Page 24 of Dutiful Wolf's Mail Order Mate

And now that she was here, I was never letting her go.

Never.

The air shifted again, the hairs on my neck prickling. Nothing moved in the shadows, but the feeling of unease set my teeth on edge.

I eased out of bed, careful to let Maddy sleep. Creaking hardwood complained as I padded barefoot through the house and to the kitchen. I stopped at the sink and poured a glass of water, wincing at the sharp squeak of the faucet.

Water droplets streaked down the window panes, obscuring the view outside. There was no sign of movement beneath the skeletal branches of the trees that ringed our property. As if on cue, the house shuddered beneath another gust of wind, the old timbers groaning their displeasure.

Just the storm. Just good, old fashioned paranoia.

The breath of relief caught in my throat at a flash of movement from the corner of my eye, there and gone in an instant.

I froze, every muscle in my body tensing as I stared out into the darkness. The rain continued to pour, the wind howling like a wounded animal. But there, in the shadows of the trees, something shifted.

My heart slammed against my ribs as realization hit. We weren’t alone.

“Maddy!” I dropped my water glass, barely registering the shatter of it hitting the floor as I sprinted for the bedroom. My wolf roared to life, hackles raised as a growl vibrated in my throat. “Maddy, wake up!”

I heard a window break a split second before the first snarl reached my ears. They were inside. Fuck, they were inside the house.

I burst into the bedroom just as Maddy shot upright, her eyes wide and wild. “Rafe, what?—”

“Run.” I grabbed her arm, hauling her out of bed. “Run for Crescent Hollow. Find Declan. Get help.”

“But—”

“Go!” I shoved her toward the window on the far side of the room, my wolf surging to the surface as the scent of the intruders hit my nose. “Now, Maddy!”

She hesitated for a moment, her gaze locked on mine. I saw the fear in her eyes, the confusion. But beneath that, I saw the trust. The faith that I would keep her safe.

The only way she survived was if she ran, and ran fast. In the middle of the chaos, if I took out the fuckers charging down the hall, if no one lurked beneath the window for this exact escape...

Declan would keep her safe. Wyatt, too, if he found her first. Neither were close enough to really matter to those of us left behind. Dusk Valley would be slaughtered before she made it over the border.

It had to be enough. I needed it to be enough time to get her free of the danger.

The bedroom door exploded inward with a deafening crack of splintering wood. Three unfamiliar shifters poured through, their eyes glowing feral gold and fingers tipped with claws. Snarls ripped from their throats as they fanned out, their focus zeroing in on me.

I threw a punch at the nearest one, connecting with his jaw with a satisfying crunch. He stumbled back, momentarily stunned. The other two attacked, moving too fast for me to dodge. Sharp nails raked across my back, sending agony spiking through me.

I swung blindly, lashing out with everything I had. I caught one hard in the shoulder, spinning him around and knocking him to the floor with a thud. I had to give Maddy time to escape. I had to?—

A punch found my stomach, and I stumbled. Claws dug into my leg, dragging me down. I twisted, throwing off the wolf holding me, but another took its place. And another.

They pinned me to the floor, their weight crushing the air from my lungs. I thrashed, snarling and snapping, but it was useless. I couldn’t break free.

A scream cut through the chaos, and my blood turned to ice in my veins.

Maddy.

One of Bowen’s asshole wolves dragged her back into the room, her arms twisted behind her back. She fought, kicking and writhing, but they held her fast.

Rough hands grabbed under my shoulders and hauled me to my knees. I snarled as pain flared in my ribs, bright and hot and sharp. A fist struck the back of my head, stars bursting in my vision.

Maddy’s eyes met mine, and the panic on her face broke something in me.

Fuck, I’d failed. I’d failed her. I’d promised to protect her, to keep her safe, and instead she was about to lose her life.

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