Page 17 of Their Mate
Declan and Edward knelt rapidly, trying to pry the trap open, but it refused to yield. Then Aidan growled, grimacing in agony. Grabbing the metal jaws with raw, brute strength, he roared with effort, muscles corded and straining, forcing the rusted steel open inch by agonizing inch. He freed himself with a loud curse, staggering back and collapsing heavily against a crate.
“Go!” Aidan rasped, pale and shaken, blood dripping down his leg. “She can’t be far—go after her!”
Declan glanced at me briefly, and we exchanged a nod before racing forward again. Aidan’s snarl of pain followed behind us. She’d pay for hurting one of my own.
We followed swiftly, Edward’s keen gaze tracking her expertly. Ahead, I caught a glimpse of her sleek form slipping around a corner. We surged forward, closing the gap. Just as we rounded the turn, she spun out suddenly, blade flashing through the shadows, slashing violently.
Declan’s howl of pain pierced through me. He stumbled backwards, hand pressed against his side, blood seeping rapidly through his fingers. She’d sliced deeply, efficiently, before darting back into the darkness.
Declan dropped roughly to one knee, face pale with pain. “Damn it!” he cursed, eyes flashing angrily. “She got me good.”
Edward stopped beside him, assessing quickly. His jaw tightened sharply. “You can’t keep going like this. You’re losing too much blood.”
Declan shook his head sharply. “I’ll be fine. Go!”
Edward hesitated, frustration flickering across his expression. I stepped forward, meeting his gaze with ferocity.
“We have to move now, or we’ll lose her for good,” I growled, my instincts driving me harder with every second. “Declan, stay with Aidan. We’ll come back for you.”
Declan grimaced, nodding reluctantly as we took off again, the chase narrowing once more to three: Jamie, Edward, and me. Determination surged white-hot through my veins. This woman—our mate—had wounded two of ours, and every instinct within me demanded she answer for it.
The chase stretched interminably, each street and alley becoming a blur of shadow and sound, her scent leading us forward like a guiding flame. She leapt fences and scaledrooftops with stunning ease, effortlessly evading our attempts to corner her. Each near miss only fueled the fierce determination burning inside me.
Edward growled, frustration radiating from him. “She’s good. Ridiculously good. Her expertise is off the charts.”
Jamie breathed heavily beside us. “Aye, she’s a damn force to be reckoned with.”
We rounded another corner, finally catching sight of her again. She spun, eyes narrowing dangerously, knife raised in a silent threat, daring us to come closer. Her chest heaved, breath steaming faintly in the night air, fierce and defiant as ever. The wolf within me howled desperately at the sight.
I took a step forward, fists clenched, breathing ragged. “Enough!” I snarled, voice echoing harshly through the empty streets. “This ends now. You belong to us—stop running.”
Her vivid blue eyes flashed with challenge and anger. “I belong to no one, wolf,” she spat. “Least of all you.”
Then she bolted again, slipping swiftly through a narrow gap between buildings.
Edward cursed under his breath, frustration clear in his voice as he raced after her. Jamie lunged forward, matching Edward’s speed, but she moved faster, like smoke slipping through our grasp.
I followed, pulse thundering furiously in my ears, anger mixing with the raw desperation that surged ferociously within me. My mate needed to learn her place.
And I was going to be the one to teach it to her.
CHAPTER 7
Sera
My boots slammed relentlessly against the slick pavement, breath tearing painfully from my chest as I sprinted through the shadowed streets. My pulse thundered wildly in my ears, adrenaline and exhaustion warring inside me. Every muscle screamed in protest, but I pushed harder, refusing to yield.
I glanced over my shoulder, quickly assessing the distance between myself and the wolves hunting me. My heart surged when I realized there were only three still trailing me, their sleek wolf forms barely visible in the darkness, fur rippling like dark silk beneath the moonlight.
A rush of triumph flooded through my veins, bolstering my flagging strength. I’d managed to take two down. They had to be injured, if not killed outright. That would slow them down and give me some breathing room.
But even as a surge of grim pride buoyed me forward, my body began betraying me. My legs trembled beneath me, musclesburning, each stride harder than the last. My lungs burned from lack of air, every breath searing painfully in my side, my pulse a frantic drumbeat pounding in my temples.
Still, I refused to slow. I knew wolves too well to imagine they’d give up easily. Once locked onto a target, their focus was unbreakable. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as another thought struck me, something instinctual that had begun nagging me at the edges of my consciousness.
This chase wasn’t normal.
I’d hunted wolves before. I knew their instincts intimately. I knew how they hunted, how they fought, how they thought, but this pack, these wolves, they were different. They chased me with a fervor I’d never witnessed before, desperation and need radiating tangibly through their every step, breath, and howl.
