Page 24 of Destined Mate

CHAPTEREIGHT

Heart racing,I tensed and focused on listening.

Another loud dragging noise came from outside.

I couldn’t just stay in bed and allow someone to attack me. I needed to be on my feet before they tried to take or harm me. At least I’d go down fighting.

Adrenaline roared through my blood, and my survival skills kicked in. I sat up, my ribs panging, but the ache ebbed quickly enough.

Still, I moved slower than I would have liked, compensating for my injuries. I gritted my teeth and shifted my legs over the edge of the bed. A quicker movement would’ve had me crumbling, but I didn’t want to be caught with my pants down…metaphorically speaking.

As my feet touched the cool wood floor, I grabbed my phone. The dragging noise of the chair had me quickly standing, and I tiptoed toward the door.

A deep groan came from outside, and the voice was definitely not Bodey’s.

Breath quickening, I peeked through one of the blinds to see a tall man grab the back of a chair and drag it toward me.

He was going to use it to break in.

I fired a text off to Bodey using one simple word:Help!

I tossed the phone on the bed and listened. I might be injured, but I’d do everything possible to get the upper hand.

Another scrape of the chair on the wooden deck hit my ears. He’d make his move any second now, and I needed to catch him off guard.

I glanced around the room for a weapon. My gaze landed on the lamp. The metal looked flimsy, but it was better than nothing. I hurried over and yanked the plug from the wall. As I lifted the lamp, agony coursed through my body, but I bit the inside of my cheek to reallocate the pain.

Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door and charged outside, the lamp raised over my head. Fortunately, I focused my fear and anger on the intruder.

The man spun around, his eyes widening as I swung the lamp at him. Ayelpleft me as the strength I put behind the movement sent an intense ache breaking through my adrenaline. I almost fell to my knees.

“Whoa!” The guy caught the longer part of the lamp, stopping my forward motion. “What thehell?”

My breath caught, but I wouldn’t stand here and do nothing. “I should be asking you that.” I tried to keep as much malice in my tone as I could bear. “You’re the one about to attack me!”

He blinked, then released the lamp. “Attack you?”

“Is this a tactic to throw your victim off?” I narrowed my eyes, ignoring the fact his face seemed familiar. He definitely wasn’t from Zeke’s pack, so where would I have seen him? “You repeat everything they say to…gain trust or something?”

“Victim?” His baby-blue irises darkened, and he ran a hand through his messy dark-brown hair.

I gestured at him. “See? There you go again!”

Footsteps pounded down the hallway, and my heart started to beat again. That had to be Bodey. He’d be here in seconds.

“Look, this is a big misunderstanding.” The guy’s mouth opened and closed as if he were debating what to say when the doors behind us from the hallway swung open.

Bodey barreled onto the deck, dressed in flannel pajama bottoms and shirtless. He didn’t even glance at the man standing beside me as he rushed to my side. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked as he stepped between the stranger and me. One of his hands touched my shoulder while the other cupped my cheek. “I saw your text and heard you yelp.” His forehead creased as his eyes searched mine for answers. He emanated tenderness and concern.

My legs grew unsteady, and I glanced away from his face only to focus on his naked torso. My knees almost gave out as the delicious curves of his muscles greeted me.

“Callie,” he said as he placed both hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay? You’re about to fall over.”

Yeah, I was definitely not okay. He needed to put on a shirt.

“I should’ve been the one calling for help, not her.” The younger man came up next to Bodey and pointed at the lamp. “She swung that thing at me when I was just rearranging the chairs to get comfortable.”

I tore my gaze from Bodey and glanced over his shoulder.

---