Page 57 of Wolf Fated
“Nope.” I shook my head. “You’re not listed on any of my accounts.”
“What?” His yell rang out in the forest and a flock of birds scattered. “You stupid, fucking bitch. You owe me.”
“For what?” I taunted back. “For you lying to me? For pretending you cared when all you want is money. And it’s never enough, is it? You always want more. I was wrong about you, Stephen, you’re not only addicted to gambling, but you’re a greedy bastard too. I'm so glad I didn't marry you.”
"Doesn't matter." He laid down the duffle bag and pulled out a gun. "After you and your bastard lovers are dead, I'll go to court. I'll get every single cent of yours and piss on your grave. If werewolves even get graves."
“Good luck with that,” I bluffed, taunting him. “All my money goes to charity if I die.”
He squirmed but glared at me. “Then I’ll enjoy killing your lovers right in front of you.”
"Please, Stephen, don't do this." My heart slammed up into my throat and I couldn't say another word. I didn't have my phone on me or any way to contact the guys and warn them. If what Stephen said was true, then there would be others coming. Hunters. The ones who had killed my dad. I wouldn't let them hurt Axel, Drake, or Nathan.
"You know," Stephen held the switchblade in one hand and scrolled through his phone in the other, "this is going to be so much more fun than strangling you on our honeymoon and tossing your body into the bottom of the ocean. I'll be claimed a hero. Best of all, by helping in the werewolf killing, I get a cut of their riches. You know how many games I'll be given special invitations to?"
There was nothing more he could say to shock me anymore. I was numb inside. The only way he could hurt me more would be by killing my men in front of me and I feared that was exactly what was going to happen.
"All right." He slid a finger across the screen of his phone. "My buddies are on their way and the wolves will be here shortly once they track your scent. But let's help them out, shall we?" He went to the duffle bag that he’d brought my clothes in and took out a handgun.
Before I could say anything, Stephen aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger. The bullet sank into my thigh, and I screamed. Burning pain seared through my entire leg. Blood pooled across my pants. My hands shook as I pressed them to the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding.
* * *
How long do I have in order to figure out how to stop this before the hunters descend? Or Axel, Drake, and Nathan get here?Knowing Stephen, he probably sent the photo he snapped of me to them and told them to come and find me. They would have no idea they were walking into a trap. They'd think this was them against my ex.
I had to do something. Get Stephen distracted if I could, so he'd mess up.
"Thanks for letting me know how you really feel about me. And if we're being honest, I was going to break off our engagement. You see, my men showed me what real passion and love are. And you, Stephen, pale in comparison in every way imaginable." Even without sex. But I made myself a vow... if we survived this, I was going to give in to all my urges with Axel, Drake, and Nathan. And I wasn't going to feel guilty anymore.
Stephen stalked to me, raising the gun right at my head. "Keep talking and I'll blow your head off."
The sound of several motorcycles revving filled the air, and I froze. Was this the hunters coming or my men?
"Don't get too cocky, bitch." Stephen withdrew his gun but kept it in his hand. "One way or another you and those fuckers are going to die."
Death didn't scare me. What terrified me was Axel, Drake, and Nathan getting hurt. How I wouldn't get the chance to tell them how I felt. How I didn't want to go home. How wherever they were was my home. And I wanted to know more about them and being werewolves. Like were they allergic to silver or was that vampires? I wanted to kiss them and tell them how much I missed them and never wanted them in danger. How I felt complete with them. Four pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly.
Most of all, I wanted them safe, I wanted to protect them and them, me.
I didn't want to be anywhere with Stephen or give him the satisfaction of playing the long con on me and getting money for murder.
The motorcycles grew louder, and I imagined they were parking next to Stephen's truck.Please don't be the hunters. Please.It could be Axel, Drake, and Nathan, but then they could've ordered a helicopter. Except Stephen would have contacted the hunters with the address on the way here. Stephen was a lot of bad things, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't risk his hide being torn apart by werewolves by sending them the location too early.
My throat tightened as men's voices drifted through the forest and none of them sounded like my men.
Two men with rifles on their shoulders came into the clearing. Their leather jackets were brown with some type of triangle in a square symbol on the sleeves. Three more followed them with one smoking a fat cigar. Finally, another came last with a baseball cap pulled low over his head. He looked to be the youngest at maybe eighteen?
"This her?" the one smoking the cigar asked, his black eyes staring me down like he wanted to do more than shoot me.
"Yup." Stephen puffed out his chest. "I saw through her disguise and called you right up after I caught her."
"And you're sure she's got Alpha males after her?"
"Fuck yeah." Stephen spat toward me. "They were all over her before I kidnapped her. One even bit her the other day, and the wound has probably already healed up cause she was a half-breed before this."
"Looks like she's bleeding now though," the youngest one said. "Don't look healed to me."
"Oh, that." Stephen holstered his gun into the waistband of his jeans. "She got a little saucy on me, so I had to teach her a lesson. Besides, you said an unclaimed she-wolf's blood is potent to their kind."
