NATALIE

Ryker takes me to the infirmary which is filled with injured pack members and rogues. The putrid stench of burned flesh is hanging in the air like a haunting ghost taunting my very existence.

My fingers tighten around Ryker’s hand as the grief and guilt threatens to consume me as a whole.

Each step which carries me close to Anne sends my mind into a trance of numbness. I can’t feel my body, my wolf, my heart. I feel cold and the only thing keeping me warm is Ryker’s hand intertwined with mine, assuring me that it is going to be alright.

“ Here. She is inside. ” He halts outside a room and pulls me ahead.

The door is open, allowing me to peek inside. My eyes land at the back of an unfamiliar man first. He stands beside the bed, staring down at Anne.

My gaze travels to Anne’s face and my breath gets stuck in my throat. My lungs ache, my face heating up.

There are stained bandages covering her cheeks, pressed down on the wounds to stop the bleeding. I can’t see her face except f