She looked to be medium height, on the skinny side, with long red hair that looked wild as it flew around her head. She also looked pale and tired. What was she running from?
That she was running he had no doubt, but from who? Or what?
On and on they sped, until breaking through some thick brush, Kade came face to face with a large German Shepherd. Its tongue lolling out at the side, it looked exhausted as it came forward showing no fear. That was strange. Most domestic pets ran in the opposite direction from Wolves but this one came right up to him, nudging him with its snout before turning and looking behind it.
“I think she’s trying to tell you something.” Dara’s words already saying what Kade had sensed.
His beast lowered its head, staring into the eyes of the dog and he could plainly see worry and fear there. Not fear for itself. No. It was scared about something else. Or for someone else.
The Shepherd whined, turning around and prancing away a few steps before stopping and looking back at them as if to urge them onward. Kade didn’t need telling twice. Loping over, he licked the dog’s muzzle before taking off again, this time his paws moving even faster. His powerful muscles propelling forward so quickly that everything was a mere blur as he ran.
He didn’t feel the branches as they slapped against him, nor the brambles as he plowed through when he couldn’t get over them. Nothing hindered or slowed his race to reach her in time. His beast snarling as they finally broke through the trees into the clearing at the stream. One he knew so well.
The horrendous sight before him would stay with him for the rest of his life.
One rogue lay dead, a passing thought of how she had managed to kill him flew through his mind, quickly replaced with a roar of anger when he saw another lying on top of her. All he saw was blood, crimson staining the grass, her hair flowing out from beneath the large grey beast pinning her down.
There were two, or possibly three, other rogues still coming, but he ignored them, leaving those for Lennox and Dara to deal with. His focus was on the filthy fucker on top of his mate. He would rip its heart out, then tear its body into tiny pieces for daring to touch his mate.
That’s if she were alive.
God forbid, if she weren’t, then he’d hold and torture the rogue for eternity.
His beast flew into a frenzy, howling, snarling, jaws snapping as it launched at the rogue. Kade was surprised it didn’t even attempt to defend itself. Well, until he knocked it flying off the fallen woman and realized it was dead, three shotgun wounds bleeding profusely from its body. One was right between its eyes, the gaping hole bloody and splattered with brain matter.
Holy hell, his little mate had taken down two rogues on her own and she was human. Human. Not Wolf. It had never crossed his mind that his mate would be anything but a Wolf. Hell, it didn’t matter. Not to him. She was his, and he was hers, and to hell with anything else.
Kade glanced at the fights going on behind him, or rather, fight. Only one rogue was present, the other two must have scarpered when they had arrived. Lennox and Dara were dealing with the straggler quite easily. Kade planted his paws either side of the woman, sniffing around for signs of any blood or obvious wounds, finding none.
His beast huffed out a loud exhale in relief before sending out his Alpha power to search more thoroughly. He checked for broken bones or internal injuries, once again relieved when he came up with nothing. It appeared she had been knocked out when the rogue had landed on top of her. Thank the goddess.
He stayed in place, guarding her in case any rogues reappeared. He would be better able to protect her in Wolf form than human and so he waited, hoping that she’d come around on her own. If not, he would transform and carry her back to camp.
Lennox stomped over, his face covered in blood. “Is she goin’ to be okay?”
“I think so. Looks like she was knocked out when she shot that Wolf and it bowled into her. It’s a big one and it had her pinned down.”
“Kade, there’s something you should know.”
Kade swung his head around, looking into his Beta’s eyes. “What?”
“The rogue over there, the other one she managed to kill, and by the way can I just say how freaking amazing she is? She took two of them out on her own, that’s . . . well it’s kinda cool dontcha think?”
Kade’s lip drew back as he snarled, “Yes, it is but get on with it. What about the other one?”
“Oh yeah, sorry. I’m afraid it’s Andrew Gates.”
Lennox stepped back as Kade’s head snapped around, inhaling to take in the scent of the dead Wolf. His Beta was right. It was Gates. He’d been a member of their Pack but after repeated instances of him being cruel, unruly, and just downright bad to the core, Kade had banished him.
“Always knew the bastard would come to a sticky end,” Kade spat out, anger coursing through him.
“Aye,” Lennox agreed moving away to the stream to clean himself of rogue’s blood.
Kade remained in place, guarding his mate, taking the time to take in her beauty. Marred with grime and dirt, but she was still the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on. His heart soared to the heavens as he realized Fraser had been right and he had managed to find his soul-mate before she had been harmed, or worse.
It was at that moment when her eyes popped open. The most gorgeous jade green orbs he’d ever
