Page 88 of Destined Mate

Theo snarled, not happy with me, but I didn’t give a damn. If anyone was going to survive this attack, it needed to be Samuel. I could take out at least one wolf.

I focused on the ten surrounding the Jeep. The one in front of the driver’s side needed to move so I could get in. Then I could run the rest of the assholes over. I didn’t need a strong wolf for that.

Theo’s caramel wolf remained beside me. When I peeled off from the others, he nudged his head into my side to get me to alter my course.

Bodey’s and Zeke’s wolves cut in front of me, heading toward the Jeep. There was no doubt that Samuel and Theo had ratted my ass out, though I was grateful. The forty would focus on the twelve allies Bodey and Zeke had left behind, and we could clear the car.

Theo ran ahead, and the three of them went after the wolves by the Jeep. Two of the queen’s wolves attacked each of them while the remaining four kept their attention on Samuel and me.

When I was fifteen feet away, two of the four charged at me—one slate-furred and the other ash. I gripped the knife in my hand, the weapon foreign. For some reason, the shoe felt more normal in my hands, heel pointed outward, which meant I definitely needed training.

As they lunged, I didn’t allow myself to think; I just reacted.

I hit the slate wolf in the snout with the heel as my other hand sank the knife into the ash one’s shoulder. The slate wolf yelped and recoiled as the ash wolf crumpled to the ground. I yanked hard, removing the blade from his shoulder just as the slate wolf got to her feet.

My heart ached as I listened to the snarls and growls of battle around me, and I could only pray that Bodey and the others were all right.

The ash wolf stood, and the enemy wolves moved slowly to circle me. I moved with them, refusing to have them directly at my back.

The ash one moved more slowly as blood ran down his leg. Both of them sized me up, determining how they wanted to attack. The ash wolf lunged first, catching me off guard since he was injured. He ran into my legs and knocked me onto his back.

I wrapped my legs around his middle, my dress hiking up as I anchored myself to him. His tail lifted, the fur of it landing in my face as I tried to bat it away to see what was happening.

Knowing the slate one would attack, I stabbed the ash wolf in the thigh. His back half landed hard on the ground as he yelped, and a shiver ran down my back as I tried to heave myself off.

It was too late.

The slate one landed on my back, her teeth slashing into my shoulder. Anguish ricocheted through me, and I yelped, unable to hold in the noise.

With his injuries, my weight, and the slate wolf, the ash wolf collapsed. I gritted my teeth as the slate wolf’s jaw clenched tighter, and her teeth ripped deeper into me. Unable to free my knife, I tightened my other hand on the shoe and slammed the heel over my right shoulder into the slate wolf’s face.

Squealing, the wolf released me, and I rolled off the ash wolf and spun around to face my enemy.

The heel of my shoe was stuck in her eye. She batted at it, snarling as drool dripped from her teeth.

I reached over to get the knife out of the ash wolf’s leg, but he climbed back to his feet.

Shit. I was injured and didn’t have a weapon.

I was going to die.

This was the end.

I never got to tell Bodey I loved him.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

My heart poundedas I stood tall. I refused to cower to these two assholes, and I pushed through the agony ripping through my shoulder.

I’d wound up fifteen feet from the Jeep, yet it looked so far away. I had to reach the vehicle first because I was the one with the damn keys stuffed down my bra.

Blood spilled down my shoulder, chest, and back, the warm liquid disconcerting with the strong metallic stench swirling around me. Even breathing pulled at the wound, and I tried to concentrate on my attackers in vain.

That, of course, was when they jumped at me, their strike coordinated and quick.

Something dark brown flashed past me and slammed into the ash wolf while the slate one continued to sail toward my throat. I moved to the side enough that it wasn’t a death blow.

As I braced for the pain, the slate wolf dropped barely a foot in front of me. Wind whooshed past me and pounded the wolf to the ground. I gasped, not understanding what the fuck was going on.

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