Page 10 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

Just those thoughts made the frustrating reality of my situation hit home: I needed help. And the people best equipped to give it to me were the Silver Wolves.

I hesitated for one last moment, then nodded.

“All right,” Jameson said. “Why don’t you and Evelyn come to my office, and we can talk about it?”

“I’m coming, too,” Sam offered.

“Sam—” Jameson began, a warning tone to his voice.

“Either I’m going to listen at the door, or I’m in that office,” Sam insisted, dead serious.

Jameson scowled at Sam, who clearly wasn’t backing down. The alpha sighed, then looked at me. “Would you rather he be in the room or eavesdrop outside?”

I wasn’t sure how much Jameson knew about my history with Sam, if anything. But I appreciated the fact that he was giving me the option. He knew something was up.

I looked at Sam. There was an almost pleading look in his eye as he stared at me. I knew he would respect whatever I said, but he wouldn’t be happy about it.

Besides, he would find out either way.

“It’s fine,” I said, and Sam’s shoulders relaxed.

Jameson nodded once and motioned for us to follow. As we passed a spacious living room, I saw several male shifters watching us, all of them clearly interested in whatever was happening. I had to wonder if any of them would listen at the door.

The office was large and looked out at a beautiful lake far below the mansion. Jameson ushered us all in, then closed the door.

“So, what’s going on?” Jameson asked me, leaning his back against the desk as he studied me.

I took a deep breath and began my story. It was surprisingly short, but it felt like it took hours to tell, and I didn’t feel as though I was getting the point across properly.

The entire time, I could feel Sam’s eyes on me, his intense gaze piercing through me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, and I could see him tensing more and more with every word. He growled when I told them that Farrow had me followed for a week, and when I got to the part where Akron had choked me, his entire body went rigid, and he snarled.

“Hewhat?” he interrupted, his fists clenching.

Jameson shot him a look, then nodded at me to continue the story. I kept going.

“—and the minute I hit the ground, I ran,” I said. “I’ve been running for three days since it happened. I haven’t been able to get as far as I would like. I kept covering my scent so that I couldn’t be followed. Otherwise, me running is pointless.”

“He’s going to come after you regardless,” Jameson said, frowning. “Demons aren’t known for letting something go when it escapes them.”

I tensed up, and I felt the blood draining from my face. I knew he was right. But the thought of seeing Akron again, of seeing those coal-black eyes and his leer as he loomed over me made the blood in my veins turn to ice and my wolf bristle. I heard his voice whispering in my ear.You belong to me now.

“I don’t want to go back,” I said.

A warm hand clasped my shoulder. I hadn’t noticed him move, but Sam was now standing next to me. I could feel the rage radiating off him as he looked down at me.

“You’re not going back.” There was a fierce sincerity in those words that was both unnerving and soothing. “Not as long as I have anything to say about it.”

He met my gaze firmly, and I knew by that look that he planned on protecting me with every bone in his body, or die trying.

The problem was, there was a strong chance it would end up being the latter.

Chapter 6 - Sam

Jameson relayed the story to the rest of the Silver Wolves once they had all gathered. I stayed in the corner, letting my fingers lengthen to claws and back again, trying to get the worst of my rage out of my system.

The only problem was that it wasn’t working. I was still fuming. I wanted to find the demon and claw him to shreds for laying a hand on Stella. My entire body bristled with rage and the desire to protect her. But I knew from the looks she had given me that she didn’t trust me, which, considering what had happened when we were younger, I couldn’t exactly blame her for. I’d left her without an explanation. I had wanted to explain, but I knew that I would have been asking for trouble if I had. It had been too dangerous. But she didn’t know that.

But the fact that she was here after all these years was too much of a coincidence for me. I had thought I’d lost her forever when I left. I had a second chance now.

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