Chapter 3

Seemingly as stunned as I am, Lee spins, growling his displeasure at being disturbed when the deep, booming voice comes out of nowhere.

Yanking me by the hair again, Lee pulls me to his side as he faces the huge male approaching casually from among the trees. His gaze never waivers from Lee as he strolls down the sloping riverbank. Hands in his pockets, he couldn't look any less bothered by the scene he's stumbled upon.

Lee however, is livid. Tugging my head closer to him, keeping me off balance, he angles my neck so his mark can be seen.

"This has nothing to do with you. She's my mate. Mine to do with as I please, so stay out of it," he sneers.

With a weary sigh, and an eye roll, the handsome stranger continues to come closer, reaching a hand up to push his wavy, black hair back from his face. "I'm afraid that's not going to be possible. You see, this is my territory and we don't tolerate mate abuse here."

His expression is almost apologetic, like he just told Lee he can't park his car here.

"I'm taking her home. Right now. You don't need to bother yourself with our domestic dispute. We'll just be on our way."

With another apologetic shrug, the stranger quirks up one side of his full mouth. "You"re going to have to leave the lady here until my alpha has a chance to speak with her, to make sure she wantsto go home with you. She looks like she could do with some food and a doctor."

The stranger's gaze snags on mine for a millisecond but I feel the intention behind that look. He's asking me to trust him; and, for some reason, I do. They say better the devil you know, but in this case, definitely not.

It could be a lie.

Maybe this pack is no better than the one I'm fleeing, and he has no intention of offering me refuge, but at least dying at someone else's hands would rob Lee of the pleasure.

"Nobody takes from me. She is mine." Lee's grip tightens and I wince. My scalp screams at the sting, and when he lets go, I expect I'll be missing clumps of hair but I fight to keep from crying out. This situation is fraught enough as it is.

The stranger smiles, chilling in its insincerity.

"You could always come back to the pack house and meet him yourself. Explain what's going on." The stranger's voice drops lower, and his tone is gravelly. "I'm sure my alpha would be very interested to hear what this tiny thing did to deserve being beaten and hunted like prey."

The threat is clear, and Lee keeps his mouth shut, begrudgingly, knowing that's not a conversation he wants to have. If this impressive wolf shifter isn't the alpha, the real one must be seriously powerful.

And Lee's not that brave.

We're at an impasse. The silence stretches on, filling the air around us with cloying tension so thick it's hard to breathe. The longer the three of us stand there, waiting for someone to say or do something, the harder my heart beats in my chest.

Finally, in one last offer of leniency, the stranger raises an eyebrow and tips his head to the side, gesturing in the general direction we came from. He's giving Lee one last chance to leave without a fuss, to slink out of here intact, albeit with his tail between his legs and his pride wounded.

If Lee's hatred for me wasn't bone deep, it would be the clever thing to do. But Lee has never been that smart, and I know he won't go without me. Torturing me is his cowardly way of showing his dad, and the rest of the pack, that he's a tough guy; in control, not weakened by the undue influence of his mate.

"I don't give a fuck what your alpha thinks. Or you for that matter." Lee stares at the wolf suspiciously, unsettled by his cool demeanour. The fact that he doesn't seem to see Lee as a threat has Lee rattled.

In our pack, Lee is feared because he has power and control, not because he's fought for his position. Out here in the wilds, one-on-one with a shifter who seems absurdly relaxed, he's off-kilter. Looking at the sheer size of this man and the confidence he exudes, I don't blame Lee for being worried.

I study my new friend closely as he tuts, looking disappointed but amused by Lee's decision to stay put. This wolf is definitely of alpha lineage, judging by the raw power emanating from him. Muscles bulge under his thin black t-shirt, now plastered to his skin as the rain continues to pour down, showing off his sculpted torso.

His sharp eyes take in every detail of our surroundings while his body language remains easy-going and loose. The glint in his eye tells me he's anything but.

"Have you any idea who you're messing with? Leave now and forget you ever met us, or I'll make your life a misery, too."

Lee's warning falls on deaf ears.

With a resigned shake of his head, the stranger rests his hands on his hips, looking at Lee like an annoyance he was hoping not to deal with. I'm praying his swagger is justified, or we're both dead.

"I really didn't want to have to do this," he says on a sigh.

In the blink of an eye, the stranger is replaced by a magnificent black wolf in the fastest shift I've ever seen. My wolf rumbles, amazed by his strength and bravery, beyond grateful that someone has come to our aid when no one has ever bothered before.

Irritated by the impressed sound I made, Lee uses his grip on my hair to tilt me sideways at an awkward angle, then shoves me hard away from him as he calls his own wolf forward. I fall, landing hard on my hands and knees. When I cry out in pain, the stranger's gaze whips to me, registering the dark bruising and deep gashes on my back from the whipping I received yesterday. My body is too weak to repair itself, using all my energy to run instead.

I dip my head as I struggle to stand, his sympathetic expression making me feel even more ashamed of the position I'm in. I used to be a strong wolf. I'm not sure when Lee broke me, but that's exactly how I feel right now. Shattered.

The giant black wolf bares his teeth at Lee but doesn't attack.

As Lee circles him, he merely watches. The wolf growls when Lee lunges at his back, a cowardly manoeuvre, one I've seen him use before. Side-stepping the attack, the black wolf watches as my mate flies past and skids to a halt, failing to anticipate the speed of this stranger.

Without missing a beat, the black wolf dives on Lee's back, dark claws raking down Lee's flesh and giant teeth sinking into the scruff of Lee's neck, tearing away a large chunk of skin.

It's a nasty wound but not life-threatening.

