Page 35 of The Wolf's Mate

“Michael.” I try to keep the tremble out of my voice, but my shaking body betrays me. I turn to see a man clad in shadows. Bright yellow wolf eyes stare at me through the darkness. I’ve never claimed to be a brave person, and right now, it takes everything in me not to turn around and bang on the door, begging Tallie to let me in. My chance of hiding is gone.

“Hettie.” Michael’s voice is deeper than I remember. He emerges slowly from the darkness, completely nude. Scars decorate his body from past altercations. Jagged pink marks line his chest and stomach. It only serves to make him more terrifying. “Pleasure to see you again.”

“What do you want?”

Michael steps closer, and I instantly raise my ax. The rogue just chuckles. “Don’t hurt yourself, Red. The tool is bigger than you.” He eyes me, stalking his prey to intimidate me. He uses the same nickname he called me back in the woods when I wore the red coat my mother made for me.

I’ve been around men like Michael before. Scary men. Men who take what they want regardless of who it hurts. Michael is the same. He may be the leader of his little band of rogues, but I bet none of them respect him like our pack respects Rip.

“Why are you here? Why are you attacking my pack?” I press, trying to keep him talking. If he’s talking, he’s not actively trying to hurt me.

“Your pack? That fool has already mated you?” Michael sounds annoyed, like that fact just caused him a lot of inconvenience. “My, how quickly you’ve made yourself at home here, Red. Tell me, has your mate shown you what is happening to his people? How sick they’re getting under his rule?”

Boiling anger overflows, all thoughts of fear forgotten. “His rule? You are the one hiding the wolfsbane from us. You’re the one working with the Nephilim against your own kind. This is your doing, Michael. And for what?”

Something flashes in the rogue’s eye. The smallest glimmer of true anger. It’s there and gone in a blink before Michael puts back on his mask of indifference. His unsettling smile does little to extinguish the mounting panic I feel.

Where’s Rip? Is he okay? Is our pack okay? If Michael kills me, will Tallie and the children be next?

If Michael was going to kill me, he would have done it back in the woods with no one around. No, he needs me for something.

I step forward, mustering up the little courage I have. The ax glistens in the dim light, feeling like a safety net in my hands. “What do you want?”

“The same thing I wanted when I first met you. I want you.”

“Then why don’t you just take me? You don’t have to attack my entire pack. You had the chance to have me in the woods, but you let me get away. If anyone is inept at their job, it’s you, Michael.”

Michael’s face contorts in a sneer. “Careful, Red,” he warns. “Let’s make something very clear. If it was as easy as taking you for myself, I would. Let’s make no mistake there. But that’s not how things work. I need you to come to me freely.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Freely? You must be ten kinds of delusional if you ever think I would ever willingly come with you.”

Faster than my eyes can track, Michael closes the distance between us. His large hand wraps around my throat as he pushes me back against the wall hard. Pain blooms in my head, and my vision goes blurry.

“I’m many things, Red. Delusional is not one of them. But until you agree to come with me, your people will suffer.”

“Rip will beat you,” I gasp through his hold.

“Will he?” His hold on my neck tightens, effectively cutting off my air. I struggle against him, but Michael is strong. Far too strong, and the harder I try to get away from him, the harder his grip becomes. I no longer have the best hold on my ax, and I try to move my hand in a way that doesn’t alert Michael.

“Because he seems far too distracted by his new Luna. Oh, and I hear he’s down many wolves to the curse, yes? Pity. For him, not me, because it was too easy to get past his sloppy defenses, even without the help of our new Nephilim friends,” he says.

This is the first time I’ve heard Michael admit his involvement with the Nephilim. I don’t know what this means for Rip or our pack, but it’s nothing good. I just need to survive long enough to let Rip know.

A howl in the distance momentarily distracts Michael. It’s all I need to grab my ax and bring it down hard upon him. My aim is terrible because the thing is so damn heavy, and I only snag his arm. Blood blooms from the shallow surface wound. “You little bitch,” he growls and stumbles back.

I don’t stop. I bring the ax down again harder, and this time, it slices deep into his side. More blood spurts from the opening, but the fucker won’t go down. I try again, hoping to hit something that will incapacitate him, or worse, but Michael expects my move. He reaches his hand up, stopping my assault before it can cause any more damage.

“You’re going to pay for that, Red,” Michael hisses, throwing my ax across the room. I cry out, but he uses that moment to backhand me across the face. Pain bursts through my cheek, and my vision gets hazy. This isn’t the first time a man has hit me, but it is the hardest.

“This could have been a lot easier, Red.” He shakes his head, like he’s disappointed in me.

“Go to hell,” I growl. He approaches me again, but I spit in his direction, catching him in the eye. I’m not surprised to see red since my mouth tastes of copper.

Michael forces me back against the wall, and my head hits the surface. Not hard, but enough for it to hurt. A cold fear comes over me, and I wonder if he’s going to kill me. Poor Tallie. She’s never going to forgive herself. And Rip…

Then the howling from earlier grows louder, and I wonder if someone is coming. Rip? Thorne?

Michael curses under his breath and stops, as if listening for something, before turning his attention back to me, teeth bared. “We’re done here for now. Enjoy cleaning up the mess my rogues caused. Hope you have extra beds for all those who were bitten today.”

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