Page 111 of Craved By a Wolf

While Kin was in his human form at least.

He focused on his wolf, trying to shut out the pain as he stared at Hella, watching the distance between them grow. If he didn’t act now, she would be gone, and he wasn’t sure he would ever see her again. His wolf side bayed at that, growing agitated enough that fur rippled over his skin. His mate was being taken from him.

His beautiful Hella.

He needed to protect her—to save her—but to do that he needed to be faster.

He growled as his fangs lengthened and his nails transformed into claws. Black fur chased over his hands and the pain in his side dulled to an ache as the world around him brightened and sharpened. He could do this. A grimace tugged at his lips as his bones burned and his side blazed, and his shift faltered.

The distance between him and Ethyrian grew again.

Kin gritted his teeth and pictured all the ways he was going to hurt the nymph. He pictured how afraid Hella had been of this male and his guards. He recalled how she had been forced to hide.

Forced to walk down that aisle.

If he didn’t save her now, she would be forced to do far worse.

Kin exploded forwards, a savage howl pealing from him as he shifted, pure unadulterated rage pouring through his veins as he hit the forest floor on all fours and sprinted after the nymph who was trying to take his mate from him.

The distance between them began to close.

He wove through the trees, growling and snarling as he leaped bushes and forced himself to run harder, pushing past his limit. Ahead, the forest ended in a clearing and he glimpsed black towers in the distance, their forms outlined by the silver moonlight. The portal had to be there.

Ethyrian sped up as he reached the clearing.

Kin hit a moment later and kicked off, sailing through the air at the nymph’s back.

The blond male stepped to his right, evading Kin.

He landed level with the nymph and kept running, trying to tame the savage part of him that wanted to rip him apart. He would. Once Hella was safe. Rather than trying to tear into Ethyrian with his fangs, he rammed the male in his legs. Once. Twice. On the third hit, the king went down and Hella hit the grass hard with him.

Ethyrian was quick to scramble onto his feet and grab his sword, spinning to face Kin before he could attack.

Kin lowered his head and snarled, his jowls peeling back off his fangs as he stared the nymph down. He slowly circled with the male, working his way towards Hella. When Ethyrian glanced at her, Kin lunged forwards, snapping his teeth. The nymph swung the blade his way again, fending him off at the same time as he leaped backwards to place more distance between them.

His mistake.

Kin was quick to reach Hella now she was further from the nymph, sank his fangs into the gaps between the swirls of the fancy metal corset she wore and tugged her with him as he backed off. He kept his eyes on the nymph the whole time.

The male’s blue eyes darkened. “She belongs to me.”

Kin released her and bared his fangs as he growled, and it wasn’t nearly satisfying enough. He shifted back, forcing his wolf form to recede, because he needed to do this as a man.

“Like fuck she does,” he growled at the nymph. “Hella belongs to no one.”

“So sweet,” she murmured sleepily.

He wanted to glance at her to check on her but kept his eyes locked on the nymph instead.

“We shall see about that.” Ethyrian came at him, faster than he anticipated, and he dodged to his left and swept his arm down, barely knocking the nymph’s sword off course.

He slammed his fist into the side of the male’s head and grabbed his arm. He wrestled with him, twisting his flesh and trying to get him to drop his sword. Ethyrian punched him in the face several times, hard enough that Kin saw stars.

He released Ethyrian and staggered backwards, shaking off the blow in time to ready his claws as the nymph came at him again. He leaped right at the final moment, came around the nymph and slashed down his back, cutting long gashes in his white tunic jacket and staining it crimson. Ethyrian twisted on a snarl and smashed the pommel of his sword into Kin’s temple.

Everything went black for a moment and then came back, and he growled as he found himself on the grass near Hella. She screamed and raised her hands, and fire shot from her palms, driving the nymph back just as he came at Kin. Kin pushed to his feet and used her attack to his advantage, moving around the nymph as he shielded his face with his arm.

He growled as he gripped Ethyrian’s hand and squeezed it, crushing the male’s fingers against the hilt of the blade and ripping a cry from him. The nymph lost his grip on the sword and it dropped to the ground, leaving him defenceless.

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