Page 26 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

“I’m going to kill him,” I said. I stood, fully intending to go after him. My wolf was almost entirely in control of my emotions now. The thought of nearly losing Stella again was maddening, and I wanted to teach that asshole a lesson.

He would never put a hand on Stella again.

Luke grabbed my shoulder before I could reach the door.

“Easy there,” Luke said. “I know you’re pissed, but this isn’t the time.”

“When is the time, then?” I hissed. “When he goes after her again?”

“We gave him a truce under a pack treaty,” Jameson reminded me.

“He broke that treaty when he tried to kidnap Stella,” I snarled. But I knew it was a hollow threat. Attacking Farrow would be a death sentence right now. It was our word against theirs.

“We’ll find a way to make him pay,” Jameson promised. “But we would risk an all-out war over this, with the only evidence being that we saw him nearly take someone.”

I didn’t want to listen. I just wanted to protect Stella at all costs. But that sense of obedience and putting others before myself was still there. And I knew my alpha was right.

Still, it was a close call. I probably would have said fuck it and left, anyway, but then Stella spoke, driving everything else out of my head.

“I’m all right, Sam,” she said, getting to her feet. She gave me a self-deprecatory smile. “Please don’t start a war over a hurt wrist.”

You’re worth starting a war for, I thought, but all I could get out was, “I’m sorry I let him grab you.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “Really, I think that was probably his plan the whole time. And it probably would have worked if he hadn’t tried it in a room filled with ex spec-ops shifters.”

I growled. My emotions were spiraling. But through it all, I couldn’t help but admire just how well Stella was handling it all. I could tell that she’d been terrified, and I could have killed Farrow for that alone, but she was putting on a good face. And she hadn’t broken down or collapsed. She was staying strong.And that alone made me remember why I’d fallen for her in the first place, and how certain I was that she was perfect for me.

But all of that felt impossible to articulate. Instead, all I could do was wrap my arms around her and hold her close. I didn’t want to let her further than five steps from me.

“You were so brave,” I muttered into her ear. She stiffened momentarily, then relaxed into my arms.

“That wasn’t exactly how I was expecting it to go,” she said. “I should have seen it coming, though. I was an idiot for thinking Farrow would hold off.”

I snarled. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have let you in the same room as him in the first place.”

She snorted, leaning against my chest. Just touching her, reassuring myself that she was here, started soothing my wolf.

“Trust me. He wouldn’t have left until he’d seen me,” she said. “You weren’t going to be able to stop him from trying.”

“And now he knows who he’s messing with,” Jameson said. Normally, there was at least some good cheer in his face, but he looked livid. “He’s not getting anywhere near you again.”

Based on Stella’s expression, she didn’t believe him. I couldn’t blame her. Though the startled doe-eyed look hadn’t left her face, she wasn’t trembling anymore. I wasn’t going to ask if she was all right again; it was obvious she wasn’t. But I wanted her to know that I was here for her.

“I’m here if you need to talk,” I said, my hand on her arm.

“Honestly? Right now, I just want to clear my head,” she said, giving an uneasy smile. “I don’t really want to admit it, but that shook me up quite a bit. It was just…” She trailed off, making an inarticulate gesture that I still somehow understood.

“You weren’t expecting it, but you’re not surprised at the same time?” I suggested.

She laughed and nodded.

I pulled her in close. “It’s all right,” I muttered.

But I could smell the anxiety and fear radiating off her. No matter how hard she tried to appear calm and collected, that scent was a giveaway.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I suggested, taking a step back and looking at her. “There’s a place I like to go when I need to think. We can go there.”

“Is that safe?” Jameson asked.

---