CHAPTER 38

MIA POV.
Tony's arms wrap around my middle, pulling me into a tight grasp against his body. "Mia, have you lost your fucking mind?" his voice laced with desperation and fear. I struggle against his hold, my eyes fixed on the spot where Dominic fell. "We can’t just leave him?" I scream as I tried to wriggle out of his hold, but Tony's grip tightens. "He knows what he was doing!" Tony says as he pulls me further into the other direction. Him being stronger than me gave me no real option but to be dragged along.
But I was determined as I shake my head. "We can’t leave him here to die?" I tried to reason without success. I turn to glare up into his face and I could read a bunch of emotions there but the main one there was fear. "You're his son. Are you really just going to leave him behind like a coward!” I challenge, playing on his masculinity and anger crosses his face before he suddenly releases me, and I fall to the dirt floor. But before I could get up, he grabbed me painfully by the arm, making me utter a pained cry as he yanked me to my feet and put his face close to mine. I swallowed nervously as his eyes flashed with anger.
Tony's voice was firm and laced with venom. "If you want to go after him, then fine! He sneered and pushed me away from him hard into the ground again. “But as it stands, I am under a direct order to get you out of here, so I can’t just let you go.” He says and he quickly looks about as more growling and gun shots fill the air. His glare land on me again. “I am under my Alpha’s orders… He told me to get you out of here and that is what I am going to do.” He said before he extended a hand to me as I was still sat on the ground. I glared at his hand before locking eyes with him again.
“My father knows how to handle himself, Mia. This is not his first fight, and it will certainly not be his last.” He said and continued, still holding out his hand to me. “He knows how to handle himself, trust me. The best we can do for him is to do what he said otherwise we will only become a distraction for him.” Tony said and I knew he was right, but I couldn’t help myself. I hesitated for a moment before I reached up and took his hand.
A flash of relief flashed crossed his face as he helped me up, but as soon as I got to my feet, I wrenched free. I pushed him against his chest to make him stagger off his feet and I ran, determined to go back for Dominic.
Tony's curses chased after me as I ran away from him and into danger, but just as I thought I was almost there to where I last saw him, my feet caught on a root of a tree, and I crashed to the ground. Pain radiated through my body at the unexpected fall, but I had no time for that. I tried to get up, but my foot got caught again and I had to yank it out from between the roots and stood up. I grimaced in pain that radiated from my ankle.
The bushes stirred… my heart leaped into my throat as fear filled my veins and just as I was about to hop away on one foot, a huge black form burst through the underbrush. I nearly started to cry in relief when I saw that it was Dominic, still in his wolf form. Dominic's wolf form landed next to me, and it was like I instantly knew what to do… what he wanted me to do. I wrapped my arms around his neck we were gone.
I manoeuvred myself onto his back. My hands clutching handfuls of black fur and although his pace was frantic, leaving the dark scenery to blur past us, I couldn’t help but notice how warm and soft his fur was. How the muscles in his body worked to keep him at this fast pace and in that moment, I felt the safest that I have ever felt tonight. The gunshots faded into the distance as we continued to move away from the attack.
As my own heart started to slow down, I could feel Dominic's heart pounding loudly in his wolf chest. The fast rhythm soothing my fear as he carried me to safety.
As we emerged from the dense woods and crossed a rushing river, he finally slowed to a stop, his chest heaving with exhaustion from the effort of getting away. I looked around. Everything looked calm, except for the rushing water that was flowing past us. Dominic slowly lowered himself to the ground and with a gentle nuzzle, he encouraged me down onto the floor of the riverbank. I slid off his back, my hands reluctant to release their grip on his soft fur but my attention shifted to the pain in my ankle, and I quickly sat down onto one of the rocks next to the stream.
Dominic shifted. His wolf form dissolving back into a man. For a moment I just stared… he was sweaty, bruised and bloodied. I knew the blood was not his because I could not see any wounds and with a start that had me reddening from top to bottom, I realised he was naked. Of course, he was naked… he had just shifted to defend us from the attackers and had successfully taken me to safety on his wolf’s back.
His eyes locked onto mine, but I couldn’t hold it out of embarrassment, so I quickly looked away and inspected my bruised ankle. I see him move about out the corner of my eye and hear rustling leaves before I hear a bag being zipped open. I knew it must have been one of the stash sites where clothes were kept for situations like these because we did it back at my old pack as well.
More rustling of leaves had my heart start up racing again and just as I was about to get up, Tony came running out from behind the bush. His chest was heaving and when his eyes landed on me, an angry look crossed his face, but his attention shifted towards Dominic his expression transforming into concern. "Dad, are you okay?" he asked, walking towards Dominic's side. I was relieved to see Dominic put on a pair of pants so now I could look at him again. although I still swallowed at the sight of his sweaty and dirty bare chest. Dominic nodded as his eyes narrowed between Tony and me. "I'm fine." Was all Dominic said. Before he became serious and looked at his surroundings.
“Dad, I tried…” Tony started to speak, and my heart raced with anticipation. Tony was going to tell how I disobeyed his father’s orders, which was already pretty obvious, but Dominic cut him of with a wave of his hand before speaking. “Contact Beta Mike. Tell him we need extraction and to meet us as rendezvous site 3.” Dominic ordered
Tony was left with no choice but to do what his father said. As he pulled his phone from his pocket, he shot me a glare before he started dialling the Beta.
Dominic's gaze shifted to me. "Are you injured?" he asked, speaking to me for the first time since he shifted back. His eyes travelled down to my ankle. It's fine," I said but Dominic's eyes narrowed. “Really, I’m fine.” I said and I wasn’t really lying. My ankle hurt but it wasn’t as bad as before. That was at least one good thing of being a werewolf, you healed faster than humans did.
"We'll get you checked out anyway as soon as we get back home." he promised and our eyes locked. Tony's voice sounded in the background while our eyes were locked on each other. "Mike, this is Tony... Yeah, we need extraction... rendezvous site 3… yeah the one close to River's Bend... see you then." Tony ended the call and turned to us, breaking my staring spell with Dominic. "He's on his way." Tony said. Dominic nodded, turning to look at his son. "Good."
“Let’s go, it’s not too far.” Dominic said and his gaze went to my ankle again. “Will you be able to walk?” He asked and I felt touched at his concern. I nodded and put some weight on my foot to test it and it didn’t feel so bad. Dominic held out his hand to me and I took it without hesitation. His hand was warm as it enveloped my small one, his grip tight but reassuring. I felt a flutter in my chest, a mix of emotions swirling within me. I walked between the two, Tony on my left and Dominic on my right, holding my hand. Tony’s eyes occasionally darting to our intertwined hands, but he said nothing, and I couldn’t find it in me to care at that moment. Dominic's hold made me feel safe amidst the danger and this made me feel emotionally confused. The one moment he was cold and ignored me but the next… he was like he was now. He had risked everything to save me even when I disobeyed his order to run to safety and even now, he was looking after me by comforting me and keeping his promise to take me home.