Page 48 of The Reluctant Wolf and His Fated Mate
Damon
As Damon patrolled along the borderline between packs, he dreaded returning to his cabin later. Sophie would be gone.
It would be cold and empty without her there, cooler than the mountain air that ruffled his fur.
A scent stopped him. He sniffed at it and growled.
It was the Sacco wolf, Alex, that he’d engaged with. His muscles coiled and all his fur stood on edge.
Another scent—one that would soothe him at any other time—stirred more unease.
Sophie was with the Sacco wolf.
We have to find her,his wolf demanded.
I know.For once, they had the same agenda.
Damon sniffed at the scents, tracking them through the snow. It was fainter back toward his cabin. The Sacco wolf must have come to get Sophie. No way she would have gone with him, not willingly, especially after being so scared about what she’d discovered about wolf shifters tonight.
But she wouldn’t have known if he was in human form.
Why did the Sacco wolf take her? Why?
Through all the chaos in his mind, one answer was the most obvious—retaliation.
The wolf wanted to get back at Damon for besting him at a fight. The way to hurt him most was through Damon’s heart, which meant kidnapping his mate.
Damon roared, tracking their scents as his paws struck into the snow while he ran toward the Sacco territory. En route, he quickly communicated to Rafe and Grayson.
The Sacco wolf took her. He took Sophie.
How do you know?Rafe asked.
I’m tracking them. I caught their scent outside my cabin.
Grayson groaned.Stay calm, Damon. Don’t do anything rash.
We’ll come to you, Rafe added.
I can’t wait. I have to find her!Damon ended communication.
He had to focus on the trail. Nothing else mattered but finding her and making sure she was safe.
He leapt across the boundary line and across the mountain. He pushed himself as fast as he could go while tracking their scents. His lungs burned, but he wouldn’t stop.
Up ahead, he spotted movement through the trees. He peered through the branches.
Yes, it was Sophie. His heart swelled with relief until he noted the wolf holding her. He’d thrown her over his shoulder, and she pounded at his back. Hisbareback. Rage roared through Damon. How dare that wolf force his mate to touch his filthy skin!
An urge to lunge forward and knock the interloper to the ground spurred him on. That wouldn’t work, though, not while the shifter held Sophie. She could get hurt in the fall.
Through the red mask of vengeance clouding his vision, Damon’s claws itched. He yearned to pierce the Sacco shifter’s flesh and tear his beating heart from his chest. Only that wouldn’t come anywhere near the physical agony of Damon losing his mate. The mental anguish couldn’t be quantified.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to think, not react. It was much easier in human form, when he could better deal with thoughts rather than function on instincts. That might be a better way to approach Sophie, as well, and not terrify her further.
Damon shifted to human form, not giving a damn that he stood naked in the snow. A warning growl bellowed from his chest before he commanded, “Put her down.”
Sophie gasped and looked up. “Damon!”
