Page 69 of The Wolf's Mate

“Sorry. Have you seen Tallie and Hettie?” My tone is far too brisk, worry slipping through.

Imelda tilts her head to the side. My stomach drops when she shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry, Rip. I haven’t seen them. Have you?—”

I’m not one to turn my back on my aunt. She’s the closest thing I have to a mother, and I show her nothing but the respect she deserves, but my mate and cousin are missing. I’m out the door before she can stop me.

My mind fills with the worst possible scenarios. Did someone come for them? Steal them under our noses? That seems unlikely, even with our smaller patrol units—which means they probably left of their own accord to follow the call. Without me.

Even after she promised me she wouldn’t.

The moment I’m outside, I shift. My clothes rip, falling to the ground in shreds. My wolf is angry and scared. A deadly combination for an alpha. I can smell and see better in this form. Hints of my cousin and Hettie linger in the air. I also smell Grass. Should have known the dog would follow those two anywhere.

I don’t think. I run. Push my legs as hard as they can go. A new layer of snow covers any tracks the three of them may have left, but their scent hasn’t completely gone away. It’s muted, but the farther into the woods I go, the clearer my bond comes with Hettie.

And she’s fucking terrified.

I push myself harder. Branches and twigs scrape at my fur, but I ignore it. Hettie is close. I feel her. Can taste her fear like poison on my tongue. I hear the sounds of a struggle and a scream, and it’s the last push I need to get to Hettie.

“Hettie, I’m coming,” I roar into our bond.

“Rip!”

I break through another thicket of trees, and the scene before me sends me into a murderous rage. Tallie’s crumpled body lies next to a tree. Grass crawls over to her, whimpering and nuzzling her flank.

Then I see Hettie. A brown wolf, twice her size, pins her to the snowy ground. He exposes his teeth and lunges for her, and that’s when I attack.

My body crashes against the brown wolf, claws and teeth sinking into his flank and neck. The wolf howls in equal parts surprise and pain. Hettie whimpers. I’m not sure what the brown wolf did to her, but I don’t need to know.

I’ve seen enough.

My cousin is down.

Grass is hiding.

Hettie’s hurt and scared.

The wolf deserves no mercy from me. The brown wolf wrestles his way out from under me, limping slightly. He lunges for me, but he’s sloppy and untrained. I swipe my paw out, claws scratching down his chest. The air blooms with a coppery smell. Red wells up, dampening his fur.

It only proves to piss him off. He throws himself at me, attempting to bite down on my leg. His fangs don’t get me, but his claws do. It hurts like hell but gives me perfect access to his neck.

The easiest way to kill a wolf.

With him distracted, I growl and clamp my jaw around his neck. Instantly, the wolf stills.

Normally, this would be the part where I would give him the chance to submit to me. Allow him a choice on whether he will follow me or die. But I don’t feel particularly merciful tonight. Not when he’s hurt my family.

I bite down harder on his neck, feeling his body tense. He tries to pull away from me, but my grip on his neck is too hard. Blood fills my mouth, and I jerk my head to the side roughly.

He howls, body spasming.

Then everything goes quiet, and he goes limp.

Dead. With his throat ripped out.

Red stains the snowy white ground. His life bleeds into the earth. But I feel no remorse.

I shift. Blood still coats my mouth down to my chest. My calf has claw marks on it and hurts like hell. It’s the only place I’m bleeding, though. My first instinct is to look over Hettie. Her hair is a mess, and she hugs her arms around her chest. Her lithe body looks even smaller now.

But physically she’s fine.