Chapter 67 I’ll Be There
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Chapter 67 I’ll Be There
ARDEN
I blinked my eyes open. Pain immediately flared across my shoulder blades and thighs. My arms felt as though I had used them to wrestle the ground itself. I tasted dirt. My head throbbed, and my lips were dry. It was so, so dark.
I groaned, pushing myself up from the forest floor, my body screaming in protest. I’d definitely rolled down the cliff- probably hitting every root, rock, and regret along the way. But I was alive.
Thank the Goddess for my wolf genes–because without them, I probably would’ve cracked my skull open and been left for dead.
I blinked again, slowly adjusting to the lack of light. Another benefit of being a shifter was my night vision. Well, sort of. It wasn’t perfect, but it still allowed me to make out faint shapes and silhouettes around me.
What the hell was this place?
I looked up, but the cliff edge was nowhere in sight. I must have tumbled really far. My hand instinctively moved to my ribs, wincing at the sharp jab of pain that shot through me. Yeah. Definitely bruised, or maybe even cracked. I breathed carefully through my nose, trying not to trigger the pain again.
That bitch. That actual, certified, perfume–drenched, venom–laced bitch.
But despite the betrayal burning in my chest, another worry began creeping into my thoughts. Tessa.
Was she safe? Was she okay?
I sat down on a large flat rock and stared into the endless dark surrounding me. At least let Tessa be alright. One of us should be okay, because I definitely wasn’t.
As I looked around, the trees above me swayed gently, the wind cool against my skin. Our campsite had been beautiful, but this part of the forest felt untouched. I rubbed my arms, trying to generate some warmth. As I shifted slightly on the rock, something beneath it gave way.
The rock tilted suddenly, throwing me off balance. I stumbled forward, catching myself with a hiss. When I looked back, the stone had flipped, revealing something hidden underneath it.
Curious and cautious, I crawled over, brushing away dirt and leaves. My fingers found the hard edge of something small and compact. I pulled it out.
A… chest?
It was tiny, probably no bigger than my hand, but it felt surprisingly heavy. Strangely heavy for something so small. The wood looked old, worn by time, but not damaged at all.
1 furrowed my brow and turned it in my hands.
And then–it glowed.
“Shit!” I yelped, dropping it immediately.
A soft hum echoed as it hit the forest floor, illuminating the nearby trees. My heart slammed against my ribs. What the hell
was that?
waited a second, then picked it up again with trembling fingers. It glowed once more–bright but not blinding, casting just enough light to make me feel safe.
I squinted and noticed the engraving on the top: P+ B.
I frowned. “Peanut Butter? I muttered, chuckling dryly.
lumust’ve been a lover’s box tucked away in the woods, buried like some secret love story that no one wanted to be found.
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Chapter 67 I’ll Be There
Well, sorry to the mystery couple, but I was keeping this thing. I needed the light.
Holding it with one hand, I stood and began walking.
The trees eventually thinned, and up ahead–I saw a body of water. A lake!
Finally. A point of reference.
I picked up my pace, my heart thumping with cautious hope… but something was off.
This wasn’t the same lake as before. That one had been smaller.
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This one… this one was massive. It stretched far across the valley, its water reflecting nothing but the faint shimmer of stars and moonlight.
I scanned the area, searching for any familiar features. However, as my eyes roamed the surroundings, a low, guttural growl caught my attention.
My breath caught in my throat.
I turned slowly.
And there, barely ten meters away, a hulking shape lumbered into view.
A bear.
A black bear.
Its eyes gleamed as it sniffed the air–my blood, probably.
“Shit,” I whispered.
If it’s brown, lay down. If it’s black, fight back.
I could fight. I could shift. But one look at my still–bruised legs and stiff arm told me I wouldn’t last five seconds. The bear let out another guttural sound, rising up onto its hind legs.
I backed up, and the bear wasted no time in responding.
Panic surged through me. My mind spun. I did the only thing I could think of.
I threw my bag to the ground, hoping to distract it–and ran.
My legs burned as I sprinted for the edge of the lake. The bear roared behind me, closing the distance. I had no idea where I was going.
I didn’t think.
Heapt
The cold smacked into me like a wall, ripping the air from my lungs as plunged into the lake’s depths. The last thing I heard before going under was the bear’s menacing snarl–and the way the world became muffled as it disappeared into the dark waters around me.
Drowning had to be better than getting mauled. At least I would look more presentable at my funeral with an intact face.
However, that thought didn’t erase the fear that gripped me in the water. I thrashed beneath the surface, but it felt as though I Were sinking instead of swimming. My limbs were stiff. My chest burned. Every memory of fear I had ever buried came roaring back, louder than the blood pounding in my ears.
I heard a muffled growl above, still sharp and clear against the lake’s heavy silence.
Then, even that sound faded.
Only the water remained.
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Chapter 67 I’ll Be There
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I wanted to scream, but the panic had already sunk too deep. Just then, something leapt into the water. Could beurs swim??
However, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist id, lifting me as water rushed past my skin. My vision cleared for just a brief moment. I was being pulled upward.
A gasp tore through me as we breathed the suffice, and I choked on air and sobs all at once.
“Arden.”
That voice.
Cade.” I gasped, barely able to speak betweem coughs and means.
“I’m here.” His voice was firm but gentle..
How? How had he found me?
“I tracked your scent,” he said, answering the silent questions in my mind.
My fingers clutched his shoulder, then slid to the nape off his meak, bolding on as if I would lose him if I let go. I pressed my face against his chest as I sobbed, the tears blending with the lake water on my cheeks.
“I thought “I couldn’t even finish. “I thought I was going to die.
“You’re not,” he said simply, holding me tighter: “You’re safe now.
“The bear?” I whispered, fear creeping back into my voice.
“Don’t worry about it.” His voice was tight.
However, the sharp, thetallic scent of blood filled the space around us.. so I knew what fate the bear had mer. Along with that, noticed the blood on his right shoulder.
1 leaned back just a little. “You’re hurt.”
Twe had worse.”
“Ma. Cade-
“Arden.” His voice was softer now. “Let me hold you for one more minute.”
The shienced me.
I wrapped my arms around hum again, my forehead resting against his.. My legges touted behind me, unconsciously treading woner un far hept us steady in the middle of that wide, terrifying lake..
“Tim wed” 1 whispered, vulnerability creeping into my tone.
And her sand sply. “I’m not going to let go.”
, the cold didn’t feel so suffocating anymore. My chest eased. My hands weten temibling as much. Slowly.
“home really by Imand beart swelling with gratitude.
würze werted ardan yer, but this time, it wasn’t heavy. It was warm.
marthaw cat we doused there, wrapped in each other’s arms Eversmaally Cade shit this grip sligh
dedy
He staredd dang
sure still around met felt like he was allowing me to adjust to the water matter than ang
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Chapter 67 I’ll Be There
This man. This Alpha. This infuriating, stupidly strong, warm, and careful man–he had jumped in after me, fought a bear for me.
He saved me.
“Cade?”
“Hmm?”
Aren’t you going to ask why I’m afraid of water?”
He didn’t even hesitate; he shook his head. “You have your story. I have mine.”
“That’s it?”
His eyes found mine in the moonlight. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Arden. You don’t owe anyone anything.”
I stared at him for a long moment, my heart pounding, lips parted in surprise.
But,” he added, “if you want to talk about it, if you want to learn how to be less afraid… I’ll be there.”
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