Page 2 of Destined Mate

Straightening my shoulders, I said, “I’m just out for a walk. I’m not trying to cause problems, and I won’t tell Zeke you were here in your wolf forms if that’s what you’re concerned about.” It wasn’t as if our alpha would believe me, anyway, if the five of them called me a liar. He always thought the worst of me, no matter the situation.

Charles bared his teeth, drool dripping from his snout. He pawed at the ground as if he were about to charge.

I needed to submit. They’d still be cruel, but nowhere near as bad as if I didn’t. However, Icouldn’tavert my eyes to the ground. I stared into Charles’s eyes as if I were challenging him. A lump formed in my throat, and I struggled to breathe around it.

Great.

He crouched, ready to spring at me and prove he was stronger. That was when some logic sank through my thick skull, and I took a step back. He was in wolf form, which was when a shifter’s magic was at its strongest, while I was human. There was no way I could win a fight against him. Hell, I didn’t want to attempt to fight because I had no doubt how it would end.

I lifted my hands in surrender, but my dumb ass still couldn’t break eye contact. “Seriously, I don’t want any trouble. I need to be close to nature, and since I can’t shift, I come here. Just go run and play, and I’ll head back home. You won’t see me again.”

The breeze picked up, and the temperature dropped several degrees as Charles’s hackles rose.

Josh chuckled, which sounded like a wolf choking. The hardening of his ebony eyes and his low tone made the sound as cold as the air. They were going to attack to teach me some fucked-up lesson. I might as well go down with a little bit of dignity.

Inching closer, Charles kept his attention on me. He moved slowly, no doubt to get inside my mind, making me anticipate the attack. The emotional side of abuse was more important to them than the physical—that was just the icing on the cake. Their prize for being so patient and toying with me.

Tensing, I glanced at the huge true fir on my left. I could climb it and wait for Theo to get the message and come help me, but that would be worse in the long run. They would know their advances had frightened me.

They would wait for another opportunity to teach me whatever lesson they thought I needed.

Charles pounced, his front paws aimed at my chest. When his claws ripped into my skin and his momentum pushed me over, I screamed. I landed on my back, my head hitting the trunk of a lodgepole pine. The stinging exploded down my spine while a pounding throb flooded my brain. My chest clenched from the cuts, and my favorite fuchsia shirt was now ripped and stained crimson with blood. My head fogged from a combination of fear and suffering.

He dug his claws deeper into me, and I whimpered loudly. His mouth opened, and his tongue lolled out as if he were smiling and crazed.

I had to get my knife. There was no telling how far he would take this, especially with the other four behind him, pacing and yapping, egging him on.

Letting my instincts take over, I rolled onto my side, catching Charles off guard. He fell off as I got my knees underneath me and jumped to my feet.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw white fur barreling toward me. Before I could move, Pearl had steamrolled me straight into the tree. I couldn’t catch my breath, and my ribs screamed, on the verge of collapsing.

They’d never injured me this badly before. Usually, I got a few bruises or scratches from being shoved or grabbed, but this was far beyond that.

Screaming from my injuries, I grabbed her neck behind her wolfy head and yanked. She faltered a few steps, then swatted at my arm, her claws slashing my skin. The other three wolves surrounded me, caging me in by the tree as Charles got back to his feet.

His icy-green eyes glowed as he linked to the others. They had to be discussing what to do with me.

Pearl took a few steps back, and I swore I saw regret or uncertainty in her hazel eyes, but within a second, they hardened.

All five of them moved toward me. This wasn’t just bullying—they were intent on hurting me, possibly worse. I was out here alone and completely at their mercy.

More paws pounded toward us, and I hoped Theo had returned home from his run and seen that I needed him. But when the other five didn’t react, my stomach soured.

I swallowed, knowing I had no choice. I had to use the knife…if I could get to it. I wasn’t ready to die. I believed there was something more out there waiting for me.

I bent to retrieve the knife from my ankle strap. As soon as I moved, they rushed me, likely because Pearl knew what I was doing. Our parents had given us each a knife.

Josh jumped onto my back, knocking me over. I did a forward roll, his claws tearing the skin along my spine. Torturous agony radiated all over my back, chest, and ribs. My vision blurred, and another scream rang in the air from somewhere…or maybe I was yelling. Not that it would do any good.

As I landed back on my feet, I flailed the knife around, desperate to hit something, anything. I felt it connect, and a wolf whimpered, but I wasn’t sure who. I could only hope I’d hit some sort of mark.

My hope was short-lived as Bryson and Fred attacked me from opposite sides.

They nipped at my shoulders, their teeth cutting my flesh, but not so deep that I’d bleed out…at least not quickly.

Whimpers from Charles and Josh hit my ear. Then Fred and Bryson were ripped away from me. I smelled four new shifters, people I’d never met before. I couldn’t see what was happening.

My shirt was shredded, so I wrapped my arms around my chest, ignoring the throbbing that ripped through me, and scooted back to the bottom of the tree.

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