Page 81 of His Wild Mate

My heart raced as I saw movement by the fence. I fumbled for my own phone and tried to remember how to call Emmett on the damn thing. But before I did, I looked back up and he was gone.

Why was this happening to me again?

The Alpha’s order was supposed to protect me, but Emmett was right. We'd found a few ways around it, would this guy too?

A shiver ran down my spine and it felt as if my insides were hardening. I knew exactly what I was going to have to do.

From past experiences I knew this man wouldn't stop until he had me or until I killed him. And once I did that, I was going to have to run quickly. No Alpha would tolerate an outsider like me killing one of his wolves. There was no doubt that the guy had to be a Collier wolf. If he wasn't, they would have found him and handled the issue days ago.

They would give him the benefit of the doubt. I would be the bad guy.

Coming through Illinois there had been a rash of them, worse than I'd ever experienced before. The headline news called me the Wolf Killer, and I was ranked on the most wanted list as a serial killer. Their name was kind of ironic. Killer Wolf would have been more appropriate. They told the public that I used a severed wolf paw to savagely kill my victims since they discovered both human and wolf DNA at the sites.

It had been my lowest point in life, and I'd spent months contemplating my own death after I learned about it. In the end, survival won. I'd run as far away from Illinois as possible and kept as low a profile as I could. Never once had I set foot in that city again.

For the last few years I'd mostly lived out in the big open wild with the other savage beasts. It had taken me a long time to even return to my skin. I lived like the animal they thought I was.

I didn't want to add another count to my list of crimes, but I didn't know any other way to stop him. He would stalk me mercilessly until he grew tired of the games, and then he would come for me. I could prepare for it, or I could run.

The thought of leaving Emmett caused me physical pain. But I couldn't take him away from his home, his friends, and his family. It wasn't fair, but I had learned that lesson a long time ago. Life was never fair.

It would be safer for all involved if I let him help me get out of Collier territory before making my escape. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was for the best. I was never meant to be happy. Being here with him had made me forget that. It had been like a dream come true.It was time for me to wake up and get back to the solitary life I was cursed to live.

I just needed a plan.

Emmett returned with a bag in hand and tossed it into the back seat before sliding in behind the wheel.

“I haven't seen any sign of him,” he said into the phone.

“He was here,” I told him. “But he ran away.”

“You saw him?”

I nodded. “He dressed in all black and I think his face was covered to blend into the shadows. He must have gotten spooked because one second he was right over there by the fence and the next he was gone.”

“Why didn't you call me? I would have given chase.”

“I don't know how to use the phone yet.”

He scowled, and then his face softened. “We'll work on it.”

I really hoped we wouldn't because having that tie to him would only make it harder. It was best if there was no way for me to contact him without returning, which I knew I could never do. But I wasn't about to share that with him.

“Thomas, did you hear that? Yeah. Okay. We're heading out now. I'll call you later when we settle in for the night.”

He hung up the phone, started the car, and backed out of the driveway.

I didn't speak until Collier was in our dust.

“You shouldn't have to run from your home because of me.”

“Our home,” he corrected. “And I couldn't possibly sleep there again after what he did. He visibly tried to claim you on our house. I can't even explain how upset my wolf is over it. If I had seen him there, I would have ripped his throat out and not thought twice about it.”

“You can't do that. I know Thomas is your friend, but surely he wouldn't stand for it.”

“You don’t know Thomas very well. He'd just assume rip his throat out himself, but he certainly wouldn't fault me for doing it. True mates are of the utmost importance to him and his family. And it is my duty to protect you.”

If only he could. But I knew there was no way for him to protect me from this. Instead, it was my duty to protect him. And no matter how badly it would hurt us, I knew it was for the best.

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