** Ryder’s POV **
The forest tilts, just a little. A strange shimmer catches my eye, like the moonlight is bending oddly around the trees. I blink hard, shake my head, and the world rights itself again.
The heat inside me spreads. It crawls up my spine, pressing into my skull, making my heartbeat pound too loud in my ears. My wolf snarls low, uneasy, but even that sound feels distant, muted, like he’s behind glass.
My chest tightens. I’ve never felt this kind of separation from him before.
Usually, he’s there, a steady, instinctive presence under my skin, his emotions mingling with mine. But now… there’s silence. He’s not gone exactly; he just feels distant. I push through the link, trying to reach him, but it’s like shouting into fog.
Something’s very wrong.
“Parker,” I send quietly, hoping the unease doesn’t bleed through the words, “let’s head back toward the cabins. Something’s off.”
He slows beside me immediately, concern spiking through the link. “What kind of off?”
I start to respond, and stumble. My paw catches on a root, and I go down hard, hitting the ground with a dull thud. The world spins, and then steadies. I push up onto shaky legs, shaking my head to clear it.
“Ryder?” Parker’s voice is full of concern.
“I’m fine,” I grit out, forcing myself upright. My limbs feel wrong, too heavy, too slow, the connection of the pack link flickering at the edges of my mind. “Let’s just…”
A wave of heat crashes through me so sudden and intense that it knocks the breath from my lungs. My wolf howls inside my head, but it’s faint, like he’s miles away. My body jerks, moving without my permission, before calming, and for a heartbeat I think I’ve got control again. Then pain explodes down my spine.
My fur recedes, my claws retracting mid–stride. My bones grind as they try to hold one form while the other pushes through. The air leaves my lungs in a harsh gasp as I tumble forward, landing hard on my hands and knees, human again. Only this time, the shift doesn’t stop hurting.
It feels wrong and unnatural. My skin burns, my heart races too fast, and the edges of my vision turn white. I try to force the shift back, to call my wolf forward again, but there’s nothing. No response, no pull of instinct, no answering growl. Just silence.
“Ryder!” Parker’s voice breaks through the haze as he skids to a stop beside me. His wolf’s form large, his eyes glowing with alarm. “What happened?”
I can’t answer right away. My tongue feels thick, my chest tight. I clutch at the damp earth, gasping for air.
“Can’t… shift,” I rasp, my voice rough and weak. “He’s not… he’s not answering.”
Parker growls low, pacing tight circles around me before shifting back, his expression full of worry. “You touched that bullet,” he says, voice sharp with realisation. “Ryder, you touched the damn bullet.”
“I used a leaf…” I start, but even as I say it, I know he’s right. I’d rolled it between my fingers, and the skin there is red, hot, almost blistered.
The ground tilts again, my stomach twisting with nausea. My vision pulses black around the edges.
“s**t,” Parker mutters, crouching beside me. “Okay. Stay with me. Don’t pass out.”
“I’m fine,” I try to say, but the words barely make it past my lips. My hearing dulls, and the forest fades.
I reach for Callen desperately, trying to touch his mind through the bond, but I can’t feel him anymore. The thread between us, between me and the pack… it’s gone.
I choke out a breath, cold panic seizing my chest. “Parker, I can’t… I can’t hear them. I can’t feel anyone.”
His face drains of colour. “Shit.”
The last thing I see before the world tilts again is the flash of his wolf’s eyes, wild with fear, as he scoops me up and takes off through the trees.
The forest blurs around me, streaks of silver and shadow melting into each other in swirling patterns. My head lolls back as Parker runs, his arms locked tight around me. Every jolt of movement rattles through me, making me feel seasick.
I can’t feel my wolf.
The realisation sinks in with every passing second, heavier than the weight of my own body. I reach for him again, clawing at that place inside where he should be, but there’s nothing. No echo. Just cold, empty silence.
“Stay with me, Rye,” Parker growls, his breath coming hard. He sounds scared, and Parker never sounds scared. “You hear me? Don’t close your eyes.”
I try to answer, but my tongue won’t move. My vision flickers, dimming around the edges. My skin feels wrong, too tight, too hot, and the air burns in my lungs like I’m breathing heavy smoke.
Through the haze, I catch flashes of light between the trees. The cabins. The faint, familiar glow coming through the healer’s windows. Relief flickers through me, almost there.
“Jake!” Parker’s voice roars through the clearing. “Open up! Now!”
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