Page 50 of Her Wolf's Demands

Ducking behind a tree, I searched the incline of the hill below. A dark shadow, moving with lightning speed, soon appeared, heading straight for me. Would he turn towards the trees where I hid or carry on up the hill after my pack?

Either way, I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Growling low in my throat, I jumped out from behind my tree as soon as the wolf was in line with me. My back paws pushed off the ground, propelling me into the air. The wolf’s head turned towards me, its eyes widening as I landed on its back and snapped at its neck.

It reared up and thrashed around, throwing me from its huge form. It wasn’t as big as the hellhound, and yet, it was almost as strong.

It came at me, charging with its head down. I backtracked away from it, rising in the air as it lifted itself and battered me with its paws. My own paws caught its legs, pushing it away. It might have been a mutant-wolf, but it wasn’t confident in its new body. That gave me a slight advantage.

A bark shot from its mouth as it pushed forward, jumping again. Before I could respond, three other wolves from my pack materialised, leaping onto the wolf and bringing it down. They snapped, snarled, and grabbed hold of its scruff until it surrendered and laid flat on the floor.

My chest puffed as I came forward and inspected the mutant-wolf. Its eyes pleaded with me, the yellow irises spreading as it blinked. It was afraid of what was happening. Good. Maybe we could use its fear to our advantage.

Concentrating, I bowed my head and shifted back to my human body. The others stayed as they were, holding the beast down as I stretched and stood up from my hands and knees.

“We need to get it out of here,” I said, looking down the hill.

There were a couple of shouts followed by the sound of distant panting. Della’s spell would keep us invisible to the Crawley Pack, but the beast we’d captured would have a distinct smell that was easy to follow.

“I promise to help you,” I told the wolf, who blinked twice in understanding.

Dropping to my knees as a wolf howled behind us, I forced my shift, barking the order to move as soon as I was able.

We pushed forward, my pack surrounding the beast who galloped along between us, not daring to even look over its shoulder. It was my hope that the spell would spread to include him, although it was doubtful.

Our speed grew as we ran down the other side of the hill and disappeared under a thick canopy. Manual drew alongside me, his brown eyes questioning as I led the pack towards the cave. Shaking my head side to side, I encouraged my second to take the rest of the pack home and fast.

He shot away, yapping a command to the others, who glanced at me before separating from us. The perplexed beast glanced at me, a look of confusion crossing his eyes as I indicated that he follow me into the cave.

Coming willingly, he stepped inside as I stood back, allowing him to enter first. I went in behind him, close on his heels as he entered the cavern in the side of the hill.

As soon as his nails clipped on the stone floor, I shifted, holding in my grunt so he couldn’t react before I was up on my two feet. Being an alpha gave me an edge on shifting, allowing me to do it in seconds.

Kicking the wolf roughly, I booted him forward, into the cage. It yelped as I slammed the metal barred gate shut and locked it with the new bolt that had been fitted.

My chest squeezed as the memory of Della’s shift shot into my mind. I had failed her that first night, leaving her to fend for herself. Her encounter with Kieran had made our fraught relationship with the Crawley Pack almost tip over into war. No doubt, our actions tonight would be the defining moment that would push the other pack to declare their intentions in coming for us.

“Can you force your shift?” I asked the mutant-wolf, who shook its head from side to side.

Not bothering to reply, I went over to the far corner of the cave and knocked out the loose brick. There was an emergency phone there, wired to ring even with no reception. I dialled Della’s number, praying to the wolf spirit that she answered. She did on the second ring, her breath hitching with a question at the end of her greeting.

“Della, can you flash to me? Now?”

The urgency tightened my throat as I pulled air into my lungs. She didn’t even bother to reply, instead appearing right beside me and making me jump. My heart swelled when she came to me, gripping my hand in hers.

“Can you pop your head out of the cave and wipe the surrounding area clear of scent?” As I spoke, I walked her to the exit and looked outside, sniffing the air.

They weren’t here yet, but if Della didn’t help, they’d be knocking down the door soon.

Without hesitation, Della rushed out, coming back seconds later. The sound of barking reached my ears just as she shoved the door of the cave closed and locked it with the iron bar lock.

When she turned to face me, she was panting and her hair was scruffy. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes tired. It was so good to see her.

Grabbing her elbow, I dragged her to me and wrapped her in my arms. When she bent her head back to look up at me, I dropped my lips to hers and trapped them in a kiss that sent a thrill over my skin.

A growl came from the wolf trapped in the cell. Oh, yeah, I had more pressing matters to attend to, ravishing Della would have to wait.

“Are you okay?” I asked, looking her over.

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