She was so pale, sweat poured off her as she began to tremble.

“Silver seizures. She only has a few minutes now. You have to get her to change or she will die.”

“If she dies, you do,” Ben growled, never taking his eyes from her face.

He felt her wolf stir and his pushed at him. He opened himself up to it, if his wolf felt he could help, Ben would let him through. His wolf burst up through his consciousness and stood, looking at her.

Barking over and over, he grabbed her wrist with his teeth and bit, not too hard but to make her notice.

Jack mumbled and Maxwell ran into the room. He moved next to Jack and placed his hands on Tegan as well. Her wolf jerked closer to the surface.

Ben turned and barked at Lex. Lex had to help too. He rushed in with Nina, saw them all and with an anguished cry, he joined them, Nina following suit.

Her life grew dimmer and dimmer until Ben barely felt their connection. He howled then, loud and clear, howled his pain, his anguish, his fury and his passion. He felt it all leave him and fill the air.

The air around her shimmered for a moment and suddenly, a red wolf lay on the table where Tegan’s human form had been. Lex and Jack picked her up and put her next to Ben, who curled around her body protectively, placing his muzzle against her chest, feeling the rise and fall.

After a few minutes, Ben changed back and got dressed in borrowed clothing. They left Tegan in wolf form and went to the Great Lakes compound. A series of buildings on the lake surrounded by woods.

Chapter Seventeen

Tegan slowly recovered in the hours after they’d brought her back to the Great Lakes compound. She’d only changed back to human form a few minutes before and still slept comfortably in the guest suite Maxwell had given them.

Ben hadn’t left her side for hours, first when she was a wolf, her breathing shallow but gradually deeper and more relaxed, and then when she’d changed back to human form. He couldn’t believe she was there and really all right. The fear still coated his mouth, stung his senses.

He couldn’t let go of the memory of her on that table, nearly dead. Couldn’t let go of her fear, her pain, that she’d been so devastated and he hadn’t helped her. Would she hate him for it? Resent him?

“They want you down the hall, Ben. Nick, Gabe, Cade and Templeton are calling in in just a few minutes and you need to eat something. Nina and I will be here with her. I promise if anything changes we’ll come get you. It’s just two doors down. She’s going to be okay.” Megan hugged him. “You saved her. You got to her in time. She knew you wouldn’t give up until you found her.”

“But not before they hurt her.” His voice was a whisper.

“You can’t think that way. Ben, she’s a guard, it’s what she does. You’re a cop, it’s what you do. You both have dangerous jobs. She worries for you too. But you can’t not let her do what she was born to do. She’d be very unhappy if you did,” Nina soothed. “I know where you are right now. Every time Lex walks out the door I know something could happen to him. It tears me up sometimes. But we work it through. You two will as well. She loves you, you love her. You accept each other and that’s what counts. She can count on you. She’ll need that when she wakes up. Just keep being there for her.”

“I wish I could have…”

Nina interrupted him, “But you can’t. You can’t change the past so stop it. Don’t do this to yourself. She doesn’t want you to. Nobody blames you. You’re Pack, you protected Pack. You’re family and you protected your wife. Forgive yourself, Ben Stoner because no one else blames you.”

He nodded. Bending down, he gently tucked Tegan’s hair back and kissed her cheek.

She still smelled of blood, pain and fear. When she woke up he’d personally take her into the bath and clean her up.

“Any change at all you come get me.” He moved to the door and looked back to see Megan carefully get into the bed with her sister, curling against her back and Nina settled in on the other side. They both nodded to him and he quickly moved down the hall.

“Come in, Ben. Please, you need to eat. Help yourself, my staff has brought some dinner in. We’re getting everyone connected now.” Maxwell indicated a side table where sandwiches, salads and protein drinks sat.

His stomach growled as he hustled to eat. He hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been and still wasn’t used to his new metabolism.

“I just looked in on Tegan. Tracy is on her way. Maxwell has sent people to the airport to get her. Tegan will be happy when she wakes up. Layla arrives shortly after that so they’ll ride in together.” Lex grabbed a sandwich and ate as he sat next to Ben.

Cade and Templeton finally got connected on the line along with Gabe and Nick.

“Everyone on?”

After the assenting answers, Jack got started. “Pellini is gone. He rushed out a back door as we stormed the front. Unfortunately he’s taken Gina’s body with him but the Pellini Group wolf who’d helped Tegan and gave us the tip on her location told us Gina had been experimented on and then murdered. It wasn’t a pretty story. It looks like he was in too big a hurry to get much else though. One laptop near the door had been taken apparently but the other computers in the lab remain and have been shut down. Nina will look them over when we get them back here.”

“My people are still combing over the lab buildings, gathering evidence. We’ll work with Ben while we have him. I’m sure he’ll be a great resource.” Maxwell nodded at Ben.