CHAPTER SEVEN

The second I saw her, I knew.

It was so clear she is my mate. The connection I felt… it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I needed to be near her, I still do. I need to know everything about her.

Then, I saw that other wolf watching us. That complicated everything. It’s the reason I’m not with her now.

Just that glimpse and I knew she was part of an established pack. And I knew we couldn’t be mates because we’re so different. I know that. That feeling… it only felt that way because it’s been so long since I’ve had that kind of closeness with a woman, right? It’s the only explanation/

Yet even as I run through the trees to get away from there, away from her, my mind can’t fully believe it. It refuses to be convinced that she’s not the one. The feeling of her body so close to mine flushes through my brain and…

I freeze for just a moment. I knew once I saw that other wolf watching us in that awful that I had to run. I knew they’d come after me. So I ran and I didn’t stop running. I hoped I’d outrun them before anyone could get hurt.

But they know their way around these woods and they sent more than one wolf after me. They must’ve found a shortcut or I wandered too close to their territory.

Stupid. I am so stupid.

I don’t want to fight them. Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but I don’t want to hurt them and risk her getting angry at me. I don’t know exactly what’s between us, but I don’t want to seal off that possibility for good. If I kill someone she cares about…

I keep running, careful not to crunch any twigs or trip over any rocks. It’s easy for me. I know this forest and how to navigate through it like the deadly predator I am.

They aren’t chasing me by my sound though. They’re following my scent and eventually they’re going to catch up to me.

I can keep running and hope to outrun them. But if I can’t outrun them, I’ll have used up all my energy on running away from them leaving me weaker once I have to face them.

As much as I don’t want to fight them, it seems like that’s my best option right now. It may be my only option.

I stop and wait for them to descend upon me, turning to face them head on.

Five young men come sprinting through the trees. They’re all muscular with that deadly look in their moon-colored eyes. They want to tear me apart.

“I don’t want to fight you,” I say, even as they surround me. “I don’t want to hurt you. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You came onto our territory,” the tallest one snarls. His dark hair curls around his sharp features. “You kissed the Alpha’s mate.”

I wish. I didn’t actually get to kiss her. I didn’t realize she had a mate either. The thought rips through my heart. The Alpha’s mate, nonetheless. Can my day get any worse?

“I didn’t touch her,” I say. They won’t believe me though. “I don’t want any problems.”

“You should’ve thought about that before you intruded,” he snarls. Then, he lunges at me.

I duck, much calmer than them in their blind anger. I shift into my wolf form and lunge at his side, taking a chunk of flesh with me and leaving him howling in pain.

He collapses to the ground and I hope that will show the others. I hope they’ll stand down.

It only serves to heighten their frenzy.

One of them comes in from my left side and I leap, but not before he nips my leg. I turn before sustaining any true damage and bite one of his friend’s calves.

I’m not aiming to harm them, though I know I’ll be leaving a few scars. I simply know it’ll take a harsh lesson to get them to back away. They won’t believe that I can take down all five them. I need to prove myself or we’re going to collide in a blood bath.

Two of them come at me at once. I shift into my more vulnerable human form to throw one of them off to the side against a tree, while twisting away from another before shifting back into wolf form and giving him a nip too.

That’s where I get the advantage. They only resort to wolf form to fight, aware that wolfs are faster, stronger, and have sharper teeth. I mostly stick to wolf form, but I know there are advantages to my human form in a fight as well.

I leap into the air as a wolf, then grab a branch as a human. They howl as they lunge up at me, giving me precious time to run to a different branch and jump onto another tree.

My wolf form takes over as I jump down from the tree and run through the woods. With them all suffering at least some sort of injury, I hope that’s enough to keep them from coming after me. I hope it slows them enough so I can get away from here and never come back.

The thought kills me. I might never see her again. But she’s connected to the Alpha. She was never mine. I have it wrong and there’s no reason for me to stay without her to tether me here.

Their pride and fury are too great though. Their need to destroy me propels them forward and I only run long enough to realize they won’t give up.

They corner me against a wall of rock that protects a hidden cave. They surround me once again and I am trapped.

“Please,” I beg. “Let’s just end this. I really don’t want this to end badly.”

“It’ll only end badly for you,” the leader taunts me. “You’ve gotten lucky so far. But I’m done with this. We won’t show you mercy any longer.”

The wolves come at me once again and I have no choice.

I slaughter them all.

I leave the grisly scene as soon as it’s over, their blood drenching my skin.

Guilt clings to my ankles like shackles. I’m not the type to take lives. That’s not who I am. It goes against everything I stand for.

Worse though, they were part of her pack. She likely cares about them. Now she’ll know I killed them and she’ll hate me.

I howl under the pain I can’t contain. She’s lost to me. She was never mine to begin with and she will never be.