Jaxon heard Maple’s gasp, but he couldn’t focus on her right then. It only took seconds for him to shift, tearing through his clothes as though they were made of tissue, but it was time enough for the other wolf to reach him. Sharp teeth pierced his left flank as claws dug into his gut.
The wolf was big, but Jaxon was bigger. He flung the enemy off him, then circled around, growling a warning. If the male didn’t back down, he would die.
The superficial injury in Jaxon’s side dripped blood at his feet, making the floor slick, but when the wolf pounced again, he dug his claws into the worn planks and met him mid-air. They landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs and fur, teeth snapping and claws tearing. Jaxon closed his jaws on one of its front paws, clamping his teeth tight, breaking bone. It tore free, ripping its own flesh in the process. The beast fought hard, not stopping even though its injuries made it slow. When it leaped again, Jaxon was ready. His big body pinned the other wolf down as his jaws closed around its neck. He gave one last growl in warning, but the beast didn’t relent. Its struggles slowly eased as the wolf went still, its life draining from its body.
By the door, Emmet lunged for the older male. The gun rang loud in the room, and Maple screamed. The smell of fresh blood reached his nose, but he couldn’t stop to see who’d been injured.
The younger male had Maple plastered to his chest. One meaty fist gripped her hair while his other arm pinned her to him. Fear came off her in waves. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. Her chest rose and fell in quick, little breaths as her fear escalated, but he couldn’t back down. With his teeth bared and the other wolf’s blood still on his jaw, Jaxon snarled as he approached. A deep purple bruise covered one side of her face. He would tear the bastard to pieces for daring to lay a hand on his mate. Every single scratch on her body was one more nail in his coffin.
Jaxon’s gaze never left the man’s eyes as he scrambled backward toward a door to the side. Did he think he’d get to walk out with the one woman that Jaxon couldn’t live without? Not a fucking chance in hell.
***
The wolf coming toward them wasn’t the cute puppy-like creature who had sniffed her in areas it ought not have been sniffing. It was a big, mean killer. Maple looked into the beast’s eyes, hoping to see some of the gentleness she’d seen there, but there was none. Even still, she’d rather be bitten by the wolf than taken to wherever the man was trying to drag her.
“You better let me go. That’s my wolf, and he’s going to rip you apart,” she said with as much conviction as she could muster, ignoring the pins and needles in her feet as the blood rushed back into them. At least he’d cut that rope off, even if he’d left her arms bound. All she needed to do was to get away from the enemy. Get her uncle and Emmet out, and then take them both to safety. Right. No problem at all. Panic threatened to overtake her, but she pushed it away. She could fall apart once they were safe.
“Your mate won’t let me live, even if I let you go now. No, you’re coming with me,” the man said, his voice a few octaves higher than it had been.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said, then with a war cry so loud it shook the rafters, she bent her knee and slammed her heel down onto his foot.
The man cursed and stumbled back, still fisting her hair. She cried out at the searing pain in her scalp, but it was worth it when he lost his grip on her torso, sending them both sprawling to the floor. Pain shot through her shoulder as she landed hard.
In an instant, the wolf was there. His teeth sank into the man’s calf as it dragged him back and away from her.
Needing to put some distance between them, Maple rolled to the wall before sitting herself up. The man transformed in a surreal display she never would have thought possible had she not seen it with her own eyes. Fur sprouted all over his body as his clothes ripped to shreds. One second he was a man, the next, a massive wolf. Too stunned, she stared as the two beasts circled one another, sizing each other up. If she had to put her money on one, she’d put it on her wolf. At least it didn’t hide behind women.
Near the door, Emmet had the older man subdued. Or maybe he was passed out. She couldn’t tell, and if she was being honest, she really didn’t care. He looked on, a relaxed expression on his face as the two wolves met in the air, teeth tearing through fur and flesh.
Maple staggered to her feet and stumbled to where her uncle still lay. Emmet met her there. With a couple of good tugs, he had her hands free and was kneeling on the floor to release her uncle. She shook her hands, trying to get feeling back in her fingers. The sounds of the fight filled the room, and she couldn’t help but look. Blood was everywhere.
The brown wolf who’d been her captor twisted in the air, trying to get away from the other’s wicked bite, but it wasn’t fast enough. With a growl that reverberated around them, her wolf pinned the brown one to the floor. It didn’t struggle long. Its movements stopped, and the light extinguished in its eyes.
“We have to get out of here,” she said in a hurried whisper as the wolf turned
