Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
C hance
“Get her inside! Now!” I yell at Chelsea over my shoulder.
I don’t even think about it as I shift into my wolf form to confront the two bastard wolves who came out of nowhere.
My wolf takes over. It’s as if he has a mind of his own. He only gets this way when he’s pissed off. I’ve only seen him like this a handful of times before. All of those times were when there was a direct threat to my pack.
I charge at the first wolf, aiming for his neck. He tries to lunge around me to go for Emery, but I’m faster. I latch onto fur, skin, and muscle, my sharp incisors sinking into his neck.
The wolf’s body stiffens in pain and he lifts his head as if letting out a howl from the pain, but I don’t let up.
All I think about is the look of deadly intent in his eyes when he stared at Emery. They aren’t here to mingle with the rest of the shifters in the diner. These sons of bitches were sent to harm her.
Mate! My wolf repeats over and over.
Protect mate!
A sharp pain slices through my front right calf. That’s when I remember the other wolf.
With the first wolf’s neck still in between my teeth, I whip my head to one side and release my jaw. The first wolf goes flying before crashing into a tree. He falls limply, to the ground.
The wolf struggles, but doesn’t get up from his prone position. I growl, showing my incisors. My wolf is pissed that the son of a bitch is still alive.
But he’s no longer a threat, and I don’t have time to finish him.
I turn my attention to the second wolf. He’s released my leg and is now headed for the diner.
I race to catch up and get in front of him. As soon as I do, I slap one of my paws across his face, sending him spiraling to the ground.
He recovers quickly.
Though he’s no longer focused on getting inside of the diner. Instead, he’s now glaring and snarling at me.
I do the same. There’s a beat before we engage.
I send another paw to his face, causing his head to pop up and sideways. I use the opening to lock onto his neck with my teeth. There’s not even a thought about it as I whip my head back and forth with a strength I rarely use.
Less than a minute into the fight, his body goes limp.
The first wolf, who’s still prone on the ground, lifts his head and appears to howl at the sky. As if it feels the death of the second wolf.
They must be related or from the same pack.
Good. I think at the same time my top lip curls in a snarl at the pair of wolves.
I push at the lifeless wolf with my paw just to make sure the bastard is dead. When I’m assured that he won’t be getting up, I quickly shift back into my human form.
“Where is she?” I demand as I burst through the diner’s door. It doesn’t even occur to me that I’m naked in front of a restaurant full of people. They’re all shifters so they’re used to it.
“Here,” Chelsea calls to me at the same time she throws me a pair of jeans and T-shirt. “We keep extra on hand for things like this,” she explains.
I don’t care about the reason. “Where is she?” I insist, looking around the room. I can’t hear their response, so I pin Chelsea with a hard stare.
“Put some clothes on first,” she tells me.
Her expression hardens when I growl at her. “You’ve already scared the wits out of that girl. She’s locked herself in the bathroom and refuses to come out. Put some clothes on before you try to talk her out.”
It takes a few beats before her words register in my head. I fight to regain control over my wolf instincts. He’s on edge, sniffing for any lingering threats.
Mate! It insists.
“She’s not our fucking mate,” I growl.
“She’s not?” Chelsea asks with wide eyes. “You could’ve fooled me.”
I shake my head, but don’t respond, or let her know that I was talking to my wolf. That would likely spur her on to believe the impossible.
I quickly pull on the blue jeans and black T-shirt Chelsea threw at me before I make my way toward the back of the diner to the bathrooms.
On my way, I stop a few of the other shifters that I’m familiar with, asking if they knew the two wolves that attacked us. They assure me that, no, they’re not known to any pack in this area.
That both relieves me, but also makes me nervous to find out what the hell is going on. I don’t know who sent these motherfuckers. What I do know is that I need to get Emery out of here.
They were after her. And they had murder in their eyes.
Once I reach the bathroom door, I twist the doorknob, but it’s locked. The door doesn’t budge. I could easily break it down, but Chelsea’s words of how frightened and freaked out Emery was, come back to me.
I’m certain up until this point, she had no idea wolf shifters even existed. Let alone, had she likely ever even considered that she just might be one of us.
A fact I’m not sure of, but my instincts tell me that she’s not what she may have been led to believe she is her whole life.
I wave Chelsea over.
“Tell her I’m out here,” I order.
Chelsea, not one for taking orders from anyone, bristles.
“Please,” I say, but I suspect it’s the hard undertone in my voice that makes her roll her eyes.
I pound on the door. “Come out.”
Chelsea frowns, but I motion for her to tell me what Emery says, if anything, since when I jostle the door handle again, it’s still locked.
“She says to go away.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I say with a force that I try to keep at bay but am having difficulty. “You need to open the door now.”
“Go away, or she’s calling the police,” Chelsea mouths.
“What the hell is it with you and the police?” I growl.
“I mean it,” Chelsea mouths. “Get away from me right now, or I’m calling.”
“With what phone?” I retort. I saw when she looked at her phone before the wolves attacked. She has no battery left.
“I’m not coming out until you’re gone. You and those…things.”
I flinch as I watch Chelsea repeat word for word what Emery’s saying on the other side.
The overwhelming need to see her face overtakes me. My instincts have me wanting to pound on the door, to see her, to read the words on her lips. I don’t want a fucking interpreter between us.
Right before my fist makes contact with the red wooden door, Chelsea grabs my wrist. Her hold isn’t strong enough to stop me, but it does make me pause as I turn to her.
She shakes her head. “You’re going to scare her more,” she mouths in a way that appears as if she’s whispering.
Her statement hits its intended mark, though.
I uncurl my fist and place my palm against the door. “Emery, you’re not safe here. You need to come out.”
“Huh, and I’m safe with you?” Chelsea mouths.
“Yes.” The answer comes out immediately. “I told you I would help you find your sister, and I meant it. I’m not…” I break off because I’m not good with words. “Just open the door. Please. I won’t hurt you.”
I look at Chelsea, but she doesn’t mouth anything. I motion for her to repeat Emery’s response, but she shakes her head.
“She hasn’t said anything.”
My chest tightens. She’s not responding. I press my palm to the door and wait.
Suddenly, there’s a turn of the doorknob and a small crack of the door.
Emery’s face appears, but she doesn’t pull the door open. Still, even with the small amount of her that I can see, I let my gaze roam over her. It takes me a moment to realize that I’m checking over her to make sure she’s not hurt.
Though there’s a pinch between her brows, she doesn’t look injured. A feeling of relief flows through my body.
My relief is quickly replaced with irritation when Emery says, “I said I’m not coming out until you and those things are gone!”
She goes to close the door in my face, but I’m faster than she is.
Before I give it too much thought, I’m shoving my way through the door and closing it behind me.