Page 19 of Adored By the Wolf

Releasing a breath, I asked, “What is it about my mate, Bruno? Is she harmed? When you saw her yesterday, did you notice something?” My words came out fast and strained. No matter how much control I tried to exert on my wolf, he was not going to make it easy to keep him at bay.

“None of the above,” Bruno said, standing with his arms folded across his chest, stiff as a board.

Relief over the fact she was safe vied with the need to know more. “Okay, then what happened yesterday, Bruno? And with that said, how did you get the wolf painting?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “That painting looks really familiar, doesn’t it?”

“It’s the one I was going to buy,” I admitted. “But Millie told me it had already been bought and they were keeping it safe for the new owner.”

Bruno laughed, baring his teeth. “She’smymate, not yours.”

For a second, the words didn’t sink in, but when they did, my wolf released. I shifted and attacked Bruno. Luckily for him, his hand was on the refrigerator door, and he slammed it into my body before I could sink my claws into him. At the same time, he took advantage and shifted.

My claws found his side and dug deep, while his found my front legs, digging in and almost piercing through to my bone. We both yelped in pain, but each of us refused to let go. Aiming my jaws for his throat, all I could see was red. Bright red, like the girl’s dress in the painting. Bright red, like the blood I could taste as I sunk my teeth into Bruno’s neck.

I was suddenly hit hard in the side, and I flew across the kitchen, hitting the opposite wall and breaking the sheetrock into pieces.

When I tried to get up, Dad’s alpha power washed over me, and I didn’t dare move. I stayed down, curling into a tight ball and licking the wounds on my leg.

“What is the meaning of this?” Dad boomed, the deep rumble in his voice shaking the dishes in the cabinets.

I looked up to see Luc and Brandon standing over me, while Dad and Dredge were standing over Bruno, who was bleeding from the head. Concern rushed through me at the sight of Bruno’s injuries, but then Bruno announced, “We have the same mate.”

My wolf reared up again, and it took Luc and Brandon together to stop me from attacking Bruno again. They pinned me to the floor until I calmed down. In the meantime, Bruno had stood up and was now standing off to the side, calm as could be. How in the world was he staying so calm? And why was I lashing out at him like he was a stranger?

“That’s enough!” Dad said. “Now, what do you mean you two have the same mate?”

“That’s impossible,” Luc said.

“Tell that to my wolf,” I said, straining under their hold.

Bruno’s calmness was messing with me. I was breathing hard, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything.

“Jacob met his mate at an art gallery this week,” Bruno said. “I went to see what the big deal was, as we all know Jacob’s life plan doesn’t include a mate this soon.”

Dad grunted, throwing me a look of frustration.

“The girl I met at the gallery yesterday; she’s mine.” At this he finally lost some control and barred his teeth at me. Dad and Dredge stood in front of him, blocking his view of me.

“How dare you!” I said. “You knew full well going in that she is mine.”

“But you didn’t get the painting,” Bruno said.

It came out as a taunt, and my wolf answered it with a growl. “She said it was sold,” I said, seething.

“What painting?” Dad asked.

“Not important,” I said quickly. I had enough of my wits about me to remember Luc and Brandon were standing next to me, and that the painting idea was meant as gifts for them.

“Clearly it is,” Dad said. “Someone better tell me what’s going on right now.”

“The painting itself is not important,” Bruno repeated, looking at Luc while he said it. “What’s important is that I got it and Jacob didn’t. Which means she saw something in me that she didn’t see in you.”

“Why you?!” I said, trying to break the hold on me, but Luc and Brandon were not budging an inch.

“Plus, did she flirt with you?” Bruno continued. “She laid her hand on my arm while she guided me around to see the paintings.”

That was it. I shifted and tried to bite Luc on the arm, but Dad was faster. All I saw was a blur of gray-and-black fur before he shifted and charged at me, knocking me out. The bray of Bruno’s laugh was the last sound I heard as consciousness fled.