Page 40 of Wolf Trapped
I think we both know why, Archer.Even my voice in his head has a growl to it.She is not going to let me shift back.
My wolf lays on the ground on her belly as she tears through the rabbit. Even with her distracted, I can’t wrestle back control.
Archer’s wolf crouches in front of us and howls into the darkening evening. My wolf briefly tilts her head to the side before returning to her rabbit. She has no interest in pleasing Archer right now, which I can’t blame her for at all.
Maybe if we just let her sit and eat the rabbit, she will stop being crazy.Archer’s words make me growl. She is not being crazy. She has been cooped up for weeks. My wolf doesn’t seem to care about our conversation as she happily eats her rabbit.
When she finally finishes, she yawns but gets up and takes off again. She’s going too far out again, and I try to reason with her, but she doesn’t care about territory lines. She just wants to run. Archer grunts as he chases us.
A scent hits me, and I snarl at her that she needs to stop.How far out are we? I smell the rogue.
Fuck. We need to turn back now.Archer's alpha command has her pulling up short and turning around.
Shouldn’t we go after him? We could stop him from hurting someone else.
No.He barks but doesn’t explain, which is typical of the overbearing alpha. He herds us back to the cabin, but she keeps control when I attempt to shift. I whine as I repeatedly try to change with no success.
“Jara?” Archer asks in concern. “Are you going to shift back?” He steps back into his jeans, crouching, so he’s at eye level. “Ah, you don’t want to shift back yet, little wolf?”
My wolf shakes her head and lays down on her belly with her head on her paws. Archer sits next to us, and his hand runs over my head in a soothing gesture. He pats my head murmuring nonsense to her, probably to lure her to sleep so I can shift. It’s so soothing and sweet I nearly fall asleep with her but shake myself and take control back from her.
My wolf snarls in my mind, but I refuse to give control back and shift quickly before she wakes up and wrestles me for control. This sucks. I hate not being in sync with my wolf like this, and it’s not even that we disagree on things. She just wants to be free.
I understand her need for freedom, but the pack is in danger, so we all have to sacrifice. I just wish the sacrifices were equal, and I wasn’t about to lose my mind in the process.
14
ARCHER
“Ineed to go to the pack today and do some work. Stay inside.” I call to Jara. She is adorable sitting on the couch with her tablet reading a book. Her caramel hair tied back in a messy knot on the top of her head.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She mumbles, and I sigh. I’m afraid her wolf will try to take over again after we forced the shift last night.
I stride from the cabin without another word. She is somewhat ignoring me, and we stayed in the same bed but far apart last night. I just don’t know how to get her to see this is for her. It’s for her safety that I do what I do.
The drive back to the pack is quiet. I got a message that Jara had a couple of packages delivered, and I am hoping that if I bring them back to her, she will stop ignoring me.
“Alpha, you’re back already?” Angela raises a brow as I open the door to the car. “You didn’t lock her in the bedroom again, did you?”
“No, she has more freedom where we are currently staying. We even went on a run last night.” I smelled that damn rogue last night and nearly told Jara exactly why I moved us. I panicked and commanded her wolf back to the cabin instead.
If the rogue burned the words into the clearing, then I don’t want my mate anywhere near the fucker. That will never happen. I won’t let Jara die. It is unacceptable to even imagine.
“Wow, you let her outside? That’s a big step for you.” Angela’s smart mouth will get her in trouble if she speaks like that to me in front of others. I glare at her and stride to the healer’s cabin.
“Is Carter still with the healer? How bad was he clawed?” I ask, knowing without looking behind me that Angela is following me.
“No, he shifted and was able to heal overnight. He insisted on patrolling today.” Angela scoffs as she jogs to catch up to me.
“That moron should at least take one day off to ensure he’s fully healed.” I rub my hand over my face as I change direction back to the pack house.
“Marie told him the same, but he wouldn’t listen. He didn’t even stay at the healer's cabin last night even though she advised it.”
That stubborn wolf. Oh well, if he wants to run himself into the ground, there isn’t much I can do to stop him. I stride into the house to my office. The packages Jara ordered sit on the side table, waiting for me.
“Is there any news on the rogue? Has anyone caught sight of him again?” I ask, grasping the packages and turning back to her.
“No, there are no reports of anyone seeing him.” Angela takes a seat in the chair behind my desk. She is getting too comfortable in my office.
