Where The Ice Gives Way (Charlotte and Blake) novel Chapter 201

Where The lee Gives Way

Chapter 201 Hold on Petal

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My feet hit the grass outside, and then I am slammed sideways. The world tips, and my shoulder hits the frozen ground, knocking the air from my lungs,

then Gareth is on top of me before I can roll. His forearm pins my shoulders, and his hands grip either side of my head, forcing my eyes to his. I snarl in his

face.

“Son,” he says, low and hard. “If you run in there hot and heavy, you are going to get her killed.”

The words cut through the raging fire in my head, but Yelen claws at my ribs. Emily is in danger. Thomas has her. Marcus has his hands on her. I buck once,

trying to get free, but Gareth presses down harder.

“I know you’re scared,” he says. “I know you want to fix this. But I need you to take a breath so we can do this with the least amount of casualties possible.”

I stare at him, my chest heaving, as those stupid bells ring through my skull. Emily’s fear pulls through the bond in sharp little bursts, and I stop struggling so that I can focus on the feel of her. “Help me,” my voice scrapes out of me as I stare up into my Alpha’s eyes. His hands leave my head, and he stands,

offering me one hand. I take it, and he pulls me to my feet like I weigh nothing. “Alright,” he says. “Let’s do this smart.”

I hate smart. I want fast. I want blood. I want Thomas’s hand in a box and Marcus’s teeth, scattered across the square. But Gareth is right. If I rush in,

Thomas only needs one second, one twitch, one slice, and my mate is gone before I can reach her. I turn away before the thought can make me vomit, but

Blake catches my arm as I start toward the square. “This way.”

We move fast along the side of the prison building, keeping low behind the snow–heavy hedges that run toward the estate wall. Gareth leads; Blake stays

beside me; Bennett and two of our patrol follow and drag the two unconscious Munroe guards out of sight before they join us. Charlotte comes last with Dr

Hale, Lacey and the others we’ve just rescued. We reach the corner of the prison yard where the stone wall blocks us from the path. From here, I can hear

Thomas’s voice carrying across the pack.

“This girl was once one of ours.”

My hands curl at my sides. Blake steps closer, shoulder bumping mine. “Breathe.”

Gareth crouches near the wall and looks through the narrow gap between the stones and the hedge. The town square is just beyond the estate drive, and L can see people are gathered in thick clusters, backs turned towards us, all of them facing the fountain and facing Emily. I move to look, but Gareth catches my chest with one hand. “Not yet.”

“I need to see her.”

“You need to listen.”

My jaw locks as he leans in. “If you see her before we have a plan, you’ll run.

I hate him a little for knowing that. I hate myself more because he is right. So I stay where I am, shaking with it, while everyone gathers close in the shadow of the wall.

Gareth speaks quietly and fast. No wasted words as he spits a plan at all of us. I listen as I press one hand to my chest, over the place where the bond sits like a live wire. I’m here. I send. I’m right here.

She doesn’t answer with words, but I feel the recognition through the bond. For now, that is enough. Our small group continues to toss around ideas, and in a matter of minutes, we have what may resemble a chance at getting Emily out of here alive. Thomas’s voice carries across the square again.

1:04 pm P PNT

Chapter 201 Hold on Petal

“Attempting to turn our lost against us and deny our future Alpha the help he requires.”

The smile I was wearing dies. Future Alpha. Fuck that. Fuck him. Fuck every person in that square standing there while my mate bleeds.

Gareth nods to Bennett, then to one of the patrol wolves. They slip away, keeping low along the wall, heading toward the back edge of the crowd. Charlotte, Dr Hale, and Lacey retreat toward the prison door, moving quickly and quietly. Blake stays beside me, Gareth in front, and the three of us move toward the square. I listen to Thomas’s voice, which keeps rolling over the pack, and my hands flex at my sides. Yelen presses against my skin, silent now. Waiting

We’re both ready for whatever happens next.

We reach the last hedge before the square opens wide, and Gareth finally lets me look. My world narrows to Emily standing on the fountain steps. Thomas is behind her, one arm locked around her throat, his claws sunk into her skin. Blood marks her neck and the collat of her coat. I track Marcus’s filthy hand gripping her hip, his face tucked near her hair like he has any right to breathe the same air. Blake’s hand clamps around the back of my neck before I move.

“Hold,” he says, and I shake under his grip.

I keep my eyes locked on Emily. On her pale skin, the stubborn set of her jaw and the defiance burning in her eyes. My fierce, brave girl. Her gaze sweeps across the crowd, over faces, bodies, and guards. Then they catch on to me, and everything else disappears. The crowd fades. Thomas’s voice becomes a

distant noise. Even the cold seems to warm. There is only Emily.

You came. The words brush across my mind, breathless and fragile.

I told you I would.

Her eyes shine as she stares at me from the fountain steps, and I wish I could reach through the distance between us and pull her into my arms. Now hold

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