Page 44 of Rejected Wolf Mate

“I can see that.” Ansel looked past me at Thea. “But when Dana told me she had lost track of you and couldn’t find you anywhere in town, I wondered if you might have done something inadvisable.” He raised an eyebrow. “It appears I was right. Did you think you could warn the Silver Wolves and keep your sister? There’s a phrase about having your cake and eating it. I believe you probably should have listened to it better.”

I snarled, bristling. “You’re not going to touch her,” I said. “You’re going to let us go without a fuss, or I’ll tear out your throat.”

He simply raised an eyebrow again, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Yes, please tell me how you’re going to get out of this against ten other shifters,” he said dryly. The smirk on his face vanished, replaced with distaste. “You’re going to pay for betraying us.”

I pushed Thea behind me, eyes scanning the group, trying to get a rough head count, though I knew it was pointless. We were outnumbered. Thea was competent with a blade and a gun, but that wasn’t going to do enough against nearly a dozen shifters.

Ansel frowned as he studied the two of us. “I knew you were stubborn,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were stupid.”

“Just let us go, Ansel,” I said. “We’re done.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “You are. But you’re not getting out of here alive. And you have only yourself to blame.”

“Go to hell,” I snarled. “Thea, stay back.”

I shifted.

The large men turned into larger wolves, dwarfing us. Still, I stood in front of Thea, bristling, baring my fangs. If I was going to go out protecting my sister, I’d do my damnedest to make sure she got out of this alive. I just needed to give her enough time to run.

Just as the nearest shifter darted toward me, a loud growl echoed around us, reverberating in my chest and through the ground.

As I braced myself for the worst, new sounds came from deeper in the woods, and the familiar scent of maple slammed into me as a large sandy brown wolf charged through the brush, larger than any of the others in the clearing.

The giant wolf jumped in front of me, spinning around to face the oncoming attacker. He swiped him away as if he were a ragdoll.

Chapter 20 - Rand

I batted the wolf away, spinning on my paws to face the rest of the group, fur bristling as I moved to put myself between Thea and the group of wolves in front of me. The one in front, the only one who hadn’t shifted, eyed me with interest, his lips curling.

“I’m assuming this is the wolf you were going to sacrifice your sister for?” he asked Astrid in a dry, mocking tone. “Not much, if you ask me. But to each their own.”

The pale, more slender wolf standing next to me snarled, baring her teeth as she glared at Ansel.

“Is this all you brought?” he asked, yawning. “Not much—”

More snarls cut off his snide comment. He froze, eyes widening as alarm flicked across his face for the first time since I’d gotten here.

Mark and Tannen charged through the woods toward us. Instead of coming to a halt next to me, they raced into the group of wolves, scattering the line. Moments later, even more Silver Wolves raced through the trees, evening the odds, if not the numbers.

Meanwhile, I focused on the man in front. He snarled and shifted. If I had any doubts about who the shifter was, they vanished the instant I saw him turn into a massive gray wolf nearly as large as me.

All around, chaos ensued. Astrid was keeping Thea back, swiping at any wolf that got near either of them. The rest of the Silver Wolves were all in their own fights. But the only thing that mattered to me was the wolf in front of me. If I could kill him, the rest would fall.

He darted toward me, nearly barreling me over. I dodged just in time, but his claws still swiped across my side. I growled and snarled as the pain ran through me. He was faster than I’d thought. I had strength, but speed had never been my strong suit. That was more Klyte and Alek. If Ansel was this fast, I was going to have more of a fight on my hand than I’d expected.

The Gray Wolf spun around the second he passed me, jaws reaching for my hind leg. I jerked away just in time. Before I could get my claws anywhere near him, he was gone.

Searing pain dragged down my shoulder as his claws raked into my shoulder. I staggered, snarling at the pain.

I dodged his jaws just in time, and they snapped shut right in front of my neck.

I growled. His speed had gotten me on the wrong foot, taken me by surprise. But if I didn’t get a grip and tighten my focus, I’d be dead, and all of this would have been for nothing.

I watched him, dodging his attacks as I tried to swipe at him. Not to hit him, but to detect his patterns. Nearby, wolves howled and snarled. I thought I heard Klyte yelp, but I drowned it out. I couldn’t afford the distraction.

Eventually, I figured out the Gray Wolf’s fighting style, but it cost me another couple of injuries. Blood matted my fur, but I could handle it. Now I had a better way of how to fight him.

I lashed out. Not where Ansel was, but where I knew he was going to be, now that I had studied his movements. Claws met flesh, and Ansel howled in agony as they dug into his side, drawing a ragged gash and batting him to the ground.