Page 45 of The Wolf's Captive
“Very well.” The woman surged forward, her mouth forming into a muzzle.
Her challenge would be futile, and yet, she was desperate to reach me. Malone grappled with her, sending her flying to the dirty ground. She winced without a sound before springing back up onto her feet.
Another wolf appeared beside her and they jumped together, both landing on Malone at the same time. He batted the woman away before wrestling the wolf, who was going crazy.
Blood spurted from somewhere, sending a shock of heated anger through me. No one got to draw my alpha’s blood.
I was about to conjure a fire spell when a rough hand landed on my shoulder. Spinning, I screamed loudly, releasing everything within me. The fear, the pain, the anger. It flew from me, mixed with my magic, like a soundwave of heat.
The hand released its grip as screeches filled the air, both human and canine. I opened my eyes, my heart fluttering in case I’d hurt my own people. No. They all stood, staring at the Crawley Pack, who lay on the ground, writhing in pain.
“Get up!” one of the men shouted to his people.
Malone went for the nearest wolf, his foot pressing on its neck as it gasped for air. The rest of the Crawley lot recovered quickly, jumping up and making a run for it.
Manual, Henry, and Lionel pursued, all shifted into their wolf form.
Malone dragged up the wolf, cursing when the bastard thing nipped his cheek. I went to his side as the rest of our pack huffed and puffed around us. They would’ve been able to take them out, no problem. However, I didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt, not after what happened the last time.
“Malone,” I warned as my mate tightened his hands around the wolf’s throat. “Don’t stoop to their level.”
His chest heaved as he fought for breath, his cheeks bright red and his nostrils flaring. I didn’t dare touch him, not wanting to influence his decision. I knew that he wanted to slaughter the whole pack, and even more so now, but he had to allow the council to deal with the Crawley Pack. Otherwise, he could jeopardise our agreement with Nigel.
Holding my breath, I focused only on him, trusting that the rest of the pack were taking care of themselves. My magical blast had slammed into our enemy, rendering them incapacitated for a moment. It hadn’t been long, but it was enough to calm everyone down.
“You’re not worth it,” Malone pushed through his gritted teeth.
Shoving the wolf away, he stepped back, breathing heavily as it skittered away speedily, only looking back when Malone raised his head and howled loudly.
The rest of the pack went after him, each shifting as they chased him away. Their howls joined in unison, threatening and haunting all at the same time.
Glancing around, I checked that no one was hurt. It was just Malone and I, watching the retreating backs of those we called family.
“What will they do?” I clung to Malone’s hand as a strange weakness overtook my limbs.
He instantly sensed that something was wrong, placing his arm around my waist to hold me up. “What’s up?”
The strength of him held me up as the energy drained from me and a black mist filtered across my vision. Shit, I was passing out, my magic completely gone.
Chapter Fourteen
“I can’t believe you feinted,” Malone said as he hauled a huge log on top of another.
A grunt released from him as he bent and retrieved another one. I rubbed my arms to try and warm myself, shivering at the reminder.
Malone had ordered us to gather our belongings and leave the camp. It wasn’t safe to stay in our homes the whole time our enemies knew where we were. Talking of that…
“Apparently, Kieran got his bitch witch to use his connection to me in order to track us. The combination of her linking to my magic and sending out that blast drained me.”
Releasing the last log, Malone cursed under his breath as it crashed on the ground. He was building us a make-shift hut, like the rest of the pack around us.
“How did you find out?” he asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a dirty wrist. The dark mud smeared on his brow, giving him an even sexier edge.
“Heather called, one of her witches had a vision and saw it.” Picking up a hammer, I handed it to the alpha.
Kneeling, he started to bang nails in the struts that joined the logs together. I had allowed him to get on with his building, not offering any practical help except for passing and gathering. The carpenter was the expert, so he knew what to do more than I did. Plus, he had told me to leave it to him when I’d cut myself trying to drill a hole. Amateur.
“I can’t believe you’re making us do this,” Manual moaned as he joined us. “I miss my bed and the ladies who come in it.”