Page 68 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

LaTrisha stood with her brother.“Timmy and I vote yes.”

Mitchell counted as each member of the group rose.He was surprised when Tom agreed.He had a feeling it was only because Paulette had voted yes and nudged him in the ribs.A reluctant yes, was still a yes.

His expression softened when each of the elders rose, some with assistance, and voiced their vote.It wasn’t until he turned to the last person that his stomach sank.Jayden remained seated, her focus not on himself nor Tracy, but on the fire.She kept her expression neutral so it was difficult to know what she was thinking.

“Jayden?What say you?”he asked.

She finally looked at him.Rising to her feet, she cast a look around the group, pausing on her parents.A flash of regret passed through her eyes before she looked back at him.

“I’ll make sure my parents are settled, but my answer is no.I like living free.I’ll take my chances in the wild,” she stated.

Mallory released a shocked cry of dismay.Mitchell's eye caught on the ground where a scrap of material lay near the log.It was the unopened gift Ella had asked him to give Jayden.Regret filled him at Jayden’s stubbornness.He knew she felt guilty about Ella’s discovery.That guilt had compounded after the clan had banished Ella.But it was the sense of betrayal Jayden felt that had been the straw that had cracked the hard wall Jayden kept around her heart.Ella choosing Ty over their people and Jayden had severely hurt her.He knew she missed Ella deeply.

“Mitchell,” Rand said, looking at him desperately.

He gave Jayden’s father a tight smile.“I’ll speak with her, Rand.She’ll come around.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded to Rand.Tracy cupped his hand and squeezed it in empathy.With a loud sigh, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight against his body.

“Please tell me I’m making the right decision,” he murmured, staring after Jayden’s retreating figure.

Deep in the forest of Olympic National Park

Lucien gritted his teeth in pain and frustration.It hadn’t taken him long to realize that the predator had become the prey when he noticed the dot on the tracking device wasn’t moving.He had spent the last few days crisscrossing the damn river, closing in on the last location of the beacon, only to realize that he was slowly being boxed in between Van, Peterson, and the river.

The two wolf-shifters had damn near caught him the night before.His only recourse was to slip into the frigid waters and let them take him downstream.What he hadn’t expected was the rapids or the boulders that had left him battered and bruised.

He clung to a fallen tree that lay partially submerged in the water.The current pulled on him, threatening to rip the grip he had on a section of the log.He pulled himself hand-over-hand along the trunk, blindly feeling for knots or crevices where he could hold on without being ripped away.

His breath swooshed out of him when his feet touched the rocky bottom.Stumbling forward against the strong current and under the weight of his soaked pack and clothing, he collapsed along the bank.It wasn’t until he rolled onto his side and ran his hand down along his leg that he realized that he was injured worse than he realized.

The icy water had numbed the deep gash that ran from his upper thigh down to his knee.He was losing a lot of blood.Lying back against the rocks, he kept the lower half of his body in the water.It would wash the blood away.

He blinked, trying to clear the fog from his brain.Sliding his hands up, he fumbled with the chest strap on his pack.His numb fingers kept slipping as he tried to depress the clasp.It took him several precious minutes to release the clasp and push the straps off his shoulders.

“Bloody hell,” he cursed, rolling onto his side and forcing his body to respond to his commands.

Droplets of water ran down his forehead and into his eyes.He wiped his hand across them, trying to clear his vision.A glance at his left leg made him feel sick.His pant leg was ripped open and the cut looked as if it went almost to the bone.

“I should’ve just fucking killed them,” he groaned when he tried to move his leg.

Fumbling with the clasp on the top of his backpack, he unfurled the waterproof closure and felt inside.The tips of his fingers grazed the first aid kit he had with him.He needed to doctor himself up and get the hell out of there before Van and Peterson found him.

Wiping his hand over his eyes again, he groaned.He figured he had half-an-hour, if he was lucky.Black dots danced in front of his eyes when he moved his leg.

He had a choice: take his chance in the river again and see if he could put some more distance between himself and the wolves or try to doctor his leg and make a run for it.Neither option sounded viable.He didn’t know what lay ahead in the river.Another set of rapids like he had gone through or a waterfall and he’d either drown or be bashed to death.

He assessed the rocky riverbank where he had come ashore.There was no way he could climb the cliff with his leg the way it was even if he clung to the trees growing in the rocks.Rolling back onto the river-polished rocks, he closed his eyes.

“Fuuuck!”he gritted out.

Rocks shifting under foot warned him he was no longer alone, causing his low curse to transform into a threatening growl.His cougar hissed at him to move.Rolling onto his stomach, Lucien reached into his backpack once more to retrieve his weapon.His defensive move came too late.As the hard butt of a rifle collided with his temple, pain surged through his skull, obscuring his vision.In his final seconds of consciousness, he could only make out a pair of worn military boots.

Chapter17

Seattle:

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