Page 76 of Fractured Mates

My wolf brushes her head against the side of Kyler’s who seems to have stopped as well to take in the already bloody battle. As we touch, a charge of energy moves between us.

We’re ready, she says to me, and without a flicker of hesitation, we race into the battle with our mate at our side, just as he promised.

Chapter Thirty

Sophie

As we move into the thick of the fight, Maciah runs past us, touching the back of our neck before doing the same to Kyler. When I see my mate, there’s a glowing smudge on his fur, like bright, shimmering silver paint.

The vampire marked us, so his people know we’re not the enemy, my wolf says as I come to the same conclusion.

That’s preferrable. With a quick look around, I see other marks, most of them placed on the backs of heads, likely done before they arrived. I don’t have time to count how many are on our side.

A sharp howl sounds, and I feel others begin to move in on me. We need to get inside the pack house, I tell Kyler. And we’re going to have to fight our way there.

Not a problem. He leaps in front of me, teeth snapping together and a sexy rumble echoing from his chest. Two wolves try to come for me, but he somehow manages to kick one of them to the side while ripping out the throat of the other.

His snout is covered in blood when he turns back to me, eyes bright with adrenaline. I expect him to say something, but instead, he jumps over me and is on top of another wolf in the next breath.

By the time I turn around, the other attacking shifter has a broken neck and Kyler is sauntering toward me like the beast he is. A sexy fucking beast.

That was hot, I tell him before heading toward the house.

And it felt good.

Of course it did. He’s a man at heart, and he was protecting his mate. Testosterone is a powerful thing in a fight with the right motivation.

This time, though, it’s my turn to remind Kyler who I am. As he takes the lead to enter the pack house, another wolf begins to stalk him, staying low to the ground and toward the shadows but not hidden enough to remain unseen. At least by me.

I slow down, making myself less noticeable, going as far as turning my body away from my mate. You have a wolf on your right, I tell Kyler. Don’t look. I’ve got him.

Here I am trying to be nice by warning him about what I’m going to do, and he does exactly what I tell him not to, ruining my fun.

As soon as the two wolves make eye contact, the stalker leaps forward, teeth bared and claws out. Kyler doesn’t back down, and I wouldn’t expect him to, but that doesn’t mean I’m not annoyed enough to charge in between them.

My wolf agrees. We already had one kill taken from us tonight. Mate or not, he doesn’t get to take the second.

She pushes forward, this time running into Kyler enough to throw him off-balance before using our back end to push him away from the attacking wolf. With quick movements, we swipe out once, twice, and then a third time. The first hit took an eye out, the second cut through his throat, and the third hit his head hard enough that the wolf fell to the ground.

He isn’t dead, and we’re leaning in to finish the job when a young woman’s voice rips through the air. “Help! Please, help!”

Jules.

Our kill is quickly forgotten as we race for the pack house entrance. The door is already open, and Kyler is right on our heels.

Is that your sister? he asks, and I wish I could say yes with certainty, but I can only assume since I haven’t heard her voice in over a decade.

I catch the sight of someone going up the stairs and dark blonde hair hanging upside-down over his back. There, I tell Kyler as I start to shift.

As much as I love my wolf and appreciate her skills in a fight, it’s my turn.

Kyler follows my movements and is at my back by the time I reach the stairs. I can’t see anyone any longer, and I have no idea who had the female I assume is my sister, but I’m going to find them.

My foot lands on the first step of the stairs, and I have to take a steady breath. The last time I was here… I shake my head. No. This isn’t a time for nightmare lane. I save my sister. I kill Astor. I leave. Nothing more, nothing less. My parents are on their own. I’ve had brief musings of whether they should die as well, considering they allowed this to happen to Jules and put me in a position to have to kill, forever changing my life.

If they’d never supported the Crowes…

Nope. Not going there, either.

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