Lee bellows, dragging himself away on his front legs, his attacker trailing along behind like he has all the time in the world. He could attack again, but he holds back, allowing Lee time to regroup. It reminds me of a cat playing with its food.

Staggering away, keen to get clear of the two brawling alphas, I rest my back against a rock and stare on in stunned silence, forcing air in and out of my lungs. My life depends on the outcome of this fight, on the skill of this complete stranger.

Lee lunges for him again, nipping the side of my hero's cheek as he dances away, teeth snapping. Loud snarls and growls fill the quiet forest, sending a shiver down my spine as they brawl. I can barely watch as red drips from the chin of the black wolf.

The tang of his coppery blood fills the air, and something in the air shifts. His rage is palpable. My rescuer barrels into Lee, taking this challenge up a notch now that some of his own blood mingles with the soft earth.

Clamping his teeth around my mate's limb, he bites down, ignoring as Lee twists his large body around and grips whatever thick fur he can reach with his jaws. As Lee shakes his head, inflicting as much damage as he can muster, I grimace. The scent of the stranger's blood grows stronger, and my stomach clenches in concern.

He shows no sign of being hurt, though, instead biting down even harder until a sickening crack fills the air. Lee roars, a combination of unbearable pain and fear. A three-legged wolf doesn't stand a chance.

Lee releases his grip on the wolf's flank, howling in agony when his paw touches the ground, crumpling under him when he tries to put weight on it. Distracted, Lee leaves himself exposed, and is punished when teeth sink deep into the soft skin of his side, tearing out another large piece of flesh.

This is barely a fight now.

Lee is a strong, virile alpha wolf, but this stranger is making him look like a foolish pup.

As my mate's blood spills onto the forest floor, despite the lingering remnants of our bond, I can't bring myself to feel anything but relief. Will I finally be free?

Suddenly, my saviour shifts back to his human form. Standing, he uses one foot to press down on my mate's injured leg, keeping him in place. His cool gaze lands on me, and he waits for me to meet his eye, making sure he has my attention.

He does.

My wolf practically rolls over, equally impressed that he has protected us when nobody else did, and by his perfect body. His skin glows, covered in a sheen of sweat and blood, as he looms over the man that has tormented us for so long.

His intense eyes bore into mine when I fail to speak but continue to drink in his magnificent form. Never looking away, despite how Lee squirms and screams as he grinds Lee's snapped limb into the forest floor with a twist of his foot, he casts an assessing gaze over me.

"Are you badly injured?" he asks, scanning up and down my naked body for damage.

Shaking my head, I push to my feet, trying to appear stronger than I feel.

"No. I'm hurt but I'm okay. I've had worse."

His jaw clenches, and his gaze burns into mine. He did not like that.

"Can you shift?"

Shifting takes energy, but in my wolf form, I'll heal faster. I nod, and the stranger returns the gesture, his expression soft and concerned. It's a stark contrast to the uncaring, vacant look he had while fighting.

Movement pulls my attention back to Lee's prone form. His wolf is trying to heal him before he loses too much blood, and it looks like it's working: the wound on Lee's belly is no longer gaping, the red pouring from his neck has all but stopped. It's not over yet.

"Then run."

Blinking up at him, I move closer, inexplicably drawn to him despite how dangerous he is. I try to process his words. I'm finally free. I can finish off Lee if he doesn't want to. Why do I need to run?

My wolf doesn't want to leave him.

"I know exactly who this is, little wolf. His father will come as soon as he feels his loss. You need to be as far from here as you can get when I put him out of his misery."

The blood drains from my face and the urge to curl up into a ball and cry is strong. He's right. I can't stay here. His father will kill me, if I'm lucky. That man already hates me, he won't rest until he gets his vengeance. I'm still not free.

Lifting my eyes to my stranger, I shake my head.

"You have to let him go, or bring him to your alpha. This will come back on you." This handsome stranger shouldn't have to die because he was unlucky enough to get caught up with me and my problems. At least I'll have a head start.

"If I let him go, he'll go tell his daddy. Same result, but with one more asshole hunting for you. Not going to let that happen." His tone is resolute and his reasoning is sound.

If Lee were dead, there's a chance they'll never work out who did it. If he lets Lee live, the entire pack will come looking for justice.

"But what about you? You're in danger now. I can't just leave…"

Drifting closer, I don't realise how close I've moved to him until he reaches out and brushes a wet strand of hair away from my swollen cheek. My body trembles with the cold, but the heat radiating from him feels like a warm blanket.

I edge nearer again. He makes me feel safe, even with the rapidly healing Lee starting to come around at his feet. The stranger must have noticed, too, because he presses Lee's face harder into the mud.

"Don't worry about me. You have more important things to think about." When his gaze falls on my still-flat stomach, I tense. How does he know? It's too early. "Right?"

My deer-caught-in the-headlights expression is all the confirmation he needs. His face is kind, and his thumb skims along my bruised jawline, brushing the bottom edge of my lip every so lightly.

"Then run. Shift, and put as much distance between you and your pack as you can. And never look back."

Briefly, I lean into his touch, desperate for affection. Letting my cheek rest against his palm, I swallow hard. This should be the easy part, but why does it feel so hard? My wolf wants to stay, but I know we'll both end up dead if I do.

"Thank you. I'll never forget this. Someday, I'll repay you," I promise. Placing one hand protectively on my belly, I touch his arm and he tenses, his piercing gaze pinning me once more.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I never see you again," he replies with a sad smile. His intense gaze slides to the trees and back to me. "Stay safe, pretty wolf."

He's telling me I need to go, right now.

Backing away, I don't take my eyes from him until the very last second, then I shift and bolt into the trees, forcing myself not to think about what's going to happen once I'm gone.