Page 126 of Hawke

I almost felt sorry for them as they approached in their shined shoes and their three-piece suits.

Key word was,almost.

We charged, abandoning the haven of the lifeless forest, our fur recently cleaned from our previous transformation. It was matted with blood and the innards from our previous fight, but now we just looked like a rabid wolf looking for a fight or a meal.

We shoved the first male onto his back, and our claws entered his chest cavity. We ended his screams by piercing his throat with our fangs, the blood oozing into his voice box.

The loud bangs of gunshots rang through the air, zipping by our ears. A number of them found their way onto my hindquarters, with some even making their way through my rib cage. My body jolted as I felt the graze of hot metal on the bone, and I winced in response.

Shit.

Chad, the male that was impressively large for a human, came into sight. It fueled my adrenaline to see the smug bastard. He thought he was going to win this, but he was sorely mistaken.

Chad shifted the tailored fabric of his fitted jacket, the material clinging to his toned biceps. He pulled his gun from his leather holster, and it made a slight squeak as it came free. He felt the smooth handle of his Glock beneath his fingers as his lip curled into a smirk.

His face was a mask of calm, and there was no sign of fear emanating from his body.

He was ready for this, and so was I.

Chad’s face flashed through my head. He was the one that caused fear in my mate. He caused her pain. He didn’t touch her; I knew that much, but he’d startled her and that was enough for me to bring him death.

As each male before me fell, my skin stiffened, my fur bristled. The bullets no longer penetrated my skin because my mate was so close. The bond was too strong now, too powerful for a bullet to penetrate.

My body was indestructible, impervious to anything except supernatural claws, fangs, or a magical or cursed device.

I licked my maw. We were ready to test our strength after ripping the pathetic humans apart like shreds of paper. Chad’s neck was thick, filled with veins and steroids pumping through the tough meat. Our teeth would take more than just a millisecond to rip through that.

Might take… I don’t know, a full five seconds.

We could already feel the resistance of the tough meat under our teeth. Maybe we could slice into his gut a little deeper with our claws. But Tyr’s snarls broke my concentration, as he nudged me to listen to the thoughts of my mate’s conversation with Shane.

Shane wanted to remove my venom from my mate.

Remove my mark.

That alone infuriated me until he stated Idris was alive.

I felt a deep, raw howl emanating from within me, rising until it erupted from my throat. My legs pushed me forward, bounding further into the tunnel vision I had created.

I couldn’t worry about anything else.

I dug my claws into the fabric of Chad’s suit, but he remained standing, his back pushed against the rough, splintering wood of the cabin. He smiled, his gun pointed upward, not even aimed toward me, but tapping the camera in his other hand.

It was a picture of a woman who was tucked away in the corner of a small room. A mess of wild curls and round glasses.

“I know you fuckers got a soft spot for saving women. Put a scratch on me and she dies.”

My breathing was ragged as I exhaled, droplets of blood fanning across his neck. He cringed as the substance clung to his tight, white collar, creating a messy stain.

“I’ll do it. Just got to say the word.”

I felt my throat vibrate as I released an intimidating growl.

“Hawke!” Delilah screamed, and I lowered back down to all fours, huffing in frustration and darted inside without looking back.

As I entered, I saw Shane’s long, opaque fingernails wrapped around Delilah’s neck. His fingers softly caressed her jawline with such tenderness, his eyes full of a yearning that made me feel sick.

I snarled, my nails scraping against the floor as I inched closer.