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“I have the contacts! It’s just going to take a bit of time to find a buyer for a vixen. I was expecting a wolf when you called me. If I find the right buyer, I can get us a hundred grand, easy.” He huffed. “You need to relax.”
“Relax!” she screeched. “Are you out of your mind? I need this bitch out of town before the alpha starts looking for her.” Something crashed and shattered on the other side of the room. “Ugh, you’re just as useless as ever!”
“Man, you’re still the same uppity bitch you always were,” the man said in disgust. “And if you went and stole this female from your alpha, it sounds like you’ve gone and lost your mind as well.”
He sounded much too calm, considering Cheryl was losing her shit, and that made Caro’s hair stand on end because he seemed pretty casual talking about selling someone, so chances were he’d probably done it before. She was trying not to panic, but she was terrified. It was one thing to be around shifters she knew and could trust, but what would happen to her if she was shipped somewhere far away?
“But you know,” he said, his tone speculative now, “I know a few packs down in South America that won’t take a feral wolf for mating, but they’re always looking for breeders to add to the harem. If you’ve burned your bridges here, then you’re of no use to me anyway.”
Caroline shifted her head the slightest bit so she could see over her shoulder. When she saw both of her abductors were facing the other way, she continued to watch.
“You rat bastard!” Cheryl yelled. “I’m going to be Alpha female here one day. You should be on your knees in front of me!”
The she-wolf lunged at the other man just as he pulled some kind of dart gun from behind his back and shot her with it. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t stop her claw from raking across his cheek and chest, opening wide gouges that quickly bled.
“You bitch!” he roared, moving to the side, allowing her to thud to the ground in a heap as the drugs took effect. Then he kicked her hard in the back several times before throwing thegun onto the couch and going into the kitchen to grab a towel. “Heh, joke’s on you. Those savages down there pay top dollar for the feisty ones…”
Chapter Fifteen
Craig turned to Diego. “You know where the cabin is?”
“I do.” His second nodded. “Off of Mill’s Road, but it twists and turns like a bastard. It’ll be faster to go straight through the bush in our fur.”
“How long?”
“Probably twenty minutes.” Diego was already unbuttoning his shirt as he answered, and the rest of the wolves who had come did the same.
“Bennett, you and Ellie take the truck and follow.” Craig began stripping as he headed out the back door with his wolves.
They ran like the Hounds of Hell were chasing them. Craig pushed his wolf more than he ever had, both of them fearing the worst, that they’d be too late to save their fated mate. Though he tried not to, his mind kept running over and over the things he’d been told about Bernard Loch. The male had been banished by the previous Alpha because there had been rumors going around that on the “hunting” trips he’d often taken. Shifter women had gone missing, thought to have been stolen and sold to other corrupt packs. If there had been hard evidence of his crimes, the alpha would have been within his rights to execute the wolf, but with only speculation, he’d been sent away from their lands.
If they found Bernard with Cheryl, Craig would end him. He’d be justified for the trespassing, let alone if anything had happened to Caroline. His wolf snarled in anticipation, craving the blood of the male who would threaten what was his.
He slowed as Diego did. Finally, they had arrived. The five wolves crept through the trees and brush, as silently as they could, not knowing what they would be coming upon. Craig tensed as they heard the sound of boots on gravel coming from in front of the cabin.
“Jesus Christ,” a male voice muttered, “you’re a real bitch, but at least you’re a solid bitch. You’re gonna end up fetching me a higher price than that tiny little vixen.”
A grunt sounded, and then something heavy was tossed into the back of a truck bed. Craig nodded to three of his wolves to go around the other side while he and Diego stalked closer to their prey.
****
Caroline was trying her hardest not to hyperventilate as tears slid down her cheeks. The man had spent what felt like forever going through the cabin and hauling out anything that he thought may have some value—which happened to include Cheryl only moments ago. She was terrified she would be the next thing tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes to haul to the market.
She didn’t know what she was going to do, but with her hands and feet tied, it didn’t look promising. Could she possibly wiggle her way out of the truck while he was driving? As long as the truck wasn’t on the highway, it seemed like a better risk than the fate she’d been imagining. So, when the bastard started walking toward her, Caro went limp again, pretending to still be unconscious.
Managing not to make a sound as he picked her up and swung her over his shoulder was next to impossible, and when his hand groped her ass, her fists clenched in disgust, but still, she remained silent. Caro looked around as soon as they were out the door. The area looked typical of a remote cabin, and off to the side of the lot, she could see her car half covered in an old tarp.
Oh, God, is anyone even looking for me? Or do they think I just left on my own?
She hoped that Ellie would know better than that, but the thought that she was utterly on her own brought a new washof tears to her eyes. Then she saw movement at the edge of the trees. Two huge wolves silently stepped out from the brush. One was black and the other was a silver-gray. They didn’t make a sound, but when her eyes met the golden gaze of the black wolf, she knew that Craig had come for her. Now she just needed to get away from this creep.
Caro reared up, bending her body back as much as she could, bracing herself for the fall that she knew was coming as the man lost his grip on her. His prolific swearing was overshadowed by the ominous growls and snarling that erupted as three more wolves came from the other side of the truck.
All Caro could see as she fell to the ground was a black blur as the wolf leaped over her body to get to the man just turning in shock. His screams were horrific amid the snarling, and the wet, tearing sounds prompted her to look away, closing her eyes to something she didn’t want to witness.
“Caro, are you okay?” Diego had shifted back to his skin and was kneeling next to her, pulling at the ropes binding her hands.
“I—I think so.” Her voice was shaky, but aside from what she guessed would be a lot of bruising on the side she fell on, everything else felt intact.
