Page 25 of Dutiful Wolf's Mail Order Mate

They dragged us outside, into the pouring rain. Mud splashed against my face as they threw me to the ground, the cold rain immediately soaking my skin. I raised my head, blinking furiously to clear the droplets from my eyes.

The rest of the pack knelt in the yard, a grim tableau illuminated by the flashes of lightning streaking across the black sky. Orion’s face was a mask of blood, his shirt in tatters and claw marks gouged deep into his chest. Despite his wounds, his gaze was locked on Brielle, kneeling defiant beside him even as she glared at our captors.

Tara’s eyes were downcast, her chest heaving with panicked breaths. Elise’s shoulders trembled with barely contained rage, tendons straining in her neck as she fought to keep her wolf at bay.

And Maddy...

A strangled gasp tore from her throat as she spotted her brother, the vicious bruises already darkening on Kai’s face. He struggled weakly against Bowen’s crushing grip, his eyes squeezed shut against the fresh wave of pain as Bowen wrenched his arm behind his back.

Bowen’s smug laughter cut through the rain, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. He released Kai with a shove, letting him crumple to the ground in a heap. Maddy let out a choked sob, her eyes wide with horror as she watched her brother writhe in pain.

“Looks like I win, pup. And you know what that means.” Bowen sauntered toward me, his steps slow and deliberate. His gaze raked over Maddy, hunger and possession burning in those cold eyes. “I get to take what’s mine.”

I snarled, struggling against the wolves holding me in place. “They’re not yours,” I spat, my voice low and deadly. “Maddy and Kai are part of my pack.”

Bowen’s eyes narrowed, his smile turning cruel. “And you, little bitch. Did you really think you could run from me?” He crouched down, trailing a finger down her cheek. She jerked away, but there was nowhere for her to go.

“I told you what would happen if you didn’t pay your brother’s debt.” Bowen’s voice was soft, almost gentle. His eyes slashed to me and he skimmed a nose up her neck. “Mmm, you’ve been savoring this cunt, haven’t you? I can smell you all over her.”

Rage, hot and visceral, surged through me. My wolf strained against the chains holding him back, howling for blood, for vengeance. For Maddy.

Maddy recoiled from his touch, her face twisting with revulsion. In a sudden burst of movement, she jerked forward, a glob of spit hitting Bowen square in the cheek.

Pride swelled in my chest, quickly smothered as Bowen reeled back, his expression morphing into one of pure, incandescent fury. His hand shot out, striking Maddy hard across the face and knocking her to the ground.

“You fucking bitch,” he snarled. “I was going to let you live, for a little while at least.”

He stalked over to Kai, still curled on the ground, and grabbed his wrist. “Learn some fucking respect.”

With sickening cracks, he snapped the bones, Kai’s scream piercing the night air.

My mind raced, desperate for a way out. My gaze darted from one packmate to the next, taking in their injuries, the fear and pain etched into their faces. They had stood by me when everyone else had left, and now I had failed them. Failed to protect them, to keep them safe.

What kind of alpha was I?

The doubt gnawed at me, tearing at my resolve. But I couldn’t let it consume me. Not now. Not when they needed me most.

I squared my shoulders, meeting Bowen’s gaze head-on. “You want my pack? My wolves?”

I cast a pointed look around at the dozen or so of Bowen’s wolves lurking in the darkness, making sure they heard me. No way in fuck the madman would show weakness in front of his wolves. I knew their sort. I’d served as Marcus’s enforcer, then his second. These fucks ate weakness for breakfast, and would feast on Bowen’s bones given half a chance.

“Then fight me for it.” I said, my voice ringing out clear and strong. “I challenge you, Bowen.”

Maddy hissed her objections, but I silenced her with a glare. This was my duty. I was alpha. Not Declan or Wyatt, who were too far to run in as our saviors. Not Elise, who refused the duty when it called. This was my fight.

And bloodless compromises were off the fucking table.

Bowen threw his head back and laughed, the sound grating against my nerves. “You can’t survive what I got, pup. I’ll rip out your throat.”

I cocked my head, a humorless smile tugging at my lips. “Struck a nerve?” I nodded toward Kai. “He’s got another hand if you need to work things out. Or is that what your multiple mates are for?” I paused, letting the implication sink in. “Did you take so many because you couldn’t get anyone to come back for seconds?”

Bowen’s face twisted with rage, a vein throbbing in his temple. One of his wolves started forward, but he threw out a hand to stop him. “No one interferes,” he snarled. Soulless, furious eyes locked on me. “I accept the pup’s challenge.”

And then he shifted.

It happened so fast, I barely had time to register the blur of motion before a massive white wolf lunged for me.

His body slammed into mine with the force of a freight train, teeth snapping inches from my throat. I shifted mid-fall, my own wolf surging to the surface in a burst of pain and power.

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