A silver minivan hurtled toward us, a yellow Baby on Board placard in the back window. I shouted and Lou hit the brakes. We missed the back bumper of the van as we slid past, metal crashing as we clipped the edge of a guardrail.

We bounced up a hill, our bodies jerked by the force, and I lost my grip on Lou’s neck. The SUV tore through the grass—we were slowing, but not enough. A wall of trees loomed in front of us. Panic shot through me.

I yanked on the emergency brake.

Between the brake and the hill, the SUV lost some momentum. It wasn’t enough. We crashed into a tree hard enough to make the airbags go off.

For an endless moment I lost sight of Lou. Desperate, I grabbed at the bond. Please be okay, I pleaded—possibly out loud, I couldn’t tell—as I searched for her through the bond, almost collapsing in relief when I found her. She was there but faint. Too faint.

My airbag deflated, and I batted it aside, the inside of the car thick with dust. I wheezed, still frantically trying to get to Lou. I heard her cough.

I shoved the last of the airbags away and she was suddenly there. Right there. In front of me. Blood trickled from her nose, but she was alive.

I yanked off my seatbelt so I could slide over to her, grasping her face in my hands. She grabbed my wrists.

Relief flooded me. Lou was here. We were alive. We’d made it through.

I brushed blood off her lip with my thumb. “Lou?”

She shook her head, her eyes wide. “My ears. Ringing. All I hear is ringing.”

I tightened my hold on her face so she was looking at me again. “Lou, are you okay?”

“No.” She blinked owlishly at me. “I’m not okay.” Another blink, longer this time. “Bitch tried to take you away.” She patted my cheek. “Not fucking happening.”

Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she slouched into her seat.

“Lou?” I patted her cheek. “Lou!” No response. Panic flared. I yanked her to me, shouting her name. Her head lolled to the side. I was sobbing her name now, wanting to pull her close, but suddenly afraid I might jostle her. What if she had a brain injury?

What if we’d made it through, only for me to lose her? The thought chilled my veins. Seeing Lou now, like this, ripped out my heart.

It was too much. I couldn’t take it.

So the wolf took my place.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lou

Someone was banging on my window. I startled awake, wishing I hadn’t. Everything hurt. My mouth was thick, tasting of blood. A heavy, chemical smell burned my nostrils as I tried to breathe, causing me to cough.

“Ma’am?”

I blinked at the person through the window. Flashing lights illuminated a short, compact woman in uniform. “Yes?”