@freakinghosty
He'd told her it wasn't safe for her any longer. He was going to leave. He told her to stop trying to find him. And he told her to stop hunting.
She vowed to him that she would...and so she did.
None of it was easy and truth be told Gwen still found most of her nights wrapped under a blanket with agonizing tears streaming down her cheeks. There was a piece of her that belonged to him and no matter how much time had went by, there was no recovering from that. It would forever and always be absent for as long as Jake Riley was out of her life.
However, somehow life went on. She remained home in Whitefish, despite everything that was now empty in her life where it was once so full here. No matter what, she never could shake this place and she found herself starting over at her childhood ranch. Besides, she knew the pack Jake belonged to traveled throughout the northern middle parts of the Rocky Mountains...and while she never knew where he was, the thought that maybe he was close by filled her with enough comfort to keep going.
Rufus still remained committed on checking in on her, the old man even bothered slowing down himself just to help keep an eye on her as she started over, watching on as a proud father figure as she began reintroducing herself to society, to friendships, and normalcy- what he'd always wished for her. And even though Gwen had promised to leave it alone, Rufus had always kept track of where Jake's pack was...which was why he was reluctantly able to tell her that there had been a massive and bloody infighting in between the pack, leaving at least six wolves under the alpha dead. Four more had managed to escape...one who protected as many as they could and was now critically wounded.
Gwen knew that very second which wolf that was.
She wasn't exactly sure what to expect as she drove through the mountains near Crawford Bay in Canada, but Rufus had managed to pry more information about Jake's whereabouts and at dusk Gwen's boots crunched softly in the snow as she headed towards the lone and secluded cabin in front of her.
It came as no surprise when Gwen's body was slammed down onto the snow, a knife- undoubtedly silver- pressed to her neck. "Wait!" She cried out, forcing herself to keep from struggling. "Wait please! Please! I just need to see him....please!"
It was man's voice that stopped the creature on top of her from piercing that blade in her chest and Gwen's heart raced as she turned her head to look towards the cabin door. "....It's bad....isn't it?"
Slowly Gwen was allowed onto her feet and inside the cabin and led down a hallway into a small bedroom. Her heart nearly shattered at the sight of Jake laying unconscious on the bed covered in bruises and bandages, but slowly she forced herself to enter.
She falls in the chair beside the bed, shaking hands softly brushing along the wound free areas of his arm. "....How did we know it was you...huh?.....always causing trouble" A single tear slips down her cheek. "....I'm here....I'm here..."