As Cam stretched his arms out to reach for Tansy, the leaves on the other side of the clearing rustled and shifted. The intruder wolf from earlier darted from one side of the trees to the next, snarling loudly as it ran quickly, its muscles flexing and contorting as it raced towards Cam and his daughter.
Cam sensed the movement quickly and spun around with Tansy in his hands. The wolf moved with such speed and agility, I knew the only way Cam would be able to protect Tansy was to shift immediately, and with her that close, it could cause her harm.
Suddenly, I was moving. My body that seemed to be paralyzed in the face of the wolf was now running at full speed, trying to protect them or distract the wolf until help could arrive. Theo snapped out of his mind-link daze after a few seconds, and a ground-shaking growl erupted from him.
The wolf’s head turned to see me, stalling it for a moment and slowing its speed. I don’t know what I expected to happen when I faced the wolf, but seeing Tansy’s large brown eyes filled with fearful tears propelled me into action. I stopped short of a few feet in front of the wolf and my arms stilled by my chest long enough to watch Theo barrel into the side of the wolf, knocking it off its feet.
As Theo’s gray wolf and the tawny wolf fought, I tried to find the common sense to move. I knew I should have. I could hear Cam’s voice calling to me, and after a few seconds, I finally found it in myself to turn my head. He held his arm up, gesturing for me to come closer to him. I took one step before Cam’s eyes grew wider, and he opened his mouth to tell me something, but it fell on deaf ears.
Sharp, hot teeth sunk into my thigh, tearing straight through the muscles and bone. I don’t remember the pain as it happened, but I remember the noise my bones made as they snapped. The wolf didn’t remain on me long. Theo killed it instantly by tearing its throat out.
I don’t know how long I was on the ground for or how long Theo dismembered my attacker. At some point, Theo came back in his human form, frantically yelling at me, but it sounded like I was underwater. I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the two birds that sat in the tree above us.
Cam appeared over me soon with three other males I didn’t recognize. Theo gripped my thigh where the wolf bit, and I yelped as my body attempted to sit up and protect itself. Cam held my arms down, soothing me, and telling me it was going to be okay.
Theo tied a shirt around my leg, and I could feel my heartbeat echoing from the limb. I was lifted off the ground; Theo held my body close to him as Cam held my leg out steadily, putting pressure on the wound.
“Margo, just hold on, okay, love?” Theo told me as they rushed me as quickly as they could back to the house. “We’re going to get you help. You’re going to be just fine.”
I moaned in response, my eyes rolling to the back of my head and then back around again.
“Margo, I need you to stay awake. Don’t close your eyes, alright? I know it hurts, but I need you to be strong,” I heard Cam order more assertively. “Bite Theo if it hurts.”
“What happened?” Caddy’s voice asked quickly as we arrived at the house. He ran over to us with shaking hands.
Dishes and placemats were thrown off the dining table, and Theo laid me gently on top. The shifters went to work immediately, handing Theo and Cam towels, a bowl of water, gauze, and bandage wraps. Theo brushed my hair away from my sweaty forehead. He leaned over me, trying to hold eye contact with me, although mine were wandering around the room feverishly.
“I promise you’re going to be okay, Margo.” He kissed my forehead, where his hand just was. “The doctors are going to be here at any moment, and they’re going to fix you up. I’m so sorry, little one.”
My hand shot up and touched him, trying to give him some sort of response. He grabbed it firmly and squeezed before placing hip lips on my knuckles. The warmth of his breath was the last thing I remember before waking up in the hospital eighteen hours later.
Remedies
I was awake before I could open my eyes. I tried to make a noise-ask someone for help-but it came out weak.
“Margo?” Theo’s voice asked worriedly from next to me. I tried to speak again, and my voice cracked, its airy tone frustrating me. “Shh, shh, just relax.”
I didn’t listen to him and kept trying to speak. My eyes struggled to open, but eventually, they did, and I moved my body frantically. Theo grabbed my wounded leg near my ankle and held it to the bed and reached up to push my chest down.
“Margo, you’re okay. Just relax, okay, love? I’m right here.” He looked into my eyes; his were worried and serious.
I calmed my breathing and looked around. I was in a hospital room hooked up to machines and covered in a soft, cotton gown.
“How do you feel?” he asked while letting go of my leg and settling back into the chair he next to me.
“My leg hurts,” I whimpered, my voice still cracking from dryness.
“Okay, little one, I’ll call the doctors, and we’ll get you some more pain meds,” he said. His voice was thick with remorse as well as his face. He mind-linked someone, and a man ran inside my room.
“She’s awake,” he noted, coming over to check all the machines I was connected to.
“She’s in
