The Mute Bride

The Accident

The next few days found Kylan lost in a whirlwind of activity. Dinners with the Alpha and the senior pack members, visiting Lisette, even accompanying her mother for testing - it all seemed to flow together.

After a lot of discussion, she had acquiesced to her mother’s wishes. It wasn’t her first choice, but she understood the need to get to know Lisette better. Even if they couldn’t figure out how to help her, Maureen didn’t want her daughter to feel abandoned again. If anything, she desperately hoped for a true bond between them. Kylan couldn’t deny her mother the chance for that to happen.

Packing up her things, she sent the cars ahead. Keeping back one for herself and her guards, she let the Alpha know that she would be leaving at first light. That night, dinner was busier than normal, an obvious farewell gathering. Lisette sat at her husband’s side, smiling more than she had in awhile as the music played and the pack ate. Kylan looked around, reflecting on this pack and everything she had learned since getting there. It made her nervous, to think of leaving her mother behind, but at least it seemed that she would be in good hands.

She lay in bed that night, unable to sleep as she stared at the ceiling. Her worries and doubts were blending together into image after image of things gone wrong, but her mother’s joyful face pushed it all to the background as she slipped into a troubled sleep.

When she woke the next morning, it was raining with an overcast sky. Kylan got dressed quietly, not wanting to wake the rest of the packhouse as she got ready to leave. Her mother met her at the car as her remaining guards placed her bags into the boot. A soft kiss was pressed to her forehead before she was wrapped in a warm, motherly embrace. “I’m sorry I’m not going with you,” Maureen stated, her eyes sad and pleading with Kylan for understanding. Ky nodded, gripping her mother tightly, pouring her love and understanding into every second that they stood there, comforting her through the mindlink. When they parted, two sets of eyes were laden with mist to match their wavery smiles. Kylan realized that she had never been apart from her mother until now. With that thought, she kissed her cheek and slid into the back seat of the vehicle.

The trees blended into the background before long, leaving Kylan to lay back and rest her eyes. Voices were quiet, casual in the front, letting her get a little extra sleep. A smile graced her fair features as she thought about her mate, dreaming of being in his arms again. That dream wrapped around her like a warm blanket, giving her solace as she drove away from the one who gave her life. Holding her close even with the distance, her heart soared as her dream filled her senses.

She woke to the loud scream of metal, her warm loving bubble burst as she slammed against the driver’s seat. Her eyes wild, she realized a woman was screaming, the voice hoarse. Whipping her head about, she searched for the source of the anguish, when Kylan realized…the sound was coming from her. Pain crashed into her, a wrenching sob filling the vehicle as she heard her men call her name. “Lady Kylan! Hold on, we’ll get you out in a moment!” Hope flooded her veins as she began to process her surroundings, piecing together what had happened. Oh, there’s been an accident.

Strong arms pulled her from the mangled frame, concerned shouts heard but she couldn’t understand what was being said. It was like it was being fed through a sieve, eyes blinking in the light as the words fell away. Gently, she was laid in the grass, a hand beneath her head as Jareth looked her over for injuries. “s**t, she’s barely conscious. I think she’s losing blood,” a gruff voice was laden with concern.

“f**k, that’s not good. Why isn’t her wolf healing her?” Panic could be heard in Carl’s voice, before being hushed by his partner. Jareth turned to look over his shoulder as Carl spoke again, his voice quiet. “Did you see who hit us? They came out of nowhere.”

A grunt followed, “Didn’t get a good look. They took off like a bat out of hell.”

“Car’s totalled. Damn, dude, we’re in the middle of nowhere; Alpha is going to kill us if something happens to her.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Carl bit out, checking on Kylan. Groggily, she opened her eyes, feeling a warm, wet sensation over her browbone. Reaching up, she touched it, blinking without understanding as her hand came away sticky and red. Confused, she looked up at her guards. “It’s okay; you’re safe. I’m going to leave you with Jareth, go down the way to see if we can flag down some help. I won’t be long.” Sitting up, she looked around her, finally putting together all the pieces. Oh, she was hurt. s**t.

“Az?” she reached out, evaluating the extent of the damage. “You okay? Please be okay,” she fretted.

A stirring came from deep, her wolf pushing forward, “Already working on healing you, my dear girl. Just hold still, relax.” Already, Kylan’s vision was returning to normal, the throbbing in her head dulling.

Carl jogged back, moving to grab her bags. “Jareth, grab her. Something isn’t right. It’s too quiet.” A gruff sound acknowledged him as she was swept up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. “Let’s get out of sight.” She held onto him as they moved quickly, sensing the danger in the air.

A growl was heard ahead, causing the trio to stop in their tracks. Carl shifted instantly, Jareth’s arms tightening around his cargo even as Kylan pushed for him to set her down. He growled, his protective instincts overriding her insistence. Only when one unseen growl turned into a few too many to separate, did he place her carefully and turn, standing tall. His eyes glinted in the sunlight, daring someone to touch his Alpha’s mate.

As a group of wolves surrounded them, Kylan pushed through the packlink. “Carter!” Jareth shifted, throwing himself into the fight, Carl next to him as they danced, ripping through wave after wave of fighters determined to beat them. Kylan screamed an inhuman scream through the link as she saw Alpha Markus’ enforcer rip their hearts out of their chests, locking eyes with her as if to dare her to run.

Whirling, she took off running. As she reached the woods at the edge of the clearing they were in, Kylan called on her wolf and begged her to shift. Hearing the urgency in the cry, Azeria took over, shifting instantly. Her fur seemed to shimmer in the air as she sped up, her feet eating the ground. Just a little further, and she would be clear of the danger. What was going on? Why were they after her? Why did they kill her men? Anguish ripped through her as their deaths rippled through the link. Stumbling, she rolled head over heel until she came to a stop at the foot of a large oak tree.

Looking for those chasing her, she got to her feet and started to take off, only to slam into a large man she had never seen before. “Enough,” a growl sounded as his hand came down and cuffed her across the back of the head, knocking her unconscious before throwing her over his shoulder.