Page 54 of Savage Fate

And no one else could have put me on that path except Fane.

Saint might have been my fated mate, but Fane had always been mysoulmate.

A small streak of tan fur ran past, stealing my attention, and I lifted my nose into the air.

Squirrel.

I changed directions and followed the small animal’s trail, the wolf in me locking onto the scent. As much as my wolf side wanted to hunt and eat the squirrel, my human side gave a big fat no. I just planned to chase it for a minute.

My paws dug into the ground, the bloodlust growing. As I darted between two large oaks, the woodland area suddenly swirled out of focus, and the trees became black silhouettes against an even darker backdrop…

Instead of runningon all fours, I was in human form again, sprinting on two legs.

I was being chased.

They were gaining ground.

Fear pumped through my veins, and sweat soaked my torn button-down shirt.

My bare feet slipped on the pine needles, and as I fell, I caught myself on my hands. Black tattoos covered the backs of them, including my fingers.

“Damn it!” I hissed in a masculine voice. “I need to get back to?—”

Their presence closed in.

I scrambled up, my pulse racing, and took off again.

They couldn’t catch me again. If they did, I was done for…

I stumbled,back on all fours as myself in my wolf form.

Son of a bitch.

My steps slowed, and I let the squirrel go. He must have felt fear like the poor guy in my vision. Even though I’d seen a quick flash of tattoos on his hands, it wasn’t enough to identify him. Plenty of shifters had ink, and I could barely remember the shapes now.

As I neared the spot where I’d left my shoes and clothes, the wind blew through the pines and brought a familiar flowery scent. My hackles raised, and my teeth curled back just as a black wolf emerged from the underbrush.

Marissa’s irises shone with a murderous gleam in the shadows of the forest. If she had a chance to kill me, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Chapter

Seventeen

Marissa’s hatefilled the air like a bitter tang as she approached in her wolf form. A growl tumbled out of my mouth, clashing with the one she released as we circled each other.

Since we weren’t in the same pack, we couldn’t mentally communicate in this form, but the animosity sizzling between us needed no words.

We wanted to tear each other apart.

Her snapping and snarling didn’t threaten me. I could take her.

Are you sure about that, Tate?

There was that damn voice again.

You don’t have me anymore. And Marissa is bigger and more experienced in fighting as a wolf. Do you really think you can take her?

Now I was second-guessing myself.