Page 42 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

But the other option was staying here and being bound to a demon.

I’d take my chances.

I darted past the kitchen. I was about to keep going when I stopped, doubling back just long enough to grab a thick knife. It wouldn’t do shit against demons, but if I came across any wolves, it would provide a bit of protection.

After checking a few more rooms, I found a window that would open. A hedge was sitting below, but I would take a handful of scratches over staying here. Looking behind me, there were no signs of any pursuers, but I could hear voices from outside the room further down the hall. I didn’t have much time.

As I clambered over the windowsill, my foot caught, and I went sprawling face-first into the hedge. Sharp leaves scratched at my face and arms as I tumbled down onto the ground. Tinystinging scratches covered my skin as I scrambled to me feet, adrenaline flooding my body, enhancing all my senses.

But it was worth it. I was free.

But even as relief washed over me, there was still a prickling of unease. This felt a little too easy. Had it been too simple to break out of the mansion? Or was I just being paranoid?

I didn’t have time to wonder, and in the end, it didn’t matter. I was out, and I had a chance to run. Even if it was a trap, I had to take my chances.

I darted to the woods, a plan forming in my head. I knew where I was going this time. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore—I knew what I wanted. I wanted Sam. I only hoped he would forgive me after the way I’d left.

I headed straight for Brixton. But I had barely gotten into the woods when a large wolf charged in front of me, blocking my path. I stumbled to a halt as the wolf stalked toward me, snarling and baring his fangs. My back pressed into rough bark as I stumbled away from his snapping jaws. I stayed motionless, white-knuckling the dagger as the wolf in front of me transformed.

“You must have a death wish,” Farrow snarled. “Did you really think you’d be able to get away again.”

“I figured it was worth a shot,” I retorted, eyes darting around to look for an escape. I couldn’t smell any other shifters. If I could just get away from Farrow…

He growled again.

“If you don’t come back with me now,” he said. “I’ll take you back in pieces. You’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

I raised an eyebrow. “My mom say that about you?” I goaded.

His expression darkened and his fingers lengthened to claws as he swiped at my face. I dodged, hearing his claws gouge the tree as flecks of bark cascaded into my hair. Heart thundering, I tried to dip beneath his arm, to try and get away. But his hand grabbed my wrist and he threw me to the ground. The knife clattered into a pile of leaves nearby.

He climbed on top of me, and I knew the only thing that was protecting my throat was the collar preventing me from shifting. If it weren’t there, he’d crush my throat and be done with it.

“You’re ruining the pack, you know that?” Flecks of his spittle fell on my face. “If you’d just done what you were told the first time, none of this would have happened. Everything that happens to the pack now is your fault.”

“Spare me,” I said. His claws dug into my shoulders as my fingers scrabbled for anything to protect myself. “Stop pretending any of this is because of me. I’m not buying it anymore.”

Before he could respond, I threw a fistful of leaves and dirt in his face. He spat and reared back, giving me just enough time to shimmy out from underneath him and stumble toward where the knife had fallen.

A snarl sounded behind me, and I knew without looking that Farrow had shifted. I fumbled for the knife, nearly dropping it in my frantic haste. I turned just in time to see him lunging toward me, but unable to stop his outstretched paws from landing on my shoulders and sending me to my back.

One giant paw pressed down on my chest, crushing my lungs. I gasped for air, wheezing as the edges of my vision went black.

No. I wasn’t going to die to this asshole. Not after everything he’d put me through.

With as much force as I could muster, I jammed the knife into his shoulder.

The wolf howled, staggering away. I yanked the dagger out of his shoulder and plunged it in against before he could get away, this time into his back. The wolf collapsed, panting as blood poured onto the ground.

One final plunge of the knife, and Farrow stopped moving.

I staggered back, heart thundering as I stared at the dead wolf. My former alpha. My hands shook slightly as the realization set in that I had murdered him. He was dead.

And I felt no remorse. In fact, I felt freer than I had felt in my entire life.

I didn’t have time to catch my breath or let myself process what had just happened. I was nowhere near safe. I yanked the knife from Farrow’s back and raced further into the woods, heading toward home.

As I started running, I felt a dull tug deep down inside me. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was, but then I realized it was my wolf. Without the collar, that tug would have been amplified a hundred times; it would have been unmistakable, practically impossible to ignore. But as it was, it was just enough for me to notice that my wolf wanted to go a certain way, as if something was calling to her. The tug was slightly off-course from the direction of Brixton, though. I wasn’t sure what it could be, butI knew better than to ignore her instincts. So I followed that tug, hurrying as fast as I could.

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