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A howl I’d heard way too many times drifted from a distance. It was muffled in the white blanket of snow falling outside, but I recognized Garth’s howl. He was so arrogant and foolish for always alerting me with his howl that he was close. I suspected he enjoyed tormenting me. He probably liked the scent of my fear. Because no matter how brave I attempted to be, I was frightened of Garth. Of what he’d do to me once he finally caught me.
A shudder of dread worked its way down my spine. I couldn’t stay trapped inside this cabin with Garth so close. I ripped open my backpack and dressed in a hurry, then flung the straps over my shoulders, ready for my escape. My palms were damp as I grabbed the tall floor lamp and made my way to the nearest window. I yanked open the curtains. A sky of white from the horizon and beyond greeted me. I shivered at the thought of the cold I was about to run out into. Before I changed my mind, I lifted the lamp and swung the wooden base at the window. The glass shattered in an eerie crunch. The wind gusted inside, bringing with it the ice particles that some people loved. I didn’t. Snow had killed most of my family.
I threw the blanket over the windowsill and climbed through the gap. The storm was so bad I couldn’t make out where I was or which direction to flee. Garth’s howl exploded to my left. Right, it was. I took off through the thick snow. My legssank past my ankles. Wetness seeped into my jeans, but all that mattered was escaping Garth.
The wind whooshed in my ears, making it nearly impossible to hear Garth chasing me. His footsteps crunched in the snow, the sound almost covered by the storm blowing around me. My face lost feeling as my cheeks and nose took the brunt of the snow-laden wind. The skin on the back of my neck tingled in a warning. A minute later, a hand gripped my neck and shoved me face-first into the snow.
I screamed, but my mouth filled with the icy flakes.
Garth’s scent enveloped me as his body landed on top of mine. His hot breath blew in my frozen ear as he tugged my head up by my hair.
“How did you find me?” I asked through chattering teeth and the pain in my scalp.
“Your wolf scent, of course.” He breathed harder into my ear. “Your scent is so much stronger in wolf form.”
I gulped back the bile building in my throat. I knew I shouldn’t have shifted. Knew there was a reason I’d avoided it for so many years. If I hadn’t let Titus convince me to race out of the coming storm, then Garth wouldn’t have found me.
“Now you’re mine,” he said with a growl as he lifted off me enough to flip me over.
I bucked and kicked against him, scratching his face before he grabbed my hands and pinned them over the top of my head. His hips straddled mine, forcing me further into the icy snow.
“I’ll never be yours,” I seethed, swinging my leg up to kick him in the back of the head.
Satisfaction surged as the toe of my boot connected with his skull. His head jerked forward. His evil eyes flared with retribution. Another set of hands grabbed my ankles and pinned my legs to the ground.
“You didn’t think I’d come alone, did you?” he taunted.
Fuck. I dropped my head back in the snow. I’d only ever distinguished Garth’s howl when he was chasing me. Only ever seen him. But somehow, he’d convinced others to join his hunt for me. As an alpha’s son, he transmitted a certain charisma. It didn’t surprise me he’d found other sinister wolf shifters to join him.
“You’re so pathetic. You needed a pack to help you catch me.” I forced out a sardonic laugh. “You’re too late now. I’ve been claimed by another.”
“No,” Garth hissed. “You’re mine. Your dad lost the bet.”
“Too late.” I laughed hysterically. “You’re too late.”
He lowered his face to my body and inhaled deep. “You bitch,” he snarled and backhanded me. Pain exploded across my frozen cheek like he’d shattered the iced skin into a thousand shards. So much for Titus claiming he’d protect me. I’d been a fool to believe him. Too hopeful too soon that an alpha mate would save me from the evil clutches of Garth.
****
Titus
The stranger’s howl in our pack lands sent my blood heating through my veins with retribution. How dare another wolf come to my pack lands without permission and prey on my mate?
“Fuck, he’s here already,” I said to Palmer. It explained the stranger’s intrusion, his disregard for the workings of a wolf pack.
“Who?” Palmer asked while shoving his feet into his black boots.
“Some asshole named Garth Wade.”
“Shit. My second cousin had a run-in with him. He’s a grade-A prick with an evil streak.”
“So Kara said.”
“Kara, hey?” Palmer waggled his blond eyebrows.
“Shut up.” I clipped his ear. “I have a wolf to kill.”
“Let’s go.” Palmer yanked open the door. We sprinted outside across the frozen landscape to my house. The billowing curtain at the shattered window had me racing into the cabin, but it was empty.
