Page 287 of Awakened

It’s basically been an hour-long, endless circle of loathing, self-guilt, and shame, so by the second hour mark, I’ve about hit my limit. This forest isn’t that fucking big, for Fatessake; where could he possibly be leading us?

Ten minutes later, I get my answer. Shade stops, turning his head to look back at us, like he’s making sure we understand who’s still leading this little expedition. Satisfied with what he sees, he weaves through a small copse of trees, apparently confident we’ll keep following because he doesn’t look back.

Like obedient puppies, Soren and I take off after him. Thankfully, the Beast’s massive form is wide enough to part the branches enough for me to sneak through as well, as long as I stay right behind him.

Nothing could prepare me for what I see when we finally step out of the trees.

The ground in front of us has been split open, like a giant took a hammer to the Earth and just kept swinging. There aren’t just a few random cracks, either. Something must have collapsed, because a deep fissure easily twenty feet long and two or three feet wide in places runs from right where we’re standing across the open clearing until it finally stops at a pile of rocks and boulders.

“What the hell happened here?” Floored, I jog to the pile of rocks and bend down to inspect them.

Right behind me, Soren follows, a growl rumbling through his chest. He bares his teeth at the boulders, as if they’ve personally offended him, then turns and takes off, running along the edge of the massive pile. His growls quickly turn to snarls of fury, making it clear something’s pissed him off.

It doesn’t take long for me to put together what must have happened. At one point, this pile of rocks and Earth must have been a cave, and the boulders had covered the mouth of it. The huge pile butts right up against one of the larger hills on the back of the property, which means there must have been some kind of cave in.

There's no way in, and no way out. Not anymore.

The sound of claws scraping against stone draws my attention to Shade, who’s pawing at the rocks that have blocked off the cave entrance. He makes an annoyed sound, and when he pauses long enough to acknowledge me, he cocks his head and looks at me with an expression I easily interpret as, “Well now what, asshole?”

And just like that, it all clicks together, and my fucking stomach flips before falling all the way to hell. The blood drains from my face, and I have to swallow multiple times before I can speak.

“She’s down there, isn’t she?” I ask, voice strained and reedy. Shade growls once, then returns to his task, pawing at the rocks.

It’s all the confirmation I need.

My Mate went into this cave. I don’t know why or when, but she did. Then, there was some kind of cave-in. A fucking cave-in!

My Omega is down there, all alone. She’s been down there for fucking days now. No food. No water. Nothing.

Gods, this is the worst possible outcome. How did this even happen? Why?

I can hear Soren’s paws thudding against the dirt as he comes up behind me, then without warning, he shifts. I blink, momentarily disoriented at the change and how quick it is. One second, his Beast is right behind me; the next, I turn to face him, blink, and his Beast is gone, replaced by Soren’s human form.

He stands there, wearing nothing but jeans and boots, his wide, bare chest billowing with each gulp of air. He bends over, bracing his hands on his knees, and another snarl—no less ferocious, despite the less intimidating form—rips from his throat, splitting the air between us like thunder.

“Our Mate is fucking in there,” he shouts, pointing at the rubble. “We have to get her out. Fuck, she’s all alone in there! What if she’s hurt?”

Fates, I hadn’t even considered that she might be injured. If she’d been anywhere near those slabs of rock when they fell, she could be stuck in there, trapped under a boulder. Unable to move.

That’s what does it. The last of my control snaps, and I throw myself at what used to be the cave’s entrance, digging my fingers into a crevice between the piled rocks. I tap into my enhanced strength, lift them one after the other, and toss each one haphazardly behind me, not giving a shit where they land.

My nails split and break against the rough stone, then heal. The air fills with dust and grit, collecting in my mouth and teeth and grating along the back of my throat with each panting breath.

I only pause long enough to shout her name, feeling the word rip from my throat and thunder through the air. I barely pause long enough to listen for a reply before I start digging again, forcing my fingers between slabs of rock and shimmying them apart.

I’ve hardly made a dent at all when rough hands grab me from behind, wrenching me back with incredible strength. I spin, fangs bared and ready to tear into whoever the fuck’s trying to get between my Mate and me.

Soren doesn’t even react to my threat. He stares me down, chest heaving and eyes wild. I barely spare him a glance before I pivot and lunge back toward the cave, determined to get back to work.

When his hand latches onto my upper arm again, I wrench myself away with a hiss. I don’t know what the fuck he thinks he’s doing, but⁠—

“You’ll bury her alive!”

His shout is frantic, and so loud that the birds remaining after my last shout explode from the nearby trees in a rush of fluttering wings. I pause with a massive rock gripped in both hands, trying to make sense of his words. Soren takes advantage of my silence.

“You’ll bring the entire Fates-damned thing down on top of her!”

I try to unclench my jaw, but I’m so tense my whole body may as well be one of these rocks. The most I can manage to do is convince my fingers to slacken enough to let go of the boulder before turning to face him.