Page 6 of Exiled Mate

Terra is there.

And two wolves are staring her down.

Without thinking, I launch into them. One of them tries to take a swipe at me but yelps and runs when I go for his throat. The other rushes at Terra, who snaps at him before turning.

I charge him. My snout rams into his ribs, and he yelps, twisting.

He slams into Terra, who runs headfirst into the boulder.

My heart skips a beat as she goes still, but I turn my attention to the other wolf.

He tries to fight me. But he doesn’t even come fucking close.

He might have spent the last two years running around with Chet, but the reason that I know about Chet’s little fucked up deal is that I’ve seen it.

I was there.

I’ve spent two years fighting like hell for everything I am, and it’s all because Chet put me there. He placed a bet against me in those fucking cages, and I ruined him.

Now, I’m back to make sure he goes to hell for what he’s done.

The other wolf recognizes, wisely, that he’s no match for me and beats a hasty retreat. I watch him run up the trail and then turn.

Terra and I are alone.

She’s still a wolf. At the risk of being bitten, I shift back, gently running my hands over her body. It looks like one of her paws is twisted at a bad angle, and it might be broken or sprained…

I have to get her back to her house.

Night is falling, and that’s good news. It means that I’ll be able to creep up the back stairs of the little apartment she rents without attracting much notice. The alley behind her place is dark as hell, which I know because I’ve spent many nights there, guarding the entrance against anyone who walks by.

Gently, I poke at her ankle. Luckily, it doesn’t look sprained, and while she’s out cold, I’ll be able to transport her faster. I tuck Terra in my arms, ignoring the way her body makes my skin heat, and run back for the pack boundaries.

It’s a long run. Every moment that she’s out like this, I risk the fact that she could wake up as a wolf and rip my throat out.

It would be a good way to die, I guess.

We manage to get the whole way back to the little main street in Oakwood. As predicted, the darkness behind the apartment is complete. I creep up the stairs and open the door to the apartment.

It’s unlocked.

I wish I could be annoyed, but given the circumstances, I’m happy that I didn’t have to use the spare key she keeps underneath the welcome mat. Either way, I’m breaking into her space, but at least this way I won’t have to explain why I know where her spare key is.

Inside, I look around. I want to put her in her own bed, so she’s not in a weird place when she wakes up…

It’s weird anyway, jackass.

I huff, but I put her in her bed and pull the covers up. I’m about to go when I hear a whining sound.

Shit.

I’m completely frozen. My eyes are glued to the brown wolf in the bed, and something makes me unable to move forward.

Terra is awake.

Her breathing is faster, and the whining is intense. I’m curious why she’s doing that instead of just full on attacking me, but I don’t have a ton of time to worry about it because in the space of a heartbeat, everything changes.

Her eyes open.

---