The healers wanted to keep Darius overnight for observation. The claw marks across his chest were deep enough to need stitching, and they worried about infection.

He refused.

"I'm not leaving her alone," he told them flatly. "Stitch me up and let me go."

So they did, grumbling about stubborn alphas and death wishes. I waited outside the infirmary, tracking Brennan's blood trail through scouts' reports. He was moving fast, heading northeast toward the mountain passes.

Exactly where we'd ...