Page 16 of A Wolf's Heart

He ran at them.

Weylin hopped up onto the roof.

“He can jump,” Kage reminded him.

“I don’t care. It makes me feel safer than being down there.” He spoke through the crunch of bones, the misalignment of limbs, and the rapid growth of grey fur.

The beast snarled and snapped at Kage, but Kage wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of fear. “We don’t have time to go head-to-head, beast.” It was the last thing Kage said before he shifted.

Our wolves were very similar, though, where the beast was pure black, Kage had white shading along his muzzle and chin. Kage was also a third larger than the beast and his only worthy opponent. Not that Weylin couldn’t do damage.

Weylin’s size matched my own, and the guy had street smarts. Scrapping like a rogue definitely gave him an advantage.

Claws scraped on the roof of the car, but the beast didn’t look up from Kage.

Off the car, Kage ordered through our pack mentality.Rain, you still with us?

Weylin leaped to the ground, hackles raised and teeth bared, warning that he was ready for a fight. If the beast could roll his shoulders and crack his knuckles, that’s exactly what he would be doing right now.

I’m here, but he’s in control. She is my mate. He scented her and believes you two are a threat.

No threat here. We can help you.

She is mine.

Where is she now, Beast? She left you. We have never left you. Find her, bring her to the pack, then you can chain her up in your room and she will be all yours. This land will be yours to mark, and any rogue that passes you get first kill, first blood.

I could feel the beast becoming excited at this prospect. Picturing that sweet wolf chained to his bed, going through her heat just for him, begging for him and no other alpha. The complete high he would have off of it.

It made me sick. Kage was playing to the beast’s better interest, though, so I understood.

First blood!The beast threw his head back as a howl ripped through the night air. Both Weylin and Kage echoed the cry for blood, and then we were off, weaving through the shadows of the streets. The beast picked up on her scent, dirt kicking up behind us as we ran into the woods. We ran with no fear. What was there to fear when you were at the top of the food chain?

We ran further than it seemed possible for her to get. I was beginning to think the beast had lost her scent, but I followedalong the entire time, and her scent was strong. Then it stopped altogether.

Lost her?Weylin asked.

The beast snarled at him—someone took her!Though I doubted that was true. There were no other smells around the area, only hers, and it had stopped at this large tree.

As if all three of us thought the same thing at the same time, we looked up. A set of glowing eyes peered back at us before a magnificent white wolf launched its body at Kage, teeth bared, snarling and snapping. The moment their two bodies collided, I felt the heat spread across his body through the link, echoing the hot explosions that went off in his chest.

No!Kage roared, outraged. Weylin jumped at the wolf, head butting her in the side and sending her flying off Kage. Another pang of heat spread through me, another set of explosions.

Wait, was that…Weylin seemed confused.

Your mate…our mate.I sighed. While it wasn’t uncommon for wolf shifters to have multiple mates, this was something we had never thought of happening. Although the dwindling of mate pairs alone among our kind was apparent, the chances of the fates selecting a mate quad was unlikely.

We all stood surrounding the massive white wolf from where she lay between us. She was down, but she wasn’t out. While it appeared she was injured, I knew better. She lay on her belly, all paw pads touching the ground, her lips curled, twitching slightly, as if she couldn’t help but show some teeth. Her eyes were open and looking around without lifting her head. She was looking for an exit.

The beast walked up to her first, placing a paw on her back. The white wolf growled a warning but didn’t move.Mine, the beast declared.

Ours,Weylin corrected him.

We are not fighting over a mate, fated or not. We have an objective here, Kage huffed out.

Why can’t we hear her?Weylin was the first to step forward in a non-threatening way, tilting his head to the girl.

She hasn’t been accepted by the pack, I informed him, understanding he hadn’t received the same upbringing as Kage and me. We had been linked before Weylin even made it to the pack.

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