Page 43 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

He chuckled, the laugh making my stomach churn with dread.

“We will eventually,” he promised. “But I need you around for other reasons. After that, then I’m sure we’ll find you a suitable new home. Assuming we knock that willful streak out of you this time.”

“After what?” I asked, my throat dry. He gave a menacing smile, and I realized I knew the answer. “After you kill Tannen,” I said.

He gave a feral grin that showed all his teeth. “We’ll be waiting for him when he comes for you. You’ll get to watch while we tear your Silver Wolf to shreds.”

“You’re wrong,” I said. “He isn’t going to come after me. We hate each other.”

He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms. “There’s a reason we had him claim you,” he said. “Claiming is a good insurance policy.”

I sucked in a breath, knowing he was right. Even if Tannen hated me, the bond made him more protective. There was no way he would stay away from me for long. He wouldn’t be able to help it. And he’d walk straight into Damien’s trap as a result.

“He’ll come,” Damien promised, giving a sly smile. “And when he does, I’ll have to repay him the favor for my lovely little trip down the ravine.”

Chapter 16 - Tannen

I tried respecting Thea’s wishes. She wanted to be left alone, and I didn’t know what to say to her that wouldn’t sound hollow, anyway. Except after only a handful of minutes, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sit by idly. I needed to find her, to talk to her. And the longer I waited, the more anxious I got about her not coming back, the more certain I became.

I didn’t care about other women anymore. Just her. She needed to know that.

Screw this. I wasn’t going to wait around any longer. I shifted and ran into the woods, hunting for her scent so I could talk to her.

I couldn’t find any trace of her. I couldn’t get a read on her scent anywhere. She’d been serious when she said she didn’t want to be followed, and she had managed to cover her tracks well. I wasn’t going to let that stop me, though. I’d keep going.

I searched for Thea for hours, but came up empty. The longer I looked, the more a looming sense of dread washed over me.

Finally, I caught a hint of her scent. I followed it, expecting to find her nearby. Instead, what I found were the scents of more shifters. Familiar scents.

I came to a stop, realization and dread slamming into me as I recognized Viktor’s scent. And Damien’s.

Fuck. Damien was alive. And he had Thea.

My wolf howled his fury, claws flexing. He wanted to follow the scents immediately. But I held off this time. I needed backup.

Less than an hour later, the Silver Wolves—and an insistent Astrid—had gathered in Jameson’s living room as I gave them a brief rundown of what had happened, not bothering to hide my rage.

“We have to go get her,” I growled.

“We will,” Jameson promised. “But we need to get all the information first.”

“There’s no time,” I snarled. “Who knows what they’re doing to her right now?”

“She’s most likely fine,” Malcolm promised. “They’re probably going to use her as bait to get to you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s working.”

Mark reached out, grabbing my arm and stopping me from pacing. I snarled, but he held firm, his eyes meeting mine.

“You’re not thinking straight,” Mark said. “You’re not going to do her any favors by going in there like this. You need to calm down.”

I exhaled through my nose, still glaring at Mark, even as his common sense broke through the veil of anger and worry over Thea. I gave a short jerk of my head, and Mark released me.

“Let’s figure out a plan quickly, then. The sooner we get her, the better.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Jameson promised.

“God, this claiming bond is driving me nuts,” I snarled. “I don’t know how you guys managed it. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

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