Go Your Own Way

Liam

The feeling of her skin on mine was too much. I couldn’t take it. The fire that ignited with the smell of spiced raspberries was one that threatened to never be extinguished. I lost myself, and I would have marked her right then if I had an ounce less control.

The smell of a rogue was getting closer, and a pack wolf was hovering nearby, a few others not too far off. A sense of foreboding overcame me. She wasn’t safe here. 

I didn’t know why I cared. This wasn’t what I wanted. It was the damn mate bond that was forcing these emotions on me, and I wanted none of it. 

“Run now, bunny,” I murmured into her ear before slinking back into the cover of trees.

My heart panged when she collapsed, and I fought the urge to go pick her up. But the scents were drifting closer and I needed her away from here. 

I could smell three, maybe four pack wolves approaching. I wouldn’t be able to focus if she hung around. 

“Leave,” I growled. 

Her wolf was unwilling, but I could feel Alo pouring reassurance through the tendrils of the bond that had already started to take hold. 

It was torture pulling my eyes away from my little mate and refocusing on the task at hand. I stared down a scrawny, mousy colored rogue being pursued by a large, gray wolf. 

I shifted, but remained in the shadows. I wouldn’t show myself until I knew I was needed.

The scents got closer and Alo’s hackles rose. I knew one of those scents. The wolf in the shadows crouched, ready to defend. There were very few people on this earth Alo and I deemed worth stepping out of line for, and the little rogue dashing toward us was one of them. 

The gray wolf was closing in on the little rogue, snapping at her tail. The smell of terror was evident in the air. We stayed stationary just a moment longer, until it was almost too late. 

And then we leaped.

Alo landed on the girl, effectively rolling her. When he got to his feet, he was standing above her, growling at the gray wolf. Times like this I really wished the Wulvers had the additional privilege of being able to mindlink just anyone, because I wanted to know exactly who this wolf was.

We were ready to lunge at the pack wolf, but he must have thought better. Just one menacing growl and he took off. I would think, if he had a valid reason to be pursuing a rogue, he would have simply shifted and explained. 

Alo stood protectively over the rogue for a few more moments, ensuring no one was returning, before turning to her and nosing her side. All she did was cower away from us, making no move to stand, no move to defend herself. 

Alo huffed before begrudgingly receding. I stood over her, hoping she would recognize me. 

“Danica, you need to shift,” I insisted. The she-wolf just stared up at me, wide eyes full of fear. “Danica, please. I’ll take you to Lya.” 

Her lack of response was due to terror, but I couldn’t tell if that terror stemmed from just being chased or the idea of being taken to a pack. I didn’t know if she ever truly realized I was one of the good guys when our paths diverged.

With a sigh, I shifted back. The girl was small in frame, and malnourished on top of that. It was disturbing to see that she actually gained weight when held captive. Alo picked her up by the scruff, carrying her back out the way we had come. She didn’t struggle, at the very least. Maybe she was just hurt, or nervous to shift in front of a male. 

When we got to my clothes, I quickly shifted and changed, not taking my eyes off of her for a second. By this point, she seemed closer to comatose than just electing to be unhelpful. So, I scooped up the wolf and placed her in the back seat of my truck, hoping her wolf would let go by the time we got back to the packhouse. 

I felt Alo settle and purr in contentment. It took me a moment to realize it must have been because that mate of his had also headed south. I rolled my eyes at the wolf. For so many years we had been on the same page about mates. They were a hindrance and would just get in the way. We had more important things to do than fawn over a single person - especially when the lives of so many were dependent on us. Funny how quickly the tides changed when fate was thrown in the mix, though. 

I spared one quick glance back to Danica before putting the car in gear. Why her? 

As soon as there was enough reception, I pulled out my phone. I didn’t even wait for a greeting as soon as the call was answered. 

“I’m headed back, and I have enough ammunition to put this situation to bed,” I grumbled. “Have the Little Alpha on standby.”

There was no conversation. I ended the call, tossing it to the seat beside me, and ignored the subsequent vibrations. Any minute now, mindlinks would start coming in. It was a long drive, so I let my mind wander instead. 

Spiced raspberries. What the hell kind of smell was that? Tantalizing and so rich I still felt like I could taste the fruity notes dancing along her skin. Her body melded so perfectly against mine, it was hard not thinking of all the other ways we could fit.

If I was a kinder man, I wouldn’t be thinking about if I’d have the opportunity to fuck her before I rejected her. 

Because that was the only way this could go. She would be rejected. I had no time, no mental capacity, and no desire for a mate - no matter if every single one of my senses fought against that. Fighting my wolf off long enough to allow me enough time to reject her, though. That would be the problem. I could already foresee there was no convincing him that a mate was wrong for us. 

Wolves and their love affair with fate. It was a little repulsive. If you asked a wolf, everything - everything - was meant to be, supposed to happen, written in the stars. All the way down to tripping on a sidewalk. I had always hoped my wolf had a little more sense than that, but apparently I was wrong. 

That Moon Goddess of ours certainly could make mistakes, and giving me a mate was a big one. 

Alo rumbled in my head, immediately jumping to our mate’s defense. 'It would appear she deserves better than you, anyway.'

'Well, then she can go find better,' I told him.

'A chosen mate never replaces a fated mate,' Alo reminded me. 'You are sealing our mate’s fate, guaranteeing her a life of suffering.'

I rolled my eyes. I knew plenty of people with chosen mates, and they were perfectly happy. 

'But they could be - should be - happier. So much happier.'

I growled in retaliation, shoving him to the back of my mind, where he could dwell on his mate uninterrupted. I did not need his thoughts to rub off on me.