Chapter 210

Chapter 210
I was pulling up my skinny jeans, preparing to visit my brother, when an unexpected wave of coldness washed over me. This wasn't an ordinary chill—it penetrated deeper, straight to my core.

I felt the life being sucked out of me. My vision darkened around the edges as I frantically grabbed the edge of my dresser to keep from collapsing. I gasped for air, each breath feeling insufficient as I struggled against the strange emptiness spreading through my body.

The bedroom door flew open, and Dylan rushed in, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Maggie! What's wrong?" By the time he reached me, the sensation had already begun to fade, leaving only a lingering hollowness.

I straightened slowly, trying to appear normal despite the residual weakness in my limbs. "I'm fine," I assured him, forcing a smile. "Must have stood up too quickly."

Dylan's expression remained skeptical as he scanned me from head to toe. "Let me check you," he insisted, his hands already reaching for the hem of my shirt.

A familiar pressure brushed against my mind—Charles connecting through our mind-link. Everything ok at home, you feel? His concern flowed through our connection.

I'm fine, I responded silently. Just stood up too quickly.

I pushed Dylan's hands away as he tried to lift my shirt to examine my stomach. "Dylan, stop it. I am fine," I insisted, more firmly this time.

His eyes glazed over slightly, and I recognized the distant look that meant he was communicating with Charles. The two of them were conferring about me as if I weren't standing right there.

After retrieving my phone from the nightstand, I headed for the door. "We should get going. Samuel's waiting."

"We should see Wesley first," Dylan suggested, following me to the stairs.

"That's not necessary," I replied, starting the careful process of descending the stairs.

Dylan caught up, hovering close behind me. "It felt like you died, or were dying, Maggie. Both Charles and I felt it."

I stopped on the landing, turning to face him. "Not dead, right here, Dylan," I said, gesturing to myself. His face remained serious, genuine concern etched in his features. I softened my tone. "If it makes you feel better, we can stop and see Wesley on the way home."

This compromise seemed to satisfy him, and we continued to the car.

Throughout the entire drive to Samuel's territory, Dylan kept glancing at me, his eyes flicking between me and the road.

"Watch the road," I reminded him for the third time as he nearly missed a turn.

When we finally arrived at Samuel's pack territory, I was struck by how deserted it looked. "It's like a small ghost town," I whispered, taking in the empty streets and quiet buildings. Given what had happened to Samuel's pack, the emptiness made sense—there were few survivors after the massacre.

As we approached Samuel's residence, I could hear his voice from inside: "Stay, I am just letting my sister in, so sit and behave."

His tone was strange, as if he were talking to a pet rather than a person. When the door swung open, I heard two fierce growls. A gray wolf lunged forward, but Samuel caught it by the scruff of its neck.

"Fck!" Samuel yelled as the female wolf twisted and sank her teeth into his other arm.

The wolf backed away, trembling all over, her teeth bared as she growled at Samuel.

"You bite my sister, I will bldy—" Samuel began, his voice dropping to a threatening growl.

"Enough, Samuel," I interrupted firmly.

At the sound of my voice, the wolf stopped growling and sniffed the air curiously. I forced open a mind-link, pushing past her mental barriers.

Woman, you are a woman, came her surprised response through the link.

The wolf tried to rush toward me, but Dylan immediately stepped in front of me protectively.

"She won't hurt me," I told him, placing a hand on his arm. "She's relieved because I am female."

Through our newly established link, I learned her name was Amanda. Suddenly, she shifted into human form—a naked woman with desperate eyes who threw herself at me, clutching my arms.

"Please, you have to help me," she begged. "He locked me in here."

When Samuel stepped closer, Amanda panicked and shifted back into wolf form. I extended my hand, stopping my brother's approach.

"Stay back," I warned him before turning my attention to the frightened wolf.

I moved toward her slowly, kneeling down despite Dylan's concerned "Maggie?" from behind me.

"She won't hurt me," I assured him, studying the wolf more closely now. She was smaller than I'd initially realized, and I could feel her bones when I gently placed my hand on her back. She was malnourished, her ribs prominent beneath her gray fur.

Through our mind-link, I discovered her wolf name was Naomi. I turned to my brother. "Samuel, give me your shirt."

Samuel pulled off his shirt without question and handed it to me. I noticed how Amanda's heart rate accelerated when she looked at Samuel, but it wasn't the reaction of a mate finding her other half—it was fear.

"That man," I said gently to Amanda, "he is your mate."

"Not mate," she denied immediately. "My mate is dead." But her eyes kept darting to Samuel despite her words.

I addressed her wolf directly. "Naomi, can you feel it? The pull toward him?" The wolf whimpered softly in confirmation.

"He lost his mate too," I explained, trying to help her understand. "Just like you did."

Amanda's blue eyes widened slightly, and she shifted back to human form, accepting Samuel's shirt to cover herself.

"Why are there no women?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "I smell no women here."

The question hit me hard as I realized why she was so frightened. "Another pack killed all their women and children," I explained gently. "You are safe here, I promise."

She didn't look convinced, clutching my arm tightly as she whispered, "Help me," her blue eyes wide with fear. I tried to hide my shock at her appearance.