Page 65 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
Jackson screamed as he went down under Conall’s huge form, shifting on instinct. He let out a howl as Conall pinned him. An answering one came from a distance. Darren, Jackson’s new beta, grabbed a fistful of my hair. He’d always been a sly prick.
“The rest of our pack is here, Sasha. Say goodbye to your friends.”
The ropes slipped off my wrists, and I laughed in Darren’s face a second before I shifted, my claws swiping out at his face. He went down in a rain of red, dead.
Men were dragged out of the window, tossed into the pack of wolves outside, led by Fenrys or Aidan. I was the leopard among them. For a second, Conall pulled away from the snapping jaws of the alpha he battled to simply look at me, worry in those human-like eyes set into the head of a wolf.
Then Jackson pounced for him, and the two roared as they went through the window of the office, rolling around each other outside. I leaped through after them. Conall got to his feet first and backed up to be in line with me. Together, we stalked toward Jackson.
Around us, wolves and men went down. To our right, Fenrys and Thalia both pawed at the shaved-headed man who’d fired the gun at Conall. Fenrys pinned his human form down, and I watched as Thalia nosed at his neck before snapping her jaws around his throat. Fenrys licked her face after they were done before they launched after someone else.
I swung my head around, much smaller than Jackson, as he pounced for us with a growl. Not knowing who to target first, he aimed for the middle of us; Conall swiped with a paw while I darted out of the way. It was awkward, trying to figure out our respective fighting patterns. His bulk strength, combined with my quick agility, worked out how the two combined to make us equals. Roars and howls of pain filled the air as wolf fought wolf.
I launched myself at Jackson, thinking only of my sweet revenge.
I got his attention away from Conall. I snarled at him, snapping my tail as I darted back and forth, toying with him. He couldn’t zigzag like I could to cover ground or track me precisely, but I disoriented him enough that he growled at me, low and threatening. His muzzle pulled back, exposing canines. I brought him closer to me before running full speed at him.He was so busy anticipating my attack that he didn’t see Conall barreling into him from the left, sending their bodies sprawling. A whine left my throat as I bounded over there, leaping on top of Jackson. His paws tried to swipe out at me, but I extended my own claws and taunted him. My sharp canines bared, I lowered my face to his neck.
The first time I saw Jackson in his wolf form was on my birthday in San Francisco. He’d told me Palmetto wasn’t the place for shifters, that he yearned for the small town of Oak Hill or Silverlake Valley. I hadn’t known either of those places at that point. I’d taken him to Fayetteville instead, but he’d always had his sights set on another place.
I remembered running through the woods, rolling around in creeks, splashing each other. We’d hunted, he’d shown me a wolf burrow, and I’d shown him how I climbed trees.
We’d been happy.
It was a lie.
I was not a wolf and did not belong with the wolves. But as I looked into Conall’s eyes, he nodded, letting out a huff. I thought I could belong with at least one wolf. Even if it didn’t work, even if it was wrong, even if neither of us would ever be able to have cubs that would be fully accepted into a wolf pack or a leopard leap.
Silverlake Valley was my home, and I wasn’t leaving it, despite some desire a while ago.
I was there to stay. Jackson couldn’t take that away from me. None of that miserable pack could.
I took a step back. Jackson growled but two more wolves joined Conall in keeping him pinned. I wondered if it was Theoand Lyna. I sprung forward, a yowl piercing the air, as I killed Jackson. His blood coated my paws, my maw, but he was gone.
Chapter 28 - Conall
As soon as Sasha killed Jackson, ripped out his throat with her teeth in a blood vengeance that she deserved to have, I shifted and told her to.
She shifted and collapsed into my arm, her whole body quivering as she stared wide-eyed at Jackson’s prone wolf form.
“He’s dead,” she whispered. “Oh, God, he’s dead. I killed him, I—”
“You eliminated the biggest threat to your own life and many lives around you.”
I pulled her face up to mine, thumbing over her cheekbones. I kissed her brow. “I’ve enjoyed fighting with you, Sasha.”
She mustered a smile, still not fully able to take her eyes off the bloody mess that was Jackson’s body.
“Let's finish off the rest of them,” I whispered.
Before I could shift, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me to her, kissing me deeply. “I thought you were…” She couldn’t finish the thought, tears welling in her eyes. “I thought—”
I smiled, kissing her again. “Even if I was, I’d crawl through whatever other life waited there and find you again.”
She blinked at me, the weight of my words settling in her.
Then I smirked. “But, hey, you said you didn’t need protection.”
“I don’t.”
