I left her alone for the rest of the night. As difficult as it was.
It’s now approaching five in the morning, and I’m going for a quick run. Not with the council alphas today. When I talked to Tyson yesterday morning, he said some of the alphas that came for the wedding are still here and would probably be running with them. I need to be alone. My wolf needs to run. I need to clear my head and do it before the sun comes up and Amelia wakes up and tries to leave me again.
***
I’ve run, I’ve run hard. I’ve swum, and I’m just about home, just about exhausted when I approach the four corners and squat to grab my clothes. With our code orange, morning runs are done much more carefully, shifting hidden, and making sure we shift back and get dressed under cover so that if anyone is poking around, they won’t see anything unusual, whether that’s a naked person or a wolf prowling near civilization.
Internal panic spikes and my back goes rod straight. Joel is coming and something’s wrong.
“Hey,” he greets, winded, “Tryin’ to find you. Gus was doing surveillance on night shift. Couldn’t reach you so called me. Your mate’s ex passed through the village.”
“Fuck. What the fuck does he want at five thirty in the morning?”
Joel’s brows jut up. “Take my car so you can get there fast without shifting. If I hadn’t caught your scent I would’ve rushed to your house to make sure all was all right.”
Yeah, shifting wouldn’t work to greet that asshole since I’d shift back without clothing.
Joel’s house is close, so we run back and he tells me he’s heading to meet with the other guys, to leave his car at my place and he’ll run there later to pick it up. The minute I get into his car, I feel a spike of internal panic. It’s from Amelia. I peel out of Joel’s driveway at full speed.
***
When I pull in, the asshole’s Mercedes is out front and he’s dragging my mate out of my house. I left my fucking door unlocked. Fuck. And this fucker has a gun in his hand. Amie’s face is pale when she watches me get out of the car.
“Let her fucking go!” I shout.
“No!” she screams as the fucker points the gun at me. His eyes are wild and he smells like fear and desperation.
“We’ve got to get to the city hall. I booked us an appointment. We’re gettin’ married. You can have her back afterwards.”
“I won’t do it,” she screams and tries to get out of his grip.
“Stop fightin’ me or I’ll shoot your fuckin’ boyfriend.”
Amelia rips out of his grip and gets between us. Blocking me.
“You will not!”
She’s trying to protect me.
Fuck this shit. Rage floods my system as I see that barrel pointed at my mate.
I rip my button-down shirt off, breaking buttons as I kick my sneakers off my feet and drop the jeans, getting a confused look from the asshole. When my wolf bursts forward, Rick Bullock’s eyes go wide. His jaw drops and I pounce, taking Amelia to the ground and covering her with my body. I’m down on all fours, covering her, and baring my teeth, viciously snarling at the motherfucker before stretching a front paw out and swiping the gun from his outstretched hand with my claws out. It clatters to the ground and blood gushes from his hand. He lets out a howl of pain.
I snarl and snap at him, covering my mate. My mate. Mine!
I’m about to lunge and rip his fucking throat out when scents assault me along with the thundering sound of running wolves.
This is how the rest of the council finds us. Me on the ground on all fours in wolf form, Amelia underneath me as her ex stands there pissing his pants, his hand bleeding, tears falling down his cheeks.
Eight wolves circle him, so he can’t run. The two smaller ones are ones I met before. One of them from a pack in Washington State. The other from Scotland.
Riley’s wolf looks over his shoulder at me and the exchange has me shifting. I shift and get off my trembling mate. I scoop her up into my arms and cradling her close, I carry her into the house.
“Wh..wha..what was… oh my God,” she whimpers. “Oh my God.”
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” I say, rocking her in my arms on the couch, still trembling with fury, but finding a way to get a lock on it so I can purr for her. As she melts into me, it soothes me, too. As much as the purr soothes her, feeling her heartrate slow to normal, feeling her arms tight around me, that helps me.
Riley steps inside with Joel.
“Sorry about the nudity, Amelia. Mase, we’re taking him to holding. Meet us there when you’re able.”