Page 7 of The Wolf's Captive

The door swung open just as my stalker rounded the corner. Not waiting for him to respond to my escape, I ran out of the door and onto the main street. Several cars beeped me as I shot across the road, trying to get lost in the crowd.

I looked over my shoulder, shuddering when the warlock’s spy emerged onto the step of the house. He didn’t follow me, instead just taunted me with a wave before I rounded the end of the street.

My whole being shook as I hailed a taxi and jumped in, refraining from using magic as he whisked me away. If the man would’ve come after me, I would’ve covered my scent, but I had to try and stay discreet. Warlocks could trace magic.

At that moment, I wasn’t sure I enjoyed being a hybrid. Too many people were interested in me. Too many creatures would be hunting me, including Malone. And I wasn’t about to let anyone, not even my mate, find me.

Chapter Three

The fluttering of my stomach intensified as I picked up my phone. Drake. And the first line of text mentioned Malone.

Screwing up my face, I glanced around my temporary apartment and sighed. If I read it now, would it weaken my resolve?

The soft teal couch beckoned me to take the day off work and lounge, reading fantasy books about witches and werewolves. It was ironic that my escapism included tales about my own kind. Not that humans often got it completely right, but there were several paranormal authors who did.

“No, Drake,” I moaned, unable to resist reading his text.

Malone is driving us insane with his moping, followed by his crazy tracking schemes. Please, come home and put us all out of our misery. He’s even threatened to sleep with another woman in order to break the bond, just because he’s in so much pain. Obvs, we know that he would never do such a thing.

Although my brother was trying to be funny, Malone’s threat cut deep into my soul. I physically flinched as I re-read the words, my heart breaking even more. How dare the alpha even contemplate having sex with someone else? And how dare I berate him? I had been the one to run away.

My breath tightened as pressure built behind my eyes. I missed my brother, I missed the pack, and most of all, I missed my mate.

Tucking my phone away, I grabbed up my jacket and headed out of the apartment. The beeping of cars and smell of fumes made me cringe as I walked to work, my head ducked to avoid all eye contact.

The beep of my phone made me jump. I would never get used to keeping a low profile. Not that I’d been one to be the centre of attention, but having to constantly hide was becoming a bore.

It was Drake again.

Sorry, ignore my last text. Just… come home. Please.

The temptation pulled me, almost turning my feet towards the apartment so I could pack up and go back to Brighton. I’d not slept the night before, too nervy about my encounter with the warlock. What if he reported me to the Brighton Coven? Not that they’d be interested in what I was doing, but they would certainly pass the message on to Drake.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I rounded the corner. The feeling of being watched washed over me, causing me to tuck my phone away and search around. My footsteps faltered as the scent of wolf slipped up my nose. Someone was nearby.

“I don’t need this today,” I whispered, almost hoping the werewolf’s super-hearing heard me.

Ducking my head, I sped up, heading towards the Eiffel Tower Park. There were a ton of tourists to blend with, hopefully disguising my smell even more.

How had the person followed me? I’d taken every care to cover my tracks, even with a minimal amount of magic. And yet, the knowing that someone followed me stayed heavy in my chest.

Resigning myself to being caught, I sat on a bench just as a pair of students left it, carrying their laptops and laughing together. How I wished I could be so carefree on such a sunny day.

I opened my phone and dialled Drake, hoping that he wasn’t with Malone. If he was, I didn’t know what I would do. Hang up, probably.

“Della,” my brother acknowledged. “Finally seen sense and decided to come home?”

“Someone is following me, so I thought I’d ring you. It was a stupid idea because you’ll just bug me the whole time.”

“Someone’s following you?” he blurted. “Are you safe?”

A tiny secret part of me was pleased by his worry. Not that I hadn’t been driving him mad with concern, I knew that. And there was the pang of guilt that always tightened my stomach.

Sighing, I licked my lips as I searched the area. “I’m in a very public place, and I’m staying here until they leave me alone.”

I may have raised my voice a little too loud near the end of my sentence, drawing the attention of three tourists nearby.

“You’re making me nervous.” Drake’s voice muffled as he said something to someone in the background.