But, maybe they’d brainwashed us all. Because this was better. He wasn’t trying to drug me. Right there made him better.
Still. The second I was healthy? I needed to run. Why push my luck too much.
I’d make plans tomorrow. Right now? I needed to sleep.
And the last thing I dreamt of were his eyes.
Between sleep and dream I had the strange idea that his eyes were familiar, but it wasn’t possible.
CHAPTER5
Devon
I pushedmy wolf harder and harder. We were ahead of my pack members, my wolf loving the feel of the wind running through his fur. The issue? It was taking everything in me to keep him from turning right back around and claiming his mate. It couldn’t happen. Not right now. Maybe not ever.
She thought I would breed her? I wanted to stop and ask her what the hell she meant, but I knew. I knew that she was part of the trade and I’d have to be careful with her. She shouldn’t have had to worry about me, but she didn’t know who I was.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. My wolf was pissed, my entire body vibrated in anger to rip apart the assholes who had stolen her from me. What pack had she been a part of? Had they offered her as a breeder?
My wolf pushed harder the angrier we got.
Did she have pups, and they still sold her back into the trade?
The branches snapped and leaves rustled. We followed instinct and ran through the forest like the wind was our brother. My wolf caught a scent, and he slowed as we got to the furthest border on our lands. It took far longer to get here with my damn detour, but fuck. When he’d caught her scent through the open window, it was all over. He was screwed and for me? Well, I wasn’t any better. Nudity as a shifter was no big deal, but seeing her through that open window?
I felt like I was a pup all over again and seeing a female form for the first time. She had to have the most beautiful body I’d ever seen. Even bruised and emaciated, she was beautiful.
It had been the first time I’d been able to take in her entire body and although she was beautiful and worthy of taking, the bruises and cuts? My wolf and I struggled. From the looks of most of the wounds they were days, maybe even weeks old and that shouldn’t have been a thing. That was the answer to how long she’d been drugged.
Her hair was cleaner than it had been earlier, so at least I knew the nurse was taking care of her. The streaks of color in that mane of hers? I was certain her wolf would be the most beautiful in all the packs.
Fuck. Breed her? The idea was pleasant, but not in the way she’d meant it. I couldn’t get it out of my head. That’s what she thought of me? That we would keep her here just to put her into another hell? She truly didn’t know I was her mate and maybe that was for the best.
My wolf shifted at the sounds ahead. We needed to focus, but it was nearly impossible.
She had to be the female that I’d met all those years ago. There was no more doubt. But now? Now I needed to fucking kill everyone who’d lied to me and figure out how to deal with the mess of the contract I’d entered into. Fated mates were not meant to be broken apart. We were stronger together. Of course, she would be my weakness too. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Something cracked next to me and I saw some of my pack members.
What’s over there?
I used the pack link to connect with the other wolves as they turned towards the strange scent. No, not strange. Decay.
Every wolf was on high alert. Something was dead, and it didn’t smell like deer or bear. Shit.
We crept forward, Colton flanking my right and two of my best fighters flanking my left. The patrols had been vigilant so this one couldn’t be more than a few hours old.
We got closer, and the stench grew.
Human, one of my pack mates said through the link.
Strange.
I circled around trying to catch more scents. There were several and all not from my pack.
There were wolves here.
I couldn’t figure this mess out. What would wolves need with humans? Even if a human wandered out this far they wouldn’t likely get close to the settlements. We had magic for that.