Page 28 of Never Submit

But she’s not going anywhere.

“You’ll take it and you’ll fucking like it, Red.”

My knot inflates, and I bite her again. She sags against me, a heavy exhaustion taking over her limbs, and whether it’s from the sex or the fight or the half-shifting, I don’t know. But when I look at her again, all the fur has receded and her body is fully human again.

I know her secret though. I’ve always sensed something bigger in Red, but I never expected this. She’s human no more.

Now, she’s my dirty little wolf.

Chapter 7

Noble

The SUV speeds around the base of the mountain, and a terrible sinking feeling tugs at my gut, growing stronger with every mile.

Ren.

Something’s wrong. I can feel it. I lift a hand to my chest and scrub at the tightening in my ribs, the way the bones cage around my heart and squeeze.

She’s alive, but she’s in danger.

There’s nothing but frost-tipped trees outside the window. No hint of color outside of a monotone world of white and gray and black. But she’s out there. Close. Even if I can’t see her yet.

“Stop the car,” I demand before common sense catches up with me. “Now.”

The driver, a middle-aged delta named Calvin, lifts his foot off the pedal but doesn’t hit the brake. His gray eyes cut my way and then to Torin for the final command.

My word doesn’t mean shit when Torin’s around.

“Stop the car,” I bark again, imbuing more command into every syllable.

The mate bond goes tight and thrums like a plucked violin string inside my chest.

“What’s wrong with you, Noble?” Torin says from the back. Annoyance edges his voice.

My stomach twists again with the same wrenching sensation before full panic sets in. With the car still moving, I rip open the passenger door and leap out, rolling across the pavement.

The initial hit sends pain spiraling through me, but I can’t focus on anything besides my mate’s internal call for help. Even Torin’s shouts are muted to me.

He can kill me later.

He probably will.

Hopping back to my feet, I sprint into the woods with no fixed direction, just following my instincts, and right now those are strong enough to wash away doubts.

Ren calls to me like a beacon.

She’s out here somewhere, and she fucking needs me.

The pull is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

I bolt as fast as my human legs allow. I should shift—my wolf is itching to feel the wind against its fur—but I’m getting closer to Ren by the second, even as I crash blindly through the woods.

And there’s some selfish part of me that wants to take her into my arms and feel her body against mine as soon as I can, as a human. Not as a wolf.

I haul ass through the underbrush, ignoring branches clawing at my face and the icy air burning my lungs. My wolf howls in the back of my mind, urging me to move faster.

I don’t need the encouragement. Every step brings me closer to her.

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