Chapter 41

Eli stepped out from the shadows and growled deeply at the man holding me in his grip. I could not tell with this man if he thought he was protecting but he didn’t seem to want to hurt me. I kept getting this strange feeling like he knew me somehow. He pulled me behind him and blocking me from Eli’s sight.

“I said take your hands off of my mate!” Eli yelled before rushing toward the men who had kidnapped me.

The man who was protecting me stepped back and let the other fight against Eli, who they seemed no match for. Eli was tall and fit while these men were scrawny and skinny, as if they had lived off barely anything. This did not mean they were weak, but small compared to Eli and he fought them with ease. They depended on their numbers to keep him distracted long enough for the man who had been carrying me to bring me over to the opening of the cave and try to push me through the small opening. I struggled against him as he covered my mouth to keep me from screaming out. My body had grown too weak that fighting him seemed pointless because none of my hits seemed to faze him at all.

I kicked him hard enough for him to release my mouth and I screamed out for Eli. I heard the disgusting growls of the men he fought being hurt badly and the sound of his wolf’s growl heading our way. The man who was taking me through the cave called out through the whole and another man appeared. Someone had been waiting on the other side for us, and now this man stuck something into my neck making me fall to the ground soon after. Before I lost consciousness I heard Eli growl desperately as the wolves on the other side caused boulders to fall over the opening I had been taken through.
Eli’s whimpering growls were the last thing I heard before I blacked out once again. He had found me, and I had lost him.


(ELI POV)
My wolf cried out over and over trying to hear for a response from our mate. The exit to the cave had been covered and only a small hole remained, and I watched as more men carried Maya away. I cried out trying to see if she was ok, but she did not reply. I tried to listen for her heart, but it was being drowned out by the racing of my own. My wolf called out for a long time before his whimpers became shallow and low. He was exhausting himself and could not stay in his form any longer. He retreated into the back of my mind and I returned to human form.

I fell to my knees and let out a shaky breath as I looked around at the men I had killed to get to my mate. I had never killed anyone before, and yet for my mate I had killed half a dozen men. I had lost all control of my wolf when I saw those men with Maya, and my wolf would never want another man to touch his mate. He was some what ok with sharing her with her other mates, but no other man should very lay his hands on her. Then there was that one that seemed especially touchy with her, and that had sent my wolf over the edge.

That man had taken her from me, and when I see him again I would happily take his life. I sat there for some time hanging to last of her scent as it lingered in the air. I didn’t know when I would smell her scent again, and I need to have something to hang on to.

When her scent had finally faded I stood and walked out of the cave. I had mind linked the others when I had arrived, so they should eb on their way now. I needed to tell them that I had lost Maya, but it didn’t seem like something I should tell them over mind link. I sat at the entrance of the cave waiting for them to arrive. I looked out across the field and trees that stood only a short distance away, and the sunlight started to peak out over the tops of the trees.

It was actually amazing and beautiful, and I only wished I could be seeing this with Maya. I missed holding her so bad, and she had been so close I could have reached out and touched her. I had been so close, and now I miss her so much I felt like my heart was being crushed. I had never felt a pain like I felt now, and I never wanted to feel this again. About an hour later, the sun was higher now and I could hear the hurrying steps of paws hitting the patches of fallen leaves not far off. Soon three wolves emerged from the forest rushing toward me and only slowing when they arrived at the mouth of the cave.

I nodded at them and through the link told them to shift. Once my three friends were standing in front of me, I think they knew they had come too late. Maya was not with me and I looked miserable.

“Where is Maya Eli?” Tommy asks me.
“They took her. I arrived just as they opened an exit in the cave and I was ambushed. I fought them but by the time I had killed them all, the cave opening was being covered and Maya was gone! I watched them carry her off on the other side.” I explain to them.

Tommy turns and lets out a defining growl that only an alpha makes and turning into his wolf once more and heading into the cave. I already knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to try and break through the barrier in wolf form, but I had tried as well, and it was too heavy. It would take much more than the four of us to break through. I knew he would realize it once the anger for losing Maya would turn into sadness. Will decided to follow Tommy inside and help him even though he too knew there was nothing we could do now. We would have to find another way to make it over these hills to get to Maya.

“Did she see you?” Noah asks me.

I look up at him and he is looking out toward the trees, and I knew he was trying hard to keep himself together. He blamed himself for hurting Maya for making her want to run away. I knew he would never forgive himself if we don’t find Maya or if we find her too late. They had not even had time to bond yet as mates should, and that meant his wolf was in a lot of pain right now. Not bonding with your mate after meeting them is painful and could even drive a wolf to death either by their own hand or from sorrow. We had seen what it did to Tommy after he tried to push her away, and he had almost gone mad.

“Yes I saw her and she saw me, she knows we were coming for her and that we wont stop.” I try to reassure him.
“At least she knows you will.” Noah says with a sigh.
“Have you tried to speak to her? Even though you have not fully bonded, she is bound to us which means she is also connected to the pack. Her connection may be weak this way but maybe she will hear you.” I tell him.
“I am probably the last person she wants to hear from right now. I was awful to her, and I deserve to suffer like she had to because of me.” Noah says firmly.
“Noah, do you really want her to still think you don’t care about her? If you don’t even try she will still think you care nothing for her. She needs to know Noah and soon. We don’t know how long it will be to find her again, and you don’t want her to wonder all that time do you? She is weak and vulnerable right now, and she needs us to give her hope.” I tell him.
“You really are the sensitive one aren’t you?” He teases.
“Shut up! I can’t help it, it’s a gift and a curse.” I scoff.


(Noah POV)
Eli was right.
I needed to try and reach Maya and tell her everything I didn’t have a chance to yet. Our bond was weak but maybe it would be enough to break through and reach her even if it were for a moment. I walked toward the grassy field near the cave and sat in the long grass. I needed to focus as much as I could to find Maya through the pack mind link. I needed to reach only her. I closed my eyes and I focused deeply and opened my mind and as soon as I did all the voices of the pack rushed into my mind.

There were so many voices it was hard to focus on Maya, and search for her voice. I was sure she would be crying out for someone to hear her. We were all she had, and I was sure she could hear some of the pack as well. She had not been made an official pack member through the blood ceremony yet, but because she was bonded to both Tommy and Eli she was able to reach the pack mind link through them.

I focused harder drowning out the louder conversations trying to hear the small sounds. If she had broken through her voice would sound small compared to the rest of the pack. I listened carefully blocking out people slowly wading through the voices, until I heard it.

A voice soft almost like a whisper, but she wasn’t talking or calling for help. She was singing softly almost like you would to a baby. It was so sweet to hear her soft voice and it was enough just to hear her, but I knew she needed to hear me too.

“Maya? Maya can you hear me? It’s Noah.” I say trying to reach only her.

Her voice hums softly, and it seems like she isn’t able to hear me. I call out to her several times, but soon lose hope. The bond was just too weak. I begin to withdraw and close of the mind link until I hear it. Her small voice calling out to me.

“Noah, I hear you! Is that really you?”