Page 68 of The Wolf's Mate
This man stands at least six feet tall. His mop of brown hair is buzzed short. He has a large hook nose and soulless eyes. He’s naked, of course, exposing every tight muscle of his body.
I raise my ax again, but the man tsks. “You really don’t want to do that, Red. Michael won’t be happy.”
“Fuck Michael,” I spit. I charge at him again, putting all of my strength behind it.
Once again, he dodges it, but not before I nick his arm. A steady stream of blood flows freely.
“You little bitch!” he snarls and comes after me.
I hold the ax tighter, just as he gets his hand on it. “It’s only going to get worse the longer you stay away from Michael,” he hisses, finally grabbing my wrist and twisting to get me to loosen my hold.
“No!” I scream, but the man pries the ax from my hands and throws it to the side. I move to run after it, but his hold on me tightens.
“Let me go!” I kick out, trying to hit any part of his body I can reach. I’m no fighter, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to simply lie down and take it.
The strange man wrestles me to the ground. I thrash, screaming. My leg finally connects with the sensitive part of him because he grunts in pain but doesn’t let me go. Bastard.
“I don’t know why the fuck Michael wants you alive. Killing you would be so much easier,” he says just as my elbow connects with his jaw. His head snaps back, and he curses.
My victory is short-lived, however, because he yanks my arms above my head, pinning me in place. I try not to think about his naked body straddling me or the fact that Tallie and Grass haven’t gotten up.
They are okay. They have to be okay.
“Things are about to get a whole lot worse, Red, if you keep Michael waiting. Want your little pack to suffer? Because they will. The attacks will only grow more frequent, and it’s only a matter of time before the Nephilim become impatient enough to intervene.”
My mind spins with the details he’s freely divulging. “If Michael wants me, then why did he send a dumbass in his place?”
I shouldn’t be antagonizing the man on top of me, but I’m trying to buy time. Time for…I don’t know exactly. For Tallie to get better? For someone—anyone—to find us?
The man growls, narrowing his eyes. He is hatred personified, clearly not used to being spoken to this way.
“I gave you Michael’s warning. Come to him or let your pack suffer. My agreement with him is finished.” He licks his lips, looking down at my body. A predator playing with his prey. “I’m certain he’ll forgive me if you come to him with a few marks and bruises.”
The evil gleam in his eyes shoots cold fear through my body. I have no time to move. No time to call for help or fight him off.
The man on top of me shifts, and the brown wolf from before stands in his place.
His snarl shows off a row of sharp teeth. Before I even have a chance to scream, the brown wolf lunges for my throat.
I’m going to die here, and Rip will never know.
Chapter 31
Rip
Idon’t know where Hettie is.
I’ve spent my day seeing my men off, making sure their departure went according to plan. It feels like the first act of war, probably because it is. We need the dragons’ numbers and strength. I need King Malix’s knowledge of defeating Nephilim. All of these things I stressed to Thorne repeatedly until he grabbed my shoulders and told me he understood.
Then I watched the group of alphas leave, praying to the Goddess each one of them will return home safely. The beds in the infirmary are already full of sick wolves. I have no space for injured ones.
After consoling a few omegas and setting them up in the packhouse together and then checking in with patrol, I go in search of my mate. I search in her usual spots—the dining room, the bathroom, and our bedroom. I search our bond, but it’s fuzzy at best. A faint light flickers, catching glimpses of her emotions, but I’m not truly able to feel her.
I wonder if she remembers what she said to me the other night. Love you. Two simple words that hit hard. Is that the reason she’s ignoring me? Because she’s embarrassed? My wolf growls, letting me know he wants us to tell Hettie our feelings for her.
I check Tallie and Thorne’s house, but it’s empty. So I go to the last place I can think of: Aunt Imelda’s house. I barge through the door, keeping down my rising panic. My aunt jumps off her couch in alarm at my abrupt entrance.
“Rip, goodness, child. You scared me,” Imelda gasps, holding a worn book in her hand. When she reads, Imelda completely immerses herself in her books, forgetting the world around her.