Page 114 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

But not if they catch me before I can get out of sight.

Following my nose, I used every last bit of gas I had in thetank to kick my speed up a little bit more. It was amazing what desperation could do for your stamina.

A fast-moving stream came into view, sure enough next to a walking trail. It wasn’t the one I usually took, but it was heavily scented with Pack Caelestis’s scents, which meant that somehow I’d gotten back closer to the castle on my wild flight.

I plunged straight in, catching my breath as the chest-deep water enveloped my wolf. It was cold, not so cold as to be immediately deadly, but cold enough that I couldn’t stay in long, or I might get hypothermic.

My wolf swam strong and true, turning into the flow of the water and paddling with the current to carry us away from our pursuers more quickly.

But it wasn’t quick enough.

Excited yips hit me from the bank, and I counted at least six large male wolves plunging into the water after me.

We paddled harder, but the current was doing most of the work. It twisted and turned as it wound through the forest, and within a few minutes, I had to worry less about the wolves behind me and more about the large river rocks protruding from the water. I dodged as best as I could, but I caught a few of them on the shoulders or flank, trying my best to keep the brunt of the blows off my midsection.

I’m sorry, Petal. I’m doing the best I can,I thought, exhaustion making me a little delusional. I was going to have to get out soon. The cold and my exertion were turning my head fuzzy and my strokes in the water slower.

I couldn’t afford to black out. That was guaranteed death. I had to get to the bank, find something to hide behind or under. A nice big thorn bush would be great, but those didn’t seem too common in this forest. What I wouldn’t give for an oversized, razor-sharp palmetto bush like back home in Texas.

My wolf stroked hard for the bank, agreeing that we were too weak to keep swimming. But the current had picked up, thesmooth river rocks I’d been dodging had turned into boulders taller than a grown man, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite make it to the edge.

And then I felt teeth, hot and razor-sharp as they sank into the meat of my shoulder. I couldn’t hold back a panicked yelp as the other wolf dragged me through the water, his much stronger strokes unerring as he dragged me carelessly over the sharp rocks in the shallows. My blood tinged the fast-flowing water as I scrabbled to try to get to my feet so I could get this dick off me.

To my surprise, he let go without a struggle, dumping me unceremoniously onto the ground. When I got to my feet, I was shaking with cold, fatigue, and blood loss.

And then I saw why he had no trouble dropping me to the bank.

I was surrounded. Six strong, hungry-looking, naked men circled me, each with terrifying expressions on their faces.

A different kind of shake hit me, and I knew I was about to lose my shift.

No, please, no,I begged my wolf, but it was fruitless. I was pregnant, exhausted, and injured. The shift might fix my shoulder, but it would also leave me vulnerable to these predatory men. I choked on a sob as I felt the change drag over me with painful slowness. And in that moment of terrified horror, I squeezed my eyes shut, and with everything in me, I cried out for Gael.

FIFTY-SEVEN

Gael

Itried to get away, Gael. I tried so hard. I’m so sorry I let you both down. Forgive me.

Leigh’s broken voice hit my mind with all the force of a freight train, and I broke stride from my flat-out sprint for a second before I recovered from the shock. Because along with the words, had come an image.

It was Leigh, sopping wet and stranded on the side of a river, naked and surrounded by six men.

I’m coming. I know that spot,I tried to send back, but I had no idea if it worked or how she’d managed to project it to me in the first place. I turned right, pushing my wolf to his limit as we tore through the terrain so fast, chunks of undergrowth and wet dirt flew out behind us.

I couldn’t say how long I ran, only that it was too long. Every second felt like an eternity, like they were hurting her while I was helpless. But this wasn’t a curse I couldn’t cure or centuries of hate and prejudice I couldn’t overturn.

These were flesh-and-blood shifters, and I was going to rip every one of their throats out. The ground beneath me shifted to small stones, and then, a second later, I spotted them.

I had eyes only for my mate, and I was relieved to see that she was blue lipped and swaying on her feet, but she was still upright and fighting back. One of the men had a hand around her throat, but she had her fingernails dug into his meaty forearm, and I saw the rivulets of red running down before I scented the tang of his blood. But a second drag of scent also found the tang ofLeigh’sblood, and a red haze fell over my wolf’s vision.

The fight was a blur of red blood and hunks of gore. They realized too late that I was on them, so focused were they on my helpless female. I showed no mercy and tore into them with a savagery that most would have called feral.

I pulled on every bit of my training from the enclave, and within minutes, five bodies lay cold on the ground. The only one remaining had his hand locked tight around Leigh’s throat.

Gael. She mouthed my name, but she couldn’t speak with that monster choking her. A tear rolled down her cheek as I shifted.

“Let her go, and I’ll spare your life.”

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