Page 48 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

“What’s the hold-up?” I ask impatiently as I walk over to them.

“Just a quick strategy talk,” Seth answers. He has seniority in the group, being an elder. He’s tall and wiry with long silver hair. The way he carries himself, and the scars on his body, suggest to me that he didn’t always have an easy life. I’m not happy about stopping, but I respect him as a man, as well as for his status.

The other three—Trace, Body, and Liam—were chosen by Bae. He wanted to attend the mission himself, but the other elders convinced him he was too valuable to leave. Body is one of his best friends from school, Trace is an experienced scout, and Liam has proven himself to be a vital member of the pack, even though he’s the youngest involved in official duties.

“What do you see, Seth?” Trace asks.

All of us are waiting on his word. Seth lifts his nose slightly, so tuned into the forest that he can connect with it in human or wolf form.

“I can sense at least ten moving past the border near Ophir,” he says. “If we want to stop them, we have to come through on the other side of the town. We’ll have to split up and come at them from separate directions.”

“But they’ll go through the town!” I protest. “They won’t be able to resist stripping it for booty, even if they are supposed to be hitting Silverton.”

“I’m counting on it,” Seth says. “When they stop and shift, hit them, and hit them hard. Each of us only has to take down two to finish the mission. If we get them while they’re distracted and in human form, it won’t be too difficult.”

No one has any argument to that, and we all shift and start running through the forest again. Seth and Trace run hard to get in front because they will be circling around to get into Ophir from the other side. I’ll be roughly central with Body, leaving Liam on the nearest side to us.

The inexperience of the kid is leaving me a bit unsettled. I have no doubt that he’s well-trained and capable, but the wolves we’re going up against are like walking meat grinders. I’m not sure he has the strength for it.

As we take our positions, I feel the wind shift. We are upwind now, and we’ve been moving as silently as shadows. They will have no idea that we’re even here.

We’re on the outskirts of the tiny town, and everything looks dead quiet. The sun sinks behind one of the high peaks, leaving us in deep, gray shadows, a false twilight. I stalk along one of the buildings, sensing the others moving into position.

Then I hear a sudden laugh, accompanied by footsteps. I freeze in place, watching the edge of the next cabin. Within seconds, three guys come around the side, carrying sacks of loot.

I raise my head, scenting the air and listening. The rest of their group is not far away, moving in the direction of Seth and Trace. The old dog was right—these guys couldn’t resist hitting the storage buildings for whatever loot they could find.

I wait in the semi-dark, my muscles coiled, every sense on alert. When I hear a faint, far-off growl, I pounce immediately, leaping into the middle of the small group.

I caught them quickly enough that they didn’t even see me coming. I get one down on the ground in my first leap and tear his throat out. One of the others runs while the last one shifts and leaps at me.

He smashes into my shoulder, and we roll across the ground, snapping and snarling as we try to get a grip on each other’s throats. For a few seconds, the fight is fierce, and I don’t know who’s going to come out of it alive.

From deep inside me, a horrific, burning rage rises. It floods my bones, puts fire in my veins. This anger kept me alive at the worst moments of my life. I despise it because it makes me do terrible things, but I also know that I would never have survived without it.

I manage to twist and grab hold of the other wolf’s ruff. My jaws snap shut, and I plant my feet, shaking him as hard as I can. He yelps and struggles, but I yank my head to the side, trying to break his neck.

Something hits me in the side, and we go rolling over, tumbling through the snow into the trees. I lose my grip on the wolf and flip onto my feet, ready to fight on.

Two enemy wolves glare at me. Both of them have their teeth bared and hackles up. I coil myself, ready to meet their attack.

One of them cocks his head to the side, and his growl becomes a soft whine. I look at him in alarm and see recognition flash across his face.

Fuck! It’s Chris!

I knew him in Sawpit. We ran a lot of missions together. In the evenings, he’d play guitar and I’d sing. There is no mistaking him.

And he’s seen me.

The shock has made me lose my adrenaline. My body seems to shimmer, and I almost shift back. With a fierce effort, Ikeep myself in wolf shape. Then I see Chris throw back his head to howl.

He’s going to tell them all!

Suddenly, two wolves jump in—Body and Liam. I can hear sounds of fighting not far away, and I know Trace and Seth must be dealing with the others. I dive into the fray, desperate to help Body and Liam and stop Chris.

For a few seconds, the fight is a whirlwind of teeth and claws. Pain runs through my body, but I ignore it, focusing on the splash of warm red blood on my muzzle and the feel of my enemy’s flesh between my teeth. There is a sharp yelp, and a crunch, and all of us pull apart.

In the center of us lies the crumpled shape of a white wolf with dusky, golden patterns.

---