Page 30 of His Mate

All that mattered was getting her out of here.

I took her hand, and together we moved toward the door. My pulse pounded in my ears, adrenaline surging as I twisted the handle and edged the door open, peering out into the corridor beyond.

The hallway stretched out like a tunnel, fluorescent lights flickering overhead, casting erratic shadows that danced along the walls. We crept forward, my body tense, every muscle coiled tight, ready to spring at the first sign of danger.

“Stay close,” I whispered, my eyes scanning the darkness, and Kendra nodded, her fingers squeezing mine as she followed my lead.

The first wolf appeared out of nowhere, launching himself at me with a feral snarl, his claws outstretched, teeth bared. I moved on instinct, yanking Kendra behind me with one hand as I drove my fist into his throat with the other. He choked, eyes bulging, and I didn’t give him a chance to recover. I grabbed him by the hair, twisting his head violently to the side until I felt the satisfying snap of bone beneath my fingers.

Another wolf lunged from the shadows, this one larger, with wild eyes and a snarl that echoed down the hallway. I pushed Kendra against the wall, shielding her with my body, and met the wolf head-on, catching his outstretched arm and driving myknee into his gut. He doubled over, wheezing, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him face-first into the concrete, the impact echoing like a clap of thunder through the silence.

Kendra gasped, and I turned to her, knowing we had to move quickly if we had any chance of getting out of here.

“Go,” I growled, pushing her forward. “We don’t have much time.”

We sprinted down the hallway, and for a moment, I thought we might make it. I could see the faint glow of the exit sign up ahead, could taste the cool night air just beyond it. But then, a door burst open, and five more wolves spilled into the corridor, blocking our path, their eyes glowing with hunger, with rage.

“Stay behind me,” I ordered, and without waiting for her response, I charged forward, adrenaline burning through my veins like wildfire.

The first wolf lunged at me, and I ducked low, driving my shoulder into his gut and flipping him over my back. I heard him hit the floor with a sickening crunch, but I didn’t stop to see if he got back up. The second wolf came at me with a blade, his movements fast and fluid, but I was faster. I sidestepped his swing, grabbed his wrist, and twisted until I heard the bone snap. He howled in pain, and I drove my fist into his jaw, feeling it break beneath my knuckles.

Another wolf tackled me from the side, his weight slamming into me like an eighteen-wheeler, and we crashed into the wall, plaster raining down around us. He snarled, snapping his teeth at my throat, but I shoved him back, slamming my elbow into his face, feeling the cartilage of his nose crack. I grabbed him by theneck, lifting him off his feet, and threw him into the remaining wolves, sending them sprawling across the floor.

“Move!” I shouted at Kendra, and we ran, my heart hammering in my chest, every nerve screaming that we wouldn’t make it, that there were too many of them, that this was a fight we couldn’t win.

We burst through the door at the end of the hall and found ourselves in a wide-open courtyard, the moon hanging low in the sky, bathing the compound in a pale, eerie light. The fence loomed ahead, tall and foreboding, topped with barbed wire that glistened like teeth in the darkness. And beyond that fence was freedom, the promise of escape.

But more wolves poured into the courtyard, snarling and snapping, blocking the path, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt. I pulled Kendra close, felt her heart racing against my chest, and I knew we had one last chance.

“Hold on to me,” I told her, and without waiting for a response, I grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off the ground and throwing her on my back. I charged forward, plowing into the wolves with every ounce of strength I had left.

They swarmed us, claws flashing, teeth snapping, and I fought like a man possessed, swinging wildly, feeling my fists connect with bone and flesh, hearing the wet crunch of impact as I drove them back. One of them sank his teeth into my shoulder, and I roared, slamming my forehead into his nose, feeling his grip loosen. Another wolf slashed at my ribs, and I caught his wrist, twisting until I heard the bones snap, then drove my knee into his gut, sending him sprawling.

More kept coming, a sea of snarling faces and flashing claws, but I didn’t slow down. I couldn’t. I had to get Kendra out. I had to keep moving.

“Rowan!” Kendra’s voice cut through the chaos, and I turned just in time to see a wolf lunging at the two of us from the side, his claws outstretched, reaching for her throat.

I grabbed him by the neck in mid-air, lifting him clean off the ground, and hurled him into the fence, feeling the shock of electricity ripple through his body as he collided with the wires. He convulsed, eyes wide and unseeing, and then fell limp, crumpling to the ground.

I panted, blood dripping from my wounds, my vision blurring, but I didn’t let go of Kendra, didn’t let myself fall. I turned to the fence, seeing our way out, and with a final surge of strength, I launched us both over it.

We hit the ground hard on the other side, rolling through the dirt, and for a moment, I just lay there, staring up at the sky, feeling the cool night air on my skin, feeling Kendra’s warmth pressed against me.

I wanted to stay there with her forever.

But the howls grew louder, closer, and I felt the tension ripple through my muscles, pushing me back into action.

“Hold on,” I ordered, grabbing her wrists and pulling her toward me. She barely had time to react before I hoisted her up and onto my back, wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. “Like a spider monkey,” I muttered, trying to inject a bit of levity into the situation, even as my heart pounded against my ribs and adrenaline surged through my veins.

She tightened her grip, pressing her chest against my back, and I felt her breath on my ear, warm and unsteady.

“Are you sure—” she asked, but I cut her off.

“No time,” I said, already taking off, tearing through the underbrush with a speed that left the world around us a blur.

We tore through the wreckage of the city, the ruins rising up around us like jagged teeth. The streets were cracked and uneven, littered with debris and the remnants of a life that had been forgotten long ago, but I didn’t slow down. I moved through the chaos with a single-minded focus, my eyes locked on the path ahead, on the narrow alleyways and broken roads that would lead us out of this place.

Kendra clung to my back, her breath warm against my neck, and I could feel the way her body tensed with every step, every leap as I hurdled over obstacles that littered the ground. She didn’t say a word, didn’t ask questions or demand answers—she just held on, trusting me, even though she’d barely known me at all.

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