Page 45 of Forbidden Love

She rambled when she was terrified. Apparently, that hadn’t changed.

A flash of white fur darted toward her—Pepper. The little brat cowered behind Deb’s legs, whining.

“Oh,nowyou come back?” Deb whispered harshly, not taking her eyes off the looming wolf. “You little turd.”

With slow, careful movements, she bent and scooped the trembling dog up, tucking her under one arm like a football.

“I’m just gonna take the poodle and go,” she said softly, inching back a step.

Pain flared as she stepped on something sharp with her bare foot. She winced, nearly dropping Pepper, but kept her balance.

The wolf didn’t move.

Then, it did by taking a step forward, muscles shifting beneath its thick, dark coat. Its head lowered, ears flattened, and a low, guttural growl rumbled from its chest, vibrating through the air.

Deb swallowed hard. This was bad. This wasreallybad.

She wondered if she screamed, would one of the shifters hear her? She wasn’t sure how far she’d strayed from the perimeter. Or the house. Or reality, for that matter.

She glanced up just in time to see the wolf shift its stance again, lower this time, and coiled tighter.

It was preparing to strike. She knew she could never outrun a wolf. Hell, she couldn’t outrun Pepper. Glancing around by only moving her eyes, searching for a weapon, but saw nothing. As if the wolf knew what she was doing, it growled again, louder and more aggressive.

“Okay,” she whispered, adjusting her grip on Pepper. “Screaming and running might be anowthing.”

The wolf’s growl deepened, and Deb’s breath hitched. It took another slow, deliberate step toward her, eyes never leaving hers. It was freaking stalking her. Playing with its prey and she was its prey.

Panic surged.

Her grip tightened on Pepper. Her heart was a stampede in her chest.This is it. This is how I go—saving a damn poodle in a thunderstorm.

Knowing time was running out, she turned on her heel and ran. She screamed loud, desperate, and raw as she tore through the trees. Branches whipped at her face. Rain blurred her vision. She couldn’t tell if the sound behind her was thunder or the beast chasing her.

Running with a poodle tucked under one arm was a nightmare, but sheer adrenaline powered her legs. She zigzagged betweentrees, trying to throw off the wolf, praying it would confuse it—even if only for a second.

Don’t look back. Don’t look back.

A low snarl erupted behind her, closer now.

She looked back. She couldn’t help it. Big mistake.

Her foot caught a root buried in the mud, and she went down hard. The world tilted, and then everything was pain and cold as her cheek hit the mud beneath her. Pepper yelped as she tumbled but didn’t leave her arms.

Deb tried to scramble up, but her shoeless foot slipped. Her knee buckled beneath her.

The wolf was coming.

She could hear its heavy, fast steps thudding against the ground. She turned over, crab-crawling backward through the muck as the massive shape came into view.

It was close. Too close. Its eyes gleamed, feral in the lightning that streaked across the sky. It crouched low again, ready to pounce.

Deb screamed again, the sound echoing in her own ears.

Then—out of the shadows—a blur of motion collided with the wolf mid-leap.

A deep growl tore through the storm as a second, larger wolf tackled the first one, sending both tumbling into the brush with a violent crash of snarls and snapping jaws.

Deb blinked, stunned. Heart in her throat. Another flash of lightning revealed the second wolf—dark, powerful, furious, as well as...familiar.

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