Page 33 of Married to the Wolf

“I know.”

Her eyes widened. “You know? Then why haven’t you done anything? You better not tell me what she said about you is true.”

He didn’t respond.

“Sebastian!”

He dropped a punishing kiss on her lips in front of everyone. She knew what it meant. Stop arguing because at least those nearest them could hear. Her anger simmered, and she glared up at him ready to speak her mind despite the surroundings. Sebastian wasn’t watching her. His gaze appeared to be slightly out of focus.

Sophia looked around. Sebastian’s Guard were on high alert, and for that matter so were her Guard. What the heck was going on? She twisted around, still stuck in Sebastian’s hold. Ava was close enough to talk to.

“What’s going on, Ava?”

Ava glanced at Sebastian and spoke in a tight-lipped tone. “There’s a familiar scent.”

“What kind of scent?”

“Scent eliminator.”

“Huh?”

Ava looked down on her with the usual disdain. “They use a scent eliminator, but it only fools lower animal forms.”

“Who does that?”

“Hunters.”

Chapter 9

One minute the gathering was like any other party with music playing and couples dancing. The next pandemonium ensued. People were shifting into their wolf forms, abandoning clothing. Groups of wolves and people surrounded a couple of men in the room, and Sophia assumed they were the other alphas.

Sebastian’s hold on her tightened until it was slightly painful. She didn’t complain because fear gripped her. If hunters were nearby, she didn’t think they’d pause to determine if any humans were among the shifters. They might shoot first and ask questions later.

“Sophia.” Sebastian crushed her to him. “Stay close to me. I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt you, and I promise to get you home safely.”

She nodded dumbly. Panic rose in her gut as Sebastian shuffled them through the crowd. He said nothing as his Guard gathered around him and others made a path. She assumed he gave orders in his mind.

As soon as they reached the main hall, Sebastian turned them left instead of right. They headed toward the back of the building, turning corners and hurrying down hallways at a breakneck speed.

All of a sudden the lights went out, and they were cast into darkness. Sophia yelped. Sebastian nearly scooped her off her feet and if possible picked up speed. What little light that illuminated their path came from the windows high on the ceiling. The shifters’ gazes reflected it, giving Sophia the creeps. All she saw were pairs of menacing eyes, and all she heard were the low growls and the click of claws on linoleum. Talk about unnerving.

They came to an exit. The only way Sophia knew was because of the slight breeze. Hinges creaked, and a shot rang out. In an instant, Sebastian zipped her behind him. Her head swam. She tried looking over his shoulder, but he pressed her face to his chest. They waited. The creepiness factor rose because no one stirred, and no one said anything.

“We’re moving,” Sebastian whispered into her ear. “Don’t look back. Keep moving. Your Guard is around you. Nothing and no one will hurt you.”

Sophia clung to him. Even though her husband’s words were thick with a suppressed shifting, he brought her comfort just being there and knowing he loved her.

They were outside running now. Sophia’s legs ached because she couldn’t keep up. Sebastian kept her moving. Shots rang out in every direction. Wolves barked and growled. Something made a tearing noise that brought bile to her throat. She’d never been so glad not to be able to see, but hearing it all tormented her just as much.

Sebastian got her to a car and wrenched the door open. She dove inside, and he followed. Gigantic wolves surrounded the car and ran as fast as the vehicle as Tom mashed his foot on the accelerator. The ping of bullets hitting metal made her retch, and Sebastian pressed her against the seat bottom and lay on top of her. The ride home took an eternity.

Sophia opened her eyes and waited to get her bearings. She must have passed out from the stress of what they had just gone through. How much time passed? She listened hard and couldn’t pick up any immediate sounds. Something soft lay beneath her, and she breathed in, realizing she lay on a bed, probably her own.

The room was dark, almost pitch black. She leaned up to an elbow and spotted a dim line of light beneath the door. The opposite side of the bed sank low, and she felt so much heat coming from that direction it was as if someone had turned on a space heater.

“Sebastian?”

Movement beside her, and she reached out. Clammy hot skin met her touch, and she gasped. He rolled over and seized her fingers, almost crushing them. When she cried out, he let go. Now she heard his panting and knew he was in terrible pain. She jumped up from the bed and fumbled for the light.

---