Page 10 of Their Mate
“Move!” Declan roared, lunging forward with knife in hand. I surged at his side, muscles rippling, bones cracking as I shifted, fur erupting from skin in a swift explosion of power.
Declan drove forward like a storm, eyes blazing, blade flashing dangerously as he slammed into one of the ferals. The beast snapped viciously, jaws catching air inches from Declan’s throat. My heart lurched, fear searing my veins. He was still relatively new to the wolf, his fury volatile and unpredictable, but he fought with a ferocity born from grief and rage.
I barreled into the fray, claws slicing through the shoulder of a second feral. It howled in pain, spinning to face me, yellow eyes glowing with pure madness. We clashed violently, bodies colliding, my jaws clamping onto its flank, teeth ripping through flesh and sinew.
To my left, Logan twisted furiously against the ropes binding his wrists, eyes wild as he fought to break free. Edward moved frantically beside him, muscles straining desperately against his own restraints.
I broke away from my own fight, charging the creature heading for Logan and Edward. My shoulder slammed into it, sending it skidding sideways through the sand. Logan used the distraction, finally wrenching his wrists free with a furious snarl. Edward tore his ropes free seconds later.
The two men exchanged a brief glance, understanding passing between them as they turned simultaneously toward the melee. Edward lunged toward a feral rushing at Logan’s back, intercepting the beast just in time.
Logan turned on his attacker, shifting rapidly into his massive black wolf form, vicious, powerful, and utterly lethal. Together, Logan and Edward threw themselves against the ferals, fighting with every ounce of strength they had.
To my right, the red-haired mercenary struggled back to his feet, lips twisted in pain. Blood dripped down his arm from a deep bite, staining the sand beneath him dark crimson.
“Damn you!” he cursed, snatching up a blade. “Jamie Buchanan is not the kind of man to get taken out by a bunch of bloody wolves!”
My gaze whipped to Declan.
He was changing again, shifting mid-fight. His form rippled violently, bones crunching audibly as his human self melted away into the enormous, muscular wolf he’d become. A terrifying sound escaped him, not human, not entirely wolf, but an echo of rage so profound it froze me to the spot.
“Declan, wait!” I called, but it was too late.
He roared and lunged, completely lost to the berserk impetus of his wolf. Blood sprayed as he collided brutally with the nearest feral, jaws sinking deep into the beast’s throat and ripping it wide open with a single savage shake. He spun toward another feral, eyes wild, unrecognizable in his violence.
The fight blurred into a maelstrom of chaos and desperation. Teeth flashed, claws ripped through flesh, blood stained the sand dark beneath our feet. Every heartbeat was life or death, each movement driven by the primal need to survive. We fought as a single, frenzied force, Declan and me and Logan’s men battling ferociously against our attackers.
But then, an anguished cry sliced through the chaos.
My eyes snapped around to see Edward collapsing to his knees, eyes wide and stunned, a massive feral tearing its jaws from hischest. Blood surged from the deep wound, spilling out onto the ground.
My heart lurched, wrath exploding through me. With a furious snarl, Logan lunged at the feral that attacked Edward, his wolf form tearing into the creature with lethal precision. Edward sank forward, falling onto the cold sand, his breath rasping shallowly.
Jamie Buchanan surged forward, reaching Edward’s side, weapon held tight. “Hold on, mate,” he gritted, face pale. “Don’t you die here, damn you!”
The final feral went down beneath Declan’s brutality, the clearing falling abruptly silent. Declan stood amid the carnage, fur soaked with blood, chest heaving violently, the madness slowly fading from his gaze.
A chilling silence settled over the carnage-littered beach, broken only by Edward’s ragged breathing.
Logan knelt quickly at Edward’s side, pressing his hand roughly over the gaping wound in the man’s chest. Blood welled around his fingers, hot and red, slipping over Logan’s knuckles.
“Stay awake,” Logan demanded. He leaned closer, eyes fierce and urgent, anger simmering underneath. “Damn it, Edward, stay with me!”
Edward grimaced, clenching his jaw tight against the pain. “If you’re waiting for me to thank you, Yorke,” he gasped raggedly, “you’re wasting your breath.”
Jamie moved closer, knife still gripped tightly in his hand, face pale and drawn with worry. “We’ve got to stop the bleeding right now.”
Declan crouched beside Edward, hands trembling slightly as he tore strips from his tattered shirt. “Here,” he muttered roughly, “help me tie this tight. We need pressure.”
I moved in, quickly shifting back to human form, breathing hard. “Let me see,” I said quietly, kneeling opposite Declan. My fingers brushed against Edward’s skin, assessing the severity of the wound. My gut twisted. It was deep. Worse than I’d hoped. Blood continued to surge, and Edward’s skin was quickly losing color.
“He’s losing too much blood,” Logan snapped, frustration lacing his voice. He glared at Edward, his jaw tight. “Why the hell did you throw yourself into that fight anyway? You’re a guard, not a hero.”
Edward chuckled, the sound strained, coughing slightly as blood flecked his lips. “Funny coming from the shifter I was assigned to drop off. Trust me, heroics weren’t on my agenda. You’re just cargo, Yorke.”
Logan growled quietly, eyes narrowing. “I didn’t ask you to protect me.”
Jamie interjected abruptly, tension radiating from his frame. “Can we argue later? He’s going to die if we don’t do something immediately.”
