Page 22 of Wed Or Dead

Kayla’s shoulders stiffened. She was still staring at Lyle, but the tension in her body was suddenly screaming.

Only shewasn’tscreaming. When she spoke, her words were soft. “You’re wrong. Lyle McKennis is the lead hunter in the area. He can’t be a shifter.”

“Why?” Gage asked as Lyle kept the smile on his face. “Because he’s the big, bad boss who’s sent you out to kill the shifters in this town? Sorry, sweetheart, but our kind has a long and vicious history of turning on each other.”

Only Lyle had gotten smart. The jerk didn’t have a pack of his own, so he’d tricked humans into killing for him.

Shifters truly were very good at lying.

Lyle was almost at the cage now.

“That’s not true,” Kayla retorted and gave a fast, negative shake of her head. “He’s the one who found me and Jonah after—after our parents were killed. He saved us, got us help?—”

Fast as a striking snake, Lyle’s hand shot through the cage bars. His claws were out, and they shoved right against Kayla’sthroat. “And I’m the one who’s gonna kill you, too, if you don’t do exactly what I say.”

He was a dead man.

Gage rolled his shoulders. He let his own claws break from his fingertips. “I’m guessing you don’t want to die easily,” he noted in a considering way as he studied the other shifter. “You want me to take my time with things. Strip away your flesh. Make you beg and scream before I give you that fucking sweet release of death.” The guy had to want that or else he wouldn’t be touching Kayla.

Lyle’s green eyes narrowed. He was staring at Kayla, not Gage. And the bastardneededto move those damn claws away from her.

Gage’s nostrils flared. A new scent had hit the air. Blood. Kayla’s blood.

A snarl sprang from his lips, and he leapt those few feet that would take him to the side of the cage. He slashed out with his own claws, and if Lyle had moved even one second slower, he would have cut the bastard’s hand off.

“Don’t fucking touch her. ”Gage’s lethal order was the growl of a beast. His wolf wanted out. Sure, wolves liked the scent of blood just as much as any shifter, but not when that scent belonged to a mate.

And Kayla was most definitelyhis.

When the blood scent came from a mate, the wolf within just wanted to destroy any threat near her.

Lyle had backed up and made sure to get clear of the cage. His cocky smile was back. “I thought it might be like that. I mean, I knew the truth about her for years. I figured if I just put her in the right wolf ’s path…”

Gage pulled Kayla away from the bars. He looked at her throat and lightly touched the tender skin. Just scratches, but he understood the point Lyle had wanted to make.

I can kill her. You can watch.

Screw that.

This Lyle asshole could watch while Gage cuthimopen.

“What truth?” Kayla demanded as she batted Gage’s hands away.

It was Lyle’s turn to laugh now. “Why, exactly, do you think your wolf married you? Because he took one look at you and fell in love?” His voice mocked her.

How could they get out of the cage? How could he shut that jerk’s mouth?

Kayla’s breath heaved. “I don’t understand. What is happening?”

“You’re a potential mate for a wolf shifter. Your scent is different, at least it always was to me.” Lyle’s gaze darted to Gage. “And I’m betting it is to him, too. One scent, just one deep breath, and I could tell you were…ripe.”

“Bastard!” Kayla screamed. “I don’t?—”

“Of course, you were only sixteen when we met, so I decided to give you some growing time. I knew you’d be the perfect lure that I needed.” Lyle shrugged. “It’s so hard to find potential mates for wolves these days. So hard, but in that bloodbath, I foundyou.”

Gage barely managed to hold his wolf back. The beast was clawing him from the inside. Ripping and tearing with his fury to break loose. “What do you want?” Because the jerk had to want something. Otherwise, Gage wouldn’t have woken in the cage.

He wouldn’t have woken at all.

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