And all at once, nothing else matters. My blood turns to ice. I don’t care if he’s her mate. He can’t have her.
Hair sprouts from my arms and my vision becomes clearer as my wolf pushes against me, trying to force a shift immediately. My wolf shreds the thin wall of control I have left. Claws rip through my fingertips mid-stride. He roars in my mind and thrashes against my strained control. He doesn’t care about rules. He just knows she’s in danger.
I don’t pause to explain what’s happening to Doc. There’s no time. I burst through the doors and leap down the steps to the medical center, shifting into my wolf in midair. The sound of my bones cracking and the tearing of my clothing cuts into the quiet of the forest outside. My paws hit the ground, and I race towards the lake. I’m five minutes away at a run. The trees blur past. I push faster, faster. Ihaveto get to her.
Communicating via mindlink with Ryan and Luca, I ask if they know what’s happening.
“Yes, we’re together. We’ll be there in less than two minutes. Warriors on alert and cutting him off. He’s not alone,” Ryan responds. There’s no time for formalities here.
My heart is about to burst. Why didn’t I leave with her when we had the chance? And how the fuck did he get here so quickly? Blood Moon is a nearly twenty-hour drive from here without stopping. It doesn’t make sense. We should have had more time to figure this out.
Every second before I get there drags out into what seems like an eternity. I should’ve left with her. I should’ve never let her out of my sight. The thoughts running through my head keep getting worse. It’s like the night I lost my family all over again. Only this time it’s Emily I could lose.
And it’ll be my fault this time, too.
Chapter 31
Sofia
The second I hear that voice—his voice—my blood runs cold. I look over Emily’s shoulder and see him. Aidan Blackwell, smug as hell, flanked by half a dozen warriors, standing just past the tree line like he owns the place.
Shit. Shit.Shit.
How the fuck did I let them sneak up on us? I know exactly how. Emily said she was leaving which scared the shit out of me. Yes, I know, the girl whose parents left her has abandonment issues. Shocker. But I was so preoccupied with Emily wanting to leave that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, and we walked aimlessly until we got here; right to the edge of the territory. Right tohim.
Stupid, stupid, Fia. I gaze down at Emily and it’s like she hasn’t even processed that he is here until she sees my expression. That’s when her body goes rigid.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper before rattling off a quick mindlink for backup to Jackson, Ryan, and Luca. I pull Emily’s tiny form behind me before facing the monster I’ve heard all about.
“This is Lunar Eclipse Pack lands. You do not have permission to be here,” I call out. The prick looks me up and down and then he laughs—actually fucking laughs.
I let out a low snarl before I can stop it.
“P… please don’t make him angry,” Emily whimpers, her voice trembling as she clutches my arm with such force that my circulation is nearly cut off. I square my shoulders as best I can with Emily’s strangling hold.
“I am Sofia Rivera, sister of this pack’s Alpha and acting Luna. I have the authority to tell you that you are not welcome here. You and your merry band of misogynistic pricks can fuck right off to where you came from.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he says, condescension dripping from his tone. “I’m just here to collect my mate, and then we’ll be on our way.”
I’ve disliked this guy from the moment I met him at an alpha gathering a couple of years ago when he made a shitty comment about Ryan giving me too much freedom. I’ve despised him since I met Emily and heard her harrowing story of abuse and torture.
And right now, with the way he’s looking at us and casually threatening to force Emily to leave with him. I fucking loathe him enough that I could rip his throat out with my teeth without an ounce of remorse.
“Like fuck you are,” I growl. “Emily is staying with me.”
“You’re welcome to come too,” he offers casually. “I’m sure my warriors would enjoy taming an alpha bitch.”
My eyes narrow as his warriors cheer and laugh. Their gaze on my body repulses me. “Not for me personally,” he continues, “much too mouthy. But then perhaps the silver gag I brought could help with that.”
Silver. Fuckingsilver.
And that wasn’t for me. He brought that to use on Emily. Poor sweet Emily, who wouldn’t hurt a fly. My heart pounds erratically, like it might burst from my ribcage as waves of anger unlike anything I’ve ever felt before crash against me.
“I’m not a gentle little omega you can bully and abuse,” I hiss, extending my claws and canines. “You sure you want to go up against an alpha female?”
“Stop,” Emily whimpers. “Please, Sofia. Please don’t.”
Emily trembles as the warriors continue to laugh and eye me up like a piece of meat they could easily overpower. And maybe they could, but I’m still not backing down. Realistically, going up against six warriors and an alpha is not the smartest move, but I don’t have to hold them off for long, only as long as it takes for our back up to arrive. Emily tries to maneuver past me, but I block her with one arm, pushing her back again.
