Freed By My Mate (Night Grove Falls: Midnight Haven #2)

Chapter 1

ONE

Abe

I’ve always been the kind of man who prefers to remain on the edges of life.

The outskirts of town. The quiet trails no one else bothers with. The jobs that don’t come with applause or gratitude.

That’s probably why Christian knew I wouldn’t say no.

I stand at six-foot-four, built solid from a lifetime of manual labor and stubborn survival, with dark hair that never quite behaves and a beard I keep trimmed more out of habit than vanity. My hands are scarred. My knuckles are thick. I look like what I am—a man who’s learned how to endure.

My wolf paws at me, impatiently waiting to be let out so he can run off some steam.

I hush him. We need to finish our patrol, and then he can run.

I didn’t grow up in a pack. Didn’t have elders or traditions whispered over campfires.

I grew up learning to rely on myself, my wolf, and the instincts that have never once failed me.

My parents believed that relying on others or a pack made you weak.

They said you had to have skills and be self-sufficient to make it in this life.

Then, when I was seventeen, they died.

They fell into a ravine, and I wasn’t able to find them in time. Ironically, if we’d been part of a pack, they would’ve sent out a search party, and my parents would’ve been rescued.

For years, I was bitter about my upbringing and the way they died. I felt guilty for not finding them in time, angry that I was all alone.

So I threw myself into working and building a life for myself.

I joined the military, was recruited by the CIA, and spent a few years working for the government.

I retired last year and settled down in Night Grove Falls.

It seemed like a good place to live. Small town, strong pack.

I started up my own security consultant firm, and things have been running smoothly ever since.

I’ve made friends here with the Alphas and other pack members. The town doctor, Christian, and I are neighbors, and we became close as soon as I moved in. We have dinner together at least once a week and hang out when we’re both free. He’s my best friend, the closest thing I’ve ever had to family.

He’s also the reason I’m out here in the forest in the middle of the night.

When Christian first asked me to join Midnight Haven, I hesitated. Not because I didn’t believe in what it stood for, but because I don’t belong anywhere easily.

Midnight Haven is a sanctuary and a rescue group. We help those who need it, and formed the group when a cult moved into the area north of Night Grove Falls. They’ve been stirring up trouble ever since.

“Daydreaming?” Christian asks as we stalk through the forest.

“No. Wondering how I let you convince me to do this.”

He laughs. “You know it’s the right thing to do.”

I sigh. “Yeah…”

We walk down the hiking trail in silence for a few minutes, scanning the tree line for any sign of movement.

The forest is too quiet.

I move silently through the trees, boots barely disturbing the damp earth. The moon hangs low overhead, pale and watchful, filtering through branches thick with pine needles. My wolf is close to the surface, a constant presence under my skin—massive, alert, restless.

Christian walks a few yards to my right, his expression serious, dark eyes scanning the shadows. He doesn’t look like a doctor out here. No lab coat. No stethoscope.

Then he freezes.

My wolf perks up inside me, and I tense alongside him.

“You hear that?” he murmurs.

At first, I hear nothing. Just the wind whispering through the leaves. An owl calling somewhere in the distance.

Then—

A muffled cry cuts through the night.

My spine stiffens. My wolf surges forward, his low growl vibrating in my chest.

Christian’s jaw tightens as he hears it, too.

“We split up,” I say quietly. “Circle from both sides.”

He nods once. No wasted words. No hesitation.

I veer left, moving deeper into the woods, keeping low and silent. Every sense sharpens. I can smell adrenaline now. Fear. Human fear, raw and panicked, carried on the wind.

And something else.

Oil. Sweat. Metal.

Men.

My wolf presses hard against my ribs, claws scraping inside my bones, demanding release. He hates this, hates predators who hunt what they shouldn’t.

I crest a small rise and see the cult spread out before me.

An old, half-rotted house, the kind of place no one claims anymore, squats at the edge of the forest like a forgotten secret. Dark windows. Sagging porch. And in front of it—

A girl.

She’s fighting them with everything she has.

Three men drag her toward the door, hands locked around her arms as she kicks and screams, her voice tearing through the night. Her hair—long and wild—whips around her face as she thrashes, nails raking one man’s cheek.

“Let me go!” she screams. “Help! Someone help me!”

One of them laughs. Another curses as she lands a solid kick to his shin.

My vision goes red.

We need to save her, my wolf snarls.

I grit my teeth in agreement.

“It was the chain on the gate,” Christian says as he appears by my side.

“They just brought a woman in,” I tell him.

He studies the scene below us, taking a step closer. “Shit. You know who that is, right?”

“Who?” I frown, trying to keep my wolf in check.

“That’s Roxie. Fern’s friend. We’ve been looking for her for weeks! She just dropped off the face of the earth.”

“You think they’ve had her this whole time?” I growl.

“I mean, maybe. Not here, though. They wouldn’t take her off the property and then bring her back.”

“And we would have seen her before now,” I add.

“We could take them.”

“We can take those three, but we don’t know how many more are in the house or those nearby buildings,” I point out.

“We need to tell the others.”

“Yeah. We’ll head back. We should be right on time for the morning meeting. We’ll all come up with a plan and—”

My words die in my throat as the wind shifts, blowing the girl’s scent right at me. It hits me like a physical blow. Warm. Sweet. Wild.

Mine, my wolf howls.

I dig my nails into my palms, holding him in check.

“What? What is it?” Christian asks, scanning the property to see what has me distracted.

“She’s mine,” I tell him, my voice low and raspy and filled with need.

My wolf surges, triumphant, possessive, roaring so loudly inside me that it’s a miracle the forest doesn’t shake. Every instinct I have locks onto her, branding her onto my soul.

Christian’s gaze sharpens. He looks at the girl again, really looks, and his eyes widen slightly.

“Oh,” he says under his breath. “Shit.”

I swallow hard as the men bring her into a house. They emerge a few moments later and lock the door behind them.

Christian grips my shoulder. “It’s okay, man. We’ll get her out of there. She’ll be yours in a few hours.”

I glare at the house and the men retreating from where they’ve imprisoned my mate.

I vow right then and there that no one will ever put her in a cage again.

Not unless it’s the one I build to keep her safe.