They landed hard.
Alex's back hit stone, the impact driving the air from his lungs. For a long moment, he couldn't move, couldn't think, could only gasp and try to remember how breathing worked.
Lucas.
He forced his eyes open, forced his body to move despite every muscle screaming in protest.
They were in a cave. Small, natural, lit by faint bioluminescent fungi on the walls. A pool of clear water in one corner. No immediate threats visible.
And Lucas—
Lucas lay a few feet away, still in wolf form, still bleeding. The wound on his chest was horrific—deep, ragged, clearly life-threatening.
"No no no no no—"
Alex crawled to him, hands pressing against the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood that soaked through his fingers with terrifying speed.
The cave was silent except for Lucas's labored breathing and Alex's desperate sobs.
Lucas's eyes opened.
Pale blue, hazy with pain, but focused on Alex with an intensity that stole his breath.
"You're... alive," Lucas rasped.
