Page 5 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

With nothing else to do, I walk out the front door to begin lowering the shutters partially. However, as soon as I step outside, the faint scent of blood hits me. I stiffen.

Looking up and down the street, I see no one.

This is not animal blood, nor is it human blood.

It’s either vampire or wolf.

I hesitate and consider going back inside. I don’t want to get involved with either kind of blood. As I’m about to turn, I see a figure stumbling down the road. It’s a man, based on his build. He’s gripping the wall for support, one hand holding his neck. The smell of blood is making my instincts sharp, and my stomach rumbles. However, I have managed to regulate my hunger for a very long time now, so even as my irises are undoubtedly turning red, I am still wholly in control of myself.

The man is bleeding badly. Whoever got to him did a number on him. I’m still standing by the door, one hand on the handle, telling myself to go back indoors. But something inside me finds the idea of leaving an injured being out here alone, possibly on the verge of death, reprehensible. But if I intervene, there will be consequences.

I have tried to remain invisible for years.

That cloak might be stripped off of me.

As the man walks under a street light, my eyes widen in alarm and shock.

I know who that is.

Robert Montgomery!

Chapter 2

Charlotte Sanguinite

His face is bloodied. He’s clutching the side of his neck, the blood practically spurting out.

He’s going to die.

Whoever went after him went for his jugular. He won’t survive, not for more than a couple of minutes, not the way he’s bleeding out.

The decision is made in a split second.

I hurry over to him, and when he looks up, his eyes are glazed over. He doesn’t seem to recognize me because he immediately bares his teeth in warning, a throaty growl emitting from him.

“I’m not trying to attack you,” I assure him, holding out my hands. “You’re—”

The sound of multiple footsteps has my head jerking up.

He’s being chased?!

“You have to come with me!” I say, urgently now, grabbing his hand and pulling.

He growls again, his wolf in his eyes, and while it terrifies me, the people who put him in this state are even more terrifying right now.

“They’ll kill you!” I hiss. “Come on! I can hide you!”

I drag him with me, and while he keeps growling, he doesn’t try to pull away from me. However, as I bring him inside the animal shelter, I know his pursuers aren’t idiots. If they’re nonhuman, they’ll know exactly where he went. I shove the Alpha behind the counter, where he slumps to the paneled floor, his breathing harsh. Then, I grab two of the new scalpels that just arrived this morning. Ricky hasn’t had the chance to put them away yet.

Walking outside, I pull the shutter down halfway, and as I’m doing so, I hear the footsteps approaching me.

“You! Girl!”

I look over my shoulder casually and see two burly-looking vampires heading toward me. My heart sinks.

I won’t be able to take on both of them.

As they get closer, one of them sniffs the air, and his lips curl. “You’re one of us. Where’s the wolf?”

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