After a few more twists and carefully placed tears of bramble. I burst free, rolling onto the dirt path, panting.
But I don’t get far.
Lucia steps out of the trees. Aura and Rue flank her. Their eyes gleam with hatred, their lips curled back in snarls. They stopped pursuing to taunt me. They trapped me here.
That’s when I finally realize, they aren’t here for mates. They’re here for retribution.
Lucia grins. “We should’ve killed you when we had the chance.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”
“A mate for a mate.”
“No.” My hackles rise. A growl builds low and deep in my throat. The scent of blood sharp in my nose. It’s still dripping onto green grass, a target for the onslaught of the coming males. I thought last season was bad, but this is twice as much blood. Well, bring it on.
Aura lunges first. Her claws rake across my ribs, but I twist, slam my shoulder into her, sending her sprawling into the dirt. Another widow leaps onto my back, jaws snapping at my collar. I roll hard, crushing her beneath me with a sickening crack of bone. She whimpers and scrambles away.
Lucia is faster. She slashes across my chest, reopening healing wounds from the bramble. My vision goes red.
“You’ll never be his mate,” she spits. “You’re nothing but agirlplaying mate.”
“Watch what kind ofgirlI am.”
I launch at her, teeth bared. We collide in a spray of dirtand blood. Her claws slash across my muzzle, but I clamp my jaws around her throat. She thrashes, snarling, claws tearing into my shoulders. I bite harder. Blood floods my mouth, hot and coppery, until her struggles weaken.
With a guttural roar, I rip free. Her wolf collapses limp into the mud. Blood runs down my muzzle, dripping into the earth. I stand over her corpse, chest heaving, wild and feral, my eyes glowing with moonlight.
The two other widows freeze. We stand there, eye to eye. My mate took theirs. I took their friend. I watch their eyes, torn between loyalty and common sense. But I see the moment the question shows on their face: How much more am I willing to let them take?
The look I give them in return shows that I’ll take everything from them before they take the one thing I want most from me.
One lets out a strangled whine. Then, without a word, they scatter into the trees, tails tucked.
I lift my head to the moon, blood dripping from my jaws, and let out a howl that splits the night. A howl not just of survival, but of dominance.
I am not prey.
I am not agirl.
I am an Alpha’s mate.
I am to be feared.
Chapter 47
THORN
The moment the second horn sounds, I launch from my spot like a bullet, white fur ripping through the night air. The wind stings my eyes, but I don’t care. Nothing matters excepther.
My nose is locked on her scent — sharp jasmine tangled with frustration and panic. She’s fighting something. She needs me.
Shadows leap from the trees, fangs flashing. Four wolves fan out, blocking my path. Their eyes burn with shared hatred. I recognize them, Steele’s and the widows’ family.
But before I can break deeper into the forest, three more shapes prowl out of the shadows. Ash, Lucia’s brother, is at their center. His eyes glittering like a predator who knows he’s trapped his prey.
“Going somewhere, Alpha?” His lips curl back over his teeth. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of your mate. You won’t need one where you are going anyway.”
A snarl rips from my throat as I lunge, but claws catch my flank, another slamming into my shoulder. Two more males. Thepack descends.