I needed help. We needed help.

Pack.

I clawed hard, scratching the finish on the tub. We didn’t have a pack.

But the wolf disagreed. We did have a pack and they were right there. I wasn’t listening, so for the first time in a long time, the wolf shoved me out of the way and took control.

We tipped back our head and howled, alerting my pack.

The thud of running feet, quickly followed by Trick and Van pounding on the door, their voices getting louder when they couldn’t get in. Had Lou locked us in? They argued, and then Trick started speaking through the door, his tones soft and soothing while Van’s footsteps retreated.

Despite the situation, we started to calm. Trick would help us. We trusted him. The wolf insisted he was pack, and the wolf was in charge. I reminded him of what happened earlier in the kitchen. He nipped at me, snapping his teeth, like I was a pup to be chastised. I could argue all I wanted, but the wolf said they were pack. I was too tired to keep fighting him, and even I recognized that we needed help.

We rested our chin on the edge of the tub and waited. Van’s footsteps returned, followed by the metallic rattle as the key slid into the lock, and then the door flew open and smacked Lou in the arm.

There was yelling then and Van got too close to Lou and we growled. Trick said something sharp to us and the wolf stopped, the growl turning into a whimper. The wolf was worried about Lou.

I was confused. She trapped us.

The wolf chuffed. No. We trapped her.

That…didn’t make any sense. I need to turn back.

Tired.

He was right. We were maxed out. The only thing keeping me awake now was adrenaline and the wolf’s desire to watch over Lou while she was vulnerable.

I’m okay now.

At my assurance, the wolf cautiously retreated, putting me back in control, even if we were too exhausted to shift back. I scrambled to the far edge of the tub, as close to Lou as I could get.

Van checked Lou’s pulse, her face pinched with worry. “Her pulse is steady. We need to get her to the hospital.” She tried to pick up Lou and I growled again. She froze, and even if I hadn’t been able to smell her spike of fear, I could see it in the rapid beating of the pulse in her throat.

Trick was looking at me funny, his head tipped. “Declan, we’re here to help. Understand? We won’t hurt Lou.”

He was right. Now that I was a little more clear-headed, I understood that Van and Trick wouldn’t hurt her. They were pack. I could drop my hackles.

“I don’t think you can get through to him right now, and it doesn’t matter. We need to go to the hospital.”

But Trick had been watching me carefully, paying attention to my body language. “It’s okay, he’s calming down. But I think if we drag her off to the hospital, he won’t like it. Let’s wait.”