Logan

We're seconds away from a head-on collision with the oncoming car when Jess takes the wheel and spins it sharply to the right.

Please save us. I pray to the Moon Goddess.

I think she listens, because we somehow manage to avoid the coupe. Our car zooms across the lane and bounces down the hill and into the forest. Behind us, tires squeal. Thick-trunked trees stand guard ahead.

"Hold on!" Saf shouts as Jess slams onto the break.

The car goes into a spin. I know we're going to crash. It's unavoidable, and no longer clear if we'll do it head on, sideways, or backwards.

Please, I beg the Moon Goddess. I don't care what happens to me, just don't let my mate die. Don't let the others die.

A second later my prayers are answered. The car comes out of the spin diagonally and the tree trunk looms directly in front of me.

We slam into it with a jarring boom that echoes through the forest. A second later, the airbag explodes and punches me in the face.

My heart pounds in my ears and I take deep breaths as reality catches up with me. Then, all I hear is silence.

"Saf?!" I shout as I fight against the airbag so I can turn to look at her.

"I'm alright," she groans.

"Mom?" Amaryllis cries on a breathless whimper.

"Fine, baby." Mrs. Jones lets out a pained moan.

"Jess?" I ask, turning to look at my ex.

"I'm okay," she whimpers, her face pale, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry."

"You saved us." I flash back to the coupe heading straight at us. To the way she managed to avoid it.

"I drove off the road," Jess turns to look at me, her eyes filling with tears. "I heard a scream and..."

"What matters is that everyone is safe," I tell her resolutely.

She looks back at me with such wide-eyed hope that I'm forced to turn away.

I have this sudden urge to look at my Saffron again, but she's holding up fingers dripping with blood. Human blood. Feeling a little faint, I face up front again, but not before I see a flash of blue in my peripheral vision. The coupe—the same one we nearly hit—is backing up parallel to the road.

"Shit! Someone's coming." I struggle against the deployed airbag, which won't let me reach for the door handle. "We can't let them see the blood." Or the two naked girls, I silently add.

"I got this!" Jess cries. She stumbles out of the car, slams the door shut, and starts to hike up the hill toward the coupe.

She pastes on a smile and waves at the other driver, a middle-aged man, who frowns back at her. Her apology is muffled, but I catch the words tow truck, and possibly skunk.

"Mom?" Amaryllis whimpers. I turn around and watch the woman's eyelids drift open momentarily before closing again. "Mom, stay with us!"

"Can we get the car back on the road?" Saf asks urgently.

"No. Whole front's busted."

"Right. Okay, we can do this. We just need to remove the bullet." At those words, and the promise of more blood, I quickly look away. "Mrs. Jones, I need you to not scream, okay?"

I hear the woman's whimper and focus on getting past the airbag to my phone. Then, I dial the one person I know will pick up. Jasper.

"Log? Did Alpha win? Dad called to say—"

"Jas, there's no time. Mrs. Jones got shot. I need you to come get us."

"Shot?! She got shot?!" Jasper swears. "I can't leave Zara. Can you call the guys? Or Kait..."

"Tell him to bring a lighter," Saf shouts, drowning out the rest of what he's saying.

"A lighter?" I ask.

"Is that Saffron?" a very confused sounding Jasper asks at the same time.

"There's no time. I'm sending you my location. You need to hurry, Jasper!"

"But—"

"She'll still be there when you get back!" It's not like she's going anywhere. "Now go!"

It's an Alpha's order. I instantly regret it but I hope my Beta knows why it was necessary. I'm sure that when he's back at Zara's side, he'll understand.

I hang up, and by then Jess is heading back to the car and the coupe is gone.

"I can't get the bullet," Saf shouts. "I need you to shift."

I think she's talking to me, or Amaryllis. Telling us to shift and run back to the pack house. Except she's not. Her gaze is trained on Mrs. Jones. "I know it's going to hurt, but that's the only way I'll be able to reach the bullet."

Mrs. Jones lets out a moan, but she's too weak to say no.

"She can't!" Amaryllis cries.

"Yes, she can," my mate snaps, like that will somehow make it true.

"Saf," I say her name sharply. She looks up and I shake my head. "It's out of your hands now. Just keep pressure on the wound until Jasper gets here."

"There's no time." Saf shakes her head. "Mrs. Jones, shift! "

I hear it in her tone. The Alpha's order, as strong as Father's. My mate just mastered it without any training. This should be one of the happiest moments of my life. The moment she accepted her role us our Luna. But how can I be happy when her order is so wrong?

I open my mouth to reverse it, but I'm weak and slow and it's too late.

With a piercing scream that morphs into a howl, Mrs. Jones obeys. She has no choice. Not even if she knows she shouldn't. Not even when she knows that the order will kill her.

I love you, Ryles, she whispers over the link. Stay strong, baby girl.

Then, her wolfish form goes limp.

