The wolf wanted to get back at Damon for besting him at a fight. The way to hurt him most was through Damon’s heart, which meant kidnapping his mate.
Damon roared, tracking their scents as his paws struck into the snow while he ran toward the Sacco territory. En route, he quickly communicated to Rafe and Grayson.
The Sacco wolf took her. He took Sophie.
How do you know? Rafe asked.
I’m tracking them. I caught their scent outside my cabin.
Grayson groaned. Stay calm, Damon. Don’t do anything rash.
We’ll come to you, Rafe added.
I can’t wait. I have to find her! Damon ended communication.
He had to focus on the trail. Nothing else mattered but finding her and making sure she was safe.
He leapt across the boundary line and across the mountain. He pushed himself as fast as he could go while tracking their scents. His lungs burned, but he wouldn’t stop.
Up ahead, he spotted movement through the trees. He peered through the branches.
Yes, it was Sophie. His heart swelled with relief until he noted the wolf holding her. He’d thrown her over his shoulder, and she pounded at his back. His bare back. Rage roared through Damon. How dare that wolf force his mate to touch his filthy skin!
An urge to lunge forward and knock the interloper to the ground spurred him on. That wouldn’t work, though, not while the shifter held Sophie. She could get hurt in the fall.
Through the red mask of vengeance clouding his vision, Damon’s claws itched. He yearned to pierce the Sacco shifter’s flesh and tear his beating heart from his chest. Only that wouldn’t come anywhere near the physical agony of Damon losing his mate. The mental anguish couldn’t be quantified.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to think, not react. It was much easier in human form, when he could better deal with thoughts rather than function on instincts. That might be a better way to approach Sophie, as well, and not terrify her further.
Damon shifted to human form, not giving a damn that he stood naked in the snow. A warning growl bellowed from his chest before he commanded, “Put her down.”
Sophie gasped and looked up. “Damon!”
Alex turned, dropped her into the snow, and laughed. Another surge of violence roared through Damon that it took all of his self-control not to rush the shifter.
He glanced at Sophie. She didn’t appear to be hurt. “Are you all right?” Although he yearned to care for her, he first had to neutralize this threat.
She pulled herself to her feet and brushed off the snow. “Yes.” She walked toward him.
He didn’t dare take his eyes off the threat. “Why did you take her?” Damon spat at the Alex. “Why are you trespassing on our lands?”
“To get you here.” He sneered and parried before Damon. “And have my revenge.”
He adjusted to a defensive stance, noting that Sophie was now behind him. “Our packs are dealing with this disagreement,” Damon spat.
Alex’s glare turned fierce. “This is no longer pack business, it’s personal.” He beckoned with a sharp wave. “Let’s go.”
He shifted into wolf form and lunged at Damon.
Sophie
Sophie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The stranger who had kidnapped her had shifted into a white wolf with bright blue eyes and a vicious growl. She swore it was the same one she’d seen last week.
Damon was naked. He ran at the white wolf. When he lunged, he transformed into an enormous gray wolf with amber eyes. The two wolves met in the air, a furious clash of fangs, claws, and fur. Vicious howls pierced the otherwise tranquil mountain.
Each landed back on four paws in the snow. They circled each other, eyes intent to kill.
Her eyes widened as she started moving farther behind Damon. Two deadly predators assessed each other as if intent to kill. The white wolf barked, drool lashing at the snow. The gray growled a warning. It was like they were speaking some secret language, which she supposed they were.
The white one lunged at the gray one. Sophie shrieked. It wasn’t just a wolf, it was Damon.
“Damon, be careful,” she cried.
Her words were useless. The two wolves were embroiled in what appeared to be a fatal embrace. Streaks of red slashed across the white snow. Snarls and howls echoed in the air. With the way they lashed at each other with fangs and claws, she was certain that only one would survive.
That meant Damon could be killed.
Killed!
No. She ached for him with all her being. That couldn’t happen. Not this extraordinary man who’d made her feel like the most adored woman in the world. He was so considerate and protective, and he’d cared for her like nobody had before.
Her pulse shot up to panic mode. Dear God, he was here to protect her, same as last week. He’d done nothing but protect and care for her. Maybe she didn’t understand everything about what he was, but she knew in her heart he was willing to sacrifice his life for her. That was clear as day right before her eyes.
And she’d pushed him away.
He couldn’t die!
She’d been falling in love with this man. No, he was beyond a man, and far more extraordinary.
She was a fool, overreacting because he’d kept a secret from her until he was sure he could trust her. The reason was clear before her—he was part wolf! No wonder he didn’t tell her. Confiding in the wrong person could endanger his way of life here on the mountain.
The wolves feral growls thundered in her ears. A shiver of icy fear trickled over her spine.
His world was so different from hers. It was more than just the natural, serene beauty, but also a wild struggle to survive in the animal kingdom. The duality of the environment was as vast and complicated as the man himself.
If they both survived this fight, could she learn to understand his dual nature?
And all she wanted to do was help him. But how? She was human, weak compared to those massive predators
