Page 62 of Wolf Claimed
That made her smile as she turned and headed toward the admin building. Her stride, the way she held herself, made Rafe proud. She would not let the DSA or the shifters defeat her.
As Rafe watched her walk across the field alone, his wolf growled, not approving of the situation at all. He agreed, but he had to let her go.
“Search the lab for the knife. See if you can get a scent,” Rafe ordered Maddox as Artemis reached the admin building. Gallagher and three other DSA agents surrounded her, guns drawn. Rafe remained in the shadows, watching and doingnothing. His wolf bit and clawed at him, demanding he run to her defense. From the way Maddox’s gaze locked on to her, it was clear he too struggled with leaving her to fend for herself.
That reassured Rafe. Artemis cared about Maddox as much as she did him and Tiernan. But unlike Rafe, Maddox could blood-bond her and take her to his pack. He didn’t have the future of his pack on his shoulders. And Artemis needed someone good in her life, someone who would watch over her. Having a gun and being able to defend herself wasn’t the same as having someone who cared about her. Maddox cared about her a great deal.
Damn, it shouldn’t be Maddox taking her away from here, it should be me!
“You’re not listening to me,” Maddox said. “I’m not the break and enter type. I don’t have that type of stealth. That is Tiernan’s specialty. I mean, itwas. Fuck, you know what I mean.”
“Do the best you can. I’m going to tail Artemis to make sure Gallagher doesn’t drug her again.”
Maddox shifted and ran off toward the lab, a small building tucked in the back of the compound. Gallagher hadn’t sent Grave’s corpse off to the DSA’s main lab in Virginia, as Artemis had expected. Rafe had scented the corpse there earlier when he was searching for Tiernan. All physical evidence tied to the murder would likely be in the lab.
Rafe shifted to his wolf and moved in closer as an agent cuffed Artemis’s hands behind her back. The agents didn’t take her to the interrogation room in the admin building. Instead, they led her down a back trail in the woods. Rafe’s hackles went up. He wanted to intercept, to get her away from them, but she hadn’t called out for help and he’d promised he wouldn’t interfere with her plan. That promise would only go so far, though.
“Where are we going?” Artemis asked.
“Someplace private. Away from the security cameras,” Gallagher said.
“You’re working for him, aren’t you? My father. You’re the mole.”
Rafe didn’t scent any fear from her. She had expected this.
Tires screeched as a black SUV pulled up. Gallagher opened the back door and two agents tried shoving Artemis into the car, but she kicked and caught one agent in the jaw. Rafe threw all his energy into running. If they took her away, he’d never see her again.
The tall blond agent grabbed her by her shoulders while a second agent trapped her legs. Together, they lifted her. Rafe wasn’t going to reach them in time!
A snarl echoed through the woods as a silver wolf leapt at the humans.
Tiernan’s wolf crashed into the group, knocking Gallagher and another agent unconscious. Artemis pulled herself upright against the SUV. Tiernan’s wolf glanced at her, then inserted himself between her and the two remaining agents who drew their guns.
Hands still cuffed behind her, Artemis launched herself in between the agents and Tiernan, the agents at her back. “Don’t hurt them, Tiernan. Please.”
A gun cocked from the other side of the SUV. The driver. Rafe’s wolf leapt and knocked him out. Tiernan bared his teeth as Rafe’s wolf approached Alyssa. Rafe halted. Tiernan’s wolf lowered his head as if he were preparing to attack.
“Run, now,” Artemis said to the agents behind her. “This wolf’s going feral. The shifter isn’t in control of his actions.”
“We’ll shoot.”
“Bullets don’t always stop healthy shifters. A feral one won’t even feel it. Run while you can.”
When one agent stepped toward her, Tiernan bared his teeth, flashing long white canines and huge jaws.
“He won’t hurt the downed agents, but he will attack you if you don’t leave. Now!”
The agents ran, and Tiernan’s wolf pivoted to bare his teeth at Rafe.
“You too, Rafe.”
Rafe shifted to human form. “He’s already feral, Artemis. I have to put him down.”
* * *
ALYSSA
“He’s already feral,Artemis. I have to put him down,” Rafe said.
