Would she just give up already? Kendrick had pushed them hard all day, waiting for her to break down. Stumble and not get up. Cry for mercy. Anything.
He'd even readied his speech, the one where he said, 'I told you so!' A speech he never got to use, and which left him without a scenario he liked. Giving her to Joel to bring back to the village meant his friend getting mated without him, because he somehow doubted Joel could resist the temptation. Not acceptable.
Letting someone else in their group take her back his wolf vetoed with a jealous snarl. Having her out of his sight at all also didn't appeal.
The one plan he and his wolf seemed to enjoy best involved him carrying her out of the jungle. Screwing her silly in a hotel, enough she'd stay put until he got back from the mission they still needed to complete. But again, that plan meant leaving her alone. Unprotected. Vulnerable.