Page 83 of Starting a New Life

Those wolves had hunted my mate for six months.

They’d bought him.

Tried to enslave him.

And today, I’d rid him of this burden. I’d set him free.

After I was done, the hunt would be over.

Multiple howls echoed mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. I’d just reached the edge of the woods when others fell in line.

Rhett, snarling in anger, the pattern of his paws hitting the ground unmistakable.

Maim, protect. Free, my wolf demanded. My right front paw slipped on a frozen puddle, and for a moment, my heart stopped, but then I got my bearing back and took a narrow corner, rounding an old oak to run along a well-used path.

Wind whipped past me, the air tight with tension.

There were three more wolves, our paws a rhythm of doom. We weren’t out to take prisoners. We were out to kill.

The air tasted crisp and clear. We were too far out to smell the wolves yet. I pushed, speeding up, taking more and more risks. The tricky root systems were covered by snow, but I knew these woods by heart. Knew where to jump.

A howl echoed through the trees. The patrol was on its way.

My wolf grinned.

Snow splashed, clouding my vision for a moment as I jumped down a ravine into a pile of snow, a cloud surrounding me.

My lungs were burning, hurting oh so good and satisfyingly.

There.

The scent was faint but fresh.

Minutes had gone by, and we’d already caught on.

We’ll get them, I thought, my wolf letting out a gleeful yip, agreeing with me.

Today was the day. I felt it in my core, in every cell of my body. Today was the day I’d set my mate free.

Small prey shied away from me, their scuttling in the underbrush a faint noise. My wolf and I were focused on more important things. We could feast later. Work first.

The intruders were still here, the barrier a constant nagging feeling in the back of my mind, but we were gaining ground, their scents heavier. They were familiar, aggravatingly and annoyingly so.

I let out a growl, speeding up as their stench intensified.

My paws beat a steady rhythm, my breath short, panted puffs of clouds in the icy air, the trees blurring, I was running so fast. My heart hammered, anticipation and exertion warring.

There.

There was something in my periphery.

I jumped, my paws hitting the trunk of a fir, and I used my momentum to twist around, pushing away from the tree and thundering on. Left turn successful. And right in front of me was a greyish blur, a flickering of brown in the underbrush, a sour stench biting my nose, paired with hot anger.

Angelo fell back and let out one of his earth-shattering roars. I snarled.

The sour stench intensified.

Yes, my wolf sneered gleefully. Be afraid. Be so very afraid.