Page 77 of Wolf Unleashed
Open it, Alyssa demanded.He’s my mate.
Our mate, her wolf corrected.
Yes, our mate. Open the bond.
He’ll stop us.
Alyssa pushed against her wolf’s thoughts, trying to figure out what she was planning. The images struck with amazing clarity.
No! I won’t let you, Alyssa said.
You don’t have a choice.
Chapter Twenty-Three
MADDOX
Maddox took up the rear of their group. Alyssa’s wolf would always remain in the middle, protected by the males. He wasn’t sure where Rafe was leading them, but he trusted the alpha.Hisalpha now… if he could elude the guards Drake would send after him.
He never thought he’d admire an alpha as much as he did Rafe, but the shifter had done what was necessary, at great risk to himself and his birth pack. And it seemed he was paying the price now, as Alyssa’s wolf kept her distance from him. She had rejected him, and Maddox couldn’t figure out why.
Everything about Alyssa’s wolf appeared fine and well-adjusted, despite the fact that she’d been caged for nearly twenty years. Her wolf proved playful and spunky, just like the woman they’d all fallen in love with.
Maddox shifted. “Rafe, I suggest we rest a bit,” he called ahead to Rafe’s wolf.
Rafe shifted. “Is Alyssa okay?”
He felt bad for the shifter. Even after her wolf had rejected him, he still considered her his top priority.
“She’s fine, but Tiernan’s been dragging for the past few miles.”
Tiernan shifted to his human form. “I don’t mean to slow us down. It’s the bullet wound to my shoulder. My wolf healed it, but it’s tender, and all this running—”
“Understood. Ten minutes. No more. The DSA should have arrived by now, but I’ve heard nothing. Something’s not right. I just want to get out of the area.”
“You think Gallagher betrayed us?” Tiernan asked.
“I don’t put anything past him.” Rafe sat down, his eyes following Alyssa’s wolf, who circled the small clearing.
Maddox sat at the base of a tree. “How long before you think she figures out how to shift back to human form?”
Tiernan sat down next to Maddox and massaged his healing shoulder. “I wouldn’t even venture a guess. It took me five minutes. Liam took two days, though he claims he was simply having too much fun to shift back. I’m not sure I buy that.”
“It took me several hours to figure out,” Maddox said. “Being stuck in a tree as a wolf didn’t help. Nor did having a stubborn wolf. He wanted to control me. It took a while to come to an understanding.”
“And what understanding was that?” Tiernan asked.
“He’d submit, or I’d never let him out to play.”
“Harsh. Or maybe not, coming from your pack,” Tiernan said.
“It worked.”
Alyssa’s wolf finally laid down with her head on her forelegs.
Maddox searched the bond. “She’s still unsettled”
Rafe walked close to her, but not too close. “There’s a lot to get used to. Rest while you can.”