She's as good as dead now. She lost too much blood and all her energy went toward the shift. She'll never be able to shift back now. Even if we get her to Dr. Dev, nothing can be done for her. The infirmary isn't equipped to treat wolves. The ventilators, the IV, they're all built by humans. Everyone in our pack knows this—everyone except Saffron. She doesn't know what she's done.

"Mommy, no!" Amaryllis wails. Tears stream down her face as sobs rack her pale form. She tries to pull her mother's limp wolf form from my mate, but Saffron doesn't let her.

"Let go," she snaps. Another Alpha's order. I don't even try to combat this one. There's no point. It's already too late.

"How could you?" Amaryllis sobs as she fights the order. "You killed my mother!"

"I'm saving her," Saf shouts back.

My heart squeezes painfully and I rest my forehead against the airbag. My poor Saf's convinced that she can save Mrs. Jones. She's so focused on digging into the wound, searching for the bullet, but the Wolf on her lap doesn't even budge.

"Saf..." I say softly. My tone says it all. It's too late.

Amaryllis wails. She shouts more accusations between sobs: monster, murderer, I hate you.

"I'm so—"

"Just let me focus," Saf screams. "Be quiet, all of you."

Amaryllis goes silent and so do I.

What the Goddess? My Luna's order shouldn't work on me, but it just did. How could she be more powerful than me? That's impossible. Probably just whatever crap the Rogues injected me with. Once it wears off, it won't happen again.

I glance at Saf, then at Amaryllis, whose sobs turn into silent tears. A salty drop falls onto Mrs. Jones's head, trailing down her fur and landing on one of her closed eyelids.

I'm sorry, I think the silent thought.

I've never watched anyone die before and my heart goes out to Amaryllis. It's also a stark reminder of our mortality, and especially Father's. I know he can handle himself. It's a simple challenge, a fight I know he can win. I just wouldn't put it past the Rogue to cheat. He already kidnapped Saf. How much further would he go? What if he has a gun, and he shoots Father, just like one of those Rogues shot Mrs. Jones?

"Come on, come on," Saf mutters.

I grimace at the thought of her fingers poking around inside Mrs. Jones's dead flesh.

The car door opens and Jess pears inside. Her voice is weak, and she leans on the airbag as she asks, "Is she dead?"

"Jess!" I hiss in warning as Amaryllis wails.

"She's going to be okay," my mate declares vehemently, her beautiful brown locks flying. She shoves the dirty strands behind her ear with bloody fingers and leans forward, until her nose is almost touching Mrs. Jones's gaping wound. "I think I feel the bullet. There... hold on..." She pulls out her fingers and holds up the piece of silver triumphantly. Like it somehow makes a difference. "Finally!"

"Saf." I turn and reach to take her hand, blood and all.

"I got it. She's going to be okay!"

Amaryllis lets out a whoosh of air, her eyes bright with hope. The words 'it's too late' bounce around in my head, but I can't bring myself to say them. Can't bring myself to shatter her last sliver of hope. Her's or Saf's.

"Amaryllis, press this down on the wound," my mate orders.

Amaryllis takes the scrap of purple dress and leans down to press a gentle kiss to her mom's forehead. "You'll be okay, Mommy. Just hang in there."

Saf leans down, too. She presses a hand to Mrs. Jones's chest, then repeats the motion by pressing down on her hind leg. "She's still breathing and her pulse is strong. As long as we get her to a doctor, she's going to be fine."

I wish that were true, but Mrs. Jones's chest doesn't rise or fall. And I know there's no way my mate would actually be able to hear her pulse. My poor mate's delusional. But even if she's somehow right, it doesn't matter. There's no way for Dr. Dev to treat someone in wolf form.

Hey there, STAWPERS! 

Should I call you stawpers? Do you want me to call you something else? If  you suggest names for STAWP readers in the comments, maybe we can put it up to a vote!?

Anyway, I think we're all thinking this so I'm just going to put it out there: 

Is Mrs. Jones going to die? 

Saf is like 100% convinced she'll be fine and Logan is 100% convinced she won't be. And I already know what will happen and it's killing me because I can't tell you!!!

Did you know my characters literally come to life in my head? 

The first time I wrote this chapter, they didn't crash. The first time I wrote it Jess didn't swerve into an oncoming lane and they got Amaryllis's mom to Dr. Dev.

Then I was editing and Saf was looking for the bullet and Mrs. Jones suddenly screamed. Next thing I knew Jess swerved into an oncoming lane. I was going to have her pull the car back into their lane, but instead she went and swerved the other way. I swear it wasn't me!! 

And it sent so much stuff in motion I can't even wrap my head around it! 

This changed how STAWP ends and now I think the next set of books has to be Jess. I really want it to be Amaryllis--I feel like you guys want it to be Amaryllis--but if what I think will happen happens (I can't be sure yet--but if no more characters act out and make things happen, it will) it has to be Jess.

Would you read Jess's book?

AND have you found my super secret Wattpad account yet?

See you in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, come hang out in our fb group: facebook.com/groups/STAWP