Not to Claim

Chapter 23

It felt like hours, after setting her down and taking off, I couldn't help but run as fast as I could to find the nearest water source. My Wolf was pissed, growling and spitting inside my head the second I set her down. I couldn't run fast enough as I raced towards the first sound of running water. 

Once I found a river, I let out a howl and turned, running full speed back to my dying Mate. I just hoped I would be fast enough to get back to her before someone else found her. 

After Rowan left me lying next to a tree, I forced myself to stand and pull myself up to the highest branches I could hold on to that wouldn't break under my weight. It felt like forever before I heard a howl that I knew was his, and he was heading back my way before the echo even hit, but he wasn't fast enough to beat the other wolfs that were searching for me. 

"Where the hell is she!?" A familiar voice yelled, but my head was too clouded from the fever to notice at first. 

"I don't know, just calm down, Rowan is around here somewhere, he wouldn't leave her alone." There was a low growl and the sound of bones breaking twice as someone shifted from human to wolf and back in anger. 

"Damn it! If she's hurt I don't know what I'll-" the voice stopped as the wind blew my scent to the two males on the ground. "TJ!" The same voice called. I looked down but my vision was blurry and I couldn't focus. 

"How in the hell did she get up there? She couldn't even open her eyes when I last saw her." 

"Trust me, she always gets what she wants, doesn't matter what's in her way." That's when it hit me. 

"Jerome?" I called out, my voice breaking as the branch I was gripping cracked. Panic set in quickly. Even in my groggy state, I knew I did not want to fall out of a tree at the hight I was at. 

"Hold on, don't move." Jerome said as calmly as he could and started climbing as quickly as he could. "Just hold on okay? I'm not gonna let you fall." He got to the branch below me as the one I was holding on to cracked even more. 

"Jerome." I let out a whimper.

"It's alright, just take a deep breath and let go of that branch, you know I'd never drop you." He said coaxingly. The branch broke before I had to force myself to let go of it and Jerome's arm wrapped around my waist, jerking me to his side as I let out a yelp. 

"Son of a-" I yelled and pressed my face into his shoulder. A loud growl sounded from the ground as I wrapped my good arm around Jerome's neck. 

"Hold on, we're not that far from the ground. Just hold on." He carefully moved me on to his back and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He climbed down the tree and gently set me down on the ground before slowly backing away as Rowan snarled at him and quickly came over to me and wrapped his body around mine. 

I wrapped my arms around his thick neck and he let out a protective growl as his tail curled around my waist. "Rowan." I whispered and hugged him tightly. 

"I know you won't like this Rowan, but if I can't touch her, she's going to hurt more than she already does."