Pack

She ran full out. Her heart pumped wildly, and her breath came in harsh pants as adrenaline coursed through her body. The rush gave her muscles the extra oomph needed for a speed boost. She raced as if her life depended on it, her paws landing fleetly on the rocks she'd memorized. It would take only a small misstep to enter a world of pain because the area was peppered with dangerous foxholes, not all of them natural. She ghosted through the woods on paths marked only in the map of her mind, a labyrinth for the uninitiated. She practiced her escape route with single-minded intensity because, one day, her life might depend on it. Hours later, physically exhausted, she returned to her home, which bordered the protected forest that spanned thousands of acres in this lost and godforsaken part of the planet, and shifted back to her human form. She strode, naked and proud, to her rear porch, secure in the knowledge that the only eyes watching her belonged to the simpleminded creatures

Close, so fucking close. And once again, she'd outsmarted him and his pack. He should have placed more men at the rear of her house. He should have snuck up with them instead of coming to the front, hoping he could accomplish his task with words instead of force. He should have known better. Did she hate him so much still? Is she still so unwilling to forgive? He'd had years to revise his stance, to get into a position of power where he made the rules, and changed them to suit his purpose. The mad dash through the woods had cost him time and men. Even he had been forced to slow his chase because of her cleverness and ruthlessness in setting effective traps. She'd obviously prepared for this day, a fact that didn't hearten him. But it also wouldn't stop him. Baby, when are you going to understand you are mine? He howled as he bounded into a clearing with a heavy stench of blood. The dark fluid soaked the ground, painting it black. The blood and the violence it implied

Nathan looked down at Dana's still form and seethed. Her naked flesh was covered in bruises, scratches, and welts. Even more astonishing, her captors had feared her enough to wrap her body in links upon burning links of silver. He dropped to his knees, and ignoring the sizzling pain, he grasped the silver chain and pulled it apart as easily as snapping thread. Her skin was chafed red and blistered where it had touched her, and he boiled with anger. I'm going to kill them slowly and painfully. He'd reserve a painful punishment for the dirty miscreants-those who still lived, that was-who'd dared touch the woman he'd claimed as his when still only a boy. Never mind she'd run from him. Dana was, and always would be, his. His beta appeared in the doorway and whistled as his keen gaze took in her state. "Holy fuck. What kind of sick bastards treat a woman like that?" The kind who need to die twice. Nathan couldn't speak. He couldn't. Anger and grief over her condition choke

Nathan could see John's interest in Dana. He didn't like it one bit. There was a time long ago, before Dana had left, when he'd imagined John would be one of the men he'd share his future mate with as per pack law. But, now, having her back again, Nathan found himself less than keen with that idea, a fact that he'd share with Dana if she ever gave him a chance to say his piece. Jealousy or not, though, he couldn't deny Dana needed the attention of a doctor. While her Lycan blood would heal her, broken bones still needed to be set straight, and while rare, there was still a chance of infection. Nathan pulled back the blanket, exposing her upper chest and breasts that were more defined than he remembered. The cooler air of the cabin made them pucker, and his mouth dried up, even as lust shot through him, hardening his cock. A quick glance up caught John staring with his mouth open, his eyes glazed. "Get on with it," Nathan growled. John didn't reply, just went to

She awoke late the next day, her father having let her sleep in and miss her chores given the incredible events of the night before. And she wasn't just talking about the fact that she could now shift like the others. Nathan had asked her to marry him! She would be his wife. As if thinking of him had conjured him, she heard a tapping at her window. She flung back her covers and went to the window in only a T-shirt and underwear. Modesty seemed stupid given their lovemaking. Not to mention her sudden change back into human shape, in all its naked glory, to an audience of several. Her blushes had at least kept her hot until someone gave her a shirt to drape herself in. Even more warming were Nathan's glares at those who openly leered. Who said jealousy wasn't attractive? She unlocked her window and slid it open so her fiancŽ-she giggled in her head at that title-could come in. He grinned widely at her as he enveloped her in a hug that made her squeak. She squealed as he