Page 15 of Their Mate
I shifted instantly, the wolf within me exploding to life. Bones cracked and realigned, muscle rippling beneath black fur as I surged forward.
Jamie shifted seamlessly beside me, a blur of sandy fur and muscle, while Edward’s powerful black wolf form matched my stride perfectly, his gray eyes fierce and focused. Our paws pounded the rooftops in rhythmic precision as we charged forward toward the sniper.
She spun instantly, abandoning her vantage point with remarkable agility, bolting across the rooftop toward the opposite edge. Graceful and quick, her long legs carried her effortlessly, dark hair whipping behind her like a silken banner in the wind.
She cleared the gap between rooftops in a breathtaking fluid leap, landing lightly, rolling, and immediately regaining her footing. We followed, our wolf forms soaring across the divide.
The woman veered sharply, vaulting deftly over an obstacle, nimble as a dancer. I drove forward, snarling, nearly close enough to catch her, but at the last instant she twisted aside, dodging neatly and dropping into a smooth slide beneath a vent pipe.
Edward leaped over it, landing heavily beside her, jaws snapping inches from her shoulder, but she rolled swiftly away, springing back to her feet, rifle still clutched tightly in her hands.
She leaped down onto a fire escape, dropping through the air before landing hard and taking off again across a lower rooftop. We bounded after her, my muscles burning fiercely, heart pounding.
Ahead of her, another fire escape dropped steeply toward the dark alley below. With nowhere else to go, she hurled herself recklessly over the edge, sliding down fast, feet barely skimming the rusted metal rails.
We all leapt off the roof and hit the ground hard, paws skidding roughly against cobblestones. I lunged, teeth grazing her coat as she slipped deftly through my grasp, spinning toward the narrow alleyway ahead. Her eyes flashed defiantly as she glanced briefly back, fierce and challenging beneath dark lashes.
Ahead, the alley opened abruptly into a broader street. I pushed myself to run faster, closing the distance, each breath hot in my chest, heart hammering in my ears. She cast a frantic glance behind her, those piercing blue eyes locking again with mine, defiance blazing vividly even as the gap between us narrowed.
She pivoted on a dime, bolting deeper into the maze of shadowed alleyways. Adrenaline surged through me, blood racing like wildfire beneath my fur. Jamie and Edward fell into formation on either side of me, our wolf forms slicing through the shadows like liquid darkness.
We burst from another alley into a cramped street, cluttered with rusted bins and abandoned vehicles. She vaulted cleanly over the hood of a battered sedan, rifle swinging smoothly onto her back, hands reaching out expertly to cushion her landing. She didn’t falter, didn’t slow; she moved with pure grace.
We scattered instantly, Jamie flanking left, Edward right. I lunged straight ahead, closing the gap even further. She spun at the last second, pulling a sleek blade from her thigh sheath, eyes blazing with unyielding determination.
I leaped forward, claws digging into pavement, teeth bared. Her blade flashed through the darkness in a silvery arc. I dodged, twisting midair, the knife narrowly missing my shoulder. Her free hand slammed into my side, using my momentum against me. Pain shot through my ribs as I crashed into the brick wall.
I landed, rolled, and shifted instantly back to human form, breath ragged, every nerve lit up with electricity.
She whirled toward Edward as he surged in next, powerful jaws snapping inches from her arm. She danced backward quickly, the blade flashing again, catching him lightly across his flank. Edward snarled, retreating briefly as Jamie closed the distance, leaping powerfully from behind.
She dropped down, dodging Jamie’s lunge, using his own momentum to flip him expertly onto his back. She spun, blade at the ready, breathing hard but still somehow controlled, her fearless gaze flashing back to meet mine.
In that split second, our eyes locked, and her scent washed over me. Something deep within my chest ignited, sudden and intense. My world tilted abruptly, the air sucked from my lungs. An invisible tether snapped taut between us, and then it surged through every fiber of my being.
My mate.
Shock and realization thundered through me. Before I could even begin to process the revelation, she turned on her heel again, sprinting back into the twisting alleys.
My wolf rushed through me from within, more ferocious and desperate than ever. I shifted instantly, bolting after her in a frenzy, heart pounding, lungs burning.
Edward and Jamie recovered swiftly, falling in at my sides, though confusion flickered visibly in their gazes. Both of them were still in their wolf forms.
She darted skillfully through the labyrinthine backstreets, but I was relentless. We closed the distance rapidly, every twist and turn pulling us closer. Ahead, a tall chain-link fence blocked her escape. She ran toward it without hesitation, scaling rapidly upward.
I leaped with savage desperation, colliding heavily with the fence. Metal rattled and groaned beneath my weight. Above, her grip slipped, startled by the impact, and she dropped, landing neatly back on her feet. Instantly, I pinned her against the fence, shifting back to human form in one fluid motion, holding her wrists tightly against the cold metal.
For a breathless instant, we stood pressed close, faces mere inches apart, chests heaving. Her eyes blazed defiantly into mine, fierce and angry, yet beneath that, surprise flickered, matching my own bewilderment.
“Let me go,” she growled.
“Who are you?” I breathed roughly, pulse racing, every nerve on fire with awareness of her nearness. “Why were you trying to kill us?”
She twisted suddenly and brought her knee up hard, catching me solidly between the legs. Pain exploded through me, turning my vision white. My grip loosened fractionally, just enough for her to wrench free, spinning out of reach, blade flashing again.
Jamie surged forward, wolf form fast and agile, aiming for her legs. She sidestepped, but Edward was there immediately, jawssnapping at her side. Her eyes narrowed; she knew she was in trouble, but I could see her planning seven steps ahead.
She feinted left, then darted to the right, her knife grazing Edward’s shoulder. He snarled, teeth snapping shut a hair’s breadth from her hand. In that brief moment of distraction, she launched herself upward again, scaling the fence with furious desperation.
