Page 65 of The Worst Mate Ever

Edwardo and Ricardo crashed through the remnants of the window, the remaining shards of glass scattering. They growled, their noses searching for a trail I knew they would never find.

“They’ve escaped,” I exhaled, a wave of relief washing over me as my packmates arrived. Safety enveloped me, my unborn child protected, the immediate threat dissolved.

I was safe. My baby was safe. The danger was gone.

“Where’s Brady?” My voice remained calm as Edwardo resumed his human form to release me from my bindings.

“A rogue intercepted him. He showed little interest in us. They fought as Brady directed us to your rescue,” Edwardo explained.

I felt the circulation return to my wrists, so I took a moment to rub them gently, easing the stiffness.

“Are you hurt?” Ricardo asked, his face etched with palpable concern.

I shook my head. “No, they discovered my pregnancy and were instructed not to harm me,” I shared.

The beta and delta exchanged puzzled glances. “Why wouldn’t they take advantage of you being vulnerable? That doesn’t make much sense.”

I shook my head again. “I have no idea. They barely gave me anything to go off of. It seems that hybrids are like precious gems to her. Some kind of goal she had for centuries. Since my baby is a hybrid child, she made that vampire protect me. Sent Tristan to take his revenge directly on Brady instead of doing it through me.”

Ricardo looked troubled as he thought my words over. “The vampire? You mean Professor John Thorne?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it was him. He insinuated that he and the witch are mates as well.”

“That would explain how he eluded the council’s clutches,” Ricardo sighed, his frustration evident. “With a mate as formidable as her, I doubt she hesitated for a moment before setting him free.”

I nodded slowly, then turned toward the broken windows in search of Brady. The bond was pulled taut, a trickle of his emotions flowing towards me. I could only vaguely make out Edwardo’s orders to the pack to search the building and collect anything to do with the witch. All my mind would allow me to focus on was that link to Brady.

He was fighting some internal battle now. I could feel the threat of the rogue was gone. Thorne and the witch’s disappearance without the rogue was proof of his victory in the fight. But something else now had a hold of him.

“Something wrong,” I whispered, more to myself than to the rest of the pack.

Without a second thought, I ran towards the broken window and leaped out onto the gravel drive outside. I rolled, my body curled around my stomach in protection of my child before finding my feet and rushing towards the trees.

As the distant voices of humans approached, I detected their scent and heard a mix of their words and static from a radio, discussing a fire. They must have witnessed parts of Brady’s battle with the rogue.

As I continued to pursue Brady, my footsteps grew heavier, resonating against the earth beneath me. The air filled with a tantalizing fragrance, reminiscent of caramel-dipped churros, guiding me closer to him. The scent of ash mixed with the air now, urging me to find him faster.

I could see some humans in vehicles on a service road to my left, my body moving far too fast for their human eyes to notice. They were headed towards the building the witch and vampire had held me in. The building where the rest of the pack was still investigating for any hint of the witch’s activities.

Swiftly, I alerted Edwardo and Ricardo, telling them to evacuate everyone before the humans arrived. The last thing any of us needed right now was humans poking around us. I knew the pack had issues with the humans from the rogue attack before. With no other witches in sight, Brady was left to shoulder the burden of the humans’ memories, a task I knew he couldn’t manage on his own.

Edwardo responded quickly, a pack wide order sent through the mindlink to clear out and avoid the humans. Natural wolves were rare in this area, so the sight of any of us in wolf form would draw far too much attention. It was part of why the packhouse was protected from human eyes. Why the wolves didn’t run outside of the territory within the boundaries of the spell.

The feral rogues were often mistaken for coyotes, shrunk in size from their loss of humanity and pack. Even so, they drew attention when seen by humans in the area.

With the pack now warned and making their way away from the building, I turned my full attention back to finding Brady. The burning in the bond had lessened, but my need to find him remained. I had to see him. I had to see with my own eyes that he was okay. That he was safe from harm.

As I crashed through a bush, I stumbled over my own feet and collided with a solid, warm chest, my cheek absorbing the impact. The familiar scent filled my senses and muscular arms wrapped around me protectively.

“There you are,” he breathed out with a sigh of relief.

“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, the tears overflowing before I even felt their sting in my eyes. “I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have left the house. I was so stupid.”

He rubbed my back in circles, his arm tightening around me to pull me closer.

“It’s okay. I can’t blame you. I’m sure you were going crazy. I should have known better than to keep you locked up like that. Do I wish you would have talked to me? Yes.” He pushed my shoulders back and lifted my chin to look me in the eye. “But you aren’t a child. I can’t control you like that. I’m sorry, too, Tinkerbell. I should have found a better way to protect you.”

I shook my head as I looked up into his earthy eyes. I could see marks along his face and neck. The remnants of the battle were a haunting sight, a testament to the unnecessary violence that unfolded. Wouldn’t have, had I just listened to him. Been patient. Been honest. “I promise you. From here on out, I will come to you and share my feelings honestly.” My gaze moved lower along his body, noticing all the scratches and dried blood along his skin. As my gaze moved back up along his body, I couldn’t help but fixate on the black mark on his shoulder, standing out amidst all the others.

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