As we walked, I tried to send away any thoughts that entered my mind. There was too much to consider and too much at stake.One thing at a time.That was the only way I was going to get through this. We stopped at a stream and drank some of the best water I’d ever tasted. Other than that, there were no breaks. I was eager to find my friends and make sure they were safe.“If Wolf Creek tracked us here, you think they’ll find us again?” I asked.“The others can take care of themselves. I would guess our immediate threat is gone,” he said.I hated that my friends had to cause harm to others on my behalf. Granted, the assholes from Wolf Creek deserved it, but I didn’t like that my friends had to take on the burden of protecting me. I wanted to be strong enough to fight my own battles and I was willing to put in the work to make myself and my wolf stronger.Ahead, I noticed a strange looking tower. It was bright blue and might have once been a tree. It wasn’t much thicker than the tree stump
“I told you, I don’t want to be with you,” I said. “Stop trying.”“I was being nice. I was willing to wait for you. You are my mate. You are the one who is supposed to comply,” Tyler growled.“No. You are the one who should,” I snapped. I was done being afraid. Done backing down and running.Hands balled into fists, I took a step toward him. “You have two choices. You can break the bond and accept your place as a member of my pack, or I will kill you myself.”Tyler laughed. “Yourpack? It’smypack. You are mine. Same as a pair of shoes or an obedient dog. You’re my property.”I lifted my shirt enough to show the mark. “I am your alpha.”Tyler’s laugher died. “I thought they were lying. My dad said he saw the mark, but I thought it was his excuse to kill you.”“You will allow me to break the bond,” I insisted. “That is your only option.”Alec growled. He’d been silent this whole time, letting me handle Tyler, but I could sense his rising anger. “She’s giving you a choice you don’t deserv
The frustration of Tyler’s wolf was evident. He was impatient, with big movements that Alec saw coming a mile away. At first, I wasn’t sure why Alec was toying with him. I hadn’t seen the feral shifter fight, but he was strong and fast and had been united with his wolf for a long time. He had the mark of an alpha, which in theory, made him stronger and faster.Then, I realized with each attempted attack, Tyler was getting a little slower and Alec was correcting a little less. Alec’s wolf was wearing him out and studying the other wolf’s moves.Tyler lunged again, and this time, Alec rose up on his back legs, claws out, striking down the incoming wolf. Tyler’s wolf was knocked to the ground, his paws struggling to right himself before Alec charged him again.Teeth and claws came for Tyler before he was even on his feet. Alec was merciless in his attack, pinning the other wolf until he let out a pathetic yelp. A moment later, Tyler freed himself from Alec and leaped onto him, slicing hi
Tyler leaned closer to me, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered. “Complete the bond.”My breath hitched and I pulled away from him. The bond was there, taunting me, tempting me, connecting me to the male standing in front of me. It would be so easy to let fate win, to surrender. Fighting back was harder. My mind felt fuzzy and for a moment, I wondered why I was pushing back. A mating bond was a gift, wasn’t it? I deserved to be happy. That’s what a mate was supposed to bring: happiness.That isn’t what Tyler will bring.My inner wolf was the one who brought me back to my senses. If she was fighting the bond, I knew we could do it.I closed my eyes, forcing myself to remember the hurt Tyler had caused me. My wolf stirred within me.Is this what you want?She seemed to want to make sure I was ready to break the bond. To live with the consequences of my actions. It was rare to find a true mate. It could bring power and strength and happiness. But that wasn’t what Tyler would br
Shelia navigated for us while Malcom and Kyle took turns carrying Alec. I kept constant, obsessive lookout for Tyler. We couldn’t risk anyone knowing where the witch lived or what she was doing. But we couldn’t afford to wait to go to her for help, either.Every hour, when the males switched who was carrying Alec, I checked his breathing and heartbeat. I wasn’t sure if it was in my head or not, but it felt like it was getting harder to find his pulse.Furious at myself for causing so much harm, I focused on the anger I felt toward Tyler. It drove me. As long as I felt mad, I wasn’t feeling the pull toward the bond.“I should have let the bookcase slam into him,” I muttered under my breath.Sheila slowed down and matched her pace with mine. “How you doing?”“This is all my fault,” I said. “The whole mess. How did I end up as a damsel in distress always waiting for someone else to save my ass? It’s not right. I swore that I’d be stronger when I got free of Wolf Creek.”“You’re no damsel
She’d been at camp for years and knew everyone. She told me about Mario and how he’d won his first classic car in a poker game with a goblin. He’d been a chef in a major city and while she didn’t know exactly why he’d gone feral, she was pretty sure the goblin mafia was involved.“I didn’t even know there was a goblin mafia,” I admitted.“There’s a seedy underworld for every species,” she said. “But out of all of them, the vampires are by far the worst. Nobody crosses them.”“I always thought the witches were the worst,” I said.“They’re awful, but they are a bit more straightforward. Vampires will spend decades waiting for the perfect revenge. That whole immortal thing works in their favor, I suppose,” she said.I’d never met a vampire. Or a goblin. Or even a human, to be honest. I’d been so sheltered where I grew up that all I knew about the outside world was from books and lectures in school. I’d ignored more than I should have because I didn’t think I’d need to use it since I was
Alec looked awful. His skin was clammy and pale, his breathing ragged. I walked behind whoever was carrying him, not taking my eyes off him.He’d pushed me out of the way and taken the super high dose of toxin that was intended for me. I wasn’t sure if Tyler’s intention had been to kill me or to render me so incapable of fighting back that he could do as he wished. I shuddered at the thought.Alec had saved me from so much worse than death. A grim thought settled in my mind. Was death the better option than risking losing myself to the mating bond?I pushed the thought away. I couldn’t go there right now. Alec needed me. I was going to get him through this and help him recover. The rest of it could wait. It had to wait.We approached a rocky hillside that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It didn’t match the rest of the landscape and it reminded me far too much of the caves back at Wolf Creek.Sheila was leading us right for a huge rock that appeared to be rolled in front of the hill.
After making sure he was breathing and had a pulse, I set my palm on his forehead. He was burning up. I looked up at Malcom, who was holding Alec like a bride. His expression changed as he read mine.“What is it?” Malcom asked.“He’s got a fever,” I said.“She’s ready for us,” Sheila called.I turned away from Malcom and looked toward the house. Sheila was standing in the doorway, waiting for us.Malcom walked ahead, cradling Alec in his arms. I lingered behind, waiting for him to get through. Kyle moved next to me. “He’s going to get the help he needs now.”“I hope so,” I said.“He’s tough, he’ll fight through,” he assured me.I reached for Kyle’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you, for everything.”“It’s my job,” he said.“It’s more than that,” I said.He smiled, then walked forward toward the house. I followed him, steeling myself for whatever would happen next.The interior of the home took the exterior up a notch. It was like walking into a palace. The outside was fairy tale cottage,