Not to Claim

Chapter 25

"R-Rowan." I groaned and started dry heaving again. He rushed over and rubbed my back.

 "Take it easy, you're going to be okay." Jerome walked over and carefully touched Rowan's shoulder. 

"We need to get her to some water so I can clean up this bite. And then we need to find her some food, because she's burning calories like crazy." Rowan nodded and carefully picked me up, tucking me against his chest. 

"There's a fast running river about a mile from here, let's go." He said and kissed the top of my head as he started walking.

After what seemed like hours we got to the stream and Rowan gently set me against a tree, tucking sweat slicked hair behind my ear. "We're gonna get you better, I promise." All I could do was nod and try to keep upright. Jerome walked over and carefully touched my forehead.

"She's burning up, we need to get her into the water. She's going to fight, a lot, trust me, but Rowan, you can not give into her if you want her to live past tonight. You're Wolf is going to want to roll over and let her do whatever she asks but you can't let him." Rowan looked at me with pained eyes and nodded.

"If it means she'll get better, I'll do it." He kissed my forehead and picked me up again. "This is going to be really cold, but it's going to help you, okay sweetheart? So I need you to not fight me." Rowan whispered in my ear and kissed my head again. I nodded, my eyes fluttering shut as he walked towards the stream. 

As he got deeper and deeper in the stream he started whispering softly in my ear, until he got to the middle where the water was waist deep on him. He took a deep breath and whispered something that sounded like a prayer before he dunked me into the freezing water. The scream I let out could have made even a humans ears bleed.