Page 36 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

Finally, reality sank in, and I was forced to accept the truth that I didn’t want to admit. Stella was gone for good. She wasn’t coming back, and she’d made it impossible to track her.

I’d lost her again.

Chapter 17 - Stella

Our paws dug into the dirt below us with every leap that we took. My wolf and I were running faster than we ever had in our entire lives. There was something freeing about that, something liberating about the wind in our fur and the crisp air hitting our eyes as we sped through the woods, even as guilt still gnawed at me. Both for the attack on Brixton, and for leaving the way I did.

But there had been no other option. It was either run, or let Akron and the shifters attack the town again. I wasn’t going to let that happen again, not on my account.

So I had run.

I wished I hadn’t had to run off this way, but I knew it was the only option. Sam would have tried to stop me if I’d told him my plan. Or worse, he might have convinced me to stay.

Still, that stupid, infuriating guilt kept gnawing at me, digging its claws deeper into me with every stride.

But no. I was going to do this on my own. I was taking my life into my own hands. No one was going to fix this for me, and I didn’t need anyone to do so, either. This was the only way.

But the further I ran, the more uneasy I grew. I could feel my wolf growing antsy as well as she sniffed the air. It wasn’t just that she didn’t like being away from Sam, though she had made it perfectly clear that she would rather have stayed with him. It was something else. Our fur began to rise as the prickling sensation of danger began to sweep over both of us.

Something was wrong. Only, neither of us could tell what it was.

I should have known then, but my head was swimming with too many thoughts, and I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.

I was darting between two trees when a large wolf stepped into my path so suddenly that I nearly ran into him. I skidded to a halt just in time and snarled, fur bristling along my back. The other wolf bared his fangs in a sinister grin that made the air around me grow cold, and I knew just how much danger I was really in.

In my shock, it took a minute to recognize the great gray wolf standing in front of me. I’d seen him in wolf form often enough that I should have recognized my former alpha right away.

Farrow leered at me, snarling as he stalked toward me. I backed up, looking around wildly for the best escape. But more and more wolves emerged until I was encircled by them. The only way out was to fight.

I would lose. I knew I would lose. But I wasn’t going to let them take me without a fight. Letting out a low, guttural growl, my wolf crouched, pinpointing which shifter was the weakest, which one would be most likely to break rank and give us an opening to escape.

A smaller brown wolf darted forward, nipping at my front leg, and my wolf and I used that move to our advantage. My wolf pounced, jumping on the brown wolf, our front paws landing on their back and slamming them to the ground. We bit into the scruff of the neck, but only momentarily before a red-furred wolf barreled into us, knocking us off our target and throwing us across the clearing. We scrambled to our feet, spinning to face the wolf that had just attacked us. They were standing inthe middle of the clearing, watching us and snarling. But they weren’t moving.

Why weren’t they attacking? None of them were.

And then I realized too late that it had been a trap.

A collar slammed around my neck, followed by the sickening click of a padlock. Immediately, I shifted back to human, my wolf trapped deep inside me where I could only barely sense her. That was how these collars worked—they stifled your connection to your wolf, preventing you from shifting. I would be stuck in human form until I managed to take it off.

I grabbed at the collar, yanking desperately even though I knew it wasn’t going to come off. My head darted around desperately, looking everywhere, trying to figure out who had put the collar on.

I looked upward and found my answer. Several underlings hovered in the air, waving mockingly down at me and giving grins that showed razor-sharp teeth. The wolves had meant to distract me all along.

Farrow’s wolf let out a growl that might have been a laugh, and a moment later, the gray wolf was gone, replaced with my old alpha.

“That’s better,” he said, gloating as he stood above me. He gave me a feral, triumphant grin. “Now, come on. There’s someone who wants to see you.”

I stayed where I was, glowering up at Farrow and unmoving. His smirk faltered a little, and he scowled down at me.

“Don’t make me drag you,” he snarled. “You know you don’t have a chance of getting away. You can’t outrun us, and theunderlings will gladly bring you back kicking and screaming to their master. Come quietly, and this will be a lot less unpleasant for you.”

Knowing there wasn’t anything I could do, I slowly, reluctantly got to my feet.

Farrow smirked. “Good,” he said. “Glad we understand one another.”

Then a wolf flanked me on either side, and I was ushered through the trees. At one point, I looked behind me, hopeful that maybe there was a way I could get away. But two more wolves walked behind me, and one of them snarled as I glanced back.

No, there was no getting out of this one. I was stuck. How could I have been so stupid? I had no idea if my old pack had somehow managed to track me, or if it had simply been bad luck that they’d come across me.

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