Liam got to his feet, pulling her up with him. She looked disappointed. “We should get back to the house,” he said.
“Already?”
“We’ll have lots of time to explore. Promise. I just need to check up on something quickly.” His senses were working on overdrive. He wanted to shift, to chase after the threats and eliminate them. It felt like a thousand miles to the house when they were only a few minutes away.
Once they got to the back door, he brought her to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Help yourself, baby. There’s plenty to eat. I promise I won’t be long. Be back before you know it.” He kissed her forehead.
He walked away from the house into the tree line before shifting into his alpha wolf. Power surged through his veins as his beast took control. His muscles stretched, his bones reforming as he changed from man to wolf. All his senses became magnified as he tracked the trespassers. The other packs knew damn well where the property lines started and ended. Why were they pushing their luck? Liam had a reputation for a reason.
Jake appeared, followed by Eli and Ben. His men were trained and lethal. They may be like docile pups with their women, but they were dangerous when it came to protecting their territory. The Grey Valley Pack was known as one of the deadliest wolf packs, and they were rarely challenged.
“They’re heading south,” said Jake. “We’ll be able to catch up before they hit the mountains.”
“Let’s fuck them up,” said Eli, his wolf pawing the ground in anticipation.
“We all have mates now. Trespassers will not be tolerated, especially shifters.” Liam led the charge, all four of them racing after the two wolves.
He couldn’t wait to get back to Rebecca, to learn everything about her. They had the rest of their lives to discover each other, and he looked forward to the years to come. He wondered if any of their children would have her red hair. Would they even be shifters? Liam didn’t know of any other human-shifter matings, so this was all new to him.
He had to keep focused on his task. It was time to lay down the law, to make other wolf packs aware that any trespassing would not be tolerated. He couldn’t turn a blind eye now that he had a woman to think about. She always had to come first.
“These fuckers don’t give up,” said Ben. They’d been running for about half an hour, following the distinct trail. Every so often he’d catch a glimpse of the wolves through the trees.
They slowed down when a parked vehicle came into view in the near distance. The only trail out this far was an old, abandoned mining road leading to the mountains.
Two humans sat in the truck, the engine revving to life.
“The trail stops here,” said Liam. He didn’t have a good feeling about this.
The passenger lowered his window halfway, laughing mockingly. “Our alpha was right. You’d chase us to hell and back, wouldn’t you? But I count four wolves, so how many are watching your female?”
Liam leapt up against the window, managing to claw the man’s face before the truck barreled forward, leaving a wake of dust and debris.
He shifted into his skin, pacing, running his hands through his hair. His heart raced, and it felt like a vise squeezed his chest to the point he could barely breathe. “They planned this,” he whispered more to himself than his men. “They led us out here on purpose. The chase, the waiting vehicle, Rebecca alone at the house.”
“You couldn’t have known. They must have planned this for a while,” said Jake.
“Fuck! Even running full speed, it’ll take half an hour to get home. They must have her by now.” He’d failed. Failed as a mate, an alpha, a man. If his rivals thought he was pissed off before, he’d be bringing hellfire to their world if anything happened to Rebecca.
“Time’s wasting,” said Eli. “Let’s hope it’s not too late.”
****
Her pussy ached. She needed Liam, but he took off right when they’d been making a connection. She hoped everything was okay.
There was a lot of meat in the fridge. It looked like the man was a carnivore. She found some fruit in a cooler drawer, so grabbed a green apple. Rebecca acquainted herself with the luxury kitchen, finding a knife in a nearby drawer. She washed the apple, then cut it on the granite counter while enjoying the view out the back windows. Maybe they could cook something together later rather than getting takeout. In a kitchen like this, it would be a pleasure to make a meal. Her apartment had a tiny nook for a kitchen.
She took a bite of the fruit as she wandered around the great room. Even though it was big and luxurious, it had a cozy, rustic feel. There was a lot of wood, rich colors, and natural finishes. It was her first time in the cabin, and she already felt more at home than she had in places she’d lived in for years.
As she savored the views, she saw Alphie come up from the river. He was limping, struggling to get up the slope. Rebecca put her food down on the coffee table and rushed out the back door and down the slope toward the dog.
“Alphie!”
The dog kept limping towards her, but once she was out in the open, far away from the house, she realized she wasn’t alone. She swallowed hard as she took in her surroundings. There were three men closing in on her. Alphie tried to protect her, growling despite his injury, but he was in no shape to take on these men. The one to her right smirked, and a shiver crept up her spine. She knew these were no friends of Liam’s.
“This is the one all right,” said the man. He took a deep breath. “No mistaking it.”
“He could be heading back by now,” said the tallest man.