Elma Pov
"Come on, Xander. Move," I grunted, my arms burning as I hauled his dead weight over the uneven dirt path.
He didn't answer. He couldn't. His head lolled against my shoulder, his breathing shallow and dangerously slow.
"I'm talking to you to keep myself sane, you know," I muttered, adjusting my grip around his waist. "You are ridiculously heavy. Is this all muscle, or is your ego weighing us down?"
Still nothing.
"I could have left you out there."
"I should have."
It was the truth, or at least a half-truth. Leaving him behind would have guaranteed my escape. I could have run far away from this pack, far away from the accusations, the hostility, and the constant target on my back. But dragging him back to the pack castle was a necessity. I needed it to be undeniably evident
