Chapter 12 +25 BONUS Chapter 12 Alaric I'm pretty sure the fragile creature in my arms is going to be the death of me . And not just because we have rogues chasing us . She weighs next to nothing , not impacting my speed at all . It's not her weight that's the problem . It's her proximity . She may be tiny but she's naturally curvy and the way she's clinging to me , her full tits pressed into my chest and her thick thighs wrapped around my waist , the warmth of her pussy against my abs , if I wasn't turned on before by her sassy mouth , I certainly am now . My cock is like solid steel . Running is painful , my hard - on squeezed uncomfortably with every stride . But I keep going , knowing I'm all that stands between Sage and certain death . I see the river up ahead and making a split - second decision , I jump in . I dunk us completely , Sage coughing and spluttering when we come up for air . " W- , w- , why , w- , would y- , you d - , do that ? " She struggles to talk , her teeth chattering from the cold . The water is freezing , and though I barely notice it , she doesn't have a wolf to keep her warm . Fuck ! I curse myself for my thoughtlessness , rubbing her arms briskly as I trudge through the waist - high water and climb out the other side . 1 " Sorry , sweetling . I need to cover your scent and I'm hoping the water will help . " I explain , " I can shut down my aura and cover my scent but you can't . As long as those rogues can smell you , we'll never lose them . " " O- , o- , o- , oh . " She chatters . " 0- , " As soon as I'm sure we're safe , I'll find us a place to hide and start a fire . " She just nods instead of trying to respond , her teeth still rattling in her head . I hope my strategy works . That water is murky and smells like fish , not pleasant , but effective . Still , if these rogues are anything like the ones that attacked me days ago , there's something off about them . They seem faster , stronger , and have an enhanced sense of smell compared to most rogues I've encountered . At the very least , the glacial bath solved my erection issue . " H- , how far t- , to your home ? " Sage asks when we've run a while longer , still shivering but her teeth no longer clacking . " Too far to go all the way on foot . " I tell her . " My Beta will meet us at a rendezvous point tomorrow but we'll need to find somewhere to spend the night . " What I don't say is that I'm not sure how much longer she can hang on if I don't get her warm soon . She's dangerously cold to the touch , her limbs are rigid and her grip is lax . If it weren't for me holding onto her , she would have fallen a long time ago . " There are some caves up ahead . It should be safe to spend the night there and we can get you warm . " I say , peeking down at her . Her head is flopped to the side and her eyes are closed . Shit ! I tap her face gently at first . " Sage ? Sage , wake up for me , sweetling ! " She groans but doesn't wake so I smack her a little harder . " Sage ! Wake up now ! " " Ow ! " She pouts , rubbing her cheek in jerky , uncoordinated movements . " You hit me . " I have to stifle a laugh at her affronted expression . It's fucking adorable . But I smooth out my features and try to sound stern . " No sleeping ! Not until I decide you're warm enough . It's not safe ! " " Your fault . " She grumbles , making me chuckde . But she keeps her head up and doesn't try to close her eyes . Chapter 12 +25 BONUS Scaling the cliff to reach the caves above with Sage in my arms is more difficult than I would normally find it . It takes longer than I'd like but I finally reach the opening to a wide cave that should suffice as shelter for the night . " Take your wet clothes off while I start a fire . " I instruct her , setting her gently on the ground . "What ? " Her eyes meet mine , her violet irises clearer than ever . " You want me to do what ? " I roll my eyes , stalking over to her . " You can't stay in those wet clothes , sweetling . They won't dry fast enough and you'll die of hypothermia . " I reach out to help her but she slaps my hand away . " I can do it myself ! " " Fine , " I throw my hands up in surrender . " I'll just gather wood for the fire . " Thankfully , there's plenty of fallen branches and brush scattered on the cliff ledge so I won't need to climb back down . I make quick work of sparking the brush and soon , there's a full blown blaze . Then I peel off my own waterlogged clothes . Scanning the back of the cave , I can't stop the groan that leaves my lips when Sage steps out of the shadows , literally drawn like a moth to a flame , seeking the warmth of the fire . Nor can I hide the evidence that I very much like what I see . " Come sit with me . " I hold out my hand to her , drinking in her small but luscious form as she comes closer . " Body heat will help you warm up faster . " " I don't think- " Predictably , she starts to argue . " Now , Sage ! " I bark , inescapable command in my tone . " Fine , but only because I don't want to die . " She huffs . She sits in front of me with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs . I settle behind her , pressing my chest against her back and buffeting her thighs with mine while I rub the circulation back into her arms . " Thank you . " She says softly , and I'm immediately riddled with guilt . She nearly died twice in the last twenty - four hours and all I can think about is gliding my fingers over her soft skin , through the blond curls covering her mound and down to her pussy , wondering if I'd find her wet for me . Because I'm fucking dripping for her . If I told her she was my mate , would she let me do even more ? If I was a lesser man , I'd try it and find out . But I keep my baser instincts in check , knowing now isn't the time . I wake up with a groan , finding myself wrapped embarrassingly like a Koala around Sage . The sound wakes her and she sits up with a squeal , scrambling to collect her now dry clothes . I want to growl at the loss of her body against mine but I shake it off . We make good time , arriving ahead of schedule at the rendezvous point and the rogues don't plague us further . I blow out a relieved breath when I see the white SUV bearing the royal crest already waiting for us and rush to usher Sage inside . " Hey , Gar- , " I start to say when a familiar scent hits me , one that doesn't belong to my Beta and best friend at all . " Hello , Alaric . Who's your friend ?"