Page 3 of An Uncertain Claim

Another breeze shook the leaves around us, but this time, new scents floated in the air. It distracted B just enough for me to take hold of his arm and twist it around as I pushed back his wrist until it made a satisfying crack. B let out a girly scream and I extended my claws as one of my hands headed toward his jugular. He swiped at me, knocking my arm away, but didn’t manage to capture me before I jumped away.

B’s expression had a sickening mixture of fury and excitement. My panther went into full-out protector mode, and she slammed into me, trying to get out and knocking me slightly off balance. Despite it being only the tiniest bit of instability, B took the opportunity to grab my face with his uninjured hand and squeeze so hard my jaw cracked. Agony ripped through me, and I cried out. Or I tried to, but his hold on me muffled it. His grip and the movement of my jaw pushed my tongue out of my mouth. A sinister smile slid onto his face, and he lifted his other hand in the air, waving to show off the razor-sharp blades of his claws. He winced, but from the control he had with his wrist, it appeared I’d only fractured it and his adrenaline was masking the pain. “Pretty sure they are going to catch up with us before I can finish, so let’s make sure you can’t talk while you look over your shoulder every moment until I get my hands on you again.”

My eyes widened and I fought the iron hold he had on my face. I lifted my own claws toward his limb, but I couldn’t fucking reach his long damn arm and he managed to break another spot in my jaw. I watched his hand with panic as it descended toward my tongue. At the last second, I allowed my panther to surface just enough to tap into her full strength and I managed to rip my head away. Not quite fast enough, I ended up with a deep slice from my left temple to the corner of my mouth. I screamed at the burn from the lacerations, and it hurt like a bitch when mixed with the movement of my broken jaw. But I was too grateful to still have my tongue to feel the full effect of the pain.

Surprised at my action, he’d retreated a single step, and I shifted, leaping away. In two seconds, I’d run up a tree and perched on a strong branch. I stared down at B, who's black wolf watched me with eyes that glittered with malice.

A howl rang out, answered by at least four others, and B’s wolf glanced toward the sound of the first and strongest voice. His big head swung back around to look up at me for a moment, then he bared his teeth at me before taking off in the direction of the pack boundary lines.

My cat and I had recognized the scents of Nathan and his enforcers immediately, but still, we waited in the tree. The pain in my face had begun to creep to the forefront of my mind and my panther whimpered as her snout swelled. I mentally checked her over and realized B had not only broken the bone in a couple of places, but he’d also dislocated it.

Fuck.They’d have to reset it before the breaks began to heal.

A massive silver wolf broke through the foliage and looked around frantically until he caught my scent and his eyes rose to my spot in the tree. The wildness in his wolf’s gaze hinted at how close his wolf was to turning feral. Someone with Nathan’s level of control managed their feral side and used it to their advantage, but this time was different.

This time, someone had threatened his cub.

Chapter Three

Nathan

You need to get home. Now.

The voice of one of my enforcers, Allison, came through the pack link as I read through the police report on Melinda, the vampire he’d killed because she looked like Peyton. She’d also been a cousin of Lucien and Phillipé’s, the King and Prince of the French vampires. I was trying to discern if Phillipé had been right when he’d said her death had been about more than a substitute for Peyton’s.

My enforcers and I used other means of communication for the most part, only using the telepathic connection when necessary, or if I initiated the conversation. It helped keep the roar of thoughts and emotions at bay, but mostly, it made it easy for me to be made aware of any emergencies right away. Which meant I’d already jumped out of my chair the second I heard her thought.

She would only use the link if there were a major problem or something involving Peyton.

Terror flushed through my body when a litany of worst-case scenarios played in my mind.

I couldn’t lose her. Or our pup.

When I burst out the door into the morning sunshine, I shifted—uncaring that I’d just shredded my clothes—and took off at max speed. My wolf and I didn’t have to follow roads in animal form, so we made it home in just over five minutes.

During the run, I only asked Allison one question.Is she okay?

I don’t know.She hesitated and my wolf rumbled with a dangerous growl.She’s gone.

I mentally called to Asher, Jase, Ephraim, and Tanner, ordering them to meet me at my cabin. A slender, brown wolf waited on the front porch when I sprinted up.

What the fuck happened?I demanded.

I’m not sure,Allison responded.The alarm at the shed tripped and I went to investigate. Sabrina was here when I left, but when I returned, she and Peyton were both gone.

I reached out to Sabrina via the pack link, and she responded, though it sounded garbled and unintelligible. She moaned and I felt her emotions spike as pain sliced through our heads.Fuck.

The wolves of my head enforcer and Beta were the first to arrive and since they’d been listening to my conversation with Allison, they immediately began checking around the outside of the cabin. Jase’s wolf ran up only seconds behind them and immediately went inside.

Go find Sabrina,I instructed Allison.

Her wolf’s brown eyes flashed with Allison’s blue for a second and she bobbed her head, acknowledging my order before running off.

Do you think Peyton took off again?Ephraim asked as he came to a halt in front of me.

My wolf felt my irritation at Ephraim and growled.Are you asking me if she hurt Sabrina and sent Allison on a wild goose chase just so she could go for a run?

I don’t know, would she?Ephraim hadn’t met Peyton, so his question might have been justified to a regular human. But as his Alpha and it pissed me the fuck off that he would question my judgment of her.

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