Ice -- Wolv book II

12 - Escape Attempt

I looked out across the lake from my tiny island. A wolf stood on the far shore, staring back at me, his grey fur ruffling in the wind.

I blinked my eyes, and just like that, he was gone, leaving nothing but an eerie howl in the air. I shook my head and scanned the distant shoreline, searching for him.

"Mingan?" I called out timidly. Only silence answered me, but the air stood thick with anticipation. I knew he was out there...I knew he was coming for me.

Something snapped in the distance, and the sound of paws thudding against the ground entered my ears. I spun around, looking for my pursuer, until finally, the grey wolf burst out from the trees and leapt at me, his claws extended and his teeth barred ferociously. He slammed into my chest and knocked me on my back, clawing and scratching at me as I fell.

"Mingan, please stop!" I begged. He flashed a wicked grin at me, displaying jagged nubs where his canines had once stood, before they'd been bashed out.

"I don't owe you anything. You left me to die, Humfrey!" He screeched. I hit him across the face with my fist, desperately deterring his many attempts to bite me.

"You ASKED us to leave you! You think we wanted to?!? We're your friends!"

He momentarily stopped his attack and stared down at me menacingly. "Friends? Ha! You were never my friend! You were never anyone's friend!" His scowl deepened. "Can you imagine how Spike felt, as you stood around and watched him die?"

"That's not what happened--"

"Can you imagine how I felt, as the four of you walked away from me? You left me with a pack of killers!! There's only one way that can end!"

My eyes began welling up with tears. When would the nightmare end? "What would you have had me do? We wanted to bring you with us!"

"But you didn't, did you. No, you left me here alone. That's all you ever do. You just run away from people! Always trying to prove yourself! Who do you think you are? Nobody cares if you think you're better than you really are! Everyone knows what you truly are, anyways. Even Nadie."

"Don't you dare speak about her!"

"Why, because you think she's your precious mate? She's just tagging along with you because she thinks she owes you. She doesn't feel anything for you. When push comes to shove, you'll just end up leaving her, too, like you do with everyone else."

"Psst! Wake up!"

I shot up on the bed, knocking Nadie off the mattress in the process. I shook the dream from my head, and began panting as my heart slowly began to relax.

Great. Not only is Mingan haunting me, he's now guilting me, too. From the moment I'd been bitten to now, he always managed to invade my dreams, constantly reminding me of who we'd left behind. I didn't need or  want that, yet I had no way of escaping it.

Nadie growled from the floor, holding her paw against her nose. "Ow! What was that for?"

I slid down off the bed. "I'm sorry!"

"Yeah yeah, save it. C'mon, Hutch an' Tara are waiting for us!"

I followed her out of the room, turning my nightmare over in my mind. I wished that we could go back and take our friend along with us, but we'd passed the point of no return months ago. Even if we could turn around, Mingan still had a bullet lodged in his spine. He would never be able to run or hunt, much less keep pace with the rest of us.