feel the same, tenfold—but I couldn’t let anything stop me. When she was in my arms again, I would let her pain consume me while I begged for her forgiveness.

I had made her afraid of me. Afraid for her child. What kind of monster did that make me?

“Do you think the wolves are attacking us because we’re good targets, or because they’re under Maeve’s control?” London asked, nudging the dead wolf with his foot.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Shift. I want to cover a few miles before the sun sets. I think she’s traveling at night.”

“I just hope she doesn’t have to cross another damn river. My wolf hates getting wet,” he grumbled before shifting.

I shifted too, and we ran. The sun was already low in the sky. Anna would have been slower traveling during the day, but she had started at night and would have wanted to put as much distance between us as possible until she couldn’t walk any farther.

Distance from me.

When we first caught her scent at that burned cabin, I almost lost control right there. Simple traps had been set up around the cabin, which made no sense. Would she need them with Finn there? And one of the dead wolves had been taken down with a flare gun. Why was she fighting like a human?

Had Saul told her shifting would be bad for the baby? I should have been there for the examination. I should have known exactly what questions she asked and what Saul said.

I was her damn mate, and I had driven her away. Now I was losing her.

Finn’s pack bond was shielded just like Anna’s, but what Anna didn’t know was that her scent was stronger than ever because she was pregnant. Did she know she was probably attracting every male rogue in the area? Did she know what they would do to her if they caught her?

The fear made me run even faster until I stopped in a clearing. Her scent led to the cabin ahead of us. But the cabin wasn’t empty.

Beside me, London growled, and a man’s head appeared as he looked toward the forest. He crouched and grabbed a shotgun.

Fuck, where did he get that from?

“If you’re tracking the girl because she’s pregnant, you’d better turn back now. She’s not alone, and he’ll tear you apart just for looking at her. If you’re tracking her because someone sent you, you’ll have to get through me first.”

I recognized his voice, even if my wolf didn’t. Slowly, I shifted back. “Dr. Ramirez,” I said as I stepped out and raised my hands. “Do you know who I am?”

The old man narrowed his eyes at me and London, then lowered the gun. “You’re the idiot who let her get away.”

Beside me, London gave a tired grunt. The moon was already full in the sky, and now that we’d stopped, I knew we’d both fall asleep on our feet. We needed to make camp, or we wouldn’t be any use to Anna when we found her.

“That’s me,” I agreed. “If you tell me where she went, I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“There’s only one thing I want,” the doctor muttered. “And that’s that bitch’s head on a spike. Either way, I can’t tell you where Anna went because she didn’t tell me. I suspect she knew you’d try to find her. Still, if you’ve made it this far, you’ll find her.

I can offer you the same thing I offered her—food and a place to rest—though I gave her my last chicken. You’ll have to settle for rabbit.”

“Can we trust him?” London asked quietly.

“I don’t trust anyone at this point, but I don’t think he’ll skin us while we sleep.”

An hour later, our stomachs were full and London’s wolf was curled up in the corner of the room, snoring loudly. My mind was racing too fast for me to fall asleep.

“They slept separately,” Hector said. “Not that you asked, but I figured you’d want to know. I gave her my room, but she slept on the floor. Finn slept on the other side of the door. I remember when that boy was so carefree, even when he lived here. Now there’s not a drop of trust left in him.”

“Maeve took control over him, and he led his sister to her death,” I said flatly. “Hard to trust when you can’t even trust yourself.”

Hector’s eyes narrowed. “He didn’t tell me that, but I’m not surprised. At least the other girls are safe. Maeve has no reason to mess with them now that she’s got what she wants. The magic turned that woman into a monster.”

“What makes you blame the magic?”

“We don’t need to keep seeing the future. It doesn’t help anyone. Prophecies only destroy us. She turned into a monster trying to avoid becoming one. Magic isn’t for wolves. Maybe it shouldn’t be for witches either. It should stay in the land where it belongs.”

“Our humanity makes us greedy. I don’t think magic has anything to do with it.” I hesitated. “Did Anna seem well? Was she hurt or sick? Did you see her wolf?”

“She was already close to destroying herself, but she wasn’t injured. She ate enough for three, and I hoped that would keep her here. I packed their bags with enough to last a few more days.”