Tasha implored her Wolf as she picked herself up, brushing herself down and trudging on. The sounds of voices nearby had her heart thudding with fear. She took off running, desperate to put some distance between her and the rogues on her tail.
“Shit,” she cursed as her foot disappeared down a rabbit hole, her body tumbling to the ground, hard.
Pain exploded inside her ankle and she knew it was broken. She could feel bones scraping against each other as she tugged her foot free. Tasha crawled to a nearby tree, using the trunk to haul herself up, realizing she’d have to transform to heal herself.
She’d stayed in human form because of the large pack she carried. It held the locket her mother had given to her on her last birthday, a family heirloom that had been handed down for generations. There was also pictures of her parents, ones that she would never allow to be lost and if she transformed she would’ve had to leave the pack behind.
Her only saving grace so far was that her pursuers had not changed either. If they had she was certain they would’ve caught her days ago. Now it looked like she had no choice, her ankle hurt like a bitch and she had to get away.
If she didn’t then her Pack would have died for nothing, and nobody would know what happened to them. Tasha couldn’t allow that. No. Freaking. Way!
Dropping her pack Tasha held onto the tree with one hand, attempting to get rid of her jacket with the other. Large fingers snatched hold of her hand resting on the tree, and she couldn’t stop the surprised squeal that rang from her mouth. The arm belonging to the fingers was thick, strong and attached to a man that came into view as she tried to shake off his hold.
“Let me go!” She struggled hard. Her ankle gave way and she plummeted to the ground as the rogue grinned evilly down at her.
“Over here!” he shouted as she scrambled like a crab away from him.
“Shit,” she mumbled, her head swinging left and right looking for his friends.
Tasha struggled to regain her footing, her toes the only thing that touched the ground on her damaged side. Even that was like hot lava running through her ankle as she limped away from the man closing in on her.
“You have nowhere to run,” he snapped out, his disgusting breath causing her to gag.
“Well, well, what do we have here, boys?” A slimy voice had Tasha’s head spinning around to see four more rogues closing in.
The man that spoke was the tallest and the look in his eyes told her he would show no mercy. Her blood rushed through her as her fight or flight went into overdrive. Neither of which was a good option, not with a broken ankle anyway.
“What is wrong with you?” Tasha spat out. “Why are you doing this?”
“Nothing is wrong with us, doll,” the obvious leader drawled. “We’re getting paid, plain and simple.”
“What?” Tasha asked, shock reverberating through her. “To kill an entire Pack? Why?”
“Does it make any difference if you know?” the leader said harshly. “The outcome will be the same for you.”
Tasha shook her head as his eyes narrowed, traveling up and down her body. Her insides churned at his look and she tried to put some weight on her ankle. If she could move maybe she’d have a chance.
Nope. Pain lanced through her causing her to bite her lip to stop from yelling out.
“But first you’re going to pay for making me and my men hunt you down.” He licked his lips and that had Tasha almost throwing up. “What happens now is your own fucking fault. You should’ve just stayed put and it would’ve been over and done with nice and quick. Now, bitch, you’re going to suffer.”
“No!” Tasha screamed as they closed in. With no way out she feverishly thought how she could end this as quickly as possible.
She’d rather die than have these men touch her.
Her knife! She’d kept it in her sheath at her waist.
She wasn’t stupid enough to think she could take these rogues on, but she could take her own life. Not something she’d ever thought about before, however, with these filthy mutts closing in on her she knew it was the only way out. She could not, would not allow them to capture her and do unspeakable things to her. No. She refused to be yet another of their damn victims.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” she whispered as she tugged the blade free.
Rafe’s Wolf sped through the forest, a sense of urgency deep inside him that told him he had to hurry. Their mate was in danger and he had to get to her, fast.
Jacy was behind him, struggling to keep pace with Rafe’s beast, but that didn’t slow him down. His Wolf urged him on, hurtling through the trees toward their mate. His blood boiled when he heard a scream, the sound reverberating through him as red hot fury spilled through him.
He was near, but would he be in time?
Another high pitched yell, full of anger and fear, came through the woods, his Wolf full of desperation as he surged onward. As he broke through thick underbrush he took in the scene before him.
A young woman with long auburn hair stood, surrounded by five men who were closing in on her. Damn rogues!
Rafe could scent it on them as he slid to a silent stop, looking for the biggest threat to their mate. A tall man sneered at the girl, his words spearing Rafe’s heart.
“What happens now is your own fucking fault. You should’ve just stayed put and it would’ve been over and done with nice and quick. Now, bitch, you’re going to suffer.”
The girl